Spanking

Hey everyone! Moving right along with this story, I hope anyone impacted by the weekend snowstorm is still okay and safe. I’m glad my power didn’t go out… but I know many who weren’t so lucky. Hopefully we don’t get whack again this weekend, but I guess we’ll see. Just in case though, if something does happen, just know that I might not post as much as I would like to either this week or next. Also, I am curious about the notion of the poll for a potential new wiki for the Diaper Dimension or not. I noticed many want me only to stick to the reference guide I have on here, but I’m curious over the reasoning behind that. No big deal either way… just curious. Last but not least and as usual, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter of my story! Chapter 6: A Temptation in Exchange for Life “Okay,” Addy said slowly as she prepared another solution while Bruce was behind her and kept a close eye on the monitor, ready to jump in with another needle if this treatment failed as well. “I think this solution might be better. I did some research and Dr. Halgen agrees with me. So, fingers crossed, right?” “Right!” Mindy said enthusiastically. At the same time, however, Addy could see the fear behind her eyes. She couldn’t blame the Little on any account at this point. She was dying and she had come here to be cured but instead, it had been failure after terrifying and painful failure. Now, after pulling from her training and some new research, Addy had found yet another treatment to save Mindy’s life. ‘But will it work?’ Sighing and hoping beyond all, Addy flicked the switch and watched the orange liquid enter the IV catheter and then slowly filter into Mindy, the Little’s eyes flashing fear and nervousness as the strange new substance entered her body. “Bruce?” Addy asked with hope and yet with tremendous hesitation. “How are we looking?” Bruce studied the monitor. “Good… so far. You said this would take a little longer to kick in… right?” “Right,” Addy confirmed. “New formula they’ve been experimenting with in Albion across the pond. Still though… I just want to stay on top of this in case something…” “Oh!” Mindy shouted in shock, quickly wincing and then breathing rapidly all at once. Her skin went cold yet sweat started to seemingly erupt from every pore on her body. “I don’t feel so good…” “Stop the treatment! Stop the treatment!” Addy shouted at Bruce, to which he nodded and promptly stopped the flow while still looking at the monitor. She then rushed to be right by Mindy’s side, holding her hand at first and then taking her shivering body in her arms and holding her as tight as she could. “You’re okay… you’re okay…” “When will it stop?” Mindy asked, the pain and weakness in her voice coming through clear and shattering right into Addy’s heart. “Soon, baby… soon…” She clutched onto her Little even closer. Even for being a Little, she was still so light… a result of her ravenous cancer and it eating away at her from the inside. Addy was a good nurse. Addy had studied hard and she remembered the signs with despair. Mindy didn’t have long… “Addy?” Mindy finally asked after a while of trying to recover from her latest ordeal, her breathing and temperature returning to somewhat normal. “I don’t think I can do this anymore… I can feel it all…” She was practically whispering now, something that just furthered the effect that she was like a flimsy leaf being blown around in the wind. If she suddenly turned transparent, Addy wouldn’t have been shocked. “Honey… you have to…” Addy said, trying to keep up her hope and optimism that they would find a cure together and that this precious Little now safely tucked in her arms would live. “We need to keep going, or you’ll… you’ll…” Addy couldn’t bring herself to say it. “Die…” Mindy said breathlessly though without any hesitation or fear now about it. “I know, but… I just can’t hurt anymore.” Mindy was weak but she was also smart and observant, something the cancer hadn’t taken away. “Please don’t be upset… I’ll try, and you did your best… I know that.” She sighed, seemingly stressed with the burden of trying to let Addy be guilt-free in this mess. “But… I don’t know how much longer I have…” Addy wanted to say something… anything, but as tears fell from her cheeks, she could only hold her Little tighter, something that seemed to be harder and harder to hold onto. If Bruce was the more talkative type or couldn’t recognize the moment that was happening between the two, he might have commented that Addy looked like she never wanted to let go. And for Addy, she was feeling the same, and only held on tighter… *              *              * Addy’s eyes shot open and her arms felt the emptiness without Mindy. Even years later, the