THE ADVISOR

THE ADVISOR

An woeful tale created by strzeka (12/24—01/25)

 

Alex Hayes came highly recommended. Not only had he graduated with flying colours, his curriculum vitae was also bursting with personal achievements and professional landmarks. He had achieved more in his thirty‑three years than most people managed in a lifetime. He was not a smug man but he was inwardly proud of succeeding in his chosen career while keeping his specific sadism under wraps. His entire career had been a dress rehearsal for this latest position as a liaison officer at the Charles Walters Rehabilitation Centre for the Physically Disabled.

 

His skill with people came from a natural empathy. He was not overly sensitive but often found himself moved by distress in others, to the extent that he took a two year course in social studies in order to better understand the roles which both the individual and society at large could play in supporting unfortunate victims of fate. It also acted as another layer of disguise for his secretive fetish.

 

He was a bachelor. He had friends and admirers of both sexes and understood enough about himself to know he could only ever create a relationship with another man. He was still a virgin and found it neither exceptional nor alarming. He simply had not yet met the right person. His new position presented the opportunity to create him, although it might take years and might indeed never materialise. He was well aware of the contradictions in his psychology. He regarded the dichotomy as a rare example of a situation which first needed to worsen before it could improve. Simply stated, in his position as liaison advisor, he could persuade seriously injured patients to accept even more severe disablement. His first opportunity presented itself only five weeks after joining the staff at Charles Walters.

 

Todd Lambert was a master builder, responsible for overseeing health and safety at a building site in Central London, where another architecturally acclaimed high‑rise was under construction. He had been injured when a simple link in a steel chain failed and an aluminium‑framed window unit fell from a crane, first crushing his feet and bouncing, only to land on Lambert’s outstretched arms, breaking both in several places. The crane driver reacted immediately on sensing the chain fail and hit the brake immediately, which was the probable cause of the window unit’s change in orientation leading to Lambert’s arm injuries. However, it was also quite as likely that the crane driver saved his life by shifting it enough to avoid crushing the man’s head. Whatever the latent possibilities, the result was that Lambert met Alex Hayes for the first time on a bright May morning sitting in a wheelchair pushed by a nurse, who left the pair together.

 

Hayes had studied Lambert’s medical report. The man’s basic details caught his eye—early thirties, professional, single, property owner. His injuries were of varying severity. His lower legs and feet might heal completely, or the patient might require orthopaedic adaptations such as leg braces and specialised footwear for future mobility. The injuries to his forearms and hands were more worrisome and Hayes intended to persuade Lambert along a path to recovery he had almost certainly not considered.

 

            – Hello. Pleased to meet you. I shan’t shake. My name is Alex Hayes and it’s my job to act as a kind of go‑between while you’re recovering. In short, it’s my responsibility to make sure you have everything you need while you’re at Charles Walters, as well as for a while afterwards if necessary. I’m not on the medical staff, more a sort of independent overseer, so if there’s anything you have cause to complain about, feel free to let me know and I’ll see what I can do to improve things.

 

Lambert’s eyes watched Hayes’s face while he was speaking. Hayes had the habit of looking away from his interlocutor’s face when speaking, glancing up every few seconds to check he still had his listener’s attention. It appeared coy, flirtatious even, and Lambert was enchanted. He rarely met men he took a fancy to after such short acquaintance and his initial infatuation with their appearance never led anywhere. A building site or engineering office were entirely the wrong environments to strike up a relationship. But now he was very much a prisoner of circumstance. He was being told that he would be meeting Hayes regularly and the idea made all the pain and discomfort more bearable.

 

            – There’s one thing I was wondering about. I don’t know if you’d be able to answer.

            – Ah. Try me!

            – Well, I overheard two doctors chatting behind a curtain this morning and I think they were talking about me. They mentioned the word Perthes and I don’t know what they meant.

            – Oh, that’s easy enough. Perthes refers to a certain kind of leg brace. I have to ask—were they your usual doctors?

            – One was for sure. I recognised his accent.

            – In that case, I would also guess they were talking about you. How long have you been wearing the casts now? Eight weeks or so?

            – Yeah.

 

Lambert’s arms were casted from his shoulders to his fingertips. His arms pointed at different angles to accommodate the differences in his fractured elbows. His legs were in uniform casts. Both legs wore thick straight plaster casts from groin to toes. His limbs were x‑rayed weekly for surgeons to inspect his recovery. Hayes was intrigued by his patient enquiring about Perthes braces. They were Lambert’s absolute favourite variation. Usually a Perthes brace was applied to one leg while the other wore a built‑up boot several inches high to compensate for the discrepancy in leg length. Although the combination enabled seriously injured patients to walk again, the combination always looked severely crippling. Perhaps it was the dichotomy which fascinated him. Hayes decided it was not inappropriate to tout the advantages of Perthes braces to such a restricted patient.

 

            – You see, the big advantage of Perthes braces is that they let the patient walk again even while the injury is still healing because they hold the lower leg, ankle and foot off the floor. There’s a bar across the base of a slightly extended framework so the patient’s foot is suspended in the air. All the weight is transferred up the bracing to the patient’s thighs, you see. And you believe the doctors mentioned two Perthes braces, do you?

            – I think so. That’s the impression I got.

Hayes was excited by the idea of seeing Lambert’s legs encased in a pair of Perthes. He would definitely need a pair of crutches. That implied that his arms could be fitted with some type of crutch. He decided not to raise the patient’s hopes yet at this stage when nothing was yet certain.

            – I’m sure you’d find leg braces much more comfortable than plaster casts. Let’s hope that’s what the doctors had in mind. Was there anything else you’d like to know?

            – Would these braces be rigid from top to toe, or would the knees bend so I could sit down?

            – It would be unusual for them not to bend, although it’s quite possible to manufacture braces like that. I’m quite sure any brace which you use would have a lockable knee so the brace would be rigid while you walk and when you want to sit, you simply disengage the lock.

            – I think I see. I wouldn’t mind a pair of braces like that while my legs get better.

Hayes was happy to hear it. He asked if Lambert had any other pressing questions and filled the rest of the allotted time with examples of how he might help in future, all dependent of course on Lambert’s rate of recovery. For the first time, Lambert was grateful for having lost much of his physical libido since his accident otherwise he would have had an unmistakable erection in his hospital fatigues. He had been dribbling precum for at least twenty minutes from a flaccid penis which had retracted into his body cavity by fifteen centimetres. Two days later, his leg casts were removed and his legs restrained in polypropylene braces which lent support to his lower legs. For the first time since his arrival, he could sit in a wheelchair with bent knees and regarded it as a sign of progress. Two days after that, he met liaison officer Hayes for the second time.

 

            – I’m not sure if these are the sort of braces they want me to wear from now on. I’m not allowed to stand up or anything like that, so I don’t really understand why I have to wear them.

            – The reason is that your ankles need to be kept in a certain position. Those plastic braces aren't weight‑bearing. In other word, you aren’t supposed to walk on them. But if you want, I can put in an order for Perthes braces if you’d prefer. The medical staff might say we’re getting ahead of ourselves but unfortunately, Todd, you’re not the first patient recovering from crushed legs to come through the system and I would recommend a reliable pair of leather and steel Perthes braces which would not only allow your injuries to continue healing, you would also be able to walk a little. Or, at least, stand.

            –That’s exactly the sort of thing I’d like. Can you organise me to be fitted with proper Perthes braces instead of these plastic things?

            – If you’re sure, I’ll see to it.

 

Three days later, Lambert was scheduled for a meeting with Dr Patrick Connolly, an orthopaedic specialist, to begin the process of acquiring steel leg braces. His still healing injuries were noted and Connolly was satisfied that the unusual request for a pair of Perthes was justified. The patient was knowledgeable about the apparatus already, thanks to Hayes’s explanations, and was keen to make progress with his healing. If only he could use his arms! They were both still casted, making life awkward and causing him to be completely reliant on others for everything.

 

Connolly spent over an hour taking precise measurements of Lambert’s legs and was finally ready.

            – I want to talk about the base of the braces. The usual design sees the steel brace make a U‑turn under the foot, to which a broad rubber pad is attached. But I recommend you opt for something a little more practical since you will have both legs braced.

            – What sort of thing do you mean?

            – I suggest thick circular rubber pads, about ten centimetres in diameter and two or three thick. They will make it possible to stand on the Perthes more easily because of the larger contact area and they are also better for walking on. However, I believe that you will need extra support—preferably a pair of walking sticks if your arms can take the strain. There is another solution, but it is rarely used these days.

            – What’s that?

            – A pair of crutches equipped with sockets. If your arms are too weak to allow you to support yourself with walking sticks, I could manufacture a pair of sockets to cover your forearms. Two aluminium pylons would extend to the ground. The pressure would be distributed over your forearms without creating any pressure points.

            – So they’d be a bit like artificial arms with a crutch at the end?

            – Yes. That’s quite a good description. But let us not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s hope that your arms recover well enough to support you on your Perthes.

Lambert nodded in agreement but was fascinated by the idea of wearing a cross between artificial arms and crutches. He tried to imagine himself wearing the deviant leg braces with their odd circular rubber feet, rocking along supported by walking sticks which extended up his arms. Both the braces and the crutches were merely temporary aids which he could trust for their sturdy reliability while his splintered limbs recovered from their trauma. As an engineer, he was familiar with overcoming natural obstacles and viewed his future orthoses as a technical solution to a temporary problem.

