Little Boy's Tree Fort

I can,t wait for the next chapter of this great story . Thank you for your great writing skills . 

It's the results from where the initial article was from.

Thank you, thank you, thank you all. Jason is up against a formidable lady who knows just what to do to keep a lad down. His wetting seems to be getting worse but will daddy, erm, I mean dad... come to his rescue? Next chapter all but ready...  

Hey everyone! This is a bit of a longer chapter, and I would have posted this earlier, but I think the site went in for an update or something like that on top of all the editing I had to do. No biggie, but here’s the third of seven planned chapters. Now, I’m not sure how many actually check it, but I have now updated the timeline for the works I have created within the DD. It includes all my current works, including this one at some point on the timeline. I also know that a lot of people don’t seem to be able to view the image, so I’ve been considering splitting up the timeline a bit in a future update. For now, though, the written version is posted below the picture as well at the end of the post. Next, as a reminder, there is currently a vote going for the next story I write. It will be done after my break at some point, but due to the short nature of this story, the timing for this vote will be short. As usual, if no one votes or there is a tie, I will use my discretion over what story is next (though in the event of a tie and there are several attributing votes, I may extend the vote and decide after my break). For now, though, this vote will end when I post my final chapter next Thursday at the latest. Further details about the specific date will come in subsequent chapters, but for those wanting to participate and didn’t read about them previously, the potential story options are located in the beginning of chapter 2. Finally, and back to this tale, I hope everyone enjoys the next chapter of this story! Chapter 3: A Numbers Game “Hey you two!” I heard Carol warmly greet my next patient and someone else. Normally, the esteemed professor would just be here alone, but today, he was clearly here with a new person. Curious, I decided to poke my head out and see who was there with him. We had been talking for several months now, but ever still the quintessential mathematics professor, Dr. Figgins had only briefly touched on a few of the relationships in his life. Considering the young woman now with him was first, a woman, and second, young, it narrowed the field of who it could be in his life considerably. From first blush, I thought it might be his close teaching assistant. Deciding to introduce myself to her first, I walked over and greeted both warmly, but then specifically focused my attention on the new woman. “Hello, I’m Dr. Mengell, but you can just call me Doc, Doctor, or even Trisha. We’re usually pretty informal around here.” To further add to my hospitality, I went out to shake her hand. The sandy-haired woman smiled back politely and shook my hand in return. “I definitely already know who you are, Dr. Mengell. Your reputation precedes you more than I think you know. I’m Molly, Dr. Figgin’s teaching assistant.” I was glad my instincts were still on point. “I’m very glad to meet you finally, Molly. Dr. Figgins has talked about you a lot in our sessions. You seem quite the astute pupil of his.” Molly smiled and I would have followed up further, but I could see something was on Dr. Figgins’ mind and he seemed unusually antsy today. I then looked down at the renowned Little professor and remembered his desire for me to be more formal with him during our sessions. It was a bit out of the norm for me with my particular style with my Little patients and came with some potential future drawbacks, but I also knew that if it made him feel more comfortable for now, then I knew it was well worth it for the time being. “Good afternoon, Dr. Figgins. Are you ready for our session today?” He blustered about a little and again, I thought something was different about him today, but he ultimately nodded. “Yes, yes. Of course. Didn’ come all this way from Columbus for no wea… reason.” I paused for a moment over his little slip in pronunciation, but not wanting to make a big deal out of it, I just smiled and gestured to him to come inside my office. Dr. Figgins nodded and turned to Molly. “If you could just wai’ ou’ here, these sessions usually only take abou’ an hour.” “I understand, professor,” she replied calmly before reaching over and retrieving some papers from her bag. “I cam prepared and I’m going to get on grading these midterm exams for you from yesterday. I know several of the students are eager to receive their grades back as soon as possible.” “Very good. Thank you, Molly.” With that the two smiled and Dr. Figgins walked in and sat on my couch. I then closed the door and took my usual seat across from. Again, once the door was closed and Dr. Figgins was settled back onto the couch, I swore I could see something bothering him. Not one for sharing his emotions freely though, I knew I might have to push. For now, though, I eased back into my own chair and began to read over his file again. *              *              * Patient Name: Dr. Bernard Figgins Biological Age: 36 Years old Estimated Mental Age: Mental shifts less noticeable due to logical mind and high intellect, but suspect could be lower than observable    Former Occupation: Mathematician at Ohiyo State University Current Occupation: Unchanged but has lost several key faculty spots on various boards Regression Initiated: 120 days ago Notes: Patient was considered a top-ranking mathematician and held several unusually high-ranking positions at Ohiyo State University. Assistance with the calculations during a rogue lab experiment seems to have caused his regression but I have some doubts about this. Previous status mostly remains abnormally high for exposure rate and timeline of others exposed in this manner, but admittedly, Patient’s formidable intellect may be the source of this immunity, or more likely, confusion in my assessment. Despite this, physical regression has maintained progress and as a result, has had a severe impact on his life. Emotional state remains firm, but cracks have been noticed based on the emails I have received from the university. Patient is likely unaware of the emails but is aware of the incidents.     *              *              * I set the file down and looked over to the still nervous-looking Dr. Figgins. He was still a well-known mathematics professor from Ohiyo State University, but after his lab accident there, I had started to see him after he started to notice his own slippage in a few ways. Now, months later, I felt I had a pretty good feel for the good professor, and I knew that if the usually focused and logical-minded Little before me was now looking concerned, I should be too. Given his well-regulated intellect and emotional state, I might have feared that his continence was an issue, but he had resigned himself to diapers for the most part three months as something logical in his case. It wasn’t easy to convince him to do that mind you, but more progress had been made on that front and others since. Still, I didn’t want to scare him away today, so I started with my usual opening question. “So, Dr. Figgins, how’s the week been since we last saw each other?” He shuffled around and I could see that he seemed distracted still. “It was… fine. Not a lot to repor’ to you, Doctor, to be honest.” My mind and my own perceptions tried to penetrate the obvious shield he was putting up around me. When he first started visiting me every other week, and maybe even at the start of when he began to see me weekly about a month ago, he might have been able to hide his feelings. But from just the sheer amount of time he had to put walls up or his regression continuing by now, his ‘honesty’ now was just feeling like more of a front. So, I probed further. “Well, ‘not a lot’ still seems to be something to report on. Anything happen I should know about specifically? I mean, you are here after all, so you might as well get something out of your time here.” Again, I knew that even before his initial regression, he had a reputation for his low emotional responses and few interpersonal relationships. His logical mind was his greatest strength, but also his greatest weakness. Remembering that, I tried to use logic to mauver through and actually get a meaningful response back. “It was… tolerable…” he stated plainly before going back to twisting and folding his hands in front of him. Right then, I knew something was definitely wrong. He always took the bait before with my logical approach, but now, he was actively avoiding something and putting up his emotional shields more than ever. I knew they were an important part of his life and support system, but I also knew that they were holding him back in our sessions. Before today, I let them go and allowed him to retain them as long as he was still open and honest with me for the most part. Now, with his attempt to hide further behind them and the university’s emails about some of his lapses there, I felt I had no choice. He needed some help, and I knew I had to poke further to find out just what I was dealing with now.   “Well, tolerable is… good, but what about the details? You always love the details about everything,” I reasoned, “so, why not let me in on a few of them?” Now, he didn’t say anything, and if anything, it only furthered my suspicions. “What about anything social? Or what you did over the weekend, or what about your job, or…?” “It’s all fine! Okay? Just drop it,” he immediately shot back. His response had come out of nowhere and the emotional state he was displaying now was highly unusual. Considering his response to work though, I knew I needed to start there. He was a private person however, so there were aspects of what he did that I still wasn’t completely aware of. Looking for an obvious hook or way in, I soon remembered Molly. “Okay, I can do that,” I semi-lied. I hated it but seeing my patient in distress of some kind, I knew I had to get around his barrier somehow. “Molly seems nice though.” I could quickly tell my seemingly random comment had seemingly come out of nowhere from his perspective as I saw the nearly puzzled look on the professor’s face, but to my relief, he also eased up a little afterward. “Yeah, she’s pretty great. Made a lo’ of things easier and…” He quickly stopped and if I didn’t know any better, he looked as if he had just accidentally revealed more than he originally wanted to. “I’m sure she has. I imagine driving and grading papers must be a big relief for you in some ways.” He smiled and nodded. “It is. I can’t tell you…” Again, he stopped, and I could see that he knew he had just fallen into my trap. That was concerning on one level for the professor, but what had concerned me more initially though had been that Molly had been grading his papers in the first place. When I first met him, trying to get a read on him and suggesting possible ways to ease his stress levels, I had mentioned that his then-unnamed assistant could help him out. He told me that ‘on no uncertain terms would he ever let a mere assistant help him out in that way.’ Molly could have improved since then in his mind or he could have been referring to someone else, but I suspected she was helping him out for a more specific reason now. “Uh, wha’ I mean’ to say,” he quickly began to backtrack, “is tha’ it’s merely a precaution for her to drive me here. Long hours an’ all. See, I’ve been having sleepin’ difficulties… nothin’ more.” His defense would have almost admittedly been cute if it wasn’t also coupled with his admittance over his sleeping issues now. In most adults, sleeping issues can spring from a bad mattress to maybe a random nightmare or fear or anxiety. With children and Littles though, not that they were the same on several levels, but when they came to their sleeping habits, they almost always aligned and could be telling of something deeper. Fear of the dark, bed wetting, nightmares over clowns, falling out of bed, crying because they felt alone, and so many other reasons could have been the cause. I wasn’t sure if Dr. Figgins knew it, but his way of digging himself out of the hole he had placed himself in the first place was in fact just making it deeper. “I’m very sorry to hear that, professor. Still, Molly seems to be a big help for you at the university. All those papers must be very tiring to grade as well.” I could already see his face begin to twitch over hearing each of my words. I knew I was getting to him, but right then, I was even unsure of where it was going to lead. “I think you might be seeing some changes in your life if I’m hearing you correctly. Perfectly fine given what you’ve been exposed to, but maybe we could talk about those items. I’m sure your job must be very stressful and challenging at times. I know you’ve already stepped back and…” “Stop,” he told me back, but I swore I could hear a little break in his voice. It stopped me cold. “Please… please, jus’ stop…” “What?” I asked confused. “What do you want me to stop, Dr. Figgins. Is everything okay or…?” “Stop… please stop…” he voiced again, his wording even frailer and labored than before. “I’m not sure what you want me to stop,” I explained. “Tell me more, Dr. Figgins. Is something wrong at your job? Did something happen this week or…?” “Yes, okay!” he burst out. Strangely for the professor, I could already see his eyes filling with tears. For a man so resolute in his logic and avoidance of emotion, it was quite a shock to see him like that. “I… I… messed up a’ work! I… I… they’re gonna fire me!” It was a lot to take in all at once, not necessarily regarding his words, but more with his emotional state. I thought I had him pegged as strictly the logical no-nonsense professor of mathematics, but now… I started to wonder and even question what I had seen about him in the past. I wondered if his intellect had been an unknowing shield as well and that his regression was more advanced than I originally thought. Regardless, for now, I could see that he at least needed some reassurances. “Easy, easy. It’s going to be okay. You’re not going to get fired, Bernard.” “Yes, I will! I messed up on an equation the other day an’ everyone looked a’ me… they looked a’ me like I was… a…” I could tell he was struggling with his words now. “Well… a baby! How can they no’ fire me after that?” “Well, did they catch your mistake, or did it even lead to any problems?” I questioned, hoping that nothing like that had occurred. If it did, I was likely going to be dealing with a whole other set of problems today. “Well, uh… no, but I made a mistake! That doesn’ happen!” He trembled a little and sighed, fortunately already getting where I was going with my question. “I know wha’ you’re tryin’ to do, buh’ this is big for me. I don’ make mistakes an’…” I could see he was clamming up again. “Go on,” I gingerly but internally eagerly coaxed. I could see the cracks begin to form in his shields and I felt like I could learn more in the next hour about Bernard than in the past six sessions of our combined. “I… I enjoyed my free time away from the board meetin’s an’ academic review councils a’ firs’, jus’ like you told me that I would. I almos’ felt like I was on vacation, buh’ now… I’m startin’ to worry about my job itself. That mistake in fron’ of the other professors… it wasn’ my firs’…” “Oh? There’ve been others?” I asked, leaning in closer to him. He nodded. “Molly’s been helpin’ me, but I’m worried now that even she could do better than me… I mean, she’s my assistan’… I should be more advanced than her!” I could see his humiliation coupled plainly with his growing embarrassment and fears. “That must be very frustrating, but we talked about this when you first came. Do you remember that?” He nodded. “Well, it seems that maybe we’re starting to see more signs of your symptoms coming out. I think that maybe, we might need to prepare for the future.” It was such a simple statement, but I should have known that it could have been a trigger for him. After all, currently, his future from his point of view was the loss of his job, the abandonment of all his friends, the removal of all his intellect, and therefore the very foundation that he had built his life on. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was still subject to the same shock as anyone seeing a drastic change in a person right before their eyes. Dr. Bernard Figgins, the towering figure of mathematics, winner of numerous academic awards, and astute faculty member known around the country, began to break down and then cry. “No, no, no!” he lamented in desperation. “No’ me! No’ me! I won’ let it! I… I…” He tried to finish his thoughts but his emotions, bottled up for so long, began to pour out from him. “Okay, okay. Easy there, Bernard,” I consoled him, quickly handing him a box of tissues. “Just try and take some deep breaths for me and blow your nose.” I could see him struggle in vain for a moment, so I started to use hand gestures and my own breathing to try and get his own breathing regulation back under control. It took a minute, but finally, he began to compose himself once more. “There. Just try and keep breathing for me, okay? There’s no need to panic right now.” “Okay…” he said, his voice seeming so frail right then. I knew I had to be cautious, but seeing everything I just did, I felt like a lot had been hiding from me. I couldn’t torture my patients or get them to reveal anything more than what they wanted to, so there were always unspoken secrets buried deep. Often though, I could use my keen observation skills to deduce and get around their barriers, but that didn’t always work. So, now left with a Little who seemed to be more along in his regression than I originally thought, I worried about new problems he could be facing with this new stage. “Okay, Bernard. I’m just going to ask you a few questions. Some could be a little funny or weird, but just tell me the truth. No judgement or anything like that. I promise, but I just want the truth. Think you can do that for me?” Bernard slowly nodded and I started up. What followed unfortunately