pain and the loss of her Little still stung horribly. She could still feel her withering body in her arms… the feel of her soft skin… the smell of her body after a fresh shower at night when she tucked her in… It was all still so vivid even though all that was long gone now. But this morning, another matter caught her attention. Sadly, Oliver’s dreams had only gotten more pronounced as he stayed here longer. Addy’s nightly presence for part of the week at least helped and the Lighthouse seemed to be a true safety net for the Little… but it was still proving not enough some nights… like this one. Tossing and turning like he was, he mumbled out several incoherent sentences and a few that Addy recognized right away as Oliver talking to his partner… like the one he had lost. So, Addy did what she did best and made sure to softly wake up, calm him down, and resettle him for the night. Once the trembling Little was asleep, Addy checked the time, and as usual, it was only about ten minutes before she would normally wake up anyways. Sighing, she ventured out of Oliver’s room, returned to her and prepped for the day. With modern technology and conveniences, only 15 minutes later, she was out and headed downstairs to enjoy her own breakfast. Sitting at the table, Addy enjoyed her coffee, toast, eggs, and fruit. “Thank you, Federica.” She smiled and nodded. “Anything for you, Addy… another rough night?” Addy’s stomach sank. “You heard?” She knew that the walls around her weren’t the thickest and even with Oliver now shouting last night, his mumbles and calls for help likely had penetrated his door… Addy was just hoping they hadn’t. “We all did…” Penny noted sourly after taking a sip of her own coffee… black… no sugar and no cream. Just raw and harsh fittingly enough. “I’m sorry, Penny…” Addy apologized as Federica scurried off. Addy hated apologizing to the traitor in their ranks, still trying to find an angle to trap her and get information on the board and the conspiracy around here… but for now, she also knew she needed to play ball. Horribly, however, as if nothing was wrong. “I’ve been trying everything I can. I think he might just be a little too hurt…” “Then push him down!” she screeched, almost banging her fist on the tabletop. “You know it’s what he needs now! Erase his past. Make him whole again as a regressed Little. You know he’d be happier…” Her eyes then narrowed and she squinted back at Addy with a mix of hatred and deviousness. “Or are you too much of a coward to do that? To lose another Little here?” Several of the nurses gasped and turned toward the two in horror and shock. Addy stood up, her knuckles cracking under the pressure she was exerting on them instead of directing them right into Penny’s nose. Inside, she wasn’t sure which Little Addy was referring to. It could be the loss of Mindy or maybe the loss of Cara’s maturity under her watch… like a bully taunting their victim about how they terrorized someone else in their life. Just as Addy was about to demand to know, Dr. Halgen walked in… the tension quickly dying out after. “Morning ladies! Ready for another bright day here?” “Yes, Dr. Halgen,” the nurses said dutifully, the conflict between Penny and Addy still hovering in the air. If Dr. Halgen noticed it though, she had the wits to stay out of it and observe from afar. She was a gentle soul, but her reputation as an ever-watchful eye and being as vindictive as the worst of them when provoked, she maintained order over the facility. Most, if not all nurses, at least respected that. And, as Addy had found out, it was one of the many reasons she had been sent here to figure out the corruption in the first place… Still, with Dr. Halgen in the dining room and her Littles needing attending to according to her monitor at least, Addy left without another word… another thought… and definitely not a slug to the face against Penny. But as she climbed the stairs, she couldn’t help but take in Penny’s words about her Littles… Oliver in particular. While Katrina was fine, Oliver was certainly not. In nearly every category here, except for the few friends he had made within his own group, he was failing at nearly every other level. Mental health and his cancer were just the most obvious… and something Addy just couldn’t wrap her head around and find a solution to. As life does though, it continues whether one wishes it to or not. So, the typical day progressed. Waking up both her Littles, Addy ensured both were clean, dressed, and fed breakfast and given their various on-going medications. While Katrina would likely be off hers soon, Oliver would still require his own to at least keep his cancer at bay. It wasn’t a permanent fix, but the Juventas drugs were still powerful at prolonging his life… for now. Then, Cara would come over, and she would join the others. She was coming right along, but she still had several ‘bad days,’ where she would align more with the third batch and Katrina would patiently watch over her… at least until she and the others would then go to their group therapy session, medical treatment, or an outing with a new prospective Big. By Dr. Halgen’s And Addy’s last estimate, Katrina had three Bigs she seemed most interested in. Oliver… had less.   