 

It was time to release his arms. The bones had knitted as well as could be expected. Casts were no longer necessary. Lambert would be offered adjustable arm braces to keep his wrists immobile but was otherwise free to use his hands as best he could. He was shocked by the appearance of his arms. They were discoloured and scarred by incisions caused by the accident and later by medical staff. A lot would have to improve before he exposed them in public. His elbows ached from their newly regained freedom of movement, as did his wrists. His arm braces were soon fitted and the additional support eased the throbbing discomfort. His fingers were weak with almost no grip but he should be able to mange to feed himself at last. Early days. Things could only get better. He was impatient for his Perthes braces, hoping they would allow him to leave his wheelchair for much of the day.

 

Unfortunately Lambert felt worse after the removal of his arm casts. He did not wear any bracing in bed and awoke several times every night when a change of position caused a spike of pain from any of his healing limbs. As a result of poor sleep, he was chronically tired and felt haggard. It was difficult to concentrate on anything and his interest in topical affairs waned. More out of desperation than necessity, he arranged a meeting with Hayes, a friendly face, someone he could confide in.

 

            – It’s good you came to see me. You obviously have a lot going on at the same time and it’s not surprising that things feel overwhelming. Is there anything specific you’re worried about?

            – My arms are so weak. They seem so sensitive. I can hardly move them without pain and I’m worried about not being able to walk on the Perthes when I get them.

            – Have you had an update on when they’ll be ready?

            – No, I’ve not heard anything.

            – I’ll ask on your behalf and let you know. It shouldn’t take long unless they have a lot of jobs on.

            – OK, thanks. I’m also worried about how I’m going to manage at home when they discharge me.

            – Yes. We haven’t discussed that. Do you have a partner who can help while your recuperate?

            – That’s it, you see. There’s no‑one. I go back to an empty home which, stupidly, I designed and built myself for a healthy active man with no mobility problems. I made it flood‑proof by raising it on stilts but there’s a long flight of steps up to the entrance. I don’t know if I can manage them with leg braces.

            – I see. There’s no lift?

            – No. I didn’t think to include one. I dare say I could have one fitted somehow but it wouldn’t be ready before I return home.

Hayes was quiet for a moment. He had an idea but it might seem inappropriate. He looked at Lambert’s tired face with its beautiful eyes bloodshot and the smiling mouth downturned. If it were not for the handsome distinctive beard, it might be a different man entirely.

            – Whereabouts do you live?

            – Chertsey. I bought a couple of acres some years ago and put the house up over the next couple of years.

            – It sounds like you did much of the work yourself.

            – Yeah, I did. It is my profession, after all. I knew what I was getting into. It’s a great place, perfect for one or two or a small family. There are three bedrooms, see? And once you get up the stairs outside, it’s all on one level.

            – Well, that’s convenient if you want to use your wheelchair at home.

            – I hope I won’t need to.

            – Todd, I don’t want to alarm you, but after the injuries you’ve suffered, it’s unusual to regain the same level of activity. You might appreciate the opportunity to take the weight off your damaged legs at the end of the day.

            – I get it. Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I hope my arms have mended by then. I’ve tried pushing myself in this chair but it’s too uncomfortable.

            – Even with the arm braces?

            – Yeah.

            – That’s what I was afraid of. Give it a few more weeks, Todd. You’re still on the mend.

 

Gets braces, goes home, calls for help, Hayes moves in.

The big day dawned. He had received notice the previous afternoon that his Perthes leg braces were ready for fitting the next day at ten thirty. The minutes crept by. Time is slow for those who wait. He was wheeled to the ortho lab, received by Dr Connolly and invited to lie prone on a leather‑covered bench. Connolly removed Lambert’s polypropylene leg braces and carried them to a nearby table.

            – You won’t be needing those any longer, Todd. Now, before you try the braces, I want to put stockinette on your legs. I suggest you buy yourself several pairs of long leg underwear.

            – Long johns, you mean?

            – Yes, long johns. The braces are custom made for your legs but even so, there may be some slight movement during the day and the long underwear will offer a little protection against chafing as well as reduce the effect of perspiration.

Connolly worked two lengths of stockinette onto Lambert’s legs and fetched the left Perthes brace. Lambert had expected to see a round rubber heel at the base but there was simply a steel bar to which were attached two rubber blocks each held by two bolts screwed to the base.

            – Why does the bottom look like that?

            – Ah. I was advised to start you on the customary design until we see the pattern of wear. These blocks are interchangeable and we’ll be able to see pressure points and wear patterns before making you a permanent rocker base.

            – I see. They look like brake pads off a bike.

            – They do, rather.

Connolly asked for Lambert’s assistance in placing the left leg into the over‑long brace. The thigh socket was black leather, held firm by six straps with buckles. A knee cuff with four more buckles held his leg inside the brace equidistant from the steelwork bracing. A third leather cuff held his lower leg. His foot had no support. The frame of the leg brace continued beyond his foot for fifteen centimetres to the steel bridge across the base with its big brake pads.

            – Is that comfortable? Not too tight? OK, let’s get you into the other brace and you can try standing on them.

 

The second brace was outwardly identical but there were differences in the steel profile to compensate for the variation in the shape of Lambert’s lower legs following their reconstruction. Lambert found it reassuring to have his legs supported in their entirety again. His leg casts had occasionally been infuriating when he had an itch or when they were too warm but he appreciated the secure rigidity. He quite enjoyed the sensation and had wondered if he might wear long leg casts again in future in a recreational scenario. Anyone who knew of his accident and recovery would not be surprised to see him wearing a long cast or two in future. It felt erotic to walk with immobile knees, indeed to walk without expending any effort except from the hips. The leg casts which had been recently removed were not suitable for walking in but his next pair would definitely have walking heels.

 

            – Alright. Do you think you could put those on yourself?

            – Yeah, I think so. I might have some trouble with the straps and buckles, though. I don’t have much strength in my lower arms and hands yet.

            – We’ll see about that shortly. I want you to swing around so your legs dangle over the edge of the bench, OK? Don’t try to get up yet.

Lambert righted himself and sat.

            – The braces become rigid when you stand. These weighted locks drop into place when you’re vertical. In fact, they’re called drop locks. To disengage them, you simply pull them up and sit. Then your knees will be able to bend.

            – Much more convenient than plaster casts.

            – Indeed they are. Now I want you to stand and remember that you will be taller than usual. I am going to hold your hips and I want you to find your correct balance, OK. Do you understand?

            – Yes, of course.

Lambert supported himself as best he could with his weak arms, assisted by his arm braces, and stood upright. It felt familiar to have his legs once again gripped by something external and he was both surprised and delighted at standing so much taller than usual. The drop locks clunked into place locking the hinges at his knees. Connolly held him to steady him. The narrow rubber blocks he was standing on felt ridiculously precarious.

            – Tell me how the braces feel. How are your thighs feeling?

Lambert described as best he could each aspect of his Perthes. None of the cuffs were too tight. It felt so odd to stand without feeling any pressure on his feet, which hung naked inside the braces’ framework.

            – Can you move forward and turn to your right? I want to move behind you while you test walking on the braces.

Fort he first time, Lambert tried moving his rigid extended legs, supported on narrow rubber strips below his instep. His first impression was the braces’ artificiality, their rigidity. To his surprise, the narrow bar at the base with its brake pads was pleasantly easy to move. It was light and friction between rubber and floor held him firmly. Connolly grabbed onto his back and asked him to walk forward. It was easy enough to move his Perthes. The problem was with balance. They crossed the lab and returned in the same fashion to the bench.

            – Sit down. Lean against the bench and release the drop locks. Just pull them upwards and bend your knee slightly. I’m going to give you a pair of walking sticks and I want you to support yourself in the same way. Short steps, lean very slightly forward onto the sticks and swing your legs around.

 

Lambert took a pair of meter long walking sticks into his hands for the first time in his life. Walking sticks were another of his fetishes and he appreciated a sighting of a younger man using a walking stick. On rare occasions, he had seen men no older than thirty using a pair of sticks and had felt envious of how erotic they appeared. Now it was his turn. The wrist support at the ends of his arm braces chafed against the wooden sticks but he stepped forward tentatively being careful not to let the brake pads catch on the floor. It was best to swing his legs out a little. He was grateful that his pelvic region had not been injured. He could rotate his thighs as easily as before his injuries. The brake pads gripped the highly polished linoleum floor in the lab. Hayes ticked a series of boxes on his report sheet. For all practical purposes, the patient was independently mobile and might be discharged. No further orthopaedic treatment was necessary. He scribbled his signature and invited Lambert to sit while the situation was explained.

 

A nurse collected Lambert, once again in his wheelchair but wearing his new leather and steel leg braces. His old pair of polypropylene supports would be recycled for some other unfortunate.

 

Connolly’s report kicked administration into action. Patient Lambert had regained mobility and his arm injuries were judged sufficiently healed that he could continue as an out‑patient, if necessary. He was granted the long walking sticks from the orthopaedic department and a final report was awaited from his doctor regarding the shattered arms. Lambert was interviewed and appraised one last time, assuring the doctor that he understood the limitations posed by his damaged arms but that he would be safe enough at home. Lambert was driven home and the driver assisted him up the exterior flight of steps.

 

He was free once again. Still in a wheelchair but he had his Perthes and his walking sticks, his arm braces and a sheaf of papers on medical self‑care. The idea of returning to his old routine so soon seemed overwhelming. He ordered in meals for the first few days. His Perthes braces stood unused in a corner of his bedroom along with his crutches and sticks. It was easiest to relax in the wheelchair, although he knew he should maintain the strength in his legs. He needed some encouragement to make the extra effort and remembered that his advisor, Hayes, had said he could get in touch at any time if he needed advice. He sent a text message asking Hayes to call him when he was free.