concerned me even more. At one time in my career, I might have left certain answers alone and they might have only raised yellow flags for me. After being a Little’s therapist specializing in their regression for over a year now though, things had changed and what I was hearing from Bernard now began to raise red flags in my mind. Initially, eating frozen dinners, leaving things around your house, or not finding the strength to do basic maintenance of oneself could all be indicative of depression. In a Little though, coupled with mood swings, wearing diapers, and being tired all the time, my conclusions began to narrow that Bernard was indeed regressing further. For that matter, I also noticed that he hadn’t caught me once using his first name. Having earned his doctorate, he used to be adamant that I would always call him Dr. Figgins. Now though, after about five minutes of using his first name, I wondered how long or even if he would ever catch on. Then, right around the point that Dr. Figgins began to relay his fears about stoves, driving, and showering, I began to fear for him in a way that I never thought would occur. Being all alone, I wasn’t sure if that was safe for him anymore, but I also knew that he had no family by now and that his friends likely wouldn’t be in a position to help him out either. I sighed in resignation over my limited options and chose what would likely be the least objectionable for him. “Bernard… how much do you trust Molly?” Curiously, Bernard began to smile for the first time today. “Probably a lot. In fact, she’s kinda been makin’ me feel safe recently. I mean, she’s been my assistant for a long time now, so I guess that jus’ makes sense, righ’?” I smiled and nodded plainly, but his face quickly turned curious. “Why do you ask?” I had hoped he wouldn’t catch on, but I knew his mind was still very much there. It was only a matter of time, so I sighed in resignation. “Well… some of your answers were a little concerning to me, Bernard. I don’t think you’re going to blow up the house or anything like that, but I think you could use some… assistance.” I could see a frown start to eclipse over his smile. “With your permission, I would like to call her in and help you out a bit. Nothing mu…” I didn’t get to finish my thoughts. “What? You want me to just accept someone from the university to help me out?” I could see his anger mounting, and I could have lied to him, but I felt we were beyond that, so I just nodded. “Well, I forbid it. I refuse! In fact…” He then bolted from the couch. “I’m gettin’ outta here!” In the blink of an eye, he ran for the door. And this is where therapy became challenging in knowing the different approaches for different patients. Earlier, I had let Julianne storm out my front door without a single challenge. She was distressed, but I knew she could handle herself and still make it home safely. For Bernard though, I didn’t feel the same. So, while I knew it would exceed my powers and role as his therapist, I bolted to the door as well and firmly wedged myself against it. “Leh’ me outta here now!” he screamed up at me. I knew I was in a delicate position with just how much I blocked him, but I could already see his eyes darting around the room for another way out. He soon found my window and then ran over there. Being in the part of the city that we were in, my window had a fire escape just outside of it, so I knew he could escape, but I also wondered if he was so desperate to leave and avoid his problems that he simply didn’t care. Not wanting to take that chance though, I again beat him to it after I quickly locked the door as well. It was just a tiny click of the button right on the front knob, but I was also anticipating that Bernard’s emotional distress would cloud his judgement on that if he tried it again. For now, though, I just remained fixated on my one goal of ensuring Bernard’s safety during his moment of crisis.   “Leh’ me outta here now!” he wailed again, his angry resolve slowly yet noticeably crumbling. I took a deep breath. At least one of us had to remain calm in this situation. I could only imagine Carol and Molly were thinking outside. “Just try and calm down and stay focused. It’s okay, Bernard. I just want to talk about these things, okay? Please, just let me hel…” “No! I won’ leh’ you tell me wha’ I know you wan’ me to hear. I won’ be taken in by a Big. I’m still an adult! I won’! I won’! I won’!” He slammed his foot repeatedly on the floor, and while I knew I would have to apologize to Mr. Peterson, the tax accountant below me, I was at least relieved that Bernard was no longer trying to escape. “Bernard, please. Just try and take those deep breaths for me, okay?” I started to try and regulate his breathing again. “Okay, and in… and out… and in… and…” But after a moment of him at least trying, I could see he was still too upset. The poor Little was even turning a shade of blue as snot began to bubble out from his nose while he started to hyperventilate. Desperate, I broke a rule of most therapists. I took a deep breath and went over to hug him. At one point, contact between a patient and a therapist was strictly forbidden in this society unless they were performing lifesaving procedures. About a decade ago now though, depending on the part of country you were in, therapists to Littles were now allowed to hug their patients. Of course, the law passed for this called it ‘manual constriction’ but the concept was basically the same. The only exception to this was if the patient was at or below a toddler mentality, in which case their caregiver would have to give their permission first. As that wasn’t the case with Bernard, I freely hugged away. At first, Bernard struggled and even in my own mind, I was racked with guilt. I knew fully that I had the letter of the law on my side, but there was still a part of me that didn’t like the maneuver without getting permission from my patient first. I felt a little better however in that he was turning a bit blue beforehand, and further better when Bernard’s movements and deep breathing started