I reach into the bag and find one of the pair of her panties I brought for Jennifer. "Well, let's see if we can do this in the simplest possible way. Be sure and let me know if I am hurting you". I gently slip the left leg of her panties over her plaster cast. I stop it just above her foot. "OK now slip your right foot in" I say. She slips her right foot in through the leg hole and I proceed to slip the panties up the cast and her uninjured leg at the same time. "Is this what I have to look forward to for the next 3 months ?" Jennifer says with the first real hint of her humor I had seen since the accident.

After perhaps a 30 second struggle, we get the panties on up over the cast. I then get a pink pair of shorts out of the bag and we go through the same exercise. I can tell by the end of the struggle with the shorts, the smile is gone from her face and she is again wearing her now familiar pained expression.

"I'm sorry honey did I hurt you?" I ask. "No it's fine, I'll just keep these shorts on until they take the leg cast off and I'll be fine" she says trying to muster another smile. "I'm sure we will get a routine down for getting you dressed soon enough" I say as I slip a pink ankle sock onto her healthy right foot. She lies back down while I tie her right sneaker. "I'm so sorry for all of this" she says sadly. "Hey, don't you worry about this, we will get through this, don't keep apologizing, this was just an accident" I try to reassure her as I again gently kiss her on the cheek. "But it hurts so badly, and I am so used to being independent, I hope I'm not too much of a bitch to you through all of this". "We will work through our problems as they come up, no one is saying this will be an easy few months, but our marriage is strong enough to get us through this". I wipe a tear from her cheek as a nurse comes in with a wheelchair.

"Did someone call a cab?" she asks. "That would be us" I reply. The nurse gently picks up Jennifer's leg and removes the cushions from beneath it. I see a wince on Jen's face as her shattered leg gets set back down on the bed. The nurse slides the wheelchair in close and we help Jennifer stand on her good leg long enough to turn and sit in the wheelchair. The nurse gently picks up Jen's leg and set it up on the leg support. She then slips a pillow in under the broken leg.

"Are we ready?" I ask as I begin to push her. "My bag" Jennifer reminds me and I stop and sling it over my shoulder. "We don't want to forget these" the nurse says handing the crutches to Jennifer. "What about all my flowers" Jennifer asks as we proceed to roll. "Don't worry we will get all those delivered to your home" the nurse replies with a smile.

Slowly we proceed down the hall and to the elevator. As we enter, there is a young man in his early twenties already on board. I see him eyeing Jennifer's painted toes poking out the end of her cast. As we head down in the elevator, the nurse is telling us a litany of instructions. Don't get it wet, strict bed rest, don't stick anything in the cast. As I was starting to think I needed to be writing all this down she adds: "it's all on the instructions in your bag".

When we reach the lobby, the nurse waits with Jennifer while I pull the car up to the entrance. Luckily, with our SUV, there should be plenty of room for her in the back seat. The nurse and I help her into the backseat with a little bit of maneuvering. I then place her crutches and the bag into the back of the vehicle while the nurse again places the pillow under the cast.

"Thanks for everything" I tell the nurse as she waves to Jen as she wheels the chair away. "You doing OK?" I ask Jen as I get in the drivers seat and look into the back at her. "I'll be fine once I am home" she says in a weak voice.

I drive as carefully as I can on the 4 mile trip to the house. I reach my hand over the seat so Jen can squeeze it as we ride. I can tell by the pale look on her face that the events of the day are taking a toll on her.

I pull in the driveway relieved that I finally have my lovely wife home. "How you holding up?" I ask as I retrieve the crutches from the rear. "Tired" was her one word reply. I open the left rear door of the vehicle so she can slide out cast first with me there to steady her. I can see a grimace on her face as she stands on her good leg. My heart breaks every time I see her in so much pain.

She settles onto her crutches adjusting them slightly as she leans on them. "You OK honey?" I ask as I put my hand on the small of her back. "Yea I am OK" she says weakly in her best trying to be brave voice. Slowly, she crutches toward the front door. "Can you make the stairs?" I ask as we approach the porch that is encumbered with 2 steps. "Just steady me and I'll be OK" she replies.

With my hand behind her to catch her in the event of a fall, she gets up the steps one at a time. I am so proud of her little accomplishment. I unlock the door and we proceed in with her moving slowly on the crutches. I see a slight smile on her face as she sees the banner I hung on the living room wall. WELCOME HOME JENNIFER it says. "Oh thank you honey, that was sweet" she says. I kiss her on the cheek. "Welcome home honey, I am so glad you are out of that hospital". "Believe me, no one is happier than I am" she says as she proceeds to the bedroom. I help her along and help her sit down on the turned back bed. It is then that she sees the bouquet of roses on the bureau.