 

            – Hi! It’s Alex Hayes. You asked me to call. Is everything OK?

            – Hallo Alex. Yeah, things are fine. I’m slowly getting back into the normal run of things except I’m still in the wheelchair. It’s easier to wheel myself around than use the Perthes, you see.

            – I guess it is. But you ought to wear the leg braces to get used to them. They’re not only replacements for your leg casts. They’re actually part of your rehab programme.

Hayes thought quickly.

            – Look, would you like me to call in to see the situation? I can probably make a few suggestions which might not have occurred to you.

            – I’d like that. Can you come this evening?

            – I’m afraid not. The earliest I can make it is Saturday. Can you wait that long?

            – Sure, no problem. Thanks Alex. I’m sorry to be such a wimp.

            – Don’t say that. I’ll see you at the weekend. Put your braces on, Todd. Try and get used to them. The more you wear them, the better you’ll feel.

 

Lambert waited until the following morning. He dressed himself as usual and remembered he should wear long johns instead of ordinary jockeys. He put a pair of Converse trainers on his feet and arranged the long Perthes braces on his bed in order to make donning them easier. He had difficulty pulling the straps tight enough to make them secure. There was little improvement in his arm strength and he was reluctant to wear the arm braces because they caught on everything and were inconvenient most of the time. After spending far too long on two dozen buckles, he was ready. Both his crutches and his walking sticks leaned against his bed. He checked that the drop locks had free movement and swung himself around so his legs bent over the edge of the bed. He positioned the rubber brake pads as close as possible and carefully pushed himself upright. The locks clacked into place. He decided to play it safe and chose the crutches. Despite the inconvenience he had just tolerated, it felt great to be standing again, taller than he was before. The braces felt comfortable and he knew they were secure because he had no movement in his legs whatsoever. It was just as if he was back in his leg casts again.

 

He practised walking from one corner of his spacious living room into the hallway as far as the front door and back again. The crutches soon began to seem like overkill. In addition to having to think about how to place his legs, he also had to manipulate the crutches. He manoeuvred himself into his bedroom to exchange his crutches for two walking sticks and found them preferable. He was able to concentrate more on his balance, touching a tip of a stick to the floor to correct himself. The curved handles were comfortable to hold and he liked the way he looked. His feet looked smart in their trainers, suspended high above the floor. He could sense the pressure along his thighs with each step. It felt fine.

 

He may have over‑exerted himself. After an hour or so, his forearms began to protest at the unaccustomed pressure on them and he made his way to his kitchen with the intention of brewing coffee. He needed his hands free and dared to rely solely on his Perthes for the short distances he needed to walk in the kitchen. To his surprise, he found he could stand up perfectly well by placing one leg in front of the other. The broad rubber bases were stable and held his body erect. It was something he had not contemplated and was an example of discovering new capabilities by using his new equipment. His legs might be next to useless but he was walking again.

 

Hayes arrived on Saturday at mid‑morning as arranged. Lambert had discovered how to wear jeans over his leg braces and trusted his developing skill on a pair of Perthes to answer the door looking almost normal. He held one walking stick and Hayes took in the unusual sight of Lambert’s feet dangling in the air, shod in white trainers.

            – You look very well. I’m glad to see you’ve ditched the wheelchair.

            – Well, it’s still on stand‑by, but I haven’t used it much this week. It makes so much difference to my mobility to have braces which bend at the knees. And I can stand without a stick. Come in and I’ll make coffee.

Hayes watched the awkward crippled gait. It reminded him of other disabilities which required excellent balance and dedicated training. Now was not the time. He complimented Lambert on his new‑found ability.

            – You’re very kind to say so.

Hayes smiled and averted his eyes in his disarming fashion. Lambert was smitten with his advisor’s coy charm. There was no hint of femininity about him. There was nothing you could put your finger on and say This is what makes him unlike other men. Lambert was far from the first man to be seduced by Hayes’s mannerisms. It was a pleasure to sit at the same table with him.

            – Was there something you wanted to discuss?

            – There was but I seem to have resolved the problem myself. You see, I was reluctant to wear my leg braces because I thought I would have to use crutches. But after I got used to swinging my legs from my hips, I realised that the braces are much more responsive than I expected. I can even stand on them without using a stick.

            – You really shouldn’t but I’m glad to hear that you have made such good progress.

            – The one thing which I’m worried about is my hands and forearms. I have lost so much strength. There’s no power in them. Even picking up a mug of coffee needs two hands. I just wonder if they’ll ever recover properly.

            – You have to assume they will. Do you do those exercises in the patient after‑care papers?

            – Yeah, I do. Clenching my fists and lifting objects up and down. I have to stop when it gets too painful.

            – Show me your arms.

Lambert rested both arms on the tabletop and Hayes felt around the healed incisions. The bones had healed as well as might be expected but would never regain their original robust strength. Hayes was reluctant to express his opinion at this stage. Lambert was still healing and it would be counter‑productive to deflate his hopes at this stage. Hayes knew Lambert would continue to be frustrated by his arms and had already formalised a plan which would solve the problems posed by once destroyed and reconstructed arms. The main obstacle which kept him from suggesting further surgery was the simple fact that the man needed sticks to walk. Pottering around his kitchen with surfaces to grab was one thing. Striding down the street on two fully rigid Perthes was quite another.

            – Have you been outside since you arrived home?

            – No. I’m relying on home deliveries and take‑outs. Why?

            – It’s just that you should exercise your legs more and a regular walk outside would do you good. Make you more aware of what your leg braces are capable of. That sort of thing.

            – I hate the idea of using the stairs.

            – I’ll admit they are a problem. I can see why you’re reluctant but you should make the effort a couple of times a week. And it’s not good to be cooped up inside for days on end. Shall we go outside together later on? You can leave your sticks behind and we can go arm in arm.

            – I’d like that. OK. Thanks, Alex.

            – No problem.

 

Hayes was immediately able to solve one of Lambert’s main problems. He noticed that Lambert was prepared to descend the flight of metal steps with rigid Perthes.

            – Why don’t you release one knee lock to free the knee? It would make using the stairs much easier. You have enough strength in your knees, don’t you?

            – I suppose so.

            – Which leg is the stronger?

            – Left.

            – OK. Hold onto the railings.

Hayes bent down and disengaged the left drop lock.

            – Don’t straighten your left leg completely. I know a way of preventing the lock from dropping back down but we’ll come to that later. Lower your right leg and follow it with your right, just to the next step. That’s it! And now again. Just one step at a time.

            – It works! Why didn’t I think of this?

            – You can’t be expected to know everything from the get go.

 

Hayes admired the sight of the feet suspended inside the Perthes slowly descending the steps. Lambert had already learned to place his trust in his braces and had made progress in learning to walk on them without assistance. Hayes thought that bilateral leg injuries and disabilities were best treated by immobilising the legs in their entirety and loved to see a pair of long leg casts with walking heels or a legless amputee relearning to walk on stubbies. His end goal for Lambert was to see him with knee disarticulations and walking on bilateral peg legs. It was to that end that he was so keen for Lambert to master his Perthes braces. They represented the nearest approach to bilateral peg legs possible without actually losing a limb.

 

The roads around Lambert’s house were lined with hedges, hiding other exclusive and opulent houses. The two men walking slowly arm in arm had the place to themselves. Both of Lambert’s legs were rigid again and he was concentrating on thrusting his legs forward without swinging them sideways so much. After a few minutes, they found a suitable cadence, a regular rhythm which felt natural and comfortable to maintain. Hayes continually gave encouragement and congratulations. This was the furthest Lambert had walked in his braces and he was beginning to appreciate how they assisted him rather than how they restricted him. They were so much lighter than the leg casts but provided much the same security. Lambert himself enjoyed the novel sensation of walking without feet. Even the casts had not succeeded in providing that benefit.

 

Hayes led Lambert as far as he dared, bearing in mind that the return journey might overly tire him. It was not in his interests to make a relaxing stroll into something like physical punishment. Lambert tried the same trick ascending the steps to his house, announcing that his knee felt a little weak but that he could manage. It was slow but the additional height and manoeuvrability provided by the bases with their brake pads made it feel manageable. Hayes congratualted Lambert for his efforts and asked how he felt.

            – Great! Thanks for coming with me. I appreciated your support.

            – I didn’t really notice you holding on. I think after another few short walks like that and you’ll be ready to try it without any assistance. I know you’ve already worked out how to angle the braces so you can stand unsupported.

            – Yeah. That was one of the first things I noticed.

            – Are the braces comfortable to wear all day?

            – Yes. I have to say they are. I’m surprised because I expected the leather socket to get sweaty and start to chafe but it doesn’t, and of course, below my knees, the braces don’t really put any pressure on my legs.

            – Good. I’m glad to hear it.

            – The only problem I still have now is with my hands. And wrists, if I’m honest.

            – Oh? What problem?

            – They still hurt. And I have a very weak grip. I get pain shooting up my arms if I try to hold on tightly to something.

            – I’m sorry to hear that, Todd. But bear in mind that you’re still healing after some serious injuries. It will take time. But while I’m here, just ask for help if your hands start to ache.

            – Thanks very much. I will.

 

Hayes kept a close eye on Lambert for the rest of the day. Just after sundown, Lambert asked if Hayes had to leave or if he might like to stay overnight. There was a bedroom available with a neatly made bed. Hayes was pleased and accepted Lambert’s hospitality. That evening was the first they spent together, learning more about each other and sharing a few drams of whisky. Lambert was enchanted by Hayes’s seemingly coy mannerisms when he explained about his youth and experiences at university. He began to hope that somehow, some day, he might persuade Hayes to share his living quarters. There was room available in the house—in fact, it was one of the foremost reasons that he had designed it with three bedrooms. The living space was spacious with a tall ribbon window looking out towards the road, where the headlights of soundless vehicles occasionally flashed between the leaves of bushes.

