Dipping into the Unknown

Dipping into the Unknown

Things to Come

The aromatic smell of petrol flooded Keri's senses as she searched for signs of her boyfriend. Her eyes fixated on the gas station shop. Roby had requested they stop there so he could buy an energy drink, as the journey had tired him out. It had been well over ten minutes, and she did not know what was taking him so long.

After three years of dating, Keri thought that she would have gotten used to Robby's peculiar ways and complete lack of regard for timekeeping. However, not only did she overlook these flaws, but they actually endeared him even more to her. Robby meant everything to her.

Keri was twenty-seven years old, and Robby was thirty-three years old. You would think that Roby, given the age gap, would be the more responsible of the couple, but that was not true. Robby was a materials researcher at the University of Colorado. Keri had heard from his family that he had always been a genius for chemistry, but his problem was that he struggled to apply himself to anything. He was a stereotypical nerd, but that was what Keri loved about him.

Robby had long brown hair and was tiny, about five foot five. He was also slightly overweight as he wasn't fond of exercising because of the effort required. Today he was wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt emblazoned with the word "nerd". A straw hat also adorned his head, and thick black-framed glasses sat upon his nose.

Keri was the opposite of her boyfriend, both in personality and appearance. She was extremely independent and a high-achiever with a dedicated work-ethic. A graduate of dentistry, she had a successful clinic and a promising career in her field. She was taller than Roby, standing at five feet seven. Her hair reached her shoulders, and it was dark blonde. Working out often, her body was athletic and thin.

"Where is he?" she muttered to herself as she watched people enter and exit the gas station shop. Keri couldn't fathom what her boyfriend was doing in that shop for so long; it was a small store as well.

A few minutes later, she spotted him leaving the shop with his usual nonchalant swagger. She leaned over the passenger seat and opened the door for him, and he climbed into the car.

Their car was a new Tesla. It was a bright red color and had a sleek shape, fitted with the latest electronics. They had also constructed the interior extremely well, using high-quality materials. The dash comprised a sleek wooden panel, and the seats were a lush white leather. In the center of the car, between the driver and passenger seats, there was a large, fourteen-inch touchscreen which displayed data about the car in real-time.

"What took you so long?" asked Keri as Robby settled into the car. He flashed her an apologetic smile and took a swig of his energy drink. Then he put his seatbelt on and got ready for the journey.

"I needed to use the restroom," Robby replied. "And then I had to queue up to buy my drink, and there were quite a few people ahead of me in the line. The worst thing was, they didn't even have air conditioning in there!" Robby said exasperatedly. "There was only a desktop fan circulating the air through the shop."

"Poor you," Keri said sarcastically as she started the car and exited the car park. Keri glanced at the dashboard clock and saw that it was eight-thirty in the evening. It would be dark soon, and Keri disliked driving at night. She figured they would arrive at their location soon enough.

Keri and Robby were on their way to a hotel a few hours from their rented house in Colorado for a romantic retreat. They had a weekend of relaxing activities planned for them, such as massages, plunge pools, saunas, and mud baths. Much to Keri's surprise, Robby was just as enthusiastic about the trip as she was. Turns out that he loved activities like these as he had accompanied his mother to them as a youngster.

"What will we do first, Rob?" asked Keri as she drove. Rob was her nickname for him, and she loved it. As they drew closer to the hotel, she could feel her anticipation building. They will have a lovely weekend together. The hotel stay cost a small fortune, so they should have a positive experience, she figured.

"I was thinking about the massage," started Rob. "I've a few knots in my back that I could really use some work on, to be honest. It has been interfering with my work lately, which is becoming annoying. I searched for stretches online but nothing has worked so far," he said glumly.

"I've told you before, Rob, you need to get up and walk more during the day. You are spending hours at a time hunched over a microscope or computer at your lab, I'm not surprised that you are having back pain, Rob," concluded Keri.

"I know, I know," replied Rob. "I just get so distracted with my work. You know, the other day, I manipulated the carbon backbone structure of an aromatic compound such that it became an inhibitor to a target enzyme," he said excitedly.

"That sounds terrific, honey," she replied warmly. Her chemistry was rusty as she hadn't used it in a few years, but she vaguely understood what he was saying to her. Science was their second language of communication. In a way, Keri was jealous of her boyfriend's enthusiasm for his field. She understood his genuine enjoyment of going to work each day and his enthrallment by his research. His passion had the intensity of a star, and she really admired that about him. Keri wished she had the same passion for dentistry, but she was more career-focused and interested in getting ahead on the promotional ladder than anything else.

Rob continued to talk excitedly about his research as she drove the car. The view was spectacular at this time of the evening. It was July in Colorado, and the sun was just ready to set. The road stretched far ahead of her and towards the mountains in the background, which dominated the landscape. She could see the snow-covered peaks of the mountains from here. On either side of the road, large, lush green trees dotted the landscape, giving her the impression that she was in a fairy-tale forest. She was expecting to see dwarves crossing the road in front of her. The sun had turned the few clouds in the sky a soft red color, which contrasted nicely with the remaining blue patch of sky that remained visible to her.

Returning her attention to the interior of the car, she heard Rob was still speaking passionately about his research. He must have been talking for the last few minutes non-stop, too engrossed with his work to notice that his girlfriend had zoned out.

"Long chain polymers have their uses, let me tell you that for free!" laughed Rob as he continued talking. "I didn't believe their versatility and usefulness at first, but I learned quickly they have a variety of applications in the field. If I had known it earlier, my research would be so much more advanced!" he bemoaned.

"I'm sure it would," replied Keri with a smile playing on her lips. "While we are here in the car together, maybe we could talk?" propositioned Keri as she glanced at Rob.

"We are talking," laughed Rob as he looked back at her. "I've just been telling you about my research for the last while. I thought you were enjoying it?" he asked dejectedly.

"I was, I do," she said quickly, careful to avoid hurting his feelings. "What I meant to say was, while we are together on the journey, maybe we could talk about the future. Our future, together," she said positively.

"Oh," said Rob dumbly. He seemed to get nervous about the topic that she was broaching with him and wasn't sure how to react to whatever she wanted to talk to him about.

"We've been dating for a few years now," Keri said, pressing on with her topic of conversation. "Have you given any thoughts to marriage, to buying our own house or kids?" she asked. Rob was definitely squirming in his seat, not.

"Keri, I've had the best time with you over the last few years," he retorted. "I haven't thought about anything like that, in all honesty," he confided in her. "My work consumes so much of my life that I don't get to think of the future very often, and when I do, it scares me. The unknown. I told you that my parents got divorced when I was a teenager, and I think it scared me, deep-down, you know. It's not that I don't want the same things that you do; it's just that I worry about that would get divorced like my parents did," he finished.

This was the most forthcoming she had ever seen her boyfriend. His authenticity and truthfulness had surprised her. In their entire relationship, he had never opened up to her like this. She wondered if this in itself was progress for them? She didn't want to press it any further, though, for fear of alienating him.

