bedwetting Afternoon in the Chokey (Updated 5-6-24)

[SashaButters]

Hortensia was very easy to keep entertained. Once Matilda had flicked on the telly for her, she had become transfixed, even more than usual. Matilda hadn’t been sure that was even possible, but getting her attention had proved almost futile. One down and one to go. 

 

Miss Honey on the other hand proved to be much more of a challenge. She had lost interest in the screen as soon as Carol had left and now had Matilda running room to room trying to keep her in check. No, she didn’t need to go to the store, no, she didn’t need to go to the school, and, although it had taken all of Matilda’s willpower to stop her, she didn’t need to make cookies. Matilda did not, however, have the willpower to keep her from ordering pizza. Her stomach had growled loudly at the idea, and even Hortensia had snapped her head away from the screen when she heard Miss Honey mention pizza. 

 

Matilda’s mouth nearly dropped when she answered the door. How much had her mom ordered? The girl at the door kept handing her box after box until Matilda’s head was nearly covered. She staggered back to the kitchen and placed the spread on the table.

 

“Hungry?” Matilda asked dumbfounded. There were three pizzas, breadsticks, cinnamon sticks, soda and wings. “Carol’s going to think we had a party.” She couldn’t help but giggle as she watched Miss Honey take a large bite and began to moan.

 

“Everything sounded so good. I couldn’t decide.” So the munchies weren't just a story trope. 

 

After one slice, one breadsticks and two cinnamon sticks, Matilda thought she would burst, but these two seemed to be bottomless pits. She watched in both captivated awe and bewilderment as they tore in like wild, starved animals while Jennifer talked animatedly about her ideas for the new school year on deaf ears. 

 

“What are you making?” Jennifer asked. Hortensia had been intently folding and unfolding her napkin.

 

“An airplane.” Hortensia said. She held up the finished product before tossing it into the air. Matilda watched as it nose-dived into the ground.

 

“Hold that thought.” Jennifer said before springing to her feet. Matilda watched her dig through a drawer before returning with scraps of paper and markers. 

 

“Miss Honey’s letting me make paper airplanes? Woah.” Hortensia said. 

 

“We’re not in school.” Jennifer said. “So you can stop calling me Miss Honey.” 

 

“If you stop calling me Hortensia.” 

 

“That’s literally your name.” Matilda said.

 

“Yeah, but I hate it. ‘Tens’ is fine. How’d you like to be called a whore?” Matilda watched curiously as something seemed to flash behind Miss Honey’s eyes. Pain? Anger? But before Matilda could figure it out, the look was gone. 

 

“Okay, Tens, show me how to make one.” The next twenty minutes was spent making paper airplanes and throwing them across the kitchen before Jennifer announced they should have a contest. “Winner gets to pick a movie.” 

 

They each stood on top of their chairs, paper airplanes in hand. Jennifer was up first, she threw it and it glided across the kitchen before smashing into the refrigerator. Next was Hortensia. Hers looked the most impressive, she had colored it and written across the side The Horsetensia. It expertly flew around the room and out the kitchen before landing on the couch. 

 

“Wow! That was so good!” Jennifer said in awe. Hortensia bowed from atop her chair. 

 

“That’s because she spends more time making paper airplanes during class than doing school work.” Matilda said with a giggle.

 

“You’re just jealous.” Hortensia said, nodding towards the sad excuse for an airplane Matilda had clutched in her own hand. “What’s that supposed to be?” Matilda frowned. She was terrible at this sort of thing. Her hands could never do what she saw in her head. 

 

“It’ll still go farther than yours.” Matilda said. 

 

“Prove it.” 

 

“If I win. No movie.” Matilda said with a grin. “You have to read me a comic.” 

 

“Pshh. Deal.” Hortensia said. “That thing’ll never fly.” With a confident smirk, Matilda threw it and it soared laps around the kitchen. The three of them watched it fly out, and into the living room sailing far past the Horsetensia. The older girl stared slack jawed in shock, until the light in her head finally flicked on. “You little cheater! You’re using your powers!” Matilda cackled.

 

“You never said I couldn’t.” Matilda said with a grin as Jennifer chuckled.

 

“Yeah, well, I don’t have a comic so, ha!” Hortensia said. 

 

“You still win, Tens.” Jennifer said with a smile. “Go pick something.” 

