© VeGirl 2014
That following winter, Arnaud caught a cold that just wouldn't let go. Maya who had never seen him ill was of course worried, but he simply kissed her cheek and told her not to worry.
When he no longer could attend meetings for work he assigned an active board to handle his affairs and left Maya in charge. She did her best to keep her head in the game, but worried about him and his health.
When the winter was almost coming to its end, he finally let her take him to a hospital. The medical staff found soon out that his lungs were not giving him enough oxygen and they immediately gave him medications to get better.
To her relief they worked and he became much better. For a while the couple went back to work and it was easy to see how much he had missed it. After a month or so his fatigue returned though and he was forced back to the couch or bed, where Maya did her best to tend to him.
"You should have picked one of the younger guys in Japan instead of this old geezer," he sighed.
"I didn't want them, I want you."
"But then you wouldn't have to be a handmaid like this."
"Don't be silly; you cared for me when I got the flu from hell, remember?" She stroked his cheek while sitting on the edge of their bed.
"It was pneumonia; because I had forced you to go naked to my hotel in the blistering winter." He pursed his lips but Maya snickered.
"I had a thong! And I was only naked under the coat," she defended him while snuggling beside him in bed. "I still remember the look on that bellboy's face when he offered to take the coat and I started to unbutton it."
"You are a wicked girl!" He grinned.
"I am what you made me, Arnaud."
"You were made for me from the start," he sighed as she puffed his pillows. "The first time you bowed before me I got a hard-on that lasted for days."
"You wicked man!"
"And I've had a hard-on every day since," he whispered into her hair. "You really are the sexiest little thing there is."
"Wait a minute, let me just clarify that statement." She slid her hand along the planes of his stomach and downwards. "Jup, there it is," she sighed and squeezed his shaft, making it jerk and harden some more.
"Hey, you're not using a sick old man, are you?"
"You're not old sir," she murmured and kept massaging the body part she had longed for. "He likes it."
"I like it too, ma petite." Arnaud groaned blissfully. "I'm afraid you're gonna have to do all the job."
"My pleasure sir."
"No, my pleasure is more important for you to focus on." He grinned but Maya knew that was not what he meant.
* * *
When the doctors started to talk about getting him somewhere with better air Maya couldn't believe that this was the twenty first century. Of course she needed another opinion and flew him to London, Stockholm and to Switzerland. None of the doctors could tell her what was wrong more than he collected water in the lung-sacks; that was what made it hard to breath, they explained. They punctured his lung-sacks to drain the fluid out, but it kept coming back.
Antibiotics helped momentarily, but that made him tired and weak.
To get away from everything she took him back to the Riviera and that seemed to relax his strained breathing a little.
They sat in the shade on their balcony looking out over the sensational view and tried to enjoy the small things in life like a good Chianti and room service.
A few weeks later the antibiotics stopped working, Maya had doctors flown in from Schweitz, Britain and she even flew in a medical team from the States, but nobody knew what was wrong. She was starting to fear that there was something very wrong with him, but forced the thought back since it was too hard to deal with.
Over the weeks that passed, Arnaud's health quickly deteriated and they had to get back to Paris and check him into the hospital. The doctors did what they could to figure out what was wrong. They put him on different antibiotics and he got better temporarily, but then he slowly got the fatigue back.
After a while they even tried cytostatica which made him so weak that it was horrific just to look at him.
This was my master; my big muscular Arnaud was now a weak old man.
"It is my punishment, little one," he sighed. "For corrupting you."
"Oh no! I have much worse punishments in store for you Arnaud."
"See, that's what I'm talking about!"
She slid up to him on the hospital bed. "If you'll just flip over, I can see if I can spank you until you get better," she whispered and slid her arm under his cover.
"See that's what I've done to the sweet little girl I met in Japan."
"You can do it again, let me just straddle you right here in the hospital," she whispered, refusing to accept that something was seriously wrong even if she knew. "A good orgasm will do you good."
"Yeah, that's what I said when you got seasick, remember?"
Maya snickered and did her best to cheer him up with tender loving care. They've have had sex many times in a room full of people; here in the hospital they had a room to themselves.
Even if the release did put a smile on his face, it wasn't nearly as satisfying as it had been.