"I get it, honey," Keri said warmly. "I understand that your parents' divorce was difficult for you, and I honestly comprehend your feelings," she went on. "I don't want to put pressure on you or make you feel uncomfortable. We can talk about the future whenever you are ready, okay?"

"I don't deserve you," replied Rob as he looked out the window. A few moments passed before Rob broke the silence. "An electron walked into a bar and asked how much for a drink?" Rob said cheerfully. Keri rolled her eyes at his attempt at humor. "For you, no charge," Rob said, bursting out in laughter as he looked at Keri. He had returned to his usual, goofy self, it would seem.

"Do you mind if I put on a podcast?" asked Rob as he retrieved his phone.

"Sure, Rob," she replied as he connected his phone to the car radio. She saw that the following phone had connected to the audio system, "Benzene69". She stifled a laugh at the ludicrousness of his humor and kept her eyes focused on the road.

"What is the purpose of life?" the smooth, male voice on the speakers opined. Keri hadn't heard this podcast before, but knowing her boyfriend, it was most likely science-based and philosophical. The voice continued on with its monologue, and within a few minutes, Rob had fallen asleep, his head pressed against the passenger window.

Keri smiled as her boyfriend slept; she thought he looked cute. The podcast continued as she drove the car, and fatigue cropped its ugly head for her. Keri's eyes felt heavy, and the voice on the audio became soothing, beckoning her to sleep.

She jumped with a start as she realized she had fallen asleep for a second and pulled down her window for some fresh air to keep herself awake. Unfortunately, a few minutes later she was back in the same position, as she felt increasingly tired as she drove along the road.

She considered asking Rob to take over the driving duties whilst she got some sleep, but he looked so peaceful sleeping there, and she knew Rob despised driving, especially in areas he didn't know.

Okay, Keri, pull it together. You are nearly at the hotel; it's just a short distance away, and then you can get into a nice, warm, soft bed and rest your weary head for the night. Just hang in there, girl.

Keri had no recollection of anything after this. The next thing she remembered was waking up in the car. There was an extreme pain in her head, and she opened her eyes. Blood trickled into her right and she blinked a few times to clear it. Flickering lights illuminated the severely damaged interior of the car. The shattered window scattered shards of glass throughout the car.

"Is life nothing but strife?" the voice on the speakers asked, the podcast still playing. This was the last thing the voice said before the speakers died and the audio stopped.

Staring out the front window, Keri couldn't quite comprehend what she was seeing. The front of the car had completely crumpled. On her side of the car there was a tree practically on top of her. Looking down, she saw that the tree had completely crushed her legs.

"I can't move my legs; I'm trapped," she observed with fear in her voice. Where was Rob? Was he okay? Turning her head to look at her boyfriend, she could see that he was unconscious in the car but otherwise unharmed. The impact had struck her side of the vehicle most severely, and thankfully, it had spared Rob.

"Rob!" she said as loudly as she could. "Rob! Wake up," she shouted. "You need to wake up now!" she shouted at him again. He stirred and slowly came to his senses. Looking wildly around, he quickly realized what had happened to them and unbuckled his seatbelt.

"You need to get out of the car and get help, Rob," she said to him. "I think the tree has me pinned down; I can't get out of here. Are you listening to me?" she asked as she noticed his face was one of concern.

"Keri, your arms," started Rob. Keri looked down and saw that one of her arms was being crushed by the door of the car and the other by a thick tree branch. There was no denying it; she was completely stuck. As if things weren't bad enough, they both watched as the battery caught fire in the car and spread.

"Rob, get out of here and get help!" she screamed. Rob didn't hesitate and opened his door and ran into the darkness of the forest. This was Keri's last memory as she felt herself lose consciousness from blood loss. The fire was spreading, and she was stuck in the car; it was unlikely that she was going to survive this. Her vision went black, and her head rolled against the headrest, and there was nothing more that she could do.

Unprecedented

Opening her eyes, Keri wondered if she had made it to the afterlife. There was a bright white light directly above her. She wondered if this was heaven; she had heard that people experience bright light when they had near-death experiences. She struggled to keep her eyes open and fell asleep again.

She awoke after an unknown period and again saw the light above her. However, this time her eyes adjusted to it, and she saw it was just a fluorescent light. She wasn't dead, at least; she concluded.

If she wasn't dead, then where was she? She remembered the events of the crash and being trapped in the car and Rob running for help, but how had they gotten her out of the car in time before the fire consumed the car.

Moving her head, she confirmed she was indeed in a hospital room. Sheets covered her neck and her body felt strange, but she noticed that some pretty strong painkillers were connected to her. Looking right, there was a blue, vacant armchair and a blue sofa next to it. There was a person sprawled out on the armchair. After studying the figure for a few seconds, Keri knew it was Rob.

"Rob," called Keri as she watched him from her bed. "Rob, are you awake?" she said again. Stirring, he sat up from the sofa and wiped his eyes and looked at her.

"Keri," he started. "I can't believe that you are alive!" he said, relieved. Keri noticed he was still in his same clothes he had been from the crash, and a bandage covered his forehead. Judging by his attire, she couldn't have been in the hospital for too long.

"Me neither," she replied and smiled and Rob. He had been crying, as tears stained his face. "Honey, what's wrong? You look really sad, what's wrong with you? Are you hurt? Did you get injured in the crash? I am so sorry for crashing the car; it's all my fault!" she wailed.

"No, no, I'm fine," he assured her. He stood by her bed, but at a distance, as if he feared her. "Keri, I promise, no matter what happens, I will always take care of you, okay? You will want for nothing, and I will ensure that your needs are satisfied," he promised as he nodded his head as he spoke.

"That's sweet, Rob, but why would you need to take care of me?" she questioned him. "I always look after you, have you forgotten?" she said, making a timid joke.

"Ouch," she said as a sudden, sharp pain came from her left shoulder. "I think I need some painkillers," she said to Rob. "I must have broken my arm or something like that; I've never felt pain so extreme," Keri told him. She studied his face for clues to what he was hiding from her.

"Sure, Keri," Rob agreed. "Let me just get a doctor for you. Just stay there and relax, okay?" said Rob as he rushed to the door of the room and left. Keri had never seen her boyfriend act so strangely in their entire relationship, and it slightly unnerved her to see him acting this way around her. Before she could ponder his behavior further, the door opened, and a doctor entered, followed by Rob.

Studying the doctor closely, Keri tried to discern what was happening. The doctor wore green scrubs. A stethoscope adorned his neck and a name tag was pinned to his chest. His name was Keith Norris, and he appeared to be well into his sixties. He was bald with a sculpted beard reminding her of a fictional western gunslinger than a hospital surgeon.

This wasn't good news, Keri figured as she evaluated the facts. Keith was an elderly surgeon, meaning they needed someone with experience to perform some sort of complicated operation on her. She was left wondering exactly what surgery they had performed on her.