 

“She’ll pick a superhero movie, watch.” Matilda whispered as they climbed down from their chairs. Sure enough, by the time they reached the living room, Hortensia was holding a Batman VHS. 

 

“Matilda, fetch me Rover!” Hortensia said from her spot curled on the couch while Jennifer was setting up the VCR. “And a blanket!”

 

“Since when are you willing to be spotted with your stuffed dog?” Matilda chuckled. 

 

“Secrets out.” Hortensia grumbled. “I feel funny. I want him.” 

 

“Whose fault is that? You weren't supposed to eat them.” Matilda hissed. 

 

“Couldn't help it.” Hortensia said before yawning. 

 

“She wasn’t supposed to eat what?” Jennifer asked. She turned to face the girls. Matilda made a strategic exit to fetch blankets. “Matilda! Matilda, get back here!” She turned towards Hortensia, who curled into a tighter ball. “Did…did you two plan this?!” 

 

 “No, not…really.” Hortensia mumbled. 

 

“Not really? What does that mean?” Jennifer demanded.

 

“I found them yesterday when I was looking for snacks.” Hortensia said.

 

“And you told Matilda about them?” Jennifer guessed. Now her head was starting to spin as well. She needed to sit down. “Matilda!” 

 

Matilda slowly made her way back into the living room carrying blankets and sporting a look that screamed guilty. 

 

“It’s not everyday you catch someone from school with drugs.” Hortensia said. “Of course I told her.” 

 

“Then how did they end up in the pancakes?” Jennifer asked, trying to be stern. 

 

“Hortensia said she caught you crying last night.” Matilda said softly. Jennifer took a long, slow breath before letting it out. “You had another nightmare.”

 

“Yes. And? What about that made you think putting drugs in everyone’s breakfast was okay?” 

 

“I read it's supposed to help with anxiety.” Matilda admitted. “And I knew you wouldn’t try it...”

 

“Matilda! That’s…No, Matilda! You can’t just do that! You can’t tamper with people’s food! It’s illegal!” Jennifer said. She waved a hand through her hair feeling horrified. She really did do it on purpose! Carol had been right! “You could have made everyone sick!”

 

“You do it to me all the time!” Matilda said with a frown. “You put medicine in my drink, you’ve hid pills in my pudding...”

 

“That’s not the same thing!” Jennifer said. 

 

“I just wanted to give you medicine so you’d feel better.” Matilda said. “How was it not the same thing?” 

 

“You could have made Hortensia and yourself very sick! Not just you two, but if anything had happened… Matilda, I could lose my job!” Jennifer said. “More importantly, I could lose you!”

 

“She wasn’t supposed to eat any of it.” Matilda said, throwing a glare at Hortensia. 

 

“Giving children medicine is a parent's job, not yours! It doesn’t go both ways!” 

 

“That’s such a double standard!” Matilda said with a scowl. 

 

“Matilda, you’re smarter than this! How could you do something so reckless, and… and…stupid!” 

 

“I just wanted you to feel better!” Matilda said, tears filling her eyes. 

 

“Promise me, Matilda, promise me you’ll never do something like this again!” 

 

“Okay.” Matilda mumbled, head hung down. 

 

“No, look me in the eyes and promise me!” 

 

“I promise.” 

 

“Thank you.” Jennifer said with a shaky breath before collapsing onto the sofa. “Let’s just watch the movie for now.” Matilda sniffled and wiped her face before pulling herself onto the sofa and cuddling up next to Hortensia. 

 

“Why are you so close? Get your own seat.” Hortensia mumbled. Jennifer noticed Hortensia made no attempt to push her away. Ugh, why did they have to go and look so cute together after the shit they just pulled?

 

….

 

After thirty minutes, Jennifer could no longer stay focused on the film. She kept forgetting everything that had just happened and nothing seemed to make sense. She looked over at the girls who both seemed sacked out. Now seemed like a good time to check out that bathtub Carol had told her about. She pushed herself up, silently cursing the spins as she stood. She looked over as Matilda opened her eyes and gave her a questioning look.

 

“I’m going to take a bath. Go back to sleep.” Jennifer whispered. Matilda closed her eyes and curled herself closer to Hortensia. “You guys are lucky you're cute.” Jennifer grumbled as she picked up the fallen blanket and covered the both of them. 