Now, on days when a Big was present, that was usually the end of things. Most Bigs wanted as much time as they could squeeze and when they got back, it was time for a nap or dinner… at least depending on how regressed a Little was so far. For Katrina and Oliver, they were still in the block that almost no matter what, they would be more than ready to go anywhere else, like a park or playground… just as long as it was out of the facility it seemed. Today, however, due to mix-up in the schedule, the outing was first. Though reluctant to let Oliver go on his own, Addy stayed behind. She knew too much bonding with Oliver could only push him to more bullying from Damien and others. So, despite what was in her heart, she stayed behind. But she stayed busy, pouring over dozens of journals and articles and any spare bit of medical advice on potential new treatments for Oliver. With the typical method out, Addy had to search daily for anything dealing with his advanced cancer… even if it was a stop-gap measure and not something more permanent. But so far… nothing. Addy sighed, closing another medical journal in frustration. ‘Another one kaput! At this rate, Oliver would be lucky to be an old man by the time I find another cure that won’t also kill or seriously harm him like the first!’ Addy groaned and turned to yet another magazine, this one from Aquitania. ‘Those Europans always seem to have the most cutting-edge techno…’ “Another journal, eh?” a voice called out in the darkened halls of the research library. Addy spun around in her chair and came face-to-face with Dr. Tracey. “Oh! You scared me there a bit, doc, but yes… I’m determined to find another cure for cancer somewhere in here…” Addy looked around at the large stacks, both digital and print. These days, it was mostly used for research before a Little came here, and even then, half the cures they administered out were practically memorized by now. Dr. Tracey nodded and then peered over her shoulder. “Aquitania Journal of Medicine, huh? Interesting selection, though… perhaps a bit limited.” “Limited?” Addy asked, even raising an eyebrow. “Limited… at least in terms of what they’re willing to do,” Dr. Tracey explained. “They were held back for years by the influence of Gaule. Even when they finally broke off and allowed Catalon doctors in from the south, they rejected more than a few treatments they offered.” “They did? But… why would they do…?” Addy paused herself. In her quest for any kind of answer, she forgot the context of some countries. Aquitania was once liberal and treated Littles equally… but a strong influence from the more ‘regress every Little in sight’ Catalon to their south pulled sway and Aquitania became independent not long after the portal opened. Now, they were more conservative with Littles… still just not as much as Catalon. “It’s clicking now, isn’t it?” There was almost a mad and plying look on Dr. Tracey’s face… almost as if she was trying to lead Addy toward one inexorable answer… something beyond these stacks… something even beyond this facility. It was nearly chilling… at least if Addy didn’t see right through it. “Yes, I see your point,” Addy conceded. “Less treatments shown, but…” “But what is the weight of your Little compared to a few morals you might still have?” Her question was rude… but pointed and burrowed heavily into Addy’s mind. “Don’t you owe them that?” Addy quivered for a moment under the weight of such a statement. It was a tricky needle to thread. On the one hand, Oliver deserved to live and to live it the best he could as a Little here. For Addy, being a Little meant giving up the stress, accepting a few caveats in exchange for a life of happiness and luxury forever. On the other hand, though… Addy knew the techniques Dr. Tracey was itching at. They might be effective… but what would Oliver be like afterward? The unknown to that question bothered her deeply. “Well, yes…” she carefully said, trying to weave her words just right to avoid outright suspicion from likely a spy from the board and someone who seemed dead set on taking this place away from Dr. Halgen. “And I’ll think about it. I owe Oliver a lot… just not to the point of everything being taken from him.” Addy stood resolutely on