Stephanie lay alone dozing and luxuriating in the feeling that she wouldn't have to get up for another hour or so. It was Sunday and the clock indicated 8:05. David was out on his cycle doing a 25 mile time trial and wouldn't be back until 10:30 at the earliest. She'd been with him a month but already her slavery had become more of a joke than an actuality. Most of the time he treated her as his 'significant other'. At work she still called him 'Sir' whereas the others used his first name and in the house, he only called her slave when he wanted sex or wanted to insist on her obedience. For the first fortnight she pretended she was only responding to his orders but gradually she had to admit, even to herself, that she enjoyed what they did together. "I'm really his unmarried wife, his partner in today's parlance," She mused. "I suppose yesterday was typical of the routine we've gotten into. Get up, get breakfast and then drive to Tesco's. I push the trolley around and get most of the groceries we need for the week, he pays by credit card and when we're home, I put the stuff away while he goes and tinkers with his bike. We did actually go for a walk along the riverbank in the afternoon but most Saturday's I have cooking or housework to do. He does help though and does much of the garden. Evenings are the same on most weekdays. We read, watch TV or he plays with me. I suppose we're in a bit of a rut but it suits me at the moment. I'm able to put money away so I could leave if I wanted to in a few months time. Actually, I quite like it here although I've never admitted it to him. Work is going a lot better than I expected. Kelly's okay and doesn't try to put me down or treat me as a slave. Tracy still tries to tempt me into an outburst whenever she thinks she can get away with it�"

"Dring, dring, dring."

"Dammit, who's phoning at this time of the morning. Good job there's a phone by the bed here even if it is on David's side." She picked up the receiver and gave her number.

"This in nurse Bates at the Alison Carter Hospital is that miss Stephanie Jones?" When she'd received conformation the nurse went on, "A Mr. David Benson has been brought in after an accident a short while ago. He asked us to contact you. They've just taken him into theatre but his injuries didn't appear life threatening. Probably though one leg is broken but we can't tell until the surgeon's studied the x-rays. Sorry I don't have anymore more information at the moment."

Stephanie hurriedly dressed and drove David's car to the hospital five miles away. She needn't have rushed. It took an hour before they brought him out of theatre and another hour before he was conscious and even then he was pretty much out of it and could only say a few disjointed words before he fell asleep again. "What are his injuries?" she asked the nurse who referred her to Dr. Knights.

"Right leg broken in two places and torn knee ligaments. The leg was badly splintered so we had to put some hardware in. He should walk again without too many problems but it will take time for everything to heal so he can walk without aids. There are some areas of body bruising and minor cuts. No head injury that we can see, thanks to his helmet." Stephanie tried to question him further but he was dragged away to another case.

Another cyclist, who Stephanie recognised by sight, turned up, still clad in colourful Lycra. "I'm Cyril, we were in the same trial but I went off ahead of him and didn't know until I finished. You must be Steph. How is he? Have they told you?"

She told him the few details she knew and asked if he knew what happened. According to Sam who was right behind him, they were going along on the straight with the wind behind them. I guess they were doing 25-30 miles an hour on that bit and some fool driver tried to turn left just in front of his wheels. Dave hit the side of the car and bounced off the bonnet into the road and the car ran over his leg. There was a marshall on the corner so he saw it too. He got the ambulance and police. The police breath tested the driver and took him away so I guess he was over the limit." Cyril stayed a little longer and then said, "I can't do much here at the moment so if you don't mind I'll go home and get a shower and come back later. I only live down the road and I promised to let the others know how he is."

For a while David drifted in and out of sleep but by early afternoon he was fully awake and in considerable pain despite having been given painkillers. He could see she'd been crying and squeezed her hand. "It'll be okay slave." His grin was almost a grimace from the pain but Stephanie sensed he was trying to joke. Kelly arrived soon after Stephanie phoned her. Cyril returned and they were all at his bedside when the surgeon made his rounds. "We'll probably keep him in for ten to fourteen days mainly because of the reconstruction work we had to do on the broken bone and his knee will need to be kept immobile for at least a week. After that he'll be need a wheelchair and crutches for another six to eight weeks."

"Six to eight weeks sounds very optimistic," Cyril remarked glumly when the surgeon left, "A neighbour of mine fell off a ladder and broke bones in his leg and it was six months before he could limp along without sticks." That remark didn't cheer any of them up. Seeing this and realising what he'd said, Cyril grinned, "Course, Dave's fitter and thinner than my neighbour and he's got a woman to look after him so he might get better quicker."

David tried to laugh too. "Depends I suppose on what she does to me." Stephanie blushed. Cyril took his leave when they started to talk about work. "You two ladies will have to look after the firm for me for a week or two. Can you manage that?" David asked. They both nodded. "I knew you could. If I make you both acting chief executive officers, will you be able to work together as equals?" He looked directly at Stephanie.