to slow and match up with mine. A knock then came from the door. “Is everything okay in there?” Carol asked. It was but I was still grateful she had the sense to first, ask, and second, not break down the door first as others might have done. “Everything is fine,” I replied. “Just needed to apply a little manual constriction.” “Oh…” Having just learned that she had completed her doctoral thesis, I knew Carol knew fully what that meant. “I’ll leave you to it then. Stay safe.” I winced a little over that comment, knowing it could have set a few of my patients off, but Bernard was now only focused on my breathing. When I looked down, I could see that he was still crying and sniffling a little, but that his breakdown had also calmed down for the most part. “Okay,” I began, moving Bernard off me a little bit. “Are you willing to maybe talk a little further?” Bernard nodded silently, apart form the occasional sniffle, and oddly, looked back at the couch warily for a moment. Seeing this, I rubbed his upper arm a bit. “It’s okay if you don’t want to sit. I’m going to if that’s okay with you but do what makes you comfortable.” Again, Bernard only nodded back. Sitting down, I tried to think of the best way to go about things. Considering he hadn’t said a word yet since his episode, I decided to go for more of the logical approach still. It could come across as distant or even cold to some, which was a risk, but I knew that it would play it safe with Bernard no matter what he was currently thinking about. “Now, I’m glad to see you’re a little calmer, and I’ll go slow, but I need to just lay out a few things for you, okay?” Bernard hesitant but still nodded. “Good.” I sighed and knew I just needed to start and hopefully Bernard the professor would be listening, rather than more of Bernard the scared and regressing Little. “So, from what you’ve told me, you’re having several problems at home. You’ve kept a lot of them hidden and you should be proud of that, but I’m also concerned about the long-term impact on you. Does that make sense?” “A little…” barely a whisper then came out of Bernard’s mouth. Still, it was enough to show me that he hadn’t just had a mental break. I could deal with that, but I still wanted to make progress and ensure that he would be safe once he eventually left this office. “Okay… you’ve told me about scenarios I think are full of several issues, but I’m also worried there might be some items in your life you aren’t even aware of. I know some are hard to miss, but in both cases, I think you need help. If nothing else, getting a little help might give you less stress, and as you may know, less stress means fewer outward signs of regression popping up when you don’t want them to.” Bernard nodded. “Tha’ makes sense…” I was shocked but pleased to hear him finally admit it, but then he veered into a territory I had been worried about since he first stepped in my door. “I looked up the numbers of Littles like me… I’m jus’ so afraid that I’m goin’ to lose everythin’ I’ve ever worked for in my life. With the way everythin’ has been goin’, I don’ think I can ignore wha’s happenin’ any longer, an’ numbers also don’ lie. If they are righ’, which they probably are, I’ll lose my job an’ due to my lack of family or friends… I’ll be placed in a fostuh home…” He sighed and I could hear just the tiniest crack in his voice. “Iss jus’ a number game now…” Statistics are just that, but from what I had seen today, Bernard might have been right, but still, I had to have hope for him. Realistic hope perhaps, but hope, nonetheless. “Bernard… I don’t know the future. I just know what my experience tells me, and you aren’t a fully regressed Little.” I could have added ‘yet’ because it was still a possibility, but I felt that was just cruel at this point. “Things might be difficult, but I actually have some pull in certain communities now,” I admitted. “I can recommend to the university that due to your tenure there, you can remain on the staff, but in a limited capacity for now.” Bernard looked up at me and I could see the hope swimming in his eyes. “You still have a logical mind, Bernard. Don’t discount that just yet. Stress hurts it, but I know you can still do some theoretical work in your position, as well as some assistance for other faculty members when needed. I might suggest doing it in private for the foreseeable future, but I think it’s doable.” Bernard stared back at me in disbelief. I could just tell that his logical mind had never counted on this outcome before. It was probably why his breakdown had been so intense so quickly. And while I knew he could still slide into the realm he truly feared, I felt that was still too premature. “Thank you, Doctor…” he finally said, a single tear rolling down his cheeks. He then wiped his eyes with his sleeves and for a moment, I thought he would start crying again, but I could then see he was also trying to calm himself down as well. It was wonderful to see, but not to burst his bubble though, I still knew I had to maintain my integrity as a therapist. I had to do what was best for Bernard, and that meant several things, but his safety was chief amongst them. “I’m happy that you’re happy, Bernard, but if I do that, there are two caveats…” Bernard’s smile quickly vanished and was placed by what I could only describe as fear. “Wha’ are they? I’ll do mos’ anythin’, but jus’ please, doc. I don’ wan’ to lose everythin’.” He didn’t know it, but he had just told me the magic words I needed to hear. Desperate perhaps, but I knew I had a way into my patient’s world and out of this mess now. I sighed. “I’m glad to hear you say that, Bernard, but first, you need to know that if your mental state ever declines further, we may have to revisit this deal. I don’t want to do that, but I have to do what’s best for you, and for the safety and well-being around you. That being said, in case it does happen, we can revisit this matter later. I’ll create a few plans for you, so just in case whatever happens, you won’t be lost to the system.” I could already see the gears turning in his mind and his