that fact… something that Dr. Tracey seemed annoyed but ultimately okay with. There was something deep down inside the doctor that didn’t look like she agreed with Addy, but Addy’s words were sound and logical… and above board. Both knew that if Dr. Tracey raised the point to the board about her, nothing would happen. Addy had both the connections and the rules on her side in this case. So, Dr. Tracey merely smiled, acknowledged her logic and left. For Addy though, as she began to pour over the research of the Aquitania Journal of Medicine once more, she was seeing the same old standbys that she had seen for a few of the other cures as well. ‘No, no… allergic to that… would likely kill Oliver by the time it got here and… oh look. Would kill Oliver outright because it’s only for Bigs… Stupid journal…’ Once again, she slammed the journal closed, and she might have called it a day. Katrina and Oliver’s medical appointments were happening in less than an hour and Addy did have one solution she could try. It wasn’t foolproof, but it could work. But the skeptic in Addy was pessimistic about most things. She had the one cure, and that failed. Another cure failing seemed just as likely. ‘So, I need a third as a backup now, but…’ Her eyes drifted toward the reflection in the window in front of her… a near perfectly illuminated sign of the basement repository. Seldom searched anymore with most of those cures nearly seeming barbaric. For example, bleeding someone was still in one of the textbooks situated in the basement stacks. ‘But Oliver…’ Addy didn’t like herself for even considering it, but all the same, she found herself drifting toward the door… and then down the stairs. Opening an old wooden door, the lock barely hung off the latch to keep it closed, Addy stepped inside and flipped on the switch for power. All at once, several stacks were illuminated from overhead by a flickering and sickening yellow light. “Okay…” She sighed, but still stepped forward, determined to find a third option for Oliver. Pushing through the stacks, they were all labeled neatly… just covered in years, maybe even decades worth of cobwebs and dust. But with the labels, Addy was able to bypass several rows. “It’s not dementia… gout… the common cold… bubonic plague… ah! Cancer!” Dustier perhaps than the others, Addy came to the first book, her heart beating with anticipation. Even as it opened and creaked under its age and heft, there was a palpable air of musky oddity with the book. Still, Addy pushed through and quickly found the chapter on cures. But immediately reshelved the books the second her eyes came to the first alternative cure. While there were several treatments apparently, the first one labeled itself very clearly in big bold letters: Vicissim. Addy knew the drug well. A Juventas oldy, it was a standby for Little for years, but mostly as a trick to regress them. Coming from the word reverse in Latin, it would reverse any current ills any patient was suffering from. The problem was… it also tended to focus on both muscle tone and brain mass. After a week on it, most Littles suffered from permanent incontinence at least and massive neural deficits. ‘No! No, damn it!’ Her mom forbade that very drug here in her second year as head of the facility. So many Littles were lost and though it cured cancer, most Littles would have preferred death. It would not only violate the contract, but it would also almost guarantee that Oliver would never leave this dimension again… let alone recognize his own face in the mirror anymore, to say nothing about the rest of his regressed body. Addy then looked around and saw the neglect and disuse of the room. Centuries of medical knowledge was down here… but she chastised herself deeply. ‘I should have known this place was abandoned for a reason! People don’t just throw away cures and medical text because they were all cute and golden standards. Dang it!’ Addy cursed herself and Dr. Tracey for even tempting her and guilting her about Oliver in the first place. ‘That woman is up to no goo…’ Her watch then beeped. Looking down at it, she saw the time. “Crud! Medical treatments in two minutes!” Nearly spitting on the place, Addy ran out of the dusty stacks and made sure to lock the door this time. She knew that Dr. Halgen had the key and could always access it later if need be. For Addy though, she swore she would never enter again. Making it just in time, Katrina was first up. Bruce was diligent and kind and just for her after she got scared at one point, Addy stayed for her Little, holding her hand the whole time. Like Mindy, the two shared a bond. For Addy though, it just didn’t feel the same. ‘But why? She’s young, certainly seems willing to be a Little forever, and has