Just stay calm; you are jumping to conclusions. For all I know, I may just have a sprained ankle, or a broken wrist. They are probably going to discharge me from the hospital today, anyway. I need to just relax and let things play out.

"Hello, Miss Stanton," said the surgeon as he pulled a chair up and sat so that she could see him from her position in the bed. "You are a very lucky woman, you know that? You should really be dead," he concluded. "My name is doctor Norris," he told her.

"So I've heard," retorted Keri. "I remember little of the accident after I passed out," she told the surgeon. "How did I escape the fire?" she asked curiously. This was the second most pressing question on her mind, behind the operation.

"Miss Stanton, you need to understand something before we continue this conversation. First, you have an incredibly brave boyfriend; he ran through the forest and found a road where, luckily, there was a car passing by, and he could ring the emergency services for you," he said proudly.

"I know," Keri said proudly. "Rob is my absolute rock; I adore him," she continued, smiling at him. He glanced away from her. That was a strange reaction, she thought to herself.

"Good, good," the doctor Norris continued. "Miss Stanton, I am sixty-five years old and my retirement is fast approaching. I've worked for decades as a trauma surgeon, and I have never seen a case as bad as yours," he said morosely. "Your legs had been crushed by the tree itself, and the car and a branch had also crushed both of your arms. The damage was severe, and to make matters worse, when the emergency services arrived on the scene, they had to pull you out of the car before the fire got you. All this is to say, you have suffered catastrophic damage to your body and your life will be different from now on," he concluded.

"I still don't understand," Keri said dumbly. "What are you trying to tell me here, doctor?" she asked him. Doctor Norris nodded his head in understanding and stood up from his chair.

"I think you need to see things for yourself to truly understand," he said as he placed a hand on her bedcover. "May I?" he asked. Keri nodded her head, and the doctor gently peeled back the bedcover, revealing Keri's body.

The first thing she noticed was that her legs were missing. There were just two stumps where they had been. Then, in a panic, she checked her arms and saw that they too were missing; only stumps with neat stitches remained. Keri glanced at the ceiling and realized what had happened; everything clicked into place. She held back her tears and then addressed the two men in the room.

"Please put my cover back on and leave me alone," ordered Keri from the bed. She felt a mixture of emotions surge through her, and she didn't know how to process them.

"As you wish," said the doctor as he gently placed the cover over her body and left the room. Rob stood awkwardly at the base of her bed and stared at her, but said nothing for a few moments.

"Should I contact your parents?" asked Rob. "I didn't know who to contact after the crash; I didn't have their numbers and you have me listed as your next of kin."

"No!" she said forcefully. "My parents are not to know about this, ever. Do you understand?" asked Keri. Rob nodded his head, showing that he did. Keri loved her parents, but she could not depend on them for the rest of her life. Keri didn't want to burden them either with her new condition. "Now, leave me," Keri said, trying to resist the urge to cry. Rob left the room.

You're fucked, said the voice in her head. You can't go back to your parents and expect them to drop their lives to look after you forever. Rob is a useless tool, incapable of looking after himself, let alone you in your new form. You know you are stuck with him for as long as he will have you. How long would that be?

The cost of refitting your house for your new reality could easily run into tens of thousands, and never mind her physical therapy would also need to be paid. Your career as a dentist is over, so you can not earn any money to pay for any of this.

Keri was panicking when she heard the door open, and Rob walked to the side of the bed and gently caressed her forehead and said nothing for a few minutes. The room was completely silent.

"Keri, you are not alone in this," Rob said, breaking the silence. "I am with you, okay? We will get through this, it won't be easy, but we will get there. I am not going anywhere, if that is what you are worried about," promised Rob.

"Thank you, Rob, you are too good for me," she said, holding back tears. "Can you afford to take care of me from now on?" she asked honestly. "This could be extremely expensive."

"Once my research bears fruit, I'll have more than enough money to do whatever we want to do, you understand? We will buy a house customized just for you with the best medical care and help. You won't have to worry about anything ever again, I promise you," Rob said as he placed a kiss on her head.

Rob spent the rest of the day with her and fell asleep once again on the couch beside her bed. She watched him sleep and wondered if he would be able to care for both of them.

Keri had always been the dominant partner in their relationship, but that was now over. She had lost her independence, and now she would need to lean on Rob for everything from now on. There would be no more long runs or gym sessions, no dancing with Rob or even cooking food. Today, everything that defined her was removed due to the accident.

Thinking back to the moments before she had fallen asleep at the wheel, she wondered why she hadn't just pulled over on the road and taken a nap. She knew Rob wouldn't have offered to drive anyway; that was for sure.

Keri wondered how long the hospital would keep her there. She knew she had just had extensive surgery and figured that the doctor wouldn't be keen to discharge her so soon. She supposed that this room was her new home for the time being until the doctor decided that she was ready to leave the hospital.

Sleep came easily to her as the concoction of drugs that they were continually administering to her kept her tired and free from pain. She wondered how long that, too, would last.

The last thing that Keri thought about before she fell asleep was that the price of her hospital stay must be enormous. She did not know if her medical insurance would cover any of the procedures that were done to her, let alone the expensive drugs that they had administered her with. Before they even began, she worried that they were already sunk, so she tried to think of happier memories and focused on the first time she met Rob and smiled.

She glanced at Rob on the sofa one last time before she fell asleep to make sure that he was indeed by her side. That he had not discarded her already was a good sign and maybe showed that their relationship would grow stronger from this. One thing was for sure, the two of them were going to have to get a lot more intimate with each other if they were to band together and survive their new reality. That was easier said than done, Keri thought to herself as she drifted to sleep and forgot about her problems for the night.

Domestic Despair

Snow gently fell against the living room of their house as Keri sat upright on the couch. Her accident occurred six months ago. After her release from the hospital, she moved back home to her boyfriend, who took on the role of her full-time carer. The couch was in the left-hand corner of the room, and Keri was propped up against the arm rest with a pillow.

Their living room had scarcely had furniture present anymore. Most of the tables and chairs had been sold to raise money for Keri. Besides, she didn't need them anymore. The room was empty save for the blue couch she was on and a small flat-screen television hanging precariously from the wall next to the kitchen door.

Keri was wearing a green, baggy jumper and white pants. Wearing was an inaccurate word to describe her clothing situation. The jumper covered her entire armless torso, and the pants were barely hanging on to her waist. She didn't bother to wear underwear or a bra for her pert B cups anymore; what was the point?

Over the past few months, Keri had received some physical therapy and had learned that she could slightly rotate her body, and she could now balance without falling over so that she could at least stay out of bed from now on. However, apart from that, she realized her mobility was nonexistent.

They couldn't afford a wheelchair for her yet, so Rob had to lift her from the bedroom to the living room each morning and also take her to the bathroom whenever she needed it. Keri could tell that all the lifting and moving of her was taking its toll on poor Rob. His back problems were worsening daily, and he often rested with a hot water bottle behind his back to find some relief.