reluctance to accept my first caveat, but he ultimately nodded. “Okay… I can do tha’.” He paused and hesitated but then asked me, “Wha’s the second?” I braced for what was to come if earlier was any indication, but I knew my second caveat was even more important. “Well, the second is that you need a caregiver of sorts in your life.” I paused and let him absorb the information, but I could see his face quickly go from hesitant and back to anger. “No,” he said flatly. “Jus’… no.” I sighed, fully expecting this pushback, but I knew I couldn’t concede this time. “Bernard… I need to do what’s best for you.” I knew I now had to be direct and shy away from the truth. “From my stance right now from what I’ve seen and heard today, what’s best for you is to remove you from your academic position, be put on sick leave until you stabilize, and then we would reassess you later to either help you get better or find a new way in life. I don’t think you want that, so, I’m giving you a second option.” I could see the gears turning once again and I knew from his face that he could see I was right, but the stubborn professor who always could find another solution to a problem, was getting in his way of accepting the truth. It was one of the qualities that made him such a good mathematical prodigy and excel so much even as a Little, but it was now also holding him back. “I… w… won’ do ih’. I can’t!” Despite his protests, I could already see the cracks begin to form in his resolve. I knew I was close to getting him to accept it, so I tried a different route. “How about I give you some resources to take back with you?” I could see the option appealed to Bernard, but I knew it was only a stop gap. Before the week was over in a few days, I knew Bernard was going to need a caregiver of some kind. “They might not all be perfect, but they still might allow you to maintain much of the life you once enjoyed.” Bernard paced back and forth for a moment, and I was curious why he didn’t want to sit, but I was more focused on his hesitancy still. “Buh’… strangers?” he finally questioned. “I’m no’ sure how I feel abou’ people I don’ even know comin’ into my life like tha’. I’ve heard the stories you know… for a Little, other Bigs just don’ seem like the best idea. I mean… tha’s no’ so crazy to think, righ’?” I shook my head. “No, it isn’t, but you need help, Bernard.” He sighed and I could see that he was starting to warm up to the idea. It felt fast, but I just passed it off as his logical mind at play. For now, I knew I needed to start to sow the seeds of an alternative option. “Maybe there’s someone you know who could help?” I could Bernard pace more around the room and try to figure it out. I was pleased that he was even contemplating the option, and there was a part of me that felt like he was trying to get out of it by getting a lenient friend to help him, but for the time being, I was just happy of his further acceptance. Still, after a few minutes, he looked back to me with a disappointed look on his face. “I jus’… I can’t think of anyone. All my friends are either Littles, an’ I don’ think you would accep’ them…” I quickly shook my head, “or, they’re too focused on their careers or jus’ downrigh’ scare me. There’s no one even remotely close tha’ I can think… of…” He then paused, frowned, and stared right back at me. I wondered what had just happened, but I didn’t need to wait for long. “You wan’ me to choose Molly, don’ you?” I could have denied it, but his face stared back at me adamantly. I was cornered by his still high functioning mind. I didn’t even have the chance to enact my plan, so I nodded. “Yes, Bernard. I think you should think about it.” “Buh’ I already said no!” he shouted back at me. “Don’ you remember? I won’ do ih’!” To my dismay, he even stomped his foot on the ground again. I sighed, thinking we had been making so much progress, but that’s how these things went sometimes. Regardless of how he felt though, I knew I now needed to push. “I’m sorry to hear you still think that but consider her for just one moment.” I could see that he did, but his angry face remained defiantly the same. “Think about it Bernard. By your own admittance, you trust her and feel safe around her.” Bernard’s mind seemed to whirl even faster. “Plus, she has ties to the mathematics department and could help you with your new position as well if you wanted.” “Buh’ iss embarrassing!” he countered. “She’s supposed to be the studen’.” I sighed and nodded. “That’s true, and I’m sorry that you might have to experience something like that, but she is still an option.” I knew his feelings were valid, and normally I would just be thrilled that his previously purely logical shell had finally cracked, but in this case, I felt there was also something else going on with him as well that I needed to know. I wasn’t sure what exactly, but his continued pacing almost seemed forced, and I just couldn’t help but feel that it was somehow a factor in all this. “Still, you’re right, but why do I feel there’s something more to it… something you’re not telling me…?” Bernard stopped in his tracks, and he even seemed pained until his face quickly turned sad. “Iss the university. She’s a part of ih’. She can’t see me as how I am righ’ now or how I migh’ geh’. She could repor’ me to the university… and what if she makes fun of me? I don’ think I could ever see her again if she knew… uh… if she saw…” My mind started going in several directions, and I was about to tell him that she would just be there to help him, not rat him out, but then my nose picked up something. I tried to tell myself that it was nothing and maybe just my imagination, but the smell only got stronger, and I couldn’t deny it anymore. Bernard had messed himself. Now, to be fair, he had been in diapers for months now, based on my suggestion, but everything that I had been seeing recently just clicked. Molly was kind-hearted and thoughtful, but facing her professor in a dirty diaper was something that cut to the core of his current vulnerabilities. So, without saying a word, I quickly went over, bent down, and