 

She stood and made her way past Carol’s room and into the master bathroom. “Oh. My. God.” She whispered before letting out a low whistle. “Jackpot.” The bathtub in question was massive! It was practically a jacuzzi. It even had jets! She had never seen anything like it. It was so deep. Jennifer grinned as she reached over and turned on the water. She watched for a few minutes as the tub began to fill before she began to undress. She turned her body to throw her shirt away only to freeze in place. 

 

….

 

Matilda awoke to an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She blinked and sat up, wiping the drool away from her face with the back of her hand. Was she sick? Had she eaten too much pizza? She frowned as she tried to focus on the feeling. No, that wasn’t it. What was wrong? And where was Jenny? She realized what the feeling was. Panic. She spun her head around. Where was she?

 

“Mom?” Matilda yelled. She stood up and made her way to the back of the house. She peeked her head in the spare room. Maybe she was taking a nap? Nope. Hadn’t she said something about taking a bath earlier? She tried the bathroom, but she wasn’t there either. She hadn’t left had she? Carol had given her one job! Matilda frowned as she heard it. Crying. She swallowed nervously and followed the sound. “Mom?” 

 

Matilda found her half naked, sitting on the floor with her bare back against the tub and her head buried in her knees. 

 

“Mom? What’s wrong? I thought you were going to take a bath.” Matilda said before sitting next to her on the floor. This only seemed to upset Jenny more. “Are you feeling sick?” Jenny shook her head and pointed. Matilda looked, but all she saw was the floor to ceiling mirrors that covered the wall. She stared at their reflection for a moment, confused, until realization dawned on her. Miss Honey didn’t like mirrors. She always covered the bathroom mirror, especially when she had to undress. There was no covering this mirror though. It was massive. 

 

Matilda stood and stuck her arm in the bathtub. The water was still warm. 

 

“Close your eyes.” Matilda whispered. She helped her stand up with some difficulty. Jennifer began to fight when Matilda tried to tug down her underwear. “It’s okay, don’t panic. I’m going to guide you in.” Jennifer whimpered, but let Matilda finish. “Swing your leg up and over. Hold onto the side with your other hand. There.” Matilda breathed a sigh of relief as Jennifer’s torso disappeared underneath the water. “You can open your eyes. You can’t see it from there.” Matilda watched her for a moment to make sure she’d be okay. “Just yell when you want to get out.” She turned to leave, but Jennifer stopped her.

 

 “Please stay.” Jennifer said softly. 

 

“Are you sure?” Matilda asked. Her mom was very private when it came to these sorts of things. 

 

Jennifer nodded. “I don’t think I want to be alone right now.” Matilda sat on the tile that wrapped around the tub with the shampoo bottles. “Join me. There’s plenty of space.” 

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Matilda asked. 

 

“Flashback.” Jennifer said softly, averting her gaze, before frowning. “I think.” 

 

“You think?” Matilda asked as she pulled her own clothes off before tossing them on the floor with the others. “Woah.” She said as she climbed in. The water went up to her neck! 

 

“Right? It’s nice.” Jennifer said. “It could do without the mirrors though.” 

 

“What happened?” Matilda asked. She didn’t think her mom was going to answer, but finally Jennifer spoke.

 

“Sometimes I see her in the mirrors.” Jennifer whispered. “I can still hear her calling me a wh- calling me names.”

 

Yeah, three gummies had been too much. 

 

“She’s gone. She can’t hurt you anymore.” Matilda said. 

 

“I know.” Jennifer said softly.. “But sometimes it feels like she keeps coming back from the grave to…” She let her words trail off. “Thank you.” She finally said with a sniffle and shake of her head. “It’s nothing.” 

 

Matilda pushed herself along until she came to rest in Miss Honey’s lap. She quietly looked in Jennifer's eyes for a moment, before taking a hand and splashing her in the face.

 

“What was that for?” Miss Honey asked before coughing and swiping the water out of her eyes with a hand. 

 

“Stop saying it’s nothing.” Matilda said. “It’s obviously something.” 

 

“Well, it’s obviously something I don’t want to talk about.” Jennifer said, returning the splash. Matilda grinned. 

“I found you crying on the bathroom floor. Hortensia found you crying on the couch. Stop trying to downplay it.” Matilda cupped her hands and fired a stream of water before frowning as it failed to reach its intended target. 

 

“I already told you; it was just a flashback.” Miss Honey said before dunking Matilda’s head underneath the water.

 

“A flashback of what?” 