Rob was currently hunched over the fireplace, trying to start a fire. They couldn't afford to turn on their central heating, and it was freezing cold, so the fire was their only option. However, Rob had never started a fire before and had next to no idea how to do so. Keri told him she was okay, but he insisted he could do it. After all, how hard could it be?

Rob had created a pile of wood kindling and was striking matches and placing them on the wood, but the wind from the chimney was snuffing out the flame of the match every time. Frustratingly, Rob repeatedly applied the same strategy, and Keri watched him fail repeatedly while she froze in the corner.

It did not surprise Keri that her boyfriend was inept at domestic work. However, the extent of his ineptitude shocked her. He couldn't cook any meal without it being burned; he couldn't figure out how to use a washing machine correctly and, most egregiously, he could not even change the sheets on their bed properly.

Every day her frustration with her new carer grew and grew. He had grown increasingly distant from her. Their light-hearted banter, which had defined their relationship, had ceased, and they barely spoke anymore. Keri had nothing to say as nothing really happened in her life. She spent most her days watching television and not really even paying attention to what she was watching. Rob was still obsessed with his work, but Keri no longer feigned interest or listened to him when he spoke of whatever he was working on. Keri knew that this slight hurt him immensely, but it gave her a slight feeling of satisfaction.

"Finally, I got it," Rob said proudly as the kindling caught fire and burned. "That wasn't so hard," he said, standing up and placing the matches on the mantelpiece before leaving the room. She could hear the tap going as he washed his hands after working with the wood and matches.

"Hungry?" came his voice from the kitchen. "I'm cooking beef today," called out Rob as he rummaged through the presses for plates and utensils. Keri sighed at the thought of eating another one of his dinners and replied to him.

"I am hungry," said Keri. "I'll take some." For the next hour she listened as he worked away in the kitchen, whipping up his concoction. She wondered how long it would take him to cook the food.

Watching the television, some stupid reality show was on and she watched as the women on screen laughed. Keri felt a pang of jealousy as these women were all beautiful and healthy and in the prime of their lives. Keri was the exact opposite of them. Helpless, alone, and bitter were words that could successfully describe her these days.

"Dinner's ready," announced Rob as he entered the living room with a tray full of food. He carefully sat on the seat next to her and cut the beef into pieces before bringing the meat to her mouth, where she then took a bite and swallowed it. To her surprise, the beef didn't taste as bad as she assumed it would. Rob kept feeding her a mixture of beef and potatoes until she was full. Since her accident, her appetite has been virtually non-existent these days.

After Rob finished dinner, he placed the tray on the floor, lay back on the couch, and stretched his back, grimacing in pain. Keri felt a pang of guilt for him. She had been hypercritical of his flaws, but here he was looking after her day-to-day despite the toll it was taking on his physical health.

"Rob," Keri said softly to get his attention. "Are you struggling financially? Am I becoming too much of a burden for you to look after?" she asked him directly. Rob looked back at her with sadness in his eyes. She felt sorry for him.

Nowadays he wore the same clothes all the time to save on money. His new attire was a blue checkered jumper with a white shirt underneath and a pair of grubby grey trousers.

"It's difficult, Keri," he replied truthfully. "Between the costs of your physical therapy and medical bills, I am struggling to pay these expenses. Without the fees required to convert the house for you and also the rent that I still have to pay to keep a roof over our heads, it becomes unsustainable."

"Parallel to all this, my research is not where I thought it would be. I had a couple of projects that I thought would have yielded dividends already. Unfortunately, all my projects are nowhere near the commercialization phase yet, so I can't leverage the research for monetary value.

"In truth, we are in real financial trouble, Keri, and I do not know what to do," he said, staring at her sadly. "I am so sorry. I really thought I could have made this work for us, I really did."

"It's okay," Keri said with sorrow in her voice. "I understand. You've tried everything, and you really worked hard to make things work. I know that, honey," she said, trying to soothe him. "I suppose it just wasn't meant to work out," she concluded.

"I may have to move back in with my mother, so you will have to go home to live with your family," Rob said apologetically. "I know that is not what you want to hear, but I can't take you home to my family."

"I know, honey," she replied sadly. "Just give me a few days to get my head around this and to contact my parents and explain the situation to them." Six months after her accident, she still had not taken the time to tell her parents about the crash.

Several minutes passed before Rob smiled and looked away from Keri. Picking up on this, she wondered what he could have found so funny in a situation like this.

"Rob, what are you smiling about?" asked Keri. "I don't think there is anything to smile about right now." Rob turned back to face her and tried to speak but kept stuttering and tripping over his words before she raised her eyebrows and he pulled himself together.

"There may be a solution," he said bluntly. "I don't think that you will like it, though. It is a crazy idea and it probably won't work, but it is something that I feel you should know about, giving you an option."

"Go on," Keri said curiously, not believing that there were any options left to her anymore, but she decided she should at least hear out her boyfriend before giving up completely.

"I reckon if we can survive another year, then my research will surely have come to fruition by then, allowing us financial independence. The issue is, how do we get by for the next year?" he queried aloud.

"I don't know," Keri replied. "I do not know how we can survive for the next year, as I can't work anymore, and you are already in debt. There is no way out of this," she said truthfully.

He started by explaining that one of his side projects concentrated on material science. "The material I synthesized is a novel plastic that can coat biological tissue and bond with the host tissue. I won't bore you with the chemical theory behind the new material, but say that it acts like a traditional plastic but can bond with living tissue to give the appearance of a plastic-based material," he explained.

"I don't follow," Keri said, confused. "What does a new material have to do with me?" Keri had no clue where he was going with this story and what point he was trying to make to her.

"Okay," sighed Rob before he attempted to explain his idea from another approach. "Are you familiar with sex dolls?" She asked her with a small smile on his face.

"Sex dolls?" laughed Keri despite herself. "I was not expecting you to say that," she snickered for the first time in months. She wasn't sure why she found this so funny, but at least it made her smile.

"Sex dolls, yes," chortled Rob. "Sex dolls use a material called Thermoplastic Elastomer, or TPE for short," he explained. "TPE is a blend of plastic and rubber and not too dissimilar from my newly developed material. They are both very soft and highly elastic and feel extremely lifelike to the touch. However, my material can be coated onto a biological entity permanently and can be cleaned easily, and is therefore ideal to ensure maximum hygiene and cleanliness."

"Why do you explain to me how they create sex dolls?" asked Keri. She found the conversation cute and endearing, and it was a great distraction from the bleak situation they now found themselves in.

"I'm getting to that," promised Rob. "Here is my plan, if you agree, of course. I will smuggle you into my lab and coat your body in this material once I am sure the lab is empty. Once you are coated in this material, you will look exactly like a sex doll. Once this is done, I can convince my cousin that you are an experimental sex doll and to keep you in his dorm as a favor for me. That way, I can keep our house and won't have to pay expenses for you, and that will allow me to focus on our research. This time next year, we will roll in money, and then I can take you back to live with me again," he finished, delighted with his plan.

