Thank you for reading my story, I hope that you enjoy it. Love Mica xx, Yorkshire England.
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Our patrol had been in northern Afghanistan, why we were there, that was not our concern. The British army was there, I was British army and so I was out on patrol. Our vehicle was a Foxhound four wheel drive armoured vehicle, supposedly one of the best out there, and that gave us some comfort. In truth, we just went where we were told, where the insurgents were believed to be. Our weapons usually worked and we assumed our patrol vehicles would too.
We had been going about thirty minutes when Taff, the driver, slowed and held his hand up, we braced, something had unsettled him. There was a loud bang, some shaking, a bright flash, the Fox rolled and that is the last thing I clearly remember.
My memory had sounds of guns, of shooting, pain, lots of pain, darkness, a hospital tent, more darkness, and I think I remember flying, and then bouncing of roads, more darkness and then I woke up in a British hospital. Queen Elizabeth in Birmingham. That told me it was serious, whatever it was, they don't tend to take you to the QE for minor injuries. This could be the end of my army career. There was a lot more darkness, pain, a lot of pain, I couldn't tell where exactly, it seemed everywhere, more drugs, doctors and then the news.
My room started to fill up. There was a nurse, I think, a doctor and someone that I had no idea of, and then the specialist. The specialist checked the board at the end of my bed and then looked at the monitors.
"Right then Kayleigh," the specialist said, his voice soft. "I am Mr Davidson, I am your consultant. Your legs were shattered in the attack. Both femurs were badly splintered as were the ball joints at your hips. Luckily no major artery damage, and no damage except to your two legs, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation, There were also no other injuries to your body. Our only viable option, I am afraid, is double amputation. Now I know that you must be worried about that, but the operation is very straight forward, and we have a lot of confidence that there are unlikely to be any complications."
Fuck. I had no words. All I could think of was when I go to the pub no one will buy me a drink. "Can't get her a drink, she's already legless."
"We will remove one leg and then two days later the other. This gives your body the best chance to overcome the operating theatre trauma. I will do your left leg tomorrow, and then the right, assuming nothing unforeseen, two days later. We cannot delay I am afraid. Do you have any questions?"
I couldn't even speak, never mind ask questions, I shook my head. They all filed out; except the one person I couldn't identify. She spoke.
"Hello Kayleigh, I am Doctor Jansen. I specialise in non-physical trauma, and it is my job to help you get through the loss of your legs."
Why couldn't she say she was a shrink?
"Now I know," she said, "that this must be frightening, the end of your life etc, but really it isn't."
I said nothing, I didn't know what I was thinking to be honest. A wheelchair for the rest of my life, that was depressing enough.
"Well Kayleigh," she said, "I will let you think about it, I will come by the day after your first surgery and we can talk then."
She got up and went, I just lay there trying not to think of anything. A little later mum and dad came in.
"Baby," mum said, "they just told us."
I looked at mum and I cried, she came across and together we were sobbing. Dad just stood there not knowing what to say or do, he always was rubbish when mum cried, it's no different now.
The next day they removed my left leg, all of it from the hip joint down. It was odd, because I could still wiggle my toes. I cried, I cried a lot. The day after they left me pretty much alone except for Dr Jansen who I ignored, I did not want to speak to her, what could her words say that would help me. And then the next day they took my right leg. All of it.
The next day the pain killers began to wear off and I had terrible pain in my legs, the legs I don't have any more.
"Phantom Neuralgia" Mr Davidson said, "it is difficult because drugs have little effect on a limb that isn't there anymore. We will try you on some strong NSAIDs, that is, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, I think Indomethacin initially, we will see how your body reacts to that. When you are home you can get Ibuprofen from the chemist without prescription, or higher strength from your GP."
"How the fuck can I get to the chemist without legs, no one taught me to fly, come to think of it, I haven't actually seen anyone fly."