that bubbly personality…’ But every time she saw Katrina, she only saw a clingy and cute Little in need of help… just not her Little. Still, once Bruce finished up, Katrina nearly jumped off the seat, smiled and thanked the both of them and then ran off. She was a ray of sunshine and seemed to light up every room she was in. All the nurses agreeing, choosing day was going to be very tough on her and her prospective Bigs as well. “She doing okay you think?” Bruce finally asked. Addy, relieved at some good news at last, nodded. “I think so. We need to check for sure, but maybe… two to three weeks left of this treatment? I mean, we’re giving her a low dose to make sure she’s not in any pain or discomfort during treatment, but yes… I think she’s doing better.” Bruce only smiled and prepped for the next treatment. Contrasting Katrina, likely the most of all the next batch of Littles, Oliver was next. When he first came to Bruce, the Little seemed to practically carry a dark cloud around with him just above his head, threatening to snap at any and everyone any chance he got. Today though, this new Oliver was timid… scared even. Still sad, but instead of showing anger at the world, he now seemed to show exhaustion and grief. For Addy, every time she saw him, a little part of her heart broke in two. ‘Not bubbly. Not willing it seems to even open up to me, but… maybe it’s his vulnerability. But I feel closer to him than most… but why?’ But Addy wasn’t one to look at a gift horse in the mouth as it were, so she quickly put on her front and went to work. “Well, hello there, Oliver! You ready for another go today?” Oliver looked sadly at her, but his eyes soon shifted to the purple liquid that Bruce was now hanging on the IV bag just behind the chair he would sit in. “Is it… safe?” Addy sighed, knowing full-well why he was asking. “I… I hope it is,” she finally managed to make out. It wasn’t a commitment to safety, but it also wasn’t a message of doom either. Oliver seemed to shake a little in his chair, his nerves clearly at play, likely remembering the hives that he broke out in last time and immense pain that accompanied them and inside his body as well. “But it could work?” Addy heard the tiny bit of hope in his voice, and relieved at that much at least, she smiled and nodded before patting the seat right beside her. “Come on, Oliver. Let’s get started and see if we can flush that nasty cancer from your body, alright?” Looking like he wanted to be anywhere else but here, Oliver finally nodded and slowly and achily got up from his wheelchair. Unfortunately, as his cancer progressed, he was using it more and more now. Seeing that, Addy hid her hand but crossed her fingers tight in hopes that today would go better. “Okay,” Addy said slowly as she inserted the IV needle into Oliver’s central line while Bruce finished prepping the swirling purple mass of a solution before retreating to keep a close eye on the monitor, ready to jump in with another needle if this treatment failed as well. “Okay now… as I said, I think this solution might be better. I did some research and Dr. Halgen agrees with me. So, fingers crossed, right?” “If you say so…” Oliver said after breathing heavily out. All around him, there almost seemed to be a large cloud of skepticism brewing.   Despite that more cynical approach though, at the same time, Addy could see the fear behind his eyes. She couldn’t blame him on any account at this point. He was slowly dying and he had come here to be cured. But now, instead, it had been failure after miserable failure. Still, with a smidgeon of hope left, Addy had found another treatment. ‘But will it work?’ Sighing, Addy flicked the switch and watched the purplish liquid enter the IV catheter and then slowly filter into Oliver’s sickly body, his eyes flashing fear and nervousness as the strange new substance entered his body. His skepticism seemed to only grow. “Bruce?” Addy asked with hope and yet a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. “How are we looking?” Bruce studied the monitor. “Good… I think. Some strange readings admittedly, but you warned me that might be normal, right?” “Right,” Addy confirmed, her own fear spiking a little. “New formula they’ve been experimenting with in Norwagia across the pond. Still though… I just want to stay on top of this in case something…” She paused and looked at her Little. Oliver was weakened by the cancer… but strong. Strong and stubborn. When he felt pain, he was still mature enough to internalize it as much as he could. It was like watching a dying man hold onto the last of his life… just in this case, his machismo… his manliness instead of the Little Addy knew he was slowly becoming. Still, even stone statues can