"You are crazy," she laughed, still not believing that her boyfriend was being serious with her. "You think I am going to let you turn me into a sex doll for a year and to live with your cousin in his dorm?" she said exasperatedly.

"It was just a thought," he said dismissively, clearly hurt by her reaction. He went to stand up and leave her when Keri suddenly called his name to get his attention.

"Wait, is this real?" Keri asked, not quite believing that she was going along with this or even tolerating this suggestion on any level. Rob stopped and sat back down.

"It's real," he replied simply. "I can do this, you just have to trust me," he said to her. "You just need to have faith in me, and I swear to you we will be together once again."

"Let's say I agree to this, which I am not," she said carefully. "After the year ends, can we remove the material?" She asked, carefully observing his reaction.

"Once the material coats your skin, it bonds on a chemical level. Effectively, the material will become your second skin. The change will be permanent and cannot be removed," he stated. "Would it matter though? So what if you look like a sex doll if it means that we can build our life together?" he asked her.

Considering his pitch, she snapped to her senses and started laughing. It felt good to laugh, and she felt it relieved some of the tension and worry that she had been carrying for the last few months.

"Rob, I love you, I really do, but you are a crazy bastard sometimes," she said, laughing at him. He also laughed along with her and leaned back into the seat.

"You're right, Keri, I don't know what I was thinking. It's not a workable idea. I don't know why I told you about it," he said. After a few minutes of laughter, Keri broke the silence.

"I'll miss our conversations," sighed Keri.

"Me too," replied Rob.

Keri watched as Rob leaned across the seat and brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes, and kissed her on the lips for the first time in months. She passionately kissed him back and felt the immense love that she used to have for Rob flood over her once again, reminding her why she had fallen in love with him.

Into the Unknown

Sitting in the passenger seat of the Honda, Keri stared straight through the front window of the car. The seatbelt strapped her in, keeping her upright. She appreciated this because it allowed her to view the car park in front of her.

No one noticed the amputee woman sitting in the car, as she was wearing a long green jumper and white pants. Next to her, Robby was wearing a blue jumper and gray pants that he usually wore to the research laboratory. They were both waiting in the car for the students and faculty to vacate the premises.

It was just after two AM, and Robby knew that most people took their lunch breaks at the university where his research laboratory was located. Once the coast was clear, Robby would smuggle his girlfriend into the university through the use of a large duffel bag that he had found at their house.

The car park was empty save for a man and an old woman who were conversing beside a black car. Keri rolled her eyes impatiently as she waited for them to leave the area.

Despite her husband working here, she had never actually visited the university before. It was about seven-stories high, and it was hard to view inside as there were shutters on all the windows that seemed to move according to the sun to manage the transfer of heat throughout the day. Outside there was a large car park where they were currently situated, which was about three rows from the building.

It had been six months since Robby had proposed his mad idea to Keri. She had dismissed the idea out of hand, but it persisted with her for the last few months until a few weeks ago she broached the idea with Robby, and they discussed it in depth.

Despite her reservations, she did not want to return home to her parents, and if this worked, then it was their ticket to the future. She just needed to hold her nerve and stick to the plan. This is how she came to be seated outside the research lab today with her boyfriend scanning the area beside her.

"Alright, Keri, I think the coast is clear," Robby said. Glancing out the window, she saw the old woman and man were now gone. There was no one else in the car park either.

Robby got out of the and nearly tripped over his feet with nervousness as he went to the boot of the car. Keri saw in the mirror that he had found the bag, and then he made his way back to the driver's door, closed it and then looked around once again. Satisfied, he made his way over to Keri's side of the car and opened the door.

"Ready?" he asked in a low voice as he held the door open with one hand and the bag in the other. Keri considered her answer before replying; she knew she would never be ready for this, but she had to do this.

"Let's do this," she instructed her boyfriend.

Robby nodded his head and picked her up, and placed her into the bag. The world became a sliver of light through the back, and she felt as if the world no longer existed outside of her view. As Robby zipped up the bag, she gulped and darkness plunged her.

The next thing she knew, she felt herself being slung over his shoulder, and she could feel each step as her body bounced off Robby with each step he took. She could tell he was hurrying toward the lab.

It will be all right in a few minutes, just hold on, she told herself as their walk continued. If we get caught, they won't do anything besides maybe fire Robby, and that will just bring forward the inevitable return to my parents' house. This is a risk that I need to take.

Listening intently, Keri heard doors opening automatically. Robby bid someone a happy day, and then she felt his gait change as they took the stairwell, she presumed. That was smart; less chance of meeting someone on the stairs than in a crowded elevator.

A few minutes later, Keri felt the bag being placed on a counter, and then Robby unzipped the bag, and light flooded her sensations once again. She tried to sit up and see her surroundings. Robby noticed this and removed her from the bag and placed her upright on the counter.

Examining her surroundings, it looked like a generic science laboratory to her. Not that she would ever say that to Robby on account of his feelings. A microscope sat next to her on the bench. Across from her was a table with some chairs, and micropipettes were on the table. A fume hood and an eyewash station were present on her left. Other than that, nothing really stood out to Keri.

"Okay, the first thing we need to do is undress you," said Robby matter-of-factly. He said this absent-mindedly as he was running around the laboratory and grabbing instruments and equipment.

"Of course," Keri said sarcastically. "I will need a hand getting out of my clothes though," she told him. Robby glanced back at her dumbly. For a second he appeared to forget her situation, then she saw the flicker of recognition cross his face and he approached.

Robby easily removed both her jumper and her pants, leaving Keri completely naked on the table. She glanced down at her flat torso and noticed that, although her arms and legs had healed, she could still see the stitches from the surgeon's operation. Glancing at the door, she hoped no one had entered the room, as it would be difficult to explain why there was a naked quad-amputee woman sitting on the desk of the materials science laboratory.

As Keri explored her thoughts, Robby returned from a storeroom with a large metal tank, which he placed in the center of the room. He was muttering to himself as he prepared everything.

"Are you ready to do this?" Robby asked suddenly, as if remembering that she was actually there with him in the room. She knew that the scientific part of his brain had taken over, and she was his latest experiment.

"Not like I have a choice, realistically," Keri admitted as she waited for Robby to pick her up and complete whatever he was going to do to her.

Picking her up by the waist, he took her over to the tank and placed her at the bottom of the tank, where she fell sideways against it. The cold metal made her shudder.

"Sorry, I know it's cold," Robby said from above. "I just need to get this thing ready for you, hang on," he said as she heard a noise from above. Suddenly she felt something enclose around her neck like a collar. There was some noise, and then Keri looked down. A combination of the collar around her neck and a few support structures that were holding her from the bottom and the side suspended her mid-air. Keri could now see out of the tank and watched her boyfriend work.

"Okay, Keri," started Robby. "This is going to happen next. The material is going to be poured into the tank, and then you need to remain absolutely still for the next twenty minutes to allow the material to coat and bond to your skin. After that, I will remove you from the tank, and then we can go home. Got it?" asked Robby.