 

Lambert asked Hayes to help him with his Perthes the next morning. Hayes was able to tighten the leather thigh corset to a greater extent than Lambert, which the latter mentioned. Once again he complained of the general weakness of his fingers and the sharp pains caused by over‑exertion. Hayes recommended that Lambert wear his arm braces too, which restricted the movement of his arms and wrists. He kept a discrete eye on Lambert during the day and came to the conclusion that Lambert used his hands only reluctantly in the expectation of more pain. He dared not yet make the suggestion which he intended to propose. It would have to derive from Lambert’s own desperation and the man had a greater tolerance for discomfort than expected. He had also been told, including by Hayes himself, that he was still healing and that the pain would soon decrease.

 

Lambert enjoyed Hayes’s company. For the first time in months, they ate a home‑cooked meal at four in the afternoon after Hayes ordered a delivery of a joint of beef and vegetables at ten o’clock. Lambert was content to watch the preparations and wondered if it would ever be possible for him to do something as basic as peeling potatoes again. Hayes caught him staring at his braced arms several times and imagined that the time for his proposal might be closer than he had thought.

 

Lambert invited Hayes to stay overnight again but Hayes insisted he had to return home to prepare for his return to work the next day and Lambert accepted his explanation.

            – But I’ve enjoyed being here and our walks. I hope we can do it again some time.

            – How about next weekend?

            – I’ll have to check my schedule first but I’d like that. Does it have to be a weekend?

            – No, of course not. I shan’t be going anywhere. I’m always home.

            – Except when you’re out for a walk. Don’t stop, Todd. It’s good to get out.

            – I know. I will.

Hayes left mid‑evening and drove slowly along the dark lanes towards the motorway and his north London home. The ideal image of his friend was foremost in his mind. The fate of the injured arms was a foregone conclusion but that of the legs was still uncertain, particularly if Lambert adopted Perthes braces as his own.

 

The two men fell into a routine which both enjoyed. As Lambert’s injuries continued to heal, some of his former libido returned and he was tormented by the presence of an eminently fuckable man with whom he had already had much physical contact, albeit of a  non‑sexual nature. After the third whisky one Saturday night, Lambert admitted to feeling horny in the way only another man would understand. It was the merest suggestion but Hayes picked up on it immediately.

            – Would you like some help with the problem, Todd? You only have to ask. I’m here to help, after all.

            – Ha! Alright, I’m asking. Would you help me with my horn?

            – I’d be happy to.

Lambert smiled through his bushy blond beard which he had cultivated since arriving home from the hospital.

            – I’m glad.

A few minutes later, they were both in Lambert’s bed and Hayes made oral love to the semi‑cripple, taking care not to put weight on the lower legs or forearms. Within the hour, he offered himself to Lambert, who was eager to assert dominance over the dark‑haired and moustachioed coy man who he already knew loved him. Hayes’s eyes widened as he experienced the pent‑up ferocity of the man he intended to sculpt into the ideal form. It was the first decent love‑making in months for Lambert and he was over‑excited and unintentionally over‑exerted his limbs. The damage made itself felt next morning when he found himself incapable of holding a comb after a shared shower.

 

            – We must have really overdone it last night, Alex. My arms are next to useless. Can you comb my beard for me?

Hayes did so and weighed up the chances of a rejection if he brought up his suggestion at this stage. Three months had elapsed since Lambert’s return home and it seemed ridiculous that he was still vulnerable to pain from his injuries which should have healed completely by now. He cinched the last of Lambert’s leg brace buckles and offered a hand to help him off their bed.

            – Oh, don’t pull my arm! Can you hand me my sticks? I think that’s the only way I’m going to be able to push myself up.

Hayes decided the time was ripe. Lambert worked himself erect and they went to the kitchen for breakfast.

            – I’m concerned about your hands, Todd. It seems to me they’re not healing the way they ought. In fact, I’m of the opinion the doctors did you a disservice by trying to reconstruct them instead of opting for the alternative.

            – What alternative? What do you mean?

            – Amputation. You would be in far less pain now if you had lost your forearms in favour of prostheses. You’d have learned to use artificial arms by now and there’d be no more pain.

            – Why didn’t they cut my hands off, then?

            – Doctors like to try to salvage ruined limbs, Todd. They see amputation as a failing on their part, even when it’s obvious that it would give the patient a better outcome.

            – Oh. I didn’t realise that. I wish they had cut my arms off. I don’t think I can go on like this. The pain never seems to ease. I mean, if I have to suffer like this every time after making love I think I’ll top myself.

            – Don’t say things like that, Todd. There’s no need to suffer with disfunctional arms and it’s not too late to arrange for amputations if you feel ready. It’s a big change but since your arms are so painful, to all intents and purposes you’ve already lost the use of your hands. You would be much better off with a pair of artificial arms.

            – And hooks?

            – I guess so, if that’s what you prefer.

            – I think I like the idea of sporting a pair of hooks. They always look impressive.

 

Hayes was delighted that Lambert was apparently willing to undergo bilateral amputations without further persuasion on his part. Perhaps he really had been in pain for months and had stoically said nothing. It was not a viable way to lead a life. His unspoken intention to guide Lambert towards losing his arms need never be voiced but the end result would be the same. His friend would bear hooks on a pair of artificial arms, with well‑moulded stumps, about the length of which Hayes had not yet formed a preference.

 

            – If you’re sure about it, Todd, I can pull a few strings at the hospital and get you into surgery fairly soon. In fact, you could recover from the arm amputations faster than your legs regain their strength.

            – I might as well use the time I’m off work to learn how to use hooks. OK, I’m ready. Please make the arrangements for me, Alex. Thanks ever so much.

            – Oh, don’t mention it. It’s all part of the job, making sure of the best possible recovery.

 

Hayes made a priority of arranging the procedure for his friend. He spoke to the surgeon who would perform the operations, stating that the patient had undergone reconstruction of his forearms but that Hayes had recently discovered that the patient was in continual pain and had considered amputation before. It would be to everyone’s advantage if the patient’s arms could be amputated soon, to allow the stumps to heal concurrently with the pre‑existing leg injuries. The surgeon agreed and shortly informed Hayes of a timetable two weeks hence. The patient would convalesce at home after stabilising. Hayes regarded it as an opportunity to move in with Lambert. The man would be helpless for several weeks until he was fitted with prostheses.

            – You’ve been most co‑operative. Thank you so much. I’ll inform the patient and confirm.

            – Very good.

 

Lambert was impressed by how quickly Hayes had made arrangements. He was a little apprehensive, mostly because he was uncertain how much of his arms he would retain. It was a subject Hayes was keen to discuss. As he had mentioned to the surgeon, in the case of elective amputations such as the Lambert case, some degree of latitude was available when it came to deciding on stump length. It was the chief matter of discussion when the two men met again the following Friday evening. Lambert was in a buoyant mood after having succeeded on completing his kilometre‑long daily walk without walking sticks for the first time. He said he felt he had mastered his Perthes and was confident about negotiating life with rigid braces if necessary. Hayes was glad to hear it. He felt his ideas about what the future held for Lambert’s legs would be more acceptable if Lambert was prepared to wear orthotics and to walk in a deviant manner.

 

            – Like I told you, the surgeon is prepared to operate on Tuesday afternoon next week. You shouldn’t need to stay in hospital more than three or four days because once your stumps have settled after the operation, you can convalesce just as well at home. And I was wondering if you would like me to stay with you for a couple of weeks after you get home.

            – Would you? That would be such a help. Such a massive relief.

            – It goes without saying. Of course I’ll be here for you.

            – Thanks, Alex. I don’t think I could manage alone.

            – Don’t even think about it. But there is one thing we have to decide as soon as possible in order to let the surgeon make his preparations. You have to decide what kind of stumps you want.

            – I thought they could cut halfway up my arms. What other ways are there?

            – Your elbows were broken, weren’t they? I think the wisest decision is to choose disarticulations from the elbow, Todd. That means your upper arms will stay strong and muscular because the tissue will stay connected to the bone just above your elbows. You’ll use special prosthetic arms with separate controls for raising and lowering the artificial forearms and for operating the hook.

            – That sounds complicated.

            – The device is complicated but they’re not complicated to use. All you need to do is learn to shrug your opposite shoulder when you want to operate an arm. First you angle the forearm how you want it and then you jerk your elbow outwards to lock it in place. The next time you shrug your shoulder, it opens the hook.

 

Hayes knowingly belittled the difficulty of using bilateral above‑elbow prostheses. He had described the actions required accurately but made no mention of the frustrations most new amputees experienced in learning completely unnatural actions required to do the simplest things. But with some persistence and dedication, there was no reason why Lambert should not become a proficient hook user. His stumps would be long and visible only when Lambert was not wearing his arms. They would be for Hayes’s eyes only and he was keen to emphasise their superiority compared with short below‑elbow stumps attached to damaged elbows.

            – I need to think about this, Alex. I’ve not heard of this disarticulation thing before.

            – It’s quite simple. Actually, it’s the easiest type of amputation to recover from because no bone is cut. The lower arm is simply detached from the socket at the elbow and the skin sewn up. It’s a quick recovery, too. Like recovering from a deep gash.

            – Yes, I can see that. Alright, if you’re sure it’s for the best. You can tell the surgeon. But what are we going to do about getting artificial arms afterwards?