 

“Don’t worry about it, now hand me the shampoo so I can wash your hair.” Matilda scowled before pointing at bottles and making them hover over.

 

“Reminds me of the first time I gave you a bath. You nearly gave me a stroke with that little trick.” Miss Honey said with a chuckle. She grabbed a couple of bottles out of the air and set them on the ledge next to her. 

 

“I told you I could.” Matilda giggled as she moved her head this way and that as Jennifer lathered soap into her hair. 

 

“If I had a dollar for everytime a student told me they could do something impossible like that I wouldn’t have been living in that shack.” 

 

“Is that why you let me stay? Because I can move things with my mind?” 

 

“No?” Miss Honey said. She gave her a puzzled look. “Why do you think that?” 

 

Matilda shrugged. “It’s the only reason Hortensia tolerates me.” 

 

“I don’t think that’s true.”

 

“I heard her tell you we weren't really friends.” Matilda admitted in a low, sad voice. 

 

“Hmm, I don’t think that’s what she meant by that.” Miss Honey said. “And you shouldn’t have been eavesdropping.” 

 

“What else would it mean?” 

 

“Well, to be honest, it concerned me a little. What would one of the bigger kids want to be doing around someone as young as you? I was worried she was trying to take advantage of you or something, but I talked with her this morning, and I think I have a better understanding.”

 

“What? Because I'm ‘different’? Matilda said, making air quotes with her fingers.

 

“No, I think she sees you like a little sister.” Miss Honey silently laughed as Matilda’s features fell. “That’s right, you don’t have the greatest experience with siblings.” 

 

“Why can’t we just be friends?” Matilda moaned.

 

“I don’t think she’d let you snuggle up with her if she thought of you as just a friend. I’m fairly certain that’s only something she lets you do.” 

 

“She was in your lap.” Matilda mumbled.

 

“Oh, you saw that, did you? Weren't you supposed to be in the kitchen making breakfast?” Jennifer chuckled.

 

“I needed the bathroom.” 

 

“Well, I’m sure she’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about that. She’s going through a lot right now, and we don’t want her to feel like she has to tough it out.” 

 

“I wouldn’t tell anyone.”  Matilda said with a scowl. Miss Honey let out a small sarcastic laugh.

 

“I wish I had been given that same luxury.” Matilda turned to face her and gave her a puzzled look. “You told Carol about my…injury. That was something that was supposed to be private. I’m not thrilled about that, you know.” 

 

“I never said anything.” Matilda said, looking both confused and hurt. 

 

“Matilda,” Jennifer said sternly before sighing. “How else would she have known if you didn’t tell her? She told me it was you.” She could see Matilda’s face go from shock to anger.

 

“I didn’t say anything! I wouldn’t!” 

 

“Matilda, calm down.” 

 

“I never told anyone!” 

 

“Ok, ok, settle down.”

 

“Mom, I didn’t!”

 

“Matilda, you’re getting too worked up.” Jennifer said. 

 

“I am not!” 

 

Jennifer pointed above them. Matilda looked up to find a loofah floating in the air. 

 

“Take a deep breath. Now come here,” She patted her lap. “and I’ll answer your question from earlier.” 

 

“What question?” Matilda asked, still glaring and making no move forward.

 

“Come here and I’ll tell you.” Matilda hesitated before begrudgingly sliding over until Miss Honey’s arms were wrapped around her anchoring her in place. “Now breathe.” 

 

“Tell me.”

 

“Not until you drop everything.” Matilda clenched her teeth in annoyance before closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths until she heard a clatter of various objects falling from the air onto the bathroom counter. “There, now, to answer your question. No, I didn’t want you for your powers.” 

 

“Okay…?”

 

“I was enthralled with you from the first day you set foot in my classroom. I had never met such a fascinating child before. Your peers were just learning to read basic sentences, and there you were devouring full novels and doing mathematical calculations in your head with as much ease as if I had asked you what one plus one was.” 

 

“Oh.” 

 

“It was the day you came home with me.” Jennifer admitted. She could feel Matilda stiffen in her arms.

 

“I’d rather not think about that day.” Matilda mumbled. 

 

“Oh, but I do, quite often in fact. It’s one of my favorite memories.” Jennifer laughed as Matilda screwed her face up in disgust. “Do you remember what you told me that night?”

 

“No, I’ve tried to erase that day from my memory.” 