"I'm as sure as I'll ever be, Robby," she said bravely. "Just do it." Keri took a deep breath and one last glance at her body, and then watched her boyfriend as he worked.

Robby typed furiously at a computer console, and then she heard a hissing noise and the aromatic smell of plastic. A flesh-colored liquid flowed through a transparent pipe that was connected to the end of the tank. Keri watched as the material flowed into the end of the tank and rose rapidly.

Robby smiled reassuringly at her as he watched the computer screen, evidently checking the status of the material and its metadata. It transfixed him.

Feeling a tickle around her crotch, she looked down to see that the liquid had reached the bottom of her body. She watched as the liquid quickly rose, and before she knew it, the substance was at her neck. She heard the hissing noise cease, and she knew that the flow of the liquid had stopped.

Keri squirmed as her body felt extremely ticklish. She needed to scratch everywhere, but she had no hands to do so. Looking at her boyfriend, she saw he was not even paying attention to her. Knowing she couldn't do anything, she said nothing and put up with the terrible feeling she was experiencing.

The sensation stopped after ten minutes, and she sighed in relief. Spending the next ten minutes suspended in the liquid, she waited anxiously for Robby to get her out of the tank.

"It's done," he said as he finally looked back at his girlfriend. "We should get you out of there - shit!" he cursed as he saw something on the monitor that worried him.

"What is it?" Keri asked worriedly. She searched her boyfriend's face for signs of what exactly it was that had went wrong during the process that she had just went through.

"It's complicated, but basically ... I used a certain amount of the material to coat your body," Robby explained. "The issue is if anyone goes through the audit trail for the equipment, which they will, they will see that I ran it today and I used only 90 percent of the material, which will be a major red-flag. I need to use that remaining material ... I have an idea, but you won't like it at all," concluded Robby.

"Robby, you've already turned me into a living sex doll," replied Keri. "Just do whatever it is you are going to do."

Returning to his machine, Robby typed some commands into the terminal, and then Keri heard the hissing noise restart and knew that the machine was active again.

After twenty minutes, Robby permanently shut down the machine and then told it to drain the tank. Keri watched as the level of the liquid receded rapidly, and that was when she saw it for the first time.

After the operation, Keri had seen what remained of her body. That was no longer possible, as Keri realized where the excess material had been sent. She could now only see her breasts, which were massive flesh-colored melons hanging off her chest.

"What size are these?" asked Keri, still staring at her enhanced chest. She wasn't exactly with their new size, but she supposed it fit with her new identity as a sex doll.

"Let me check," said Robby as he looked at the monitor again. While Robby checked, she felt the excess material run off her body and saw the flesh-colored material coating her, which made her look like a real sex doll. "You are now a 32KK cup size, congratulations Keri," Robby said, laughing.

Robby shutdown the computer and unhooked Keri from the machine and placed her on a nearby counter, and she felt herself slide to the right as her huge new tits offset her balance. Robyn noticed this just in time and kept her upright.

Robby pushed the tank away and then cleaned up the rest of the equipment. Robby walked over to Keri and smiled once he was satisfied that everything was clean.

"You look amazing," he laughed, and Keri cringed. "Let's get you back into the bag and get you out of the lab." Keri nodded in agreement, and he picked her up and placed her in the bag.

Once again, she watched as Robby zipped the bag up, reducing her worldview and, she supposed, throwing her into complete darkness reflecting her future.

Never Been

Three months later and Keri was still not used to her new body. Her massive breasts constantly pulled on her back and made sitting upright incredibly difficult. She had to concentrate to keep her balance nowadays. Any signs of her accident were gone. Where once she had scars on her stumps, they were now smooth, showing no indication of what had happened to her. Thankfully, she still recognized her own face when she looked in the mirror, as the material started below her neck, leaving her face completely unaffected.

She was currently sitting on the couch in her living room, watching Robby pack. Her possessions into the same duffel bag that he had used to smuggle her into the research lab. She didn't have many possessions left; as she had sold most of her belongings over the past few months because they desperately needed the money.

Despite becoming a sex doll, Keri was having second-thoughts about the next part of their plan. Staying with Robby's husband was worrying to her, as she would be helpless and away from her boyfriend. She was attempting to talk Robby out of the plan at that moment.

"Robby, I don't think I should do this," Keri started. She rolled her eyes in anger as her huge tits swayed and jiggled unintentionally as she tried to move closer to him as he continued to pack.

"It will be fine," Robby assured her. "Bryan is a good lad, and he will take care of you. I have already explained that you are a prototype sex doll that is highly advanced. I told him you breathe and blink, and you could be mistaken for a woman, but you are not. He completely believes that, so we should be fine. Nothing to worry about, okay?" Robby said cheerily.

"Robby, honey, I want to stay with you, please," she said to appeal to whatever love for her he had left. He made his way over to Keri and then placed a kiss on her lips and groped her tits for a few minutes.

"I could grope these titties all day," he laughed. "Come on, Keri, the sooner we get you settled into your new life, the better for everyone," he said as he picked her up.

Her humiliation grew because he placed her in a custom box molded for her, and a transparent window allowed everyone to see her. This made her feel like nothing more than a doll, which she supposed she was now.

Robby gently brushed the hair out of her eyes and smiled at her once he had snugly secured her in the box.

"Well, I suppose this is it for a while," he said to Keri. "We won't be seeing each other for some time. I just wanted to say that I'll miss you when you are away, but I think it will be good for us so I can get on with my work and make some money for us."

"Promise me, Robby, that you will come back to me, please?" Keri said, watching him carefully, trying to determine if this was something that she could count on him to do.

"Of course, Keri," he said as he closed the door on her, locking her into place. He stood her up and she watched from the box as he finished packing away her things.

Once Robby had completed putting her things away, he heaved her box out to a van that he had hired and placed it in the back of the van, and then strapped the box down so that it wouldn't move throughout the journey.

Keri knew that the trip to his cousin's was going to be more than an hour. Listening as Robby closed the driver's door and started the engine, she felt her box lurch forward as the van pulled off.

After a few minutes on the road, she grew tired and her eyelids grew heavy, and she felt herself fall asleep. The last thing she remembered was how comfortable the foam in the box was. She supposed it had to be comfortable, as this was most likely where she was going to be spending an inordinate amount of time.

***

Several weeks later ...

From her position in the room's corner, Keri could see everything in the dorm room. The room was surprisingly large for a university dorm, Keri thought to herself. It was also surprisingly clean, which came as a shock to her. In her mind, male dorm rooms were dirty places full of pizza boxes and condoms. This was not the case here, thankfully.

There was a window opposite her where she could see the campus during the day, which gave her something to do when Bryan was out and about attending classes or whatever he does daily.

Keri had made a memory game where she tried to pick a random person and remember how they looked and what they were wearing. She would then try to see if they passed through the center of the campus again that day and to see if she remembered them.

On the right wall, Bryan had pictures of his family stuck neatly to the wall. There was a desk as well, and she could see his monitor most of the time, which was nice as she could watch whatever media he was viewing. Most of the time it was Netflix, and he had a wonderful taste in TV, she had remarked to herself.