            – Don’t worry about that. I have a list of prosthetists who will be only too glad to have you as a patient. You’ll have new arms as soon as your stumps heal. You’ll be able to choose what shape forearms you want. You could have muscular forearms like now or narrow cylindrical arms with hooks at the end.

            – What do you think would be better?

            – It’s your decision, naturally, but I think bulkier forearms like your own damaged arms would look better—at least on your first pair of prostheses. Remind me to take some photos of your arms to show the prosthetist so he understands.

 

They rehashed the prospects post‑amputation. Lambert showed considerable interest in the mechanics of his future arms and Hayes tried answering to the best of his knowledge without alarming his friend. Disarticulations were far more disabling than below‑elbow amputations. Lambert would have difficulty positioning his hooks. Regardless of how much his carbon‑fibre arms resembled his natural ones, Lambert would always be immediately identified as a severely disabled man and his unavoidable jerks and twitches would single him out as a man overcoming unusual physical challenges. Hayes hoped he would always be by Lambert’s side to assist, advise and admire.

 

In the days leading up to his friend’s amputations, Hayes made several enquiries of local prosthetists, hoping to find a specialist in upper limb amputation who would also be prepared to provide customised prostheses which differed from accepted conventions. One of the main reasons that Hayes had suggested elbow disarticulations was his hope that Lambert would be amenable to testing a wide range of hooks and manipulative devices on sockets of various lengths. His most improbable fantasy was to persuade his friend, his lover, to adopt long rigid sockets which extended far beyond his former elbows, tipped with standard hooks. Lambert might learn to apply them to some purpose but he would never be able to feed himself using them.

 

Taking a couple of hours off work, Hayes collected his nervous lover from Chertsey and announced that he was fully prepared to stay at Lambert’s home after his discharge in order to oversee his recovery and to assist his friend in every way possible. He hoped his presence would lead to Lambert inviting him to move in permanently. Even after Lambert had learned to use his above‑elbow prostheses to their maximum extent, he would still be reliant on a pair of natural hands to fit his Perthes, at least for the time being. Hayes wanted Lambert to come to his own conclusions about the practicality of full‑length leg braces in combination with artificial arms.

 

Elective amputations for an otherwise healthy young man went at a more sedate pace than for those suffering traumatic injuries and the surgeon took time to relocate muscle tissue from Lambert’s forearms in order to provide some cushioning around the base of Lambert’s stumps. They had the additional effect of making the tips appear rounded, one of the requests Hayes had made on behalf of the patient. The surgeon stood back from his completed work and estimated that within three months, his patient’s stumps would be handsome examples of his surgical skill and replete with the same vigorous hair growth evident on the forearms, now destined for bio‑destruction. The surgeon had a suggestion for Lambert which he might like to consider during his convalescence. The patient’s lower legs had been damaged in much the same way as his arms and the surgeon was certain that he could reconfigure the limbs through amputation to enable the patient to walk again, free of pain, on artificial legs rather than the cumbersome Perthes braces he seemed to insist on using. The main advantage being that prosthetic legs would be less effort to don and would allow the patient access to locations where his rigid braces were not suitable.

 

Hayes collected his bilateral amputee friend from the hospital on Saturday morning and saw to it that his leg braces were correctly fitted. He wanted to offer his arm for Lambert to grasp, but realised the futility of their old habit. Lambert bravely negotiated his way to the waiting car, acutely conscious of his altered centre of balance.

            – It’s a lot different trying to walk without swinging my arms.

            – Are you afraid of falling?

            – I am and not only that. If I fell, I’d land on my stumps. I can’t imagine what that would feel like.

            – We ought to get you some stump shields. Or even better, a pair of crutches you can slip your stumps into when you go for a walk. Even if you don’t need them, they’d protect your stumps if you took a fall.

            – That sounds like a good idea.

            – I’ll get on to it. Until then, Todd, it might be best if you spent the next few days in your wheelchair. Just to be safe.

            – Alright. I agree. You’ll have to push me around, though.

            – That’s what I’m here for.

And for all the other things I will be doing in order to ingratiate myself into your life, he thought.

 

They were familiar enough with each other for Hayes’s assistance to seem natural, the kind of thing any friend would do to help another. Lambert was completely helpless, his legs braced in his wheelchair, his arm stumps hidden inside grey stump shrinkers. They spent time together watching video streams or old box sets of former favourites on Lambert’s laptop. Hayes showed his friend a series of videos of a bilateral above‑elbow amputee who used body‑powered worker’s hooks to run a landscaping company, hauling sacks of mulch, digging trenches, operating machinery and driving an enormous pick‑up truck. Lambert was impressed.

            – That’s what I’ve been planning to do after I get my arms.

            – What? Gardening?

            – No. I’ve been thinking about starting my own company to install ground source heat pumps.

            – Geothermal heating, is that what you mean?

            – Yeah. It’s what I’ve used in this house. That’s why I don’t have radiators anywhere.

            – Oh! I hadn’t noticed. You have underfloor heating, right.

            – Yup. It makes the floors warm and stops your feet from getting cold. Not that it makes any difference if you happen to wear Perthes braces but you get the idea.

            – So you don’t intend going back to your old job?

            – I will go back and give it a try, assuming they’ll take me back.

            – It would be illegal to fire you because of your disability.

            – I know, but let’s be practical. I’d be stuck behind a computer doing CAD‑CAM. They wouldn’t want anyone who looked like me meeting with customers, would they?

 

Hayes looked at his friend’s earnest expression. Despite every assurance that things were going to be fine, his friend understood well enough that a cripple with a pair of hooks did not represent the kind of image a successful engineering company might wish to project.

            – So I’ll let them suggest some kind of work for me and if I don’t like it, I know exactly what I’m going to do.

            – What’s that?

            – Get myself a bobcat which I’ll have adapted and install heat pumps for all and sundry. And no‑one will care if I have hooks as long as I get the job done on schedule and on budget.

            – I sounds like you’ve given it a lot of thought.

            – I have. I haven’t been able to do much else. I know a lot about how the different systems work, partly because I researched it all before I built this house but mostly through my experiences of living with it for the past five years or so. I’m fairly sure that with energy being so expensive, most of my neighbours will be only too keen to invest in a new system which would save them thousands every year.

            – It sounds like a great idea. Are you going to be able to operate a bobcat, though?

            – Pretty sure. They already make a version which is completely manually operated. No foot pedals, see? To keep the floor clear. It’s only a question of adapting the manual controls for use with a pair of hooks.

Hayes lay back in his chair and tried to imagine a legless version of Lambert operating a bobcat with a pair of artificial arms.

 

The next day played out in much the same way. Lambert allowed himself to be tended to by his friend, who he had not only come to rely on but also to feel for emotionally. Hayes was charming at the worst of times but was thoughtful and attentive. Lambert hardly noticed the absence of his arms. Hayes did everything for him and reassured him that he would soon be doing everything for himself again. On the second evening, Lambert made the request Hayes had been expecting.

            – Alex, I know this is a huge ask but would you consider moving in with me? I know I’m a handful but I don’t think I can manage by myself and you’re the only man I trust enough.

            – You mean come here to live? Permanently? Are you sure, Todd? I’ll stay until you get your arms and learn how to use them, that goes without saying, but are you sure you’ll want me around after that?

            – Yes, I’m sure. When I built this house, I had a partner in mind. I didn’t know when or how or who but I’d like it if it could be you. I’d like you to stay, Alex. You’ve done so much for me. Please say you will.

            – Thank you, Todd. You’re too kind. If you’re completely sure, I will. You can rely on me. I’ll always be with you to help, if that’s what you want.

            – It is. Thank you, Alex. It means so much to me.

Alex smiled in his boyish manner and imagined Lambert in his wheelchair with truncated legs extending only as far as his knees. He could wear stubbies to match his arms. He would be perfect. Four disarticulations. Limbless to all practical purposes but with four robust stumps. Residual limbs, as the profession expressed it. Hayes would have them fitted with a gamut of prosthetic replacements to fulfil his every last fetish.

 

Alex had to return to work as usual on Monday. Both men had given considerable thought on how Lambert would fare during the hours when Hayes was absent.  He filled three glasses with water which Lambert could sip from by simply bending over, similarly he made four cheese and ham sandwiches arranged along the edge of the kitchen counter. He fitted Lambert with a catheter, several of which were left over from previous periods of immobility. A short rubber tube extended suggestively from Lambert’s shorts. He could not control his aim but that was of secondary importance. They main thing was he could relieve himself without soiling his clothes. Hayes promised to return as soon as possible after calling in at his own home to collect the first load of personal belongings. It was a good opportunity to dispose of disused clothes, old footwear, dog‑eared paperbacks and cheap kitchenware. He drove to Chertsey an hour later than the most intense rush‑hour traffic and made good time. Lambert was in his wheelchair when he arrived, awkwardly pushing himself around the apartment backwards with the brake pads on his Perthes. Hayes wanted to hug his heavily bearded friend, whose blue eyes crinkled showing the smile otherwise hidden behind his curly whiskers. Lambert watched the delightful expressions on his coy boyfriend’s face, infatuated with such a devoted friend who delighted in Lambert’s derelict body.