then gave him a hug. “It’s okay, Bernard. These things happen. You’re safe here.” I could feel his hesitancy over my hug still, but I quickly felt his equal comfort in it now as well. After a moment, I pulled back and placed my hand on his shoulder. “I know it’s embarrassing, but she’s going to know today sooner or later. You can’t hide this, so let me bring her in and we take this one step at a time, okay?” Bernard seemed devastated, but just nodded. Smiling warmly to my patient, I stood up and unlocked and then opened the door. Molly was still grading papers, but quickly looked up at me. “Molly? Everything is okay, but can you come in here for a moment?” She seemed confused but set her papers down and started to walk over to me. Just as she got to the door though, I stopped her. “Thank you for coming, but before you come in, I need you to promise that whatever happens or that you see in here, it remains strictly confidential or risk penalty of prosecution,” I somewhat fibbed. She still seemed undeterred though. “If not, I need you to wait outside of this area.” Molly seemed more confused now than ever, but ultimately nodded her head. “I can keep a secret.” Curiously, despite her confused look, she still wore a tiny smile… almost as if she was keeping some kind of secret to herself still. Regardless though, I let her in. She quickly saw the now red-faced Bernard and she smiled for a moment, but then stopped dead in her tracks as I closed the door. I could quickly see her nose flaring up and I think Bernard did as well. In seconds, Molly seemed stunned and frozen in place, while Bernard’s face collapsed into his hands. I was worried for a moment, but despite her panicked state, I could still see a small but evident smile of sympathy begin to show on Molly’s face. She then walked over to her professor and placed a hand on his back and began to rub it. “It’s okay, Bernard,” she said softly. “You don’t need to be embarrassed.” And that was all it took for Bernard to immediately begin to break down again. Looking like she was the one responsible for all this, I could see the guilt immediately cross Molly’s face and she quickly backed away. Now, it was my turn to comfort her, as well as Bernard once more. “Shh, shh,” I said, hugging Bernard again. I then looked up at Molly. “You didn’t do anything wrong, but we all need to have a little talk before anything else happens.” She only nodded and stood back while I eventually got Bernard to calm down again. After pulling up a chair for her as well, I then sat down myself. “Okay, Molly. Bernard here needs your help more now than ever. I have a proposal for you if you’re willing to hear me out.” Molly hesitated, but after looming over at Bernard for a moment, she nodded. “I’m willing to hear it, doctor.” I smiled. “Good. I’m glad to hear that, because you see, Bernard has been covering up his regression more than most would believe. I find it hard myself to even fathom still, but based on today, he’s further along than I previously thought.” She seemed to be thinking about something for a moment, but then looked directly back up at me. “I already know, Doctor,” Molly stated plainly, shocking me and clearly shocking Bernard as well. She then turned to her professor. “I didn’t want to say anything. I mean, you’re always so proud and private, but I started to notice little slips here and there. Honestly, from what I’ve heard and read about with Little regression, I’m surprised you held it together this long without some serious problems.” I was gob smacked myself and Bernard was as well, but he managed to string a few words together at least. “How… how lon’ have you known?” Molly sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not really sure of an exact date, Professor, but I started to notice that you would trail off more in lectures. Plus, sometimes you would randomly pause in class, panic, and then disappear for a little bit afterward.” Bernard blushed a little over the insinuation and it didn’t take a therapist or a genius to figure out what she had witnessed and was implying. “And then,” she continued, “the biggest instance I’ve seen most days recently was in how you dress.” Bernard quickly looked down at his attire and I did as well. “You used to be so well put together. Always a tie and sport coat at minimum and nearly immaculate. But now…” She trailed off and looked at his clothing for emphasis. His diaper bulge stood out prominently, but more than that, everything else was heavily wrinkled in areas and there were clearly rubbed-off but still present food stains down his front. When Bernard saw all this himself, he quickly blushed and a few more tears fell from his eyes. Taking advantage of the moment of silence, I found my words again. “Thank you, Molly, for your discretion.” She immediately smiled back at me and then more sympathetically towards Bernard. “You’ve been a big help but it’s my opinion that Bernard can no longer remain by himself in a long-term capacity.” Molly paused for a moment and now her gears seemed to be whirring away. “I understand…” “I’m glad because Bernard needs someone to help him. How much is still to be determined, but I know he at least needs more help than he’s getting now.” I started to get my proposal ready to broach the subject of her becoming a caregiver in some capacity at least, but she spoke up first. “Dr. Mengell… I can see where this is going. I’m a smart woman myself… calculated and thoughtful even,” she stated proudly. “So, before you even ask, yes, I am willing to help Professor Higgins out if he’s willing as well.” Bernard began to sputter and mutter about, but managed to finally spit out, “You… you wha’? You’re willin’?” Molly gently smiled and nodded. “B… buh’… why?” Molly sighed and scooched closer to Bernard. “I respect you professor. I really do, and I don’t want you to forget that, but I also can see now that you need more help than you can give to yourself.” She let the thought ruminate in his mind for a moment. “See, before I chose math, I almost became a nurse. I guess I still just have that instinct that if I