 

 “You had fallen asleep in my lap while we were reading, and you had told me you wished I was your mommy.” She laughed as Matilda’s face turned a shade of red.

 

“I said that?” Matilda groaned. 

 

“Yes.” Miss Honey said. “And in that moment, I had never wanted anything as much as I wanted to be your mommy too.”  She squeezed Matilda tightly in her arms before kissing the side of her forehead. “That’s when I realized I loved you.” 

 

“And now you are.” Matilda whispered, resting the side of her face against Miss Honey’s chest. 

 

“And now I am.” Jennifer said with a hum of happiness as she gently swept her fingers through Matilda’s hair. “Why on earth did you want to stay with me though? I’m a mess.” 

 

“You were lonely too.” Matilda mumbled. Miss Honey’s hand stopped briefly for a moment before it resumed.

 

“Yes. I was.” 

 

“You had Mrs. Rodgers though so why were you lonely?” Jennifer pursed her lips.

 

“We had never said a word to each other before I met you,”Jennifer said. Matilda frowned.

 

“But I thought you guys were friends?” 

 

“Now we are. I wish we were friends then, but our only interaction had ever been a polite nod here and there in passing.” 

 

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Matilda said, pushing herself off and standing up. “But something is kind of weird about her.”

 

“Matilda!” Miss Honey admonished. “She’s done a lot for me, for us.”

 

“I know,” Matilda said as she climbed out of the tub. “That’s why I thought you had been friends before.” 

 

“She’s a very kind woman.” Jennifer said standing up herself. 

 

“She’s not who she says she was. She told me she was a nurse.” Matilda said as she dug into the cupboard for towels.

 

“Yes, she was.” 

 

“So why does she have a doctorate?” Jennifer scrunched her face in confusion. “It’s hanging in the hallway.” Yes, Jennifer thought, she had seen it several times, had even stopped to admire it. So why did it now only sound strange instead of awe inspiring? Jennifer silently pondered this while she dried herself off. It certainly made her vastly overqualified for her current position. 

 

“Why are you so suspicious of her all of a sudden?” 

 

“I’m not.” Matilda said with a shrug. “Doesn’t matter to me.”

 

“Then why all the questions?”

“To distract you.” Matilda said with a wide smile. “See, you did it.” 

 

“Did what?” Jennifer asked. She scooped their clothes off the floor before sliding her underwear back on. Matilda motioned behind her to the mirrors. Oh. She stared at herself for a moment in surprise. She hadn’t even thought of it. She had been so preoccupied with what Matilda had been telling her. “You’re sneaky.” She tried to hide the mixture of disgust and guilt she felt, but she had a feeling she was doing a terrible job of it. “What kind of person is afraid of their own reflection?”

 

“A high one.” Matilda grinned. “Don’t worry about it.” Jennifer grimaced. She hadn’t even meant to say that part out loud. She groaned. It was like she could feel her brain cells cooking as she spoke. 

 

“I think I need to lie down. Let’s go to the other room.”

 

“The sheets need to be washed. She bled on them.” Matilda said. “You can lie down here.” She pointed to the bed.

 

“That’s Mrs. Rodger's bed.” 

 

“I don’t think she’d mind.” Matilda said. Jennifer scowled. It felt invasive, but she was so tired she felt like she might collapse. 

 

“On top of the blankets then.” She relented. She crawled on the bed still only half dressed and wrapped in a towel. “Just for a few minutes.” She could feel her towel getting pulled away before a little body curled up on top of her. “You in your happy place?” 

 

“Mm-hmm.” Matilda purred. 

 

“Thank you.” Jennifer whispered as she wrapped her arms around the pile of what was essentially dead weight on her chest. 

 

“What gave you a flashback?” Matilda mumbled. 

 

“My shoulder popped while I was taking off my shirt.” 

 

Matilda looked up at her. “That’s it?” 

 

“That’s it.” Jennifer admitted with a disparaging sigh. “It doesn’t take much.”  

 

“I thought it was the mirrors.” Jennifer had already been spiraling by that point. 

 

“What really did it was trying to throw up this morning. I used to do it a bit as a teen.”

 

“Did you have an eating disorder?” Matilda asked. 

 

“No, I had this unhealthy little ritual, or a delusion, really, I’d…” Jennifer stopped as she remembered her audience. “Yes, let's just call it an eating disorder.” Except it wasn’t food she was eating that made her feel the only way to cleanse her mouth was to burn it away with stomach acid. 