crack. It was evident from his face that something was wrong, but it took at least two minutes before he seemed to give way… if only for a moment. A minute later though, even Oliver seemed to be caving into whatever was going wrong. “Addy… I don’t feel so good…” “You…” Addy saw just how much of the purple solution had entered his bloodstream. The needle was powerful and would flush him clean, but if Oliver could hold on for only two more minutes, they would be okay. He would be cured to the point where they could try smaller solutions. It wasn’t the best, but it was a chance in life. But in her determination, she hadn’t looked at Oliver… at least not too closely. When he groaned though, it was like a siren going off in her head to be on high alert. She didn’t want to look again… fearing the worst, but she did, and when she did, she had to try her best not to panic or burst into tears. Simply put, Oliver was pale, his veins turning green and his skin turning hot and sweaty. “Bruce! Stop the treatment! Stop the treatment!” Addy shouted at him, to which he nodded and promptly stopped the flow while still looking at the monitor, his eyes showing the horror his mouth wouldn’t speak. Addy then scooted her stool as close to Oliver as she could, hitting him with the needle before he could gasp another breath. Finally inhaling, Addy breathed a sigh of relief. “Breathe! Breathe!” This time though, Oliver held up his hand and looked at Addy, his eyes full of fear and mourning as his skin and veins began to normalize. “Shhh… shhh… just breathe, honey…” Addy gripped his hand as tight as she could without hurting him. She didn’t want him to have any doubt that she was going to leave his side. “You’re okay… you’re okay…” With his lack of breathing and his blood turning a different sickly color, it took a moment for Oliver to speak, and when he did, he looked right at Addy. “When will it stop?” he asked, the pain and weakness in his voice coming through clear and touching Addy’s heart with both shame and failure on her part. “Soon… soon…” She squeezed his hand to reassure him further. She wanted to convey her own strength to him… a solid pillar he could lean on in times of stress and fear and panic and pain. But Addy wasn’t as strong as she used to be… at least with hiding her true feelings. She was mentally strong, but her front couldn’t stay up forever and when it dropped it echoed the thing both refused to say but both Big and Little knew deep down. At this rate and with no cure, Oliver didn’t have long… “Addy?” Oliver finally asked, his breathing, skin, and temperature returning to more normal levels now according to Bruce. “I want to be strong… for me… for you…” He took a deep breath. “But… I don’t think I can do this anymore… I can feel it all…” He was practically whispering now, like he was worried that death would overhear him and come even sooner. Addy flashed back and was once more reminded terribly of Mindy. That day this same thing happened… it was her last treatment before… Addy shook her head of those bad thoughts as much as she could. “Oliver… you have to…” she said, trying to keep up her hope and optimism that they would find a cure together and that he wouldn’t share the same fate as her previous Little. “We need to keep going, or you’ll… you’ll…” But try as she might, seeing Oliver like this and his body rejecting yet another cure, Addy couldn’t help but think of Mindy, and so she couldn’t bring herself to say what both of them knew. Oliver, it seemed at least, didn’t have any qualms about the notion. “Die…” he said breathlessly though without any hesitation or fear now about it. “I know, and I want to fight. I was a trained agent, and I took down cartels and gangs and all that. I want to go out with my boots on, but… I just can’t hurt anymore… not like that. I could feel death looking in on me… his watching counting my clock down…” Oliver wasn’t as strong anymore, but his words were no less biting. Unlike when he first came in though, Oliver had seemingly opened a small crack into his heart… letting in very few people. Addy was one of them, and not even seeming to notice, Oliver quickly saw her tears. Wiping one away as best he could, he gave his best smile to her. “Please don’t be upset… I’ll try, and you did your best… never forget that. I just…” She sighed. “I don’t know how much longer I have…” Addy wanted to say something… anything, but once again, she could only sit by her Little and hold them tight. With Oliver, it was just his hand, but that almost seemed to mean more than anything else right then. He had offered a part of himself in fear to her, and she had taken it back… giving him all the support her traumatized soul could afford. It wasn’t much from either of them, but