 

A month later, Lambert received his first pair of arm prostheses. Hayes had already been busy behind the scenes and persuaded the prosthetist, Dr Paul Roberts, to manufacture a second pair of completely deviant arms, requested for one purpose only—to enable a man missing his elbows to operate heavy machinery without needing to operate a pair of prosthetic elbows at the same time. The sockets were made from the same cast. The deviant pair’s sockets extended fifteen centimetres beyond the amputee’s elbows and his prosthetic attachments would extend his reach a little further, ideal for reaching the control panel of a manually‑operated bobcat assuming the driver’s seat could be moved to its forwardmost position. The long rigid arms would be perfect for the job. The prosthetist was dubious until Hayes explained Lambert’s plans to return to work, revealing the confidential information that Lambert was about to undergo disarticulation of his lower legs at the knees. Despite the reprise provided by the Perthes braces, the patient’s lower legs were still incapable of withstanding any pressure and still caused the patient pain almost six months after the original injury. Lambert clawed at Hayes’s face with his stumps with wild abandon but was extremely wary of allowing Hayes to play with his atrophying legs. Hayes had not yet revealed his solution.

 

Lambert was astonished by the pile of carbon fibre sockets and hooks and harnessing which the prosthetist produced for him to test. His long arm stumps slid into the cool sockets and he felt as if they had found a purpose in life. The black carbon forearms hung loosely and swung aimlessly as Roberts meticulously adjusted the new equipment behind his back. Eventually Roberts was satisfied with the control Lambert demonstrated and screwed two standard hooks into the wrist components. Only then did Lambert begin to realise the extent of his disability. It was impossible to make a hook open without nudging an unseen companion first. Hayes had shown him many videos of handless amputees using their hooks for everything from the most mundane actions to finessing their evening dress before departing for a gala dinner where limbless veterans were thanked for their service. Lambert was grateful to avoid such hypocrisy in his daily life after seeing American amputees confronting time‑wasters in everyday situations.

 

Roberts was satisfied that Lambert understood how his new arms worked. He recited from a well‑worn script, stating he was always prepared to assist his patient with prosthetic enquiries and other problems before suggesting that Lambert try out the deviant second pair of prostheses which Hayes had ordered. The sockets felt as taut and secure as with the previous pair but instead of hinged elbows, the upper sockets simply continued halfway the length of his former arms and terminated in two convoluted hooks, which Lambert recognised as worker’s hooks. The entire length of these arms was rigid and he rotated them in the air before realising that he could actually operate the hooks by simply shrugging the opposite shoulder, in exactly the same way he had just been taught to operate his definitive long arms. This pair had big hooks only halfway down his forearms, but it felt grand to move his upper arms and see the hooks move about. They looked grand. Lambert had no idea what purpose they might fulfil better than the other pair but thanked Roberts for his dedication and looked to Hayes for his approval. Hayes gave a coy smile and looked away. Lambert felt a pulse of love for his companion, who, it seemed, would do anything to make his life less painful and more compatible with his goals. They went home to Chertsey together with the spoils which Lambert would use in one form or another for the rest of his life. Hayes was ecstatic for having succeeded in persuading Roberts to manufacture the second rigid pair with extended sockets and determined to make Lambert wear them from now on. He knew how difficult above‑elbow prostheses were to master and hoped Lambert would learn to appreciate his shorter arms. They were unsuitable for such activities as eating but Hayes had designed them specifically for his own pleasure. Lambert would become acclimatised to using short rigid arms and Hayes would enjoy his handsome blond partner’s struggle.

 

After a week of intensive practice, Lambert came to the conclusion that he preferred the deviant short arms. He thought his body image was improved by artificial arms which terminated near bis waist instead of halfway down his thighs. Hayes found himself in the unexpected situation where he had to encourage his lover to wear the long arms more often. He suggested that Lambert relearned to type with his long arms. The elbows could be locked in place and he need only sway gently from side to side to manoeuvre his hooks over the keyboard and lean forward slightly to engage the keys.

            – Why don’t you contact your employer to tell them you’re ready to return to work? You could explain that you’re fitted with replacement arms and are itching to get back into the old routine?

 

Lambert was too weary of arguing against the ever‑optimistic Hayes. He personally felt that he would never be ready to continue where he left off. It was impossible to use conventional tools, impossible to manhandle large electrical components into place with hooks which would scratch the surface and spoil the appearance of the completed work. Despite his misgivings, he spent nearly three hours typing a situation report and request to return. Hayes transferred the worker’s hooks onto Lambert’s long arms claiming they would be better suited to typing with than standard hooks. It was a dubious claim but Lambert battled through and was proud of succeeding. He had confirmed for himself that he would be able to operate the computerised design system commonly used in engineering offices and hoped his colleagues would grant him some leeway if his first attempts required assistance.

 

He returned to work ten days later. Hayes lent him his electric trike and commuted by train. The trike was designed and manufactured without foot controls. The vehicle was controlled by a combination of a steering wheel and an oversized joystick. Lambert’s worker’s hooks were as if designed specifically for the purpose of driving the trike and he had already decide to buy one for himself. The absence of obstructions on the floor of the tiny car made it comparatively simple to enter with his unwieldy leg braces.

 

He was welcomed back by shocked and dubious co‑workers and set to designing a new cowling for an energy storage unit. His CAD system used a stylus on a broad pad, which translated his movements into a 3D representation of the object onscreen. It took a while but Lambert persisted and discovered the best angle at which to hold the stylus and the best angle at which to sit in order to press its spring‑loaded nib to register the same as a mouse’s click. Using a mouse was beyond his capabilities. The arms Hayes had overseen were designed in such a way that Lambert could not move his forearms enough for the hooks to touch unless he raised both elbows. It was not the way to operate a computer. Lambert made satisfactory progress for an armless man and by lunchtime was halfway through the process. A man with hands would have finished and started on his next project. He was asked a hundred times about how he was managing, what his arms were like to use and if he thought he would stay with the company. Things he had not given much thought to, never having needed to. He was the centre of attention at lunch. Some wondered if he needed help, some contented themselves with seeing how he managed and some gawped with distaste at how the company could allow a cripple to resume his job.

 

It was the naïve salesman on the forecourt of a car showroom who inspired Lambert’s next transformation.

            – I’m sorry. Can you hold the door for me? It takes me so long to get my legs in.

            – No problem. It must be a chore, wearing leg braces like that. We had a gentleman in here a few weeks ago without legs. We had a bit of a game getting him from his wheelchair into the seat but he slid over without too much trouble.

            – So are you saying if I had no legs, I’d actually be more mobile?

            – Well, I haven’t thought about it very much. You know, it’s not the sort of thing you like to think about, really, is it? But I suppose if you didn’t have those long bits on your legs, you could swing yourself in a bit easier.

Lambert had suspected as much. His legs still hurt regularly and there was little hope after so much time that their condition would improve. He tested the car, driving around the test track beyond the forecourt and purchased his first ever mechanised transport. And Alex could have his trike back.

 

Hayes was pleased for Lambert. He was mobile again. The electric trike would transform his life and he would wonder why he had never considered buying one before. Lambert recounted what the salesman had mentioned about the legless man who had apparently been able to transfer into the car with far less trouble. Hayes learned for the first time that Lambert’s legs still caused him discomfort and his mind whirred into overdrive.

 

            – So what you’re saying is that if you had no legs, you’d be able to get around better. Is that what you’re saying?

            – Well, it seems I’d at least be able to get into my car more easily now that I have one.

            – And your legs are still painful even at rest after all this time?

            – Yeah, they are. Sometimes. When I’m not wearing my Perthes. My shins are really painful if they bear any weight.

            – Todd! Why have you never said anything? You don’t need to be in pain. You can have your legs off just the same way as your arms and walk without pain on artificial legs. Do you want me to organise it?

            – Can you? It would just be the same kind of trans-, no, I mean disarticulation. They can leave my thighs. It’s just my lower legs that give the pain.

            – Do you feel pain when we make love?

            – Yeah, well, sometimes. Yeah, almost always.

Hayes was genuinely concerned for his lover. Until now he had always taken pleasure from the way his lover adapted to his various disabilities but this time was somehow different. With the little empathy he was capable of feeling, Hayes stated he would start the process to add Lambert to the schedule of patients awaiting elective amputations. Bilateral disarticulations at the knees might demand more than the usual consent of amenable surgeons. Especially for a patient who was already severely disabled by the absence of hands.

 

The surgeons he contacted had no compunction against performing bilateral disarticulations. The patient was young enough to adapt to lower limb prostheses and had stoically tolerated a degree of pain unwarranted after obviously unsuccessful reconstruction of his shattered legs. Lambert was booked for a date at the end of the month and informed of the decision by email.

 

In the intervening period, Lambert continued his work. He gradually realised that he was hampered by his artificial arms and rather than wait for HR to contact him for a serious talk, he contacted them and apologised for the fact that he was finding his job difficult, if not insurmountable. His audience listened with sympathy and concern as Lambert offered his resignation from the company where he had worked since leaving university. They accepted his resignation with unspoken relief and offered to pay him to the end of the month if he would complete whatever he was currently working on, after which he could take his leave. None of the executive board had anything but admiration for the disabled man who had such determination to succeed and they all wished him success in his future endeavours. He completed work on the shell of the energy storage unit, improving its insulation in the process, after which nothing remained to be done. His supervisor offered nothing new and at the end of the week, Lambert toured his department and the offices of his employer’s representatives, shaking their hands, hand to hook. There was no leaving party, only a friendly farewell to colleagues who were sorry to see him go.