 

“And your shoulder? What did that have to do with it?” Matilda said, face scrunched in confusion. 

 

“It was the sound. Miss Trunchbull had…” What had her aunt done? She could hear the snap of bones, followed by agonizing screams. “I don’t remember. I think she broke someone’s arm.” 

 

“Yours?” 

 

“No. I don’t think so.” Well, she had broken her wrist at one point, but this wasn’t it. Jennifer winced. She could still hear the screams, but she wasn’t even sure if it had been a real memory or not. “Let’s not talk about this.” The last thing she wanted was another repeat of last night. She was already feeling paranoid. She closed her eyes, but she couldn’t get Matilda’s words from earlier out of her head. Her mind was trying to make connections from things that weren't really there. Was this from the gummies? It had to be. She really should have thrown them up. 

 

“Mrs. Rodgers asked me once about the cigar burns the day we called the ambulance for you. That’s the only time we’ve ever talked about you.” Matilda mumbled. “Well, about that sort of stuff.” 

 

“Okay.” Jennifer said. She was fading fast. Maybe it was she who had mentioned it and she just didn’t remember? No, she had mentioned Matilda by name, but hadn’t Jennifer mentioned her first? Maybe Carol had been playing off her assumption that Matilda had told her. But why? What did it matter if Carol knew or not?  Ugh, she needed to stop thinking, but now the image of Carol scraping the edibles off to the side of her plate kept replaying in her mind. 

 

“She’s not who she says she is.” Matilda had said.  

 

Jennifer winced. She could hear the sound of snapping bone and screams again. 

 

“I told you not to involve anyone else!” Her aunt bellowed.

 

“I didn’t have a choice!” A voice she didn’t recognize sobbed. “I can’t do this on my own! Please don’t hurt her!” SNAP! “ANASTASIA!” 

 

“Maybe next time you’ll listen.” 

 

…

Jennifer jolted awake at the sensation of something falling onto her. Her heart was hammering in her chest. 

 

“It’s okay. It’s just me.” Carol said softly. Jennifer looked down to find herself now covered with a blanket. Oh god, she had fallen asleep nearly naked on someone else's bed. 

 

“I’m not decent.” Jennifer mumbled, wrapping the blanket tighter around herself. 

 

“I would have left you as is, but you were shivering. You fell asleep still wet, didn’t you?” 

 

“Where’s Matilda?”

 

“The girl’s are out back playing with the hose. How do you feel?” Jennifer moaned. “Well, you did eat three servings of them. Matilda mentioned you were having an anxiety attack; that can happen if you have too many.” 

 

“Why didn’t you eat any?” The words were out of Jennifer’s mouth before she could stop herself. Carol gave her a bemused sort of expression. 

 

“There was enough sugar on those pancakes without the candy.” Carol seemed to stare at her for a moment. “Are you still feeling them?” 

 

“Yes.” Jennifer said, holding her head. The conversation had been put into motion. Might as well quelch her drug fueled fears. “So you didn’t plan it with them? To drug me?” Carol’s eyebrows rose in surprise, before a flash of anger crossed her face.

 

“Are you asking me if I purposefully allowed young children to consume drugs just to get you high? No. I. Did. Not.” She blew a breath of air from her nose. 

 

“Sorry, yeah, I know.” Jennifer mumbled. “The girl’s admitted they planned it, and my mind isn’t…working right.” 

 

“Ah, yes, the paranoia.” Carol relaxed. “Any other absurd, drug induced paranoid questions I can answer for you?” She added a bit lighter. 

 

“Were you…” Jennifer asked before pausing. “Were you a doctor?” She watched Carol’s face lose a shade of color.

 

“I was.” 

 

“So why are you a school nurse? Why don’t you go by Doctor Rodgers?” 

 

“Because I’m not a doctor anymore.” 

 

“Don’t retired doctors still introduce themselves as doctors?” 

 

“I didn’t retire. My medical license was revoked.” 

 

Jennifer knew it was a sensitive topic, but she couldn’t stop herself. Tact was apparently not something she could attain on drugs. “Why?” 

 

“For stealing medical supplies.” Carol finally answered. “It’s not something I like talking about and not something I want to spread around the school. That’s why I don’t introduce myself as a doctor.”  

 

“Oh.” 

 

“I’ve done things I’m not proud of.” Carol said before taking a deep breath and sitting on the bed. “Things to you.” 