see someone in need… I just can’t help myself.” Externally, I was overjoyed, but internally, I couldn’t quite see past the student just trying to help her professor out. I loved her enthusiasm and willingness, but I also wondered if she knew what she was taking on. “Molly… I’m glad that you are willing, and I’m even glad that I’m not hearing an outright rejection anymore from Bernard, but do you really understand what you’re signing on for if you take on this role of caregiver?” Molly looked down and I could tell her mind was running at full capacity, but she looked back up soon after and nodded toward me. “Yes. I understand. To me, it doesn’t even matter what happens next. I just want to see the professor happy and safe.” She hesitated for a moment and then looked over at the professor. “Professor… I don’t want to embarrass you, but when I walked in here… I smelled something.” Bernard instantly looked like he would have preferred anything else than what was happening right then. “If you’re willing… and you Dr. Mengell as well,” she noted, looking over at me, “I would be willing to change you, Professor.” Everything was coming together better than I ever could have imagined, but I also knew just how precarious everything still was. If Molly could pull this off, I knew for now at least, Bernard would be okay. If she failed though… Bernard would be worse off than ever. Still, I knew I had to give her a chance at least. “Go ahead, Molly.” Molly nodded and turned back to the professor. Tears began flowing from his face once more, but he nodded his head and Molly smiled back. “Doctor… if you could comfort him again… I need to go get something. Would you mind?” I shook my head and quickly went over to comfort my patient while Molly ran out of the room. Seconds later, she returned with her backpack. “What’s in there?” I questioned quickly. Molly opened the bag, and while one section was dedicated to the usual supplies of a professor’s assistant, the midterms stacked neatly in there as well, another section contained everything one would need to change a diaper. “See, I saw the professor return the last time he came back from this appointment, and I saw that he didn’t bring any supplies with him. Once he asked me to drive him here today, I just wanted to be prepared.” It was minor overall, but it was still a wonderful sign that Molly was going to be exactly what the professor needed. “Thank you, Molly. That was really smart of you.” I then got her a changing mat I kept in here for just such emergencies and she gently laid Bernard out on it. Still distressed, I thought I would actually give the good doctor some privacy for once. The air became foul for a moment after I heard a few shuffles, jingles, and then the tapes being cleared away, but Molly made no comments to her new charge. Other Bigs would have instantly babied Bernard, but I could see Molly was already acting in his best interests. I began to feel that if there was ever a Big that could keep the professor grounded in who he used to be while still taking care of him, I felt that it was Molly. This feeling even doubled as I turned around after organizing a few of my files. The two were hugging, and while Bernard’s new diaper remained displayed prominently and his previously soiled one lay nearby, I could see the hope and affection in both of their faces. I smiled that maybe just this once, a Little could find the best possible ending for themselves after being regressed. Still, our session continued afterward, and I let Molly stay after she had disposed of the dirty diaper. Ever prepared, she even made sure to take copious notes about all the treatments and plans I had for Bernard to try. By the end, we knew what we all had to do. First, Molly and Bernard both agreed on several points of their future together. There was some tension, but I could see that Molly knew what and how far to push the professor to get him to eventually agree or compromise to all that needed to happen. Then second, we all knew of the monumental task ahead of us to keep Bernard in the university as a mathematics professor. Both of my caveats and their planning were challenging, but we all still felt confident in our next steps for Bernard to remain safe and happy in his growing new life. With the session ending, Molly helped Bernard get redressed and packed up all their things to go. I could still see the hesitancy on his face, but I could see that hope remained just as prominent, if not more. For a Little regressing, that was sometimes all one could hope for. Just as they were leaving after our goodbyes though, Bernard stopped Molly and then turned back to me. “Doc?” I walked up closer and bent down a little bit to be more on eye level with him. “Uh, the doctor you recommended to me… the one I see the same day as you…” “Yes?” I asked after he paused for a moment. “Uh, he’s cancelled a few of our recent appointments… includin’ today,” he explained. “Can you maybe recommend another one?” I nodded and smiled. “Of course. I’ll get those over to you probably by the time you get back home today.” “Thank you, Doc.” With that, the two both waved goodbye and disappeared from my office. Carol and I once again wiped everything off and then both took our lunch breaks in the period that I had set aside beforehand. I had to do some work while I was on mine, but as I was entering Bernard’s notes from today to his patient portal, I remembered that both Julianne and Carmen had needed new doctors as well. Concerned and not believing in coincidences, I got up from my desk and went over to Carol to ask her for her help. Unfortunately, right before I could though, I then heard the front door open downstairs and the two muttered voices as they next climbed up the stairs. I didn’t want to push my suspicions off, but considering the circumstances of my next patient, I knew they deserved my full attention and guidance… especially after knowing everything he had already been through during his previous abduction.

looking for any of the old DPF stories  special request of College daze "my wife was asking for this