"I know it is difficult Kayleigh, but you will adjust, people do, I and my team will be here and available for you until you are discharged, and we won't discharge you until we know that your home has been suitably adapted." Looking back, I can admire his patience, I wasn't exactly being pleasant.
I wanted to lash out at him again, but the rational part of me knew that it wasn't really his fault, all he had done is remove my shattered legs. If he hadn't, then I would have died. A part of me would have preferred death. I started crying again. My dad stood up and came over to my bed and put his arms around me.
"Baby," he said softly, "I can't do much, but whatever I can do to help, I will. I will make it so that you do not have to rely on me or mum, that you will have a life after this. It will take time, a whole lot of time probably, but we will get through this. I give you my solemn promise."
I just cried. I knew dad was trying his best, but what could he do? There wasn't even a stump to attach a false leg to. I was fucked. More accurately, that was the one thing that was unlikely to happen ever again, being fucked that is.
I was in hospital for another three weeks. The phantom pains had reduced such that I could almost ignore them. Dad had been doing alterations at home. What was the downstairs dining room was now my bedroom. The downstairs loo had been expanded and converted to a wet room and loo. Ramps had been installed at each of the outside doors. A wheelchair had been sourced that I could drive using a joystick. Oh, deep joy, I had mobility.
My GP had signed forms saying that I was permanently disabled and I applied for PIP, the replacement for Mobility Allowance, and also for compensation as I was injured on active service in the armed forces. None of it will give me my legs back, all of it takes a stupid amount of time.
The wheelchair was a challenge. I was basically a rocking robin, I had nothing to stop me rolling in the chair, and it made me sore, it hurt my fanny to be honest, my fanny rubbed on the seat. I had seat belts to keep me strapped in, but little to sooth my groin.
"You look in trouble sweetheart," dad said as he looked at me squirming in my wheelchair, it was lightweight, it didn't need any footrests and was battery powered.
"It's nothing you can do to help dad." I had given up being embarrassed, my dad had seen me pretty much naked so many times since I came back from Afghanistan, I think he knew my anatomy better than I did.
"Tell me."
"All my weight is on my groin. My groin is not designed to support my weight and I am getting sore. In fact I may be getting blisters or sores."
"Ah. I see. Let me look."
"I will hold the arm rests and flip myself forward. You can pull my knickers off and see what I mean."
I held my body weight up, and dad pulled my knickers off, that didn't take much effort to be honest. I was thinking of giving up on knickers, they were pretty useless anyway with their redundant leg holes, and start just wearing long skirts.
Dad started looking closely, and then he told me to relax, and he looked again at what was sitting where.
"Right then, baby. May I touch, only it is your intimate area?"
"Yes dad, of course," I answered and pulled myself up again and off the wheelchair. Dad touched me, my labia and the scar tissue that was where my legs used to be. I got a bit of a tingle when dad touched me, and that was the first time since the incident. I may have blushed, I didn't expect it, but it happened. And then dad touched me again, and then he was moving my labia about and I was getting hotter and hotter, pressures were growing, electrics were building, and all I could think of was 'but it's my dad, I shouldn't react like this.'
And then the unthinkable, dad touched my clitoris and I exploded, trying desperately to suppress the scream that needed to escape my mouth, my arms gave way and I fell back into the chair, dad's finger sliding down my crease and somehow ending up inside me as I landed on his hand. I was gasping, my chest heaving as I struggled to regain my breath.
"Oh God, I'm sorry," dad said, looking at his hand buried beneath me, and then when he wiggled it, realising where his finger was.
"Dad don't worry. Biology." I managed, last thing I needed was dad too embarrassed or reluctant to help me. "Perhaps I needed that dad, thank you."
I lifted myself up and dad slowly withdrew his finger almost giving me another moment, I gasped and looked at dad, trying to smile as his finger left and he pulled his hand from beneath me.
"Dad, don't worry, there is no boyfriend going to be angry and looking to wreak revenge."
"But I shouldn't have, it's wrong."