"Yes," she answered, trying to sound positive but inside she wondered how she would react when in a position of power again. She knew though, her month of slavery had changed her attitude considerably. After a little more discussion, David seemed very tired and started to drift off again. Stephanie kissed him and they left.

"You haven't eaten have you?" Kelly looked concerned. When Stephanie shook her head Kelly went on, "Come to my place and we can make dinner together and perhaps work out what we are going to do tomorrow."

All eyes turned to Kelly and Stephanie as they emerged from David's office. They agreed to arrive half an hour earlier than the others to sort things out. The other four were in a group talking about David's accident and discussing the options. Stephanie updated them on David's condition and gave them the details of how the accident occurred and how long he would possibly be unable to work. Then she went on, "In order to keep this place running, David has appointed Kelly and myself as Chief Executive Officers with equal status. Kelly will continue to run the works side of things and do some of the work that I did. I will be in David's office and doing his job and part of what I did out here. It will also mean that we shall have to ask all of you to add to your workload because it is impossible for the two of us to do the work of three people. We will ask each of you personally for your co-operation in this matter�" Stephanie went on for a few more minutes and then Kelly added a few words.

"You don't have to worry about asking me privately," Barbara spoke up, "I'll do all I can to help." Stella and Polly echoed her words.

Tracy though asked. "Does this mean you are now longer a slave?"

"I am still David's slave. The only difference as far as you are concerned Tracy, is that I am now your boss and not some underling in the corner desk." Tracy's face darkened but she said nothing. After more discussion as to the role each would play in the new schedule, it was time to open the doors to the public. Stephanie quickly found that there was more to David's job than sitting in a posh chair and answering the phone. There was so much to do that she'd hardly had time to stop for lunch and possibly wouldn't have stopped if Polly hadn't dragged her out.

When she visited David that evening, he seemed in better spirits although he was already becoming frustrated at lying in bed with a leg in plaster. Cyril, who worked late shifts, had been in during the afternoon visiting period, as had one of the veterans in the cycling club. Both had offered their help but at the moment none was needed. The police had been in as well to take a statement. Stephanie discussed the day's work and asked if he minded her using his car.

The rest of the week passed in a similar way. Friday they all had to work late to get an order finished. Only Tracy left at the normal time, saying she had an appointment. Even Stella left her computer to help Polly finish packing the booklets. Stephanie thanked them all and Kelly thanked her. They all could see she was very tired herself and guessed she wasn't sleeping too well with the worry over David and having to travel to the hospital each evening.

David was very cheerful on Saturday afternoon. Cyril and another cyclist turned up as well and they were all in a joking mood. "The doctor says that they might allow me to go home on Wednesday if I continue to progress. They let me walk a few steps on crutches this morning. I won't be able to climb the stairs though so I'll have to sleep on the couch. That is if my slave will look after me." David let the word 'slave' out without thinking of the others there. His friends laughed and joked about what their girlfriends or wives would do if they called them a slave but, still tired from lack of sleep and the pressure of the week's work, Stephanie blushed and almost cried. David noticed but refrained from commenting and the moment passed when Ray, the other cyclist, said, "We've got a single bed in the spare room. You can borrow that if you'd like. We can get it in Tony's van and bring it over. Perhaps we'll do it after the training run in the morning if that's okay with you Steph?" Stephanie was amazed at the camaraderie amongst the cyclists, whom she'd always thought of as a peculiar bunch.

True to their word, a group of four cyclists, still in their colourful, bum-hugging cycling gear, arrived and manhandled the bed parts into the lounge, rearranged the furniture, set up the bed and even made it for her. "Keep it as long as you want," Ray told her, "We're not expecting any guests." Stephanie made tea and supplied biscuits and from the conversation in the kitchen she learned that David was a popular member of the club and could have done well racing in his class. As she saw them off, she looked across the road and wondered what Mrs. Ackroyd would be thinking about her being alone in the house with four hunky looking men, albeit two were pensioners.

Stephanie collected him from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon and found that by pushing the passenger seat back as far as it would go, David could sit in reasonable comfort. Even so he still looked pale and exhausted by the time he'd got out of the car and climbed the two shallow steps to the front door. "Now get into the bed and rest. You will stay there until I get home again," She assisted him on to the bed and made sure he was comfortable.

"Since when does a slave order her master about?" David joked.

"Since this slave became a nurse," she responded, "And a grumpy old battleaxe of a nurse at that so do as you're told young man."

"Yes ma'am, but I'll remember it for later. Perhaps I should ask the hospital if I could borrow Theresa for a while. She treated me nicely."