 

“Wh-what are you talking about? You’ve been nothing but helpful. I don’t know what I'd do if it wasn’t for you. You’ve been such a good friend!” Jennifer stopped as Carol frowned.

 

“No, Jennifer. I’m not a good friend.” She said quietly. “I’m the one who let you down.”

 

“I don’t understand. Y-you taught me to drive, you lied to get me out of the hospital, you’ve watched Matilda for me countless times, you even got me my money back from the daycare. How could you have possibly let me down?” 

 

“Because I didn’t put my foot down!” Carol said as she hung her head. “I should have called you an ambulance the moment I saw you, but she was holding her hostage and I had to choose.” 

 

“Carol, you’re scaring me. What are you talking about?” Jennifer asked. She could feel her mouth go dry. 

 

“Do you remember me?” 

 

“From when? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

 

“We’ve met before.”

 

“When?” 

 

“You were what, fifteen, sixteen?” 

 

“No.” 

 

“Yes.” Carol said with a heavy sigh. “I was the one taking care of you.” 

“You saved my life.” Jennifer said after a moment of silence. Carol snorted.

 

“I had a duty to report her and I didn’t. Instead I took the money. It’s my fault. Those cigar burns weren't there before.” 

 

“You didn’t do it for the money.” Jennifer said slowly. There were fragments of memory there. Where were they coming from? The snapping of bones. The screaming. Her eyes opened wide. “Anastasia!” Carol chuckled darkly. “Is she okay? Did she make it out? What happened to her?”

 

“You can ask her yourself, she’s in the backyard.” Jennifer nearly choked. The sweet little blond girl couldn’t have been… “Although, we still have no idea where you got the name Anastasia. You kept calling her that no matter how many times we told you her name was-”

 

“Hortensia.” Jennifer said in shock. 

 

“Do you remember?” 

 

“No, not really.” Carol sighed again.

 

“Then let me fill you in.”

[BabySofia]

27 minutes ago, SashaButters said:

“Although, we still have no idea where you got the name Anastasia. You kept calling her that no matter how many times we told you her name was-”

Didn't see this one coming! You've woven a really tangled web at this point that I'm curious to see what it leads to. I'm also still hoping that we see more of little Matilda at some point here too. (Not that I'm not enjoying the story, but I do feel like she's missed her entire real childhood and it would do her and her mommy both some good! (If she can ever come down from that high... those two little girls definitely went too far there!)

[SashaButters]

*graphic violence, depictions of child abuse, sort of medical realism*
 

 

 

Just a few more inches Mr. Perry thought as he adjusted the article. He tweaked the alignment a little more to the left before he nodded in approval. There, the outline was done. He wiped his ink stained hands on a nearby rag. Picking which articles made the paper was always a daunting task, but this week even more so. Should he choose the article about Mrs. Hubbard's bake sale, or the church's swap meet? The missing Reyes boy would be front and center and-. 

 

Mr. Perry looked up from his work as his office door slammed open.

 

“Ma’am, you can’t be back here!” He could hear someone shout out front followed by hurried footsteps.

 

The next thing he knew, he was being overshadowed by a giant formidable looking woman. 

 

“You!” The giant barked. “Are you in charge of this paper?” 

 

“Yes, but this area isn’t open to the public.” He was met with a malicious glare. Mr. Perry swallowed nervously. “Can I help you with something?” 

 

“I need this in the paper.” She slammed a note down onto his desk. He looked it over. 

 

“I’m afraid you’ve missed the deadline, but I’d be happy to print it in next weeks-”

 

“I need it in tomorrow's paper!” 

 

“The layouts already completed, I can’t just-” He was silenced again by another slam, but this time when her hand rose it revealed a folded 100 pound note. His hand slid over it. “Tomorrow it is.” 

 

…

 

Evelyn Smith stared glumly at her empty wallet. “Stupid cheating bastard.” She huffed. It was never the “right” time to be abandoned, but why’d he have to do it while she was still in school? He couldn’t wait one more year until she graduated? Now she had no job, no money, and no child care if this last place refused her. 

 

“Don’t. Bite. Anyone.” She hissed to the child she had clutched by the wrist in her right hand. If this child got kicked out of one more daycare…

 

“When’s daddy coming home?” the little girl whined. 