there almost seemed to be an unspoken notion that both were giving as much as they could to each other. That night, sick with worry, as soon as Oliver and Katrina were all tucked in and asleep, Addy once again trudged back to Dr. Halgen’s office, the doors strangely open at this time of night. “Dr. Halgen?” she asked nervously, knowing she needed advice from someone like her. A deep sigh came from inside. “Come in, Addy…” Addy walked in slowly, looking around to see if there was some sort of trap set up or a crossbow ready to strike. To her relief, it was just Dr. Halgen, but she was leaning over her desk with one hand supporting her weight and the other clutching a glass of something that definitely wasn’t water. “Dr. Halgen? Is everything okay?” Dr. Halgen turned, her face full of anxiety and stress… but as soon as she Addy, she smiled. “Nothing. It’s nothing, Addy. Just… board concerns. I’m sure you’ll hear about it soon enough…” She took a swig of the amber brown liquid in her crystal glass before setting it back down. “Now… what can I do for you tonight?” Addy didn’t like what she was hearing, but she had known Dr. Halgen for long enough by now to know she was about as solid as a brick wall when it came to the disclosure of secrets. Once she moved on, there was very little to turn her back. So, with that in mind, Addy switched to the other topic now most plaguing her mind. “It’s Oliver…” Her throat caught for a moment, getting stuck in the memories of mixing him and what happened to Mindy. Two very different Littles, but so far, one very similar path. Dr. Halgen sighed. “About today, huh? Another failed treatment I see…” She then walked behind her desk and sat down before bidding for Addy to do the same. “You heard?” Addy wasn’t sure how attuned Dr. Halgen was some days. Considering how distracted she seemed and the mix-up in schedule, Addy wouldn’t be surprised either way. “I did…” Dr. Halgen viewed Addy with scrutinizing eyes… almost as if she was waiting for something to happen. And Addy didn’t disappoint her. Between the stress of the day, the connection between Oliver and Mindy, and now Dr. Halgen’s stare, Addy felt helpless as she sat down. “I… I… I feel I’m about to lose another Little… I…” Addy was trying, but failing, at keeping it together in front of her boss. Her friend, yes, but still her boss. “Addy…” Dr. Halgen looked back at the nurse now before her and simply pushed a tissue box closer to her. “Just let it out, honey. This is a safe space…” Addy nodded, took a tissue and blew… and then started to cry even harder. “Same reaction! Same into! Same path, and cancer even! I just… I see Oliver getting weaker everyday now and I see him starting to give up hope. Today… today he asked me to stop… just like Mindy!” Addy tried to brush away her feelings, but her efforts were failing for that as well. Dr. Halgen smiled sympathetically at her friend before leaning across her desk and taking Addy’s hands tightly within her own. “Addy… I know you. You’ll find a cure for him. You’ve had two bad days with a patient. Don’t throw in the towel now!” She squeezed her hands. “Come on. Deep breaths for me. In. Out. In. Out…” Addy followed Dr. Halgen as she began breathing deeply in and out. With her hands gripped and sitting down, Addy began to ground herself. She still felt terrible, but there was just something almost hypnotic from her friend. “There we go,” Dr. Halgen praised without any inflection of mockery laced within her voice. “Just keep breathing and remember a few things.” Addy sniffled and looked up as Dr. Halgen took a deep breath. “First, we still have time. Oliver can last much longer at this rate with the new pills he’s taking. Second, like with the pills, the way technology grows like weeds around here, there are bound to be new discoveries every day. And third… and most importantly, Mindy and Oliver are different.” Addy liked hearing the words from her friend. Somehow, they seemed much more real and official when they were spouted off from her. Addy knew them, but now, she felt lighter… more assured… at least if not for the last reason. “Thank you, Dr. Halgen, but… I know they’re different. I know that deep down, I promise. Two different people. I just… I see a lot of similarities.” Dr. Halgen smiled and nodded before retracting her hands and then clicked on her keyboard and mouse. Stopping for a moment, she looked back at Addy. “And I know you know that, honey, but… when I say they’re different, I mean it in some ways that I think you should know tonight.” Addy looked with puzzlement as Dr. Halgen swiveled her monitor around. “Now… these test results still need to be double checked by an outside party just to be sure, but…” Dr. Halgen clicked a few more