He was still my Arnaud and I loved him deeply.
"Don't look so sad, my little one." He patted her cheek. "I told you a long time ago that I've had other subs before you and that you will have others after me." The strain was hard on him.
"But sir..."
"Arnaud, my name is Arnaud. You know that Mayako..." He was speaking slowly but the ironwill of the Master was clearly detected.
"Yes, Arnaud."
"See, that wasn't so hard..." A weak smile lit up his eyes. "Now kiss me!"
Maya reached up to him and kissed his lips softly. One hand snaked up into her hair and the grip on her neck was unbelievable strong as he clasped it and deepened the kiss until she gasped for air.
"Arnaud!"
A smile curved his lips. "That's more like it."
"You wicked old man..." she teased.
"I am not old, little girl!" He pouted. "But I need my rest, so stop bothering me." He closed his eyes while the corners of his lips curled upwards.
"I won't."
"Go make me some more money," he mumbled.
"I will! Sleep tight Arnaud," she whispered and left him there.
Money can't buy you happiness, but they sure could buy medical care and Maya had constantly different doctors flown in. Her work started to focus on different medicinal centres and what they could do for Arnaud.
She had basically moved into the hospital and only left for work to return a couple of hours later. Once in a while Arnaud forced her to get home for a good nights sleep, but she only ended up tossing and turning.
Some of the days he was better but some were worse and he couldn't keep his mood up. This was not looking good and Maya started to panic.
"Remember, if you ever need anything, go to Jayden, he's the guy who bought The Club." Arnaud was getting weaker and Maya did her best to be strong for him. "Jayden Sanford," he mumbled.
"Yes sir I will."
He opened one of his eyes for a stern look.
"Yes Arnaud..." She smiled at him. "Now rest so I can savage you later."
"Promises, promises..." he mumbled with his eyes already closed.
"Good night Arnaud," she mumbled soft and turned to walk away.
"Hey!" She turned due to the surprisingly strong voice. "Where's my goodbye-kiss?"
"It's coming right up, my love." She returned to his bed and sat back down beside him.
"Love? You're not going soft on me now, my powerful Domina?"
She placed a soft kiss on his lips. "Arnaud; you know that I have loved you from day one." She stroked his cheek. He smelled sickly sweet of oxygen. "And I will love you until my dying day."
"That's a long time, ma petite," he mumbled.
* * *
A couple of days later he called her when she was at work. "I want you to come to the hospital, ma petite."
"Of course, let me just grab a..."
"Bring our passports."
"What? Why passports?"
"Haven't I taught you not to question me, my little one?"
"You have taught me to love, Arnaud. But now I must hurry to see you."
Maya threw the passports that he had asked for, a magazine and sweets for him. He was a sucker for chocolate and she remembered a time when he had melted chocolate and drizzled it on her, just to lick off every square centimetre. Melted chocolate was more fun to play with than wax.
There was a man standing by Arnaud's bed when she got there. It wasn't a doctor, it was a priest. Maya knew it was bad, but not like this. She wasn't ready.
"Maya." Arnaud's face lit up.
She walked around the bed and sat on his side. "Hi love." She kissed his forehead. "You've got a visitor..."
"Yes." He took her hand. "Do you remember that I said I could never be the husband you deserve..."
"Arnaud, please!" Tears welled up in her eyes and emotions threatened to choke her. "You're my everything, you know that," she whispered.
"Maya, I want to marry you."
"What?"
"I can't do much, but I want to provide for your future." He was breathless from the speech and had to rest his head back and pull deep of the oxygen. "I'm going to die..."
Tears flowed freely by now. He had said the words they both knew but had refused to acknowledge. "I know baby... I'll be fine..." It was her job to be the strong one when he couldn't.
"Maya, will you marry me?"
"Are you serious?"
"Why do you think I've called for a priest?"
"Yeah I was going to ask you about that."
Arnaud smiled.
That was how they happened to get married on a rainy Tuesday summer in a boring hospital room. There were no wedding dress, no fancy suit, no guests or flower arrangements; just Arnaud, Maya and a priest. Their wedding night was not the romantic getaway one might dream of, but they had already experienced more than most people knew.
The only thing I missed was a ring.
* * *
Two days later Arnaud died.
.