 

Driving home through a cloudburst in his electric trike, he felt no regret for making such a huge alteration in the direction his life took. He was financially secure, thanks to a win on the national lottery when he was in his last year at uni. He and twelve others participated regularly in a sweepstake, always playing the same numbers. Against all odds, one of their rows held all of the numbers when the jackpot contained seven weeks of roll‑over. Thirteen university student shared seventy‑two million amongst themselves. Lambert had used some of his share, slightly less than six million, to buy his plot and build his house. He was free now to start his own company installing geothermic systems. It was a job perfectly suited to a quadruple amputee with an advanced engineering degree. He had already used his expertise in his own house. Now it was time to monetarise his skills and experience to his own benefit, secure in the knowledge that he was financially safe.

 

Lambert described what had happened at his workplace and his decision to follow his instincts about the future of domestic heating. Oil was passé, electricity was far too expensive, coal was non‑existent. The future lay in the transformation throughout the country to geothermal heating and Lambert had already decided to make a name for himself as one of the pioneers.

 

Hayes was fascinated and assured Lambert that he would support him in any future endeavour. Lambert’s amputations were only a week away and Hayes lusted to have his lover returned to him missing his lower legs. He would be rid of the severely damaged parts of his limbs and the man would be free to experiment with his body. Hayes already had a viable plan to equip Lambert with the prostheses he would insist that Lambert wear. Lambert had already exchanged his long articulated artificial arms for the short rigid pair when Hayes returned from work, allowing Hayes to feed him dinner and to assist him with everything he was unable to do for himself.

 

Lambert’s legs were severed as scheduled and the man was returned to the amputee ward to recover. His patellas, his kneecaps, were repositioned under his stumps to provide extra cushioning and the possibility of walking on his naked stumps. There was no reason why the size of Lambert’s stumps should fluctuate in the near future, and after a short stay in hospital and returning to convalesce at home, he was invited back to the orthopaedic department to fit him with stubby legs, sockets on his thighs which could bear weight. His initial pair were basically cylindrical with thick rubber bases. He swung his stumps to one side and forced them forward. It was slow going but he was walking again and returned home in his trike, noting how much easier it was to enter the vehicle without the hindrance of his Perthes leg braces. He stumped up the metal steps outside his home and appraised himself in the full‑length mirror by the door. The reflection wore black carbon fibre stubbies and black carbon fibre arms. They were a remarkable combination. He was a quadruple amputee, as he had privately always wished to be, and as his lover had wished him to become, and his future was that of a man with the financial resources for a huge selection of artificial limbs. He removed his jacket and stumped into his bedroom to exchange his prosthetic arms for the short rigid arms he preferred.

 

Lambert relaxed into his new routine. He no longer had to concern himself with his job and although he initially maintained friendly contact with his former colleagues, their association gradually dwindled. Lambert entertained himself by acclimatising himself to the legless life. His Perthes had provided him with extra height. His stubbies provided the exact opposite. He discovered the best rhythm to take steps. The stubbies fit perfectly. They were comfortable, supremely supportive, and they protected the tips of his stumps. He practised ascending and descending the outside stairs and considered installing a lift. However, he was strong enough to cope with the steps. Perhaps one solution would be to install a shallower rise, a longer set of stairs with a more forgiving angle. He began to regain enough confidence in his capabilities to return to society. The trike was convenient for brief shopping trips to the hypermarket for food and adaptive clothing.

 

He discovered a gentlemen’s outfitter who prided themselves on meeting their customers’ every need. Lambert had given some thought to his image and style as a short hook user, realising his adapted suits and traditional shirts and ties were the least suitable attire he could wear. Instead, he decided to turn himself into an amputee version of a country gentlemen, who wore thick woollens, tweed jackets and maybe a deerstalker hat. Instead of suit trousers, he could wear neatly cut shorts with turn‑ups on the cuffs. Or cut‑off jeans with a thick polo neck sweater, from which his steel hooks extended. On his third visit to the shop, he wore his short rigid arms and selected a handsome green tweed jacket with genuine leather patches at the elbows and a plethora of pockets for the accoutrements of a gentleman—pockets galore for a pipe and tobacco, a wallet, a hip flask, a spare hook cable and rubber bands for hooks. He requested the sleeves be shortened so his hooks were visible. He also purchased two handsome flat caps and after cracking a joke about deerstalkers, he was informed that the ship would be pleased to order such headwear for him. Feeling that he had nothing to lose, he placed an order for the highly unusual hat, to be collected at the same time as his reshaped jacket.

 

Hayes was of the opinion that if Lambert actually wanted to look like Sherlock Holmes, he should also take up a pipe. A large curved Calabash would suit his general look very well, although its shape would make it difficult to manipulate with both kinds of steel hooks which Lambert currently used. Rubberised claws would be more appropriate. Hayes placed an order for such a pair of hooks with Paul Roberts and the two friends sought out a manufacturer of large extrovert Calabash pipes. Lambert and Hayes had both smoked tobacco and other substances while at university. Lambert looked forward to the arrival of his new smoking paraphernalia, which would present additional challenges. He could imagine the large pipe nestling on his impressive beard as he shrugged and twisted to persuade a claw to grasp it to remove it from his mouth. He knew exactly what the claws looked like. Although they had been expertly designed to be as versatile as possible, they had never gained popularity among bilateral hook users but Lambert knew he had Hayes to rely on when they were together to assist in any and every way. To all intents and purposes, he could wear any combination of terminal devices or none at all, knowing that Hayes would always do any service for him, regardless of how minor or insignificant.

 

Lambert began the process of founding his own company. The men applied for passports and toured western Europe in search of a reliable co‑operative company which was prepared to withstand the torturous import procedures. Due to their closer proximity to Heathrow than Kings Cross, Lambert suggested they book flights to their many destinations. It was only then that Hayes brought up the issue of expense. How could Lambert afford to travel together with him along as a personal assistant? Lambert revealed the reason for his financial security, without stating the amount.

            – I built my house, our home, with some of the money. But I didn’t want to give up work because I enjoyed it. In fact, it taught me enough to let me found my own company. All the same, I don’t want to lose money. I’m pretty certain we’d be onto a good thing once we get started. I’ve been meaning to ask you. Would you be willing to join my company instead of working at the hospital?

 

It was a question which Hayes had never considered. He knew Lambert wanted to sell heat pumps. He might be able to operate a bobcat with his hooks well enough, but Hayes had never thought through the entire process. He would need other workers, that much was certain. He would need them regardless of his own personal situation, but his physical disabilities, dictated in large part by Hayes himself, would preclude him from undertaking an entire job from beginning to end.

 

As much as Hayes wanted to help his friend, he was reluctant to leave his rôle at the hospital. He derived enormous pleasure from directing prospective young males towards a life with prosthetics instead of problematic natural limbs. He was persuaded finally to relinquish his position as head liaison officer by the simple knowledge that Lambert could provide every deviant satisfaction with a full set of all possible combinations of prosthetic devices which could later be simply renewed by any professional prosthetist. Between their Europeans forays researching the latest heat pump technology, they designed a wide array of prosthetic devices which both men were eager to try. Hayes wanted to see Lambert on peg legs and Lambert himself was keen to disable his arms further with a variety of old‑fashioned hooks and other terminal devices which had served their purpose before being replaced by the ingenious development of the split hook over a century ago.

 

After several months, a supplier of the most suitable geothermal equipment was found in Sweden. Energy generation was second to none over a wide variety of temperatures. It made no difference if the season was hot or cold as long as there was a difference between the temperature between the buried temperature sensors and those on the surface. The equipment was ingenuously designed to allow operation after a simple straight, deep trench was dug on the client’s property. Lambert knew he could manoeuvre a bobcat with his prosthetic arms well enough to then operate a narrow digger. He signed a contract with the Swedish company, demonstrating his skill with a pen. The signature was a jerky approximation of cursive writing but it was small, neat and distinctive. Import would begin after the necessary permits were in place.

 

Back home, their attention turned yet again to the various configurations which the figure of Todd Lambert might take. All his current dimensions were on file with Hayes’s favoured prosthetist. Hayes ordered two pairs of peg legs, one short pair, the other with extended pylons which would return Lambert to his natural height. In order to walk with them, he needed crutches adapted for bilateral amputees—stump sockets to which aluminium crutches were securely attached at the most advantageous angle. Not to be outdone by Hayes’s outrageous imagination, Lambert requested a pair of stubbies twenty centimetres longer than his present pair. He would be almost as tall as his natural height on a pair of long stubbies, or short peg legs. The order entailed an enormous amount of work, at a twenty‑five percent reduction thanks to it being a staff order. The technicians set to work, estimating that the project would be complete within two months. Lambert travelled between home and the lab many times for various fittings, always excited to try a new peg leg or discover a new depth of disablement by having his arm stumps converted into crutches.

 

His prosthetist, Paul Roberts, delivered the rubberised claws first. They were suitable for use with both pairs of arms which Lambert already used. They looked similar to small fists and Lambert was intrigued by their ingenuity. He found them suitable for everything he attempted to do and they became his default terminal devices. Despite that, he was still enthusiastic about old‑fashioned devices. Hayes suggested seeking out a devotee who understood the attraction of primitive prosthetics and who had the necessary skill to manufacture custom prosthetics. A prospective candidate was found in Nebraska, an insurance underwriter who had accumulated a large collection of century old prosthetic limbs as a hobby and who regularly took orders for old‑style hooks intended mainly for fancy dress. Hayes and Lambert explained their ideas to him, requesting such items as a sphere and ring and inert hooks both large and small. Hayes wanted to see Lambert wearing his customary country gentleman’s outfit while standing on his new longer stubbies and disabled by not one but two large brass hooks. Lambert found the idea fascinating and placed an order for a set of hooks, ornate and undecorated, and various stump extensions which had no purpose other than to fill out an otherwise empty sleeve.