times and showed a side-by-side comparison of both Mindy’s and Oliver’s charts. While old and some items lined up, there were some notable differences… especially in the conclusions and analysis sections. “Wait…” Addy’s eyes narrowed on the two sections closely. “Am I reading this correctly?” Dr. Halgen nodded gladly, her grin growing wide by the second. “You are,” she confirmed before point to the areas. “After their first tests, it was concluded that Mindy was too sick by the time she came here and every effort to save her was likely going to end in failure… even today, the result likely would have been the same.” “And Oliver… he’s… he’s…” Addy knew what she wanted to say, but she couldn’t seem to bring herself to say it. Dr. Halgen intervened instead. “That’s right. He’s absolutely sick and on a decline unfortunately, but… it’s more about his immune system and body rejecting the drugs rather than that he’s too weak to handle them like Mindy was. It could be different with the tests we ran after his treatment today, but I would bet money on it that the results are the same.” Addy was nearly speechless with the results. Oliver was by no means out of the woods yet… but he now had a chance where Mindy never did. Addy knew that about Mindy and it was one of the things that still hurt her so much that a Little would come here in one last hope to save her life… and even this society with all it’s advancement and refinery still failed her. Bigs are supposed to protect Littles and this place that day failed her miserably. Dr. Halgen kept smiling and turned her monitor back before interlocking her fingers and taking a breath. “And more importantly, what this means is that you might have a way forward now. You’ve been looking at several treatments that are either traditional or safe for Oliver. Now that we know he can take a little more, I might suggest a… different approach.” “Different?” Addy questioned, a slight frown forming as she tried to decipher the meaning. “Different,” Dr. Halgen confirmed. “You might consider focusing on less traditional methods of healing. Don’t consult a Ouija board mind you, but… just keep an open mind. Maybe give a little on one front and tell yourself that you are trying to save his life. We walk a fine line here with what we do to help or to regress… but this is a case where it might be down to a strange or different treatment versus death.” With that, Addy thanked her and the two talked for a little longer, but after her sage advice was given, Dr. Halgen was engaged but seemed distracted by whatever had happened right before Addy had walked in. It gave her an unsettled feeling, but the two bidding each other goodnight, Addy still felt good. She felt less good though when she hit the library and began going over several other cures and treatments that she had once rejected. The hour rolled on and Addy needed more research on a few, and maybe it was just a breeze passing through the house or the old frame creaking from the weather outside… but one item seemed to want to make itself known. The door that goes down to the basement. And, for the briefest of flashes, Addy considered going back down there again. She wasn’t proud of herself for that, wanting to kick her own butt for even considering it, but Dr. Halgen’s words kept ringing out in her head. Different ways and keeping an open mind were a dangerous combination… especially in this dimension. But Addy remained firm. She clutched her chest and thought of Oliver. She pictured the moments from the past few days… where he was actually happy. Playing a board game with other Littles or skipping stones on the unfrozen lake at the time or laughing at a genuinely funny show on TV. Small moments, but moments that would be stolen if she dared ventured into the basement. ‘No… no, not tonight. Oliver deserves more than that today…’ But even her own thoughts had to add the qualifier of today, and whether she knew it or not, clocks began to tick in her head. A clock of death… a clock of Oliver’s time here… a clock until that one day she made in fact become desperate enough to open the door and go back down there to save his life.

I wet the bed as a kid, but I'm not 100% sure when I stopped. I wore Goodnites to bed and I would use them if I woke up needing to go. I do know I got out of them when I was 11. My mom and I apparently remember it differently, from me asking. She recalls I had been waking up dry for a while, which I don't quite remember.

Kinda wish Sam and Taylor after that had been broken down over time kinda makes Parts 2 and 3 feel unnecessary

You do know that  the sun has slid under the yardarm somewhere in the world, so any time is a good time.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...