It could not have begun more innocently. The day before Ben had dropped his kids at his parent's house for spring break. His parents planned to take them on a Caribbean cruise. Just grandparent and grandchildren time. The next night, Walt and Ben and Michelle and Rose Went out to dinner as they so often did Walt was behind the wheel, and Ben was in the passenger seat. Michelle was behind Walt and Rose sat behind Ben. A heavy driving rain broke out, quickly making the road surface slick as ice. Around a curve, a large piece of construction equipment on a flatbed truck loomed into view. A wheel of the flatbed broke through the concrete roadbed, shattering the axle and stopping the flatbed dead. Walt slammed on the car's brakes, but his speed was too great and only increased by the wet road. The front of Walt's car crashed into the rear of the flatbed, crumpling the front completely..
Buckled up in the back seats, Michelle, and Rose were shaken but physically all right. The front of the car was uncomfortably silent.
"Ben!"
"Walt"
Both women realized that their men were unconscious and bleeding. A good Samaritan appeared out of the intense rain at the side of Walt's car he had his cell phone in his hand. Police and ambulance sirens could already be heard. Michelle and Rose repeatedly screamed their owner's names only to receive silent responses. The rescue squad had to use the jaws of life to extricate Ben and Walt from their seats. Both men were placed on stretchers while the paramedics examined Michelle and Rose.
"You girls are extremely lucky," opined the lead paramedic, "Aside from normal shock and distress, physically, you are fine."
"What about our owners?" asked Michelle.
"They are both in serious condition. I won't lie to you; they were hurt badly but probably not fatally. If they make it, both are looking at a minimum of a month or so in the hospital and a long convalescence afterward. If they weren't in such good physical condition, neither would have made it."
A young man in a suit visible through his clear plastic poncho approached them.
"Hey doc, what's their status?"
"No injuries. I can release them to you."
"Who are you?" asked Rose.
"I'm Robert Craig from the state Protective Services Office. I'll be seeing to your care and housing."
"We have homes!" shot back Michelle.
"No, your masters have homes, you two are property and must be under some legal supervision."
Rose and Michelle gazed at each other in disbelief.
"Don't worry, it is only temporary. Once your maters are released from the hospital, I'll take you out of foster care and return you to them."
"This is nuts! Bellowed Rose. "Take us to the hospital! Our men need us!"
"I don't doubt that. If you were wives, mothers, girlfriends, or sisters, you would be allowed to accompany them to the hospital, but you are slaves. Slaves with incapacitated masters and that puts you in legal limbo. I'll do my best to find you a fostering situation together so that you may commiserate together, and maintain your friendship. If you will follow me to my car, I'll take you to my office and get you processed."
"Processed?" replied both women at once.
Neither Michelle nor Rose was willing to get into Mr. Craig's vehicle until he used their collars against them.
"Ladies don't make me the hard guy. I'm just a state bureaucrat!"
The drive ended at a nondescript office in downtown Allentown, a few blocks from the looming Pennsylvania Power and Light building. Michelle and Rose were weeping as they left the car and entered the office building.
Beyond the door was a night receptionist in a glass booth.
"Hello Diane, new fosters. Here are their numbers."
He held his cell phone up to the window. The receptionist typed the numbers into the keyboard before her, smiled, and pressed the button to open the secured door.
"Is this prison?" asked Michelle, having flashbacks to her first hours of slavery.
"No, this is security. It keeps everybody safe."
"That's what they said about my cell in the bank!"
"I'm sorry that you two have to go through this, but the law is clear. Part of my duties is to keep track of the health of your masters. As soon as they are released, you will be returned to them."
"How often will you contact us?"
"I'll provide daily updates."
He handed each woman a cell phone. "It can only take and receive calls from this office. I'll provide daily updates as required by law."
He led them into a room that resembled a den. There were sofas, chairs, a bookshelf, a magazine rack, and a large-screen television. There was a kitchenette off to one side and a partition.
"This will be your home until we get you situated. That should take a few hours."
Rose and Michelle took in the surroundings.
"The bathroom is through that door." Robert Craig paused.
"Why do I sense a large but is about to drop?"
"Hold that thought," he replied before stepping out of the room for a moment. He returned carrying two plastic storage boxes.
"Ladies, I'll need your clothing and effects. These belong to your Master' and must be secured by the state. There is a garment and slippers in each of these boxes. You can go behind the partition or use the restroom, but I need these boxes filled. Yes, that includes your undergarments."
"I knew it! I knew we'd lose our clothes!" whined Michelle.
"Michelle, I'm being as liberal as possible. I'm forgoing the cavity searches for example."
"Pig!"
"Insulting me is not a good idea, Rose. Especially if you want a good fostering experience."
"I'm sorry, Mt. Craig. It has been a very bad day so far, and this is the icing on the cake."
"I understand. As I said, I'm not unsympathetic. Ideally, the commonwealth wouldn't need to foster either minors or slaves, but life has other ideas. I promise to keep you together. With everything else, your friendship should not be broken up as well."
"We appreciate that, Mr. Craig."
"Thank you. Now I need you to fill these boxes."
Rose and Michelle sighed, picked up the boxes, and stepped behind the partition.
Mr. Craig heard the women whine but a few moments later they exited from behind the partition. They were clad in one-size-fits-all body stockings emblazoned with the Pennsylvania state flag and the words Property of Protective Services Office across the chest. The body stockings clung to their forms like a second skin. Their nipples were clearly outlined, and the garments gave them both a noticeable camel toe. Mr. Craig's face was blank and emotionless as he accepted the boxes and affixed each of their barcodes to the proper box.
"Thank you, Michelle and Rose. Make yourselves at home; snacks are in the fridge, and coffee pods are under the Kurek. I'll be making phone calls. Be back shortly."
He turned and left the room. Rose turned on the television just to make some background noise. Se settled herself next to Michelle and the two embraced.