 

The longer stubbies were the first devices finalised by the team of prosthetists. Roberts invited Lambert for his final fitting and he arrived in his trike wearing his short pair of stubbies and his long arms terminating in the rubber claws. He was also wearing a light blue cable‑knit polo neck sweater which suited his and pushed his magnificent beard forward. The new long stubbies were a perfect fit. They tapered elegantly to a base fifteen centimetres in diameter, broad enough for stability and narrow enough to operate a vehicle’s pedals, if necessary. They were completely rigid and extended conspicuously when Lambert was seated. He loved the look and the sensations of feeling simultaneously both legless and tall. A pair of crutches, peg arms, had been manufactured to coincide with delivery of the longer stubbies and Roberts advised Lamberts to use them until he had become used to the extra height and his new centre of balance. But he was quite sure that Lamberts would quickly become an expert user. He had never encountered an amputee who seemed so pleased with each and every adaptation he was offered and who worked so diligently to master his prosthetic adaptations. Lamberts changed back into his original shorter stubbies before leaving with the new longer pair and his first pair of peg arms.

 

Hayes gave voice to an idea which Lambert himself had been hatching on his way back through the south London traffic. How would it feel to wear only one of the new stubbies and rely on the peg arms for support?

            – Don’t worry about the practicalities, Todd. I can help you with the crutches and lift you up.

For the first time in quite a while, Lambert felt the ecstatic release of physical ability. His limbs were mere prosthetic devices which negated any natural function. His peg leg was rigid, without a knee, long enough to stand on but otherwise completely non‑functional. To use it, his arm stumps were converted to aluminium crutches, substitute legs, to all intents and purposes. He balanced in a tripod position and was overcome in his prosthetic nirvana. If he ever learned to operate his single peg leg with his peg arms, he might never go back to using hooks and stubbies regularly. He struggled to find a suitable take‑off point. The rubber ferrules jerked about on the wooden flooring until he took his first step. The peg arms felt secure, holding his powerful upper arm stumps, promising the ability to wield his arms without the need for concern about their reliability. His long stubby leg with its narrowed tip offered him a direct line of sight to where it would land, another advantage of its tapered profile.

 

Hayes watched his lover experimenting with his new configuration and felt a deeper love. The man was completely reliant on deviant prosthetics. The tip of the unused left leg stump was intermittently visible as Lambert moved across their wide living space, high above the surrounding environment but visible to anyone determined enough to look. There was no‑one. There never was. The thrill of being seen from the road by a passer‑by was exciting and always subconsciously encouraged Lambert to give his best effort. After an hour or so, Lambert requested his lover to remove his peg arms and to replace them with his short arms with standard steel hooks and to fit his short stubbies. They entered their bedroom and Lambert worked his way onto their raised futon. Hayes changed the artificial limbs efficiently and assisted his lover back onto his original stubbies. His arms were insectile and forbidding, steel‑tipped extensions of an approximation of a human arm.

 

A permit for Lambert & Hayes Heating p.l.c was granted. A year’s worth of estimated VAT tax bills arrived the next day by post, to be paid whether the company was operating or not. Lambert contacted the Swedish manufacturers and requested a shipment of ten heat pump systems. The following two weeks were spent both touting for business and arranging for the delivery of L&HH’s very own bobcat. His first customers were already impatiently waiting for their own heat pumps—Lambert’s next door neighbours who had learned of the new system’s advantages after comparing electricity bills from the previous winter. They would be patient and understanding customers if the quadruple amputee ran into operational problems with his artificial limbs during installation.

 

After several combinations, Lambert found it easiest to operate the bobcat in his short stubbies and with his short rigid arms tipped with rubber claws. Hayes fitted the prostheses to his lover before the pair departed to the worksite. Regulations insisted that they both wear hard hats. As word spread, more distant neighbours also engaged the severely disabled guy they had sometimes seen along the road outside his new house on stilts. The orders gradually increased and at the end of the first year, L&HH was in the black and on the way to greater success. Hayes had become a general dogsbody, shifting heating units from carriers to the sites, overseeing hired workers as they worked on the units, guided by instructions by the boss who used the tip of one of his peg arms to describe and emphasise the details of each individual customer’s wishes. Lambert stood back on one long peg leg and relaxed into the sensation of his peg arms holding him firmly. He watched the work, occasionally signalling where lines were intended to be laid with a peg arm. At the end of the day, he kicked his peg leg into action and returned home in the bobcat. Hayes had usually arrived ahead of him and after removing the short rigid prostheses for the peg arms, they ate together. Hayes fed his partner with love and care.

 

Lambert had two peg legs. They were both adequate replacements for the missing lower legs but despite his enthusiastic attempts, he never learned to walk on two rigid pegs satisfactorily. He was confident on both his original short and long stubbies. But two peg legs the length of his natural legs were beyond his capabilities. He often wore the right peg which demanded that he deprecate his arm stumps into crutches. This he did with admirable enthusiasm. After years as a quadruple amputee and encouraged by his lover, he experimented with various combinations of prostheses, originally intended to assist the limbless but now only useless decorative filler for empty sleeves or legs. Every Sunday, Hayes disabled his lover by replacing whatever hooks or claws he had been using with a pair of large brass hooks purchased from the devotee in Nebraska. Lambert was completely helpless but looked spectacular. He wore his mid‑length stubbies and was completely mobile but his arm stumps were helpless and he loved the sensation as well as the appearance. Lamberts fortieth birthday was fast approaching. Hayes, who unlike Lambert had succeeded in maintaining contact with many of his former colleagues, some of which had come up in the world, had an idea which his lover might appreciate, but first the permissions and agreement had to be secretly arranged before Hayes could reveal his idea to Lambert. If successful, Hayes would realise his deepest fantasy. He would allow his lover to continue in his profession while ensuring that almost every movement would be as inconvenient as possible, requiring constant attention to his limbless lover. With only months to go, positive replies rained in from his former colleagues, and Hayes prepared to reveal his arrangements for Lambert’s fortieth birthday present.

 

            – How do you feel about your tripod these days, Todd? I know you like having your arms encased in the crutches.

            – The peg arms are fine. I like feeling them. I enjoy not being able to use my arms. That’s the main thing. It’s not just being able to use my peg leg. I genuinely like not having my arms.

            – Except as crutches.

            – Except as crutches. You know all this. We’ve talked about it before.

            – Yes, I know. I just wanted to hear your opinion. Listen, I have an idea which could make you more disabled but the thing is, you’re already in the kind of situation which it would lead to.

            – More disabled, eh? OK, go on.

            – It’s quite simply this. I’ve seen how you prefer to use your one long peg leg. God knows I’ve fitted it to your stump often enough. And I know how you enjoy it when I swap your peg arms for the shorties with the claws. I want to make converting from peg arms to hooks and claws more special, more intimate, something only we can experience and enjoy. Am I making any sense?

            – I’m with you so far.

            – Good. Here’s my suggestion. As a fortieth birthday present to you, I’ve arranged for you to have your left leg amputated again as short as you want. I want you to have just enough femur left for a glob of flesh at your hip, Todd. Just a dome of a stump. Nothing you could attach a peg leg to. What do you think? You’d rely on your peg arms until I exchange them for whatever hooks or claws you want. I’d love for you to be with me always wearing peg arms and one long peg leg. Do you love me enough to accept it, Todd? Will you lose your stump for me?

            – You won’t believe it, Alex, but I’ve wanted a stump off for years. That’s always been in my mind but I’ve never dared mention it for fear of sounding ungrateful. Thank you. Thank you so much. How soon will I become one‑legged?

 

After considering the disadvantages of losing one of his stumps completely, Lambert allowed himself to be admitted to the local hospital for the removal of his left thigh. Only eight centimetres of femur would remain, allowing him some support when sitting. He returned from hospital in good spirits and was immediately mobile again, hampered only slightly by the bulk of the bandage around his left hip. He insisted on wearing his full‑length peg leg and together with his long peg arms, he was unable to do anything for himself. He had achieved his final configuration and his lover was rewarded with a limbless lover whose astonishing desire to experience greater disability engendered both deep love and unwavering faithfulness.

 

Lambert’s most recent stump invigorated their sexual exploits. His disarticulated arm stumps were too short for masturbation, although Hayes frequently enjoyed having his penis manipulated by the warm blunt tips of his lover’s half‑arms. Hayes found that Lambert himself regarded his soft domed leg stump as an erotic addition to their love play. He enjoyed having Hayes bend his erection to the left and rub his glistening glans across the hairy stump. Hayes brought him to orgasm this way and watching the meagre remaining muscles inside the stump twitching and contracting never failed to excite him further. Hayes could lose himself in Lambert’s enormous blond chest length beard kissing the hidden lips. Lambert pushed himself onto his belly to allow Hayes easy access for penetration. The sight of Lambert’s sole leg stump almost made him come in his excitement and their physical lovemaking was short lived and frenetic.

 

Lambert was able to continue working his bobcat although he had difficulty in accessing the cab on one stump. He heaved himself up into the cabin using his claws to and sat with a void on his left and his stump on the right. His claws on the short rigid arms proved to be worth their weight in gold for use in the bobcat. He could reach all the necessary controls by swinging his stumps and his rigid prostheses provided the reach and power required to operate the machinery. Hayes followed his work closely, always at hand to swap his lover’s artificial limbs for pegs or vice versa, exactly as he had planned years ago. In that sense, he was probably the country’s most successful liaison officer who had succeeded in transforming his ideal man into a functioning torso with three stumps. Hayes followed Lambert’s progress attentively and prepared to exchange the claws for his peg arms and reattaching his lover’s peg leg.

 

THE ADVISOR