A black rug occupied the center of the room, opposite the wall where his bed was tucked. Apart from that, there wasn't anything unique about the room; the walls were painted white and the floor was a brown carpet.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the door open and Bryan got back earlier than he usually did. She watched from her box as he entered the room and threw his bag onto the bed beside her and sat on the edge of his own bed, and sighed. She figured he must have had a rough day today. Having watched him for the past few weeks, she had grown to care for Bryan and hated to see him sad.

After he moped on his bed for a few minutes, he glanced over at Keri and made his way over and opened the door of her box. Keri was used to this, as he had been told by Bryan to take her out once per day to allow feed her some prescribed food and once in the evening to allow her to use the bathroom. Keri did not know how Bryan thought that this was typical of a prototype sex doll, but evidently he did, as he performed his duties dutifully each day.

However, today was different. He placed her on the bed next to the wall, but instead of feeding her, he gently poked her massive breasts. She didn't feel his touch, but she tried to keep fear out of her mind as he was looking at her sexually. What would Robby think if she slept with his cousin?

Bryan poked her again before putting his hands on both her breasts and groping and mauling them excitedly. He then started hefting them and slapping them. He was laughing all the time he was doing this.

Growing bored with this, he ceased his groping and looked for her food, leaving Keri with a sense of relief that he did not go further than groping her tits.

Bryan squirted some of the food onto a spoon and brought it towards her mouth, and she automatically opened her mouth for him as if she were just a mindless robot. Once the food entered her mouth, she quickly chewed and swallowed it to make it look as robotic as possible.

After this, he placed her back in the box, but he forgot to close the door. Keri watched as he made his way to his computer and logged on. Settling down, she figured he was about to go to Netflix and watch a movie or TV show, and she was ready to lose herself in a good drama.

However, much to her horror, this is not what happened. Instead of a streaming site, Bryan opened Instagram and opened up her profile. She had accepted him when she had dated Robby, and she watched curiously as he browsed her pictures. He eventually settled on one picture of her in a bikini at the beach with Robby.

She watched, abhorred, as he took off his sweatpants and underwear and took out his erect cock. Leaning back in the chair, he masturbated as he viewed the picture of her in a bikini. Somehow this act made her feel more objectified than she had been so far as a pretend sex toy.

How could he do this to her? She had always treated him so nicely whenever they had met, and now he was jerking off to her! This was demeaning and insulting, and she felt like opening her mouth and shouting at him, but she knew she was in no position to do such a thing, and so she sat there and watched.

Bryan came after a few minutes and turned off his computer and went to the bathroom to have a shower, leaving her alone with her thoughts. What the fuck had she witnessed, she thought to herself?

Thinking of all her life decisions that brought her to this position, she couldn't believe it. It was a straight line from her car accident to being made to look like a sex toy to eventually ending up being an actual sex toy.

Keri wondered what Robby was up to right now. Hopefully, he was working diligently in his laboratory to make them the money that they needed to ensure that they could remain together for the rest of their lives. If Robby made a breakthrough, as he had insisted that he would, then all the sacrifices and humiliations would be worth it. The question was, would Robby really be able to pull this off and succeed?

Bryan returned from the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel and, despite herself, she admired his physique. He was pretty ripped, which was an agreeable change as Robby was slightly overweight and not sporty at all. She knew Bryan played rugby or something like that.

Thankfully, Bryan opened Netflix and turned on a movie, and she smiled as she could finally lose herself in some Hollywood entertainment. He turned off the lights, and she settled in for the duration of the film, and she hadn't seen this one before.

Two hours later, the film was over, and Bryan turned off the computer and tucked himself into bed for the night. Keri wasn't ready for sleep just yet, and luckily for her, she could see people pass through the center of the campus even this late at night. Remembering that it was a Wednesday evening, she knew that all the students would be coming home from pubs, bars and restaurants, as this was the designated night for it. She wondered why Bryan wasn't out tonight? Now that she thought of it, Bryan was never usually home until about now. Why was he home so early?

I hope he's okay; she thought to herself. Even though he was just jerking off to me a few hours ago, I still care for him. I wish there were some way I could help him. If only I could just talk to him and listen to his problems. I am a good listener and he could really benefit from me. Instead, I have to sit here as a fucking sex doll he has to feed and shower. I am nothing but a burden for him. Oh no, I hope he is not depressed because he has to keep me here. Perhaps he feels embarrassed to bring a woman back to the dorm because I am present. This wasn't fair to him; he is supposed to be having the time of his life right now, and I am potentially ruining this for him.

Finally, Keri exhausted herself from her constant thinking, and she felt her eyelids grow heavy, and she fell asleep. The light from outside fell directly on her and illuminated her as a porcelain creature of the night.

No Debate

Two months later ...

Sitting in the restaurant, Bryan waited for Samantha to show up. He was fond of this restaurant; it was the fanciest restaurant that he knew of. He was sitting on a large, curved seat that was dark green and extremely comfortable. There was a large wooden table in front of him, on which a server had left a customary glass of water for him. Natural light was pouring in from a skylight above his head and behind was a decorative mirror. Shrubbery and plants also spread throughout the interior, giving customers a natural feeling.

He had been a friend with Samantha for a few years, and he had finally plucked up the courage to ask her out, which was why they were meeting today at this fancy establishment. She didn't know his intention yet, but Bryan hoped she would be open to the idea.

Samantha entered the restaurant and surveyed the room looking for him. Bryan waved at her and she spotted him and walked over to him and he stood up and pulled out a seat for her.

"Thank you, Bryan," Samantha said kindly as put her leather bag on the seat next to her and sat down. She was wearing a beautiful black summer dress today, and Bryan savored her perfume; it smelled of strawberries.

"No problem," he said as he returned to his seat across from her and sat down. A server passed and placed two menus on the table, and Bryan smiled at Samantha.

"So ..." she started questioningly. "What is it that was so important that you wanted to meet me here today?" Samantha continued. She raised her eyebrows as she waited for an answer.

"Haha," Bryan laughed nervously. "I thought you might save that question until we had eaten something first. "I'm not great at this thing, but I wanted to ask ... What I mean to say is that I really like you and I was wondering if maybe you felt the same way about me?" Bryan asked as Samantha's face fell. There was an awkward silence as she took a sip of his water before replying to him.

"Oh Bryan," she said sweetly. "I don't feel that, I'm sorry. You are my friend, one of my best friends, but I don't look at you like that, I'm sorry," she said apologetically.

Bryan laughed it off, saying, "Don't worry about it," as if her answer had not just shattered his feelings. "I wasn't really being serious," he said, trying to salvage the situation.

"Bryan ... I'd better go now," Samantha said, clearly uncomfortable being alone with him. "I'm sorry, it's just that I got this thing and I really need to go to it."