"Thank you honey, they're beautiful" she says again trying to muster a smile. "I thought they might brighten up the room since you will be in here for a while". I kneel down and untie the shoe on her good right foot and help her lay back on the bed. "Do you want to get out of those clothes" I ask as I bring an array of pillows into the room and begin to stack them on the bed. "No, I just want to lay back and relax for a while before I do anything". I fluff her pillow for her and again wipe the hair from her brow. "Can I get you anything?" I ask as I hold her hand. "Some water would be nice, I need to take some pills so I can nap". "Your wish is my command" I say. As I head off to get it, I realize this will be the first of thousands of things I will need to do for her.

"Here you are" I say as I give her the water after she downs some pills. "Will you lay with me till I fall asleep" she asks. "Sure honey" I reply as I stroke her hand. "Oh good, your embrace will feel so good". "Anything darling, just let me know if I am hurting you in any way". I strip down to my underwear and gently sit down on the other side of the bed. I see a slight wince as the bed jostles when I move. As I slide up beside her, I am almost afraid to touch her. "Am I hurting you?" I ask tentatively. "No silly" she says as she sees how careful I am being. I gently hug her in an embrace. I lay beside her snuggling with her as she quietly drifts off into sleep. As I lay there I can't help but think about how much I want to make my loving wife's pain go away.

I dose off while in her embrace. I awaken after about 45 minutes and realize I have fallen asleep. I open my eyes to see her sleeping with a bit of a smile on her face. I think of all the things I need to do and wonder how I can get out of bed without waking her. I carefully slip my arms out of the embrace and inch myself towards the edge of the bed.

Once out of the bed, I gently tuck her in making sure she is as comfortable as I can make her. I slip out of the bedroom to attend to some chores I need to take care of. I start a load of laundry that has been stacking up since last week.

I call my office and see how things are going. My assistant is coming by with 2 of my partners this afternoon with some items for me to sign and so I can brief them on my projects.

I call Sid to tell him we have Jen home and she is resting comfortably. I explain to him the situation of her needing to stay immobile for the next 2 weeks. He thanks me for the update and indicates that he thinks he may need to reassign the case. I explain to him that after the two weeks she should be getting around on the crutches and will be able to work. I can tell by his tone he is pondering the situation. I don't want to pass this news along to Jen since he sounded like he was still thinking about it. There is no reason to upset her needlessly until his mind is made up.

About 1PM I am caught up with most of my chores and decide to go sit by Jen and hopefully I can be there when she awakens. After I sit there about a half an hour reading the paper I see her blinking awake. "Good morning sleepy head" I say as I give her a gentle peck on the cheek". "What time is it" she asks sleepily. "A little after 1:30" I reply stroking her hair.

"I need to go to the bathroom" she says. "Ok let me get you your crutches" I say as I retrieve them from the wall near the bed. I gently lift her shattered leg off the pile of pillows and set it on the bed. Again my heart breaks as I see her wince with pain at the movement. I then gently lower her injured leg to the floor as she assumes a sitting position on the edge of the bed.

As she stands on her good foot, I can see the color drain from her face as she grimaces and know she is enduring more pain. I help her settle onto the crutches. "Are you OK? Can you make it in there by yourself?". "Let me try, they say the longest journey begins with a single step" as she slowly hobbles towards the bathroom. "I'll be right here honey, call me if you need me". I sit back and read the paper again although my attention is aimed towards the bathroom anticipating a call for help from Jen. After a couple minutes, there is the sound of a flush and a few seconds later she emerges from the bathroom. Slowly she works her way back to the bed. "You made it honey, I'm so proud of you" I say trying to lift her spirits. "Big triumph, a 30 year old makes it to the bathroom by herself" she says sarcastically. "Let me help you back down" I say as I gently help her back to the sitting position on the edge of the bed. I help her lie back down and gently lift her injured leg back atop the pile of pillows on the bed.

"Would you like some lunch honey?" I ask trying to take her mind off the pain. "That might be nice" she says trying to muster a smile. "OK, I'll be back in a few minutes, just holler if you need anything" I say setting the newspaper on the bed next to her.

I go to the kitchen and prepare a sandwich and some soup for her. I pour her a glass of milk and some juice. I put it all on a bed tray and place a daisy in a vase and put it in the corner of the tray.

I over hear the TV that is droning to no one in the living room and it draws my attention. "...and the States case may have hit a slight snag, as it was announced today that prosecutor Jennifer Bailey badly broke her leg in a fall at her home over the weekend. State Attorney Sidney Freeman said he was unsure whether or not he would have to remove Miss Bailey from the case. In other news...".

I stop and think to myself as to whether I should tell Jennifer that she may be removed from the case. It's only a matter of time before she hears it on the news or some nosey reporter will call asking questions. I decide to say nothing for the moment hoping Sid will call with some good news for her this afternoon. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to tell her before she reads it in the paper tomorrow. I save this little drama for myself and head back into the bedroom.

"Here you are my love" I say as I reenter the room. I place the tray to the side and help you into somewhat of a sitting position. I then place the tray across your lap. "I hope you like it honey" I say as I again gently kiss her on the cheek.