"That's fine," Bryan said with a false smile on his face as she stood up and absconded from the restaurant. Bryan watched her leave, and then sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Excuse me, sir," asked the server. "Are you ready to order?" she asked him, holding her notepad in her hand. Bryan smiled at her sadly and stood up, and exited the booth.

"No thank, I'm not actually hungry today," he said to her as he rushed away from her and the table where he had revealed his true feelings for Samantha. Tears were forming in his eyes as he exited the restaurant and made his way home.

***

He practically kicked his dorm room open in anger as he arrived home. After slamming the door behind him, he stood fuming in the center of the room. He looked out the window and saw all the other carefree students going about their day. Rushing to the window, he closed his curtains and picked up a pillow, and screamed into it out of embarrassment and anger.

Standing in the middle of the room, he was seething, and he suddenly glimpsed the experimental sex doll in the corner of his room. That stupid thing had been watching him for months now, and he glanced at it with longing in his eyes. If he couldn't have Samantha, then he would have this sex doll.

Bryan flung open the doors of the box and picked up the doll, and for a second he swore she tried to speak. He placed the sex doll on top of his bed and took off his trousers.

His cock was erect, and he lay on top of the doll and brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes. Placing a kiss on her lips, he slowly placed his cock inside her vagina and he heard the doll moan in pleasure. Bryan smiled and thrust into her. To his surprise, the doll's eyes contacted his, and she started moaning loudly as he kept thrusting into her. Bryan was getting more and more excited as her huge breasts bounced around uncontrollably and the doll was practically screaming with ecstasy.

As he came inside the sex doll, she roared with pleasure, and Bryan kissed her on the neck and mauled her breasts. Bryan made a note to himself that he would need to congratulate his cousin on developing such a lifelike sex doll. This model was sure to make his cousin a millionaire if it went to market, as it was so realistic.

After he had cum, Bryan pulled out and lay back in the bed and placed an arm around the doll and stared at the ceiling. That was the best sex he had ever had in his entire life. Bryan fell asleep after a few minutes with the doll cradled in his arms.

***

Bryan woke up the next day, and the doll was still in his arms. He got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom where he took a hot shower and cleaned himself from last night's sexual exploits. Then he got into a black bathrobe and exited the bathroom. Thanks to Samantha, he had no plans for his Sunday today.

Bryan heard a curt knocking sound on his door and checked the spyhole to see who it was. Seeing that it was just his cousin, Robby, he unlocked the door and let him in.

Bryan entered and surveyed the room, and his eyes found the sex doll, and his eyes widened. He stopped in his tracks and then looked from Bryan and then back to the doll before speaking.

"Did you ... did you have sex with the doll?" Robby asked with some alarm in his voice. Bryan did not know why he sounded so concerned about a doll, but he answered him truthfully.

"That doll is amazing!" Bryan told him. "I cracked last night and finally fucked it and wow, it was so realistic and it was really pleasurable. I know you asked now to have sex with it, but what's the harm, it's just a doll. It's not like it has feelings or anything like that," Bryan concluded.

Robby bowed his head and seemed to consider what he was going to do next. When he looked up and talked, he was addressing the sex doll.

"That's okay, Bryan. I have some bad news. My research funding was pulled, it turns out my revolutionary ideas were not workable, and the university has ceased our funding and closed our lab. I'm broke and my only option is to teach at a highschool now," he said sadly.

"What the fuck!" screeched the sex doll from across the room, giving Bryan a massive fright. Bryan thought he was seeing things, but the sex doll was actually talking back to them.

"I'm sorry, Keri," said Robby sadly. "At best, I'll be earning around thirty thousand a year after I start in my new job. It's not enough to keep looking after you, I'm afraid."

"Wait, that's Keri? Keri Stanton, your girlfriend said Bryan in shock. "Keri, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to fuck you, I didn't know it was you. I swear, if I had know I would never have done that," he said apologetically.

"I saw you jerking off to my pictures. We are way beyond that, Bryan. Don't feel bad about fucking me, I enjoyed it, you're not the bastard that got me into this situation in the first place," she complained. Bryan's mouth flapped open and closed, and his face went bright red. He decided he had better stay out of this conversation.

"Keri, I tried my best," replied Robby angrily. "I truly thought that I was onto something. It's not my fault that science doesn't always behave the way you want or expect it to."

"Fucker, you could have said that before you turned me into a fucking sex doll," she roared. "What am I supposed to do now?" asked Keri with fury in her voice.

"Go home to your parents?" said Robby with a shrug of his shoulders. "Not my problem anymore," he said coldly as he washed his hands of his girlfriend, leaving her completely alone.

"If I had my fucking limbs right now, I would fucking kill you," screamed Keri as she trembled in rage, causing her tits to jiggle hilariously. Keri noticed and tried to gather her thoughts.

Bryan watched the two of them trade insults and learned the entire events that had led up to this situation, and suddenly he saw an opportunity for himself.

"Robby, Keri," he interjected into their argument. "Look, I've always found Keri attractive and I still do. What if I take her? Once I'm done university, I am not going home so she can live with me. I will take care of her, and when I find a woman, I want to settle down with, I can tell her that Keri is an experimental sex doll, like Robby did with me! I can store her in an attic with everything she needs. When I need a good fuck, I can have sex with her, and in exchange, she will never have to go home, and I'll take care of her."

"Fine," she said, turning her gaze toward Bryan. "It's not like I'm going to get another offer, am I?" she said sarcastically. "Just don't treat me as a sex doll only; remember I used to be a woman," she opined to Bryan.

"I won't," he mumbled.

Robby shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he had no preference for whatever happened to his ex-girlfriend, and Keri watched him walk away. Left alone in the room together, Keri suddenly spoke.

"So, how did it go with Samantha?" she asked curiously. Bryan's eyes widened once again as he looked at her questioningly, how she knew about that, and Keri reminded him she knew everything about him.

"She didn't like me," he confessed openly as he sat on the end of the bed, giving her space. The memory still brought him pain as he remembered what had happened.

"Don't worry about it," Keri said, consoling him. "You will have plenty of other opportunities, and in the meantime, you can practice having sex with me whenever you want," she said as she winked. "Since I look like a sex doll, I might as well help you out in that apartment since you are looking after me," she said.

"Thanks, Keri," he replied. "You've always been so hot, and if you don't mind me saying, your new look makes you a thousand times hotter than you were. I know it must make your life hard, but my God it looks good," he said, slightly losing himself in lust.

"Thank you," she said sarcastically. "I'm glad that all it took for you to get it up was me losing my arms, legs, being encased in rubber and getting an enormous pair of tits on my chest!" she said.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm still a little annoyed over Robby dumping me and I know you are a good man. I promise you I will not make your life difficult. Think of me as your sex doll / therapist, okay?" she joked. "Now, I could really use a drink," she started. "Could you get me some? I haven't one in months!"

Bryan smiled and stood up. He exited the apartment in search of beer. He gained a sentient sex doll for his troubles, despite the weekend's rejection. One thing was for sure: life was going to get more interesting from now on!

The end