 

“Soon.” Evelyn lied through clenched teeth. “He’s away for work.” She stopped at a newspaper dispenser on their walk  and deposited a few coins. She had been combing the classifieds religiously, but she couldn’t find anything that could work around her schedule. She opened the paper and scanned down the listings. Today appeared no different. She was about to crumple up the paper in frustration when something caught her eye.

 

                         URGENT! CARETAKER     NEEDED! A.S.A.P. 

                          MEDICAL EXPERIENCE A PLUS

                    MOTHER OF YOUNG   CHILDREN PREFERRED 

                                       WILL PAY CASH

 

Eveyln’s hands shook. This was…this was perfect. She needed a phone! She had to call before someone else did. 

 

“Hurry,” she said. She pulled the girl's hand, making her run to keep up beside her until they came to a payphone. She punched the numbers with trembling fingers. She was so excited she kept misdialing. On her third try, she got it right. The phone picked up on the first ring.

 

“Hello, I’m calling about your ad in the-”

 

“How soon can you get here?” The voice demanded. 

 

“I- have to take my daughter to daycare, but-”

 

“How old?”

 

Evelyn blinked in surprise. “Umm, almost five.”

 

“Bring her, here’s the address. Involve no one else. We value our privacy.”   The line went dead. She stared at the phone in her hands. B-but she had school! She sighed. Maybe she could work out a schedule later. She could miss one day. She bit her lip as she pulled her daughter along who was about to chase a grasshopper into the street. They were doing rounds in the hospital today. Yuck. The last time had sent her running to vomit into a trash can into the hall. How did people ever get used to the smell? 

 

“Change of plans, you’re coming with mommy today.” Evelyn said. “I need you to be on your best behavior. Please! Mommy needs this job and the lady on the phone was nice enough to let me bring you.” 

 

“Why?” 

 

“I don’t know.” She didn’t have time to care. The woman sounded distressed, she must really need someone. “Maybe she has a disabled child and needs someone good with kids.” Evelyn cringed at the thought. The last thing she needed was her daughter to blurt out something insensitive like, “Why don’t you have legs?” during the interview. 

 

When they got to the address, she was surprised to find a large red brick building with the front door already ajar. She knocked on the door.

 

“Come in! Hurry! Close the door behind you!” A voice barked from inside. She quickly did as she was told and turned to find a towering figure at the bottom of the stares waiting for her. 

 

“Hi, I’m Eve, and this is my daughter Hortensia, thank you for meet-” She started to say, but was cut off by a loud moan directing her attention upstairs. 

 

“Yes, yes, up here!” the woman barked and motioned for her to follow. The moaning was getting louder. Then the smell hit her. 

 

“It stinks.” Her daughter complained. 

 

“Sush.” The woman pointed to a door. “Why don’t you wait out here for a minute?” Eve took a deep breath before walking inside. It took all of five minutes for her to realize she was in over her head. This girl didn’t need a caretaker. She needed a hospital! She stepped out of the room looking pale and shaky. 

 

“Ma’am, she needs to go to the emergency room!”

 

“No!” Her deep frown, which Evelyn had taken for stress, turned frightful. Her giant hands were resting on her daughter's shoulders. Her features relaxed for a moment. “I mean, she’s just been released, but I don’t know what I’m doing.” 

 

“I-I don’t think I can-” The woman shoved an envelope into her chest. Evelyn opened it. Her mouth went dry. It was enough to cover rent, daycare, and food for a month. Evelyn swallowed. “I’ll need to pick up supplies from the hospital.” 

 

“Involve no one.” The woman hissed. 

 

“Hortensia, come on, we need to-” 

 

“She stays.” The woman said. Her hands had tightened around her shoulders to the point her daughter began to whimper. “I need to make sure you come back.”

 

“Of course I’m coming back! Let her go. I’ll leave the money if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

 

“She stays.” The woman repeated. There was another loud, agonizing moan. Evelyn’s eyes flicked to the door. “Hurry up.” 

 

…

 

“… I’ve prescribed you antibiotics. If you don’t see any improvement in the next week, call my office and schedule another follow up.” Doctor Carol Rodgers said. She slipped her gloves off. “I’ll step out so you can get dressed. Check with the front desk for paperwork on your way out.” She closed the door behind her and stepped into the hall. She had only seen one patient and she already wanted to go home. She went to the next door and pulled the chart down. Oh good. Something easy.

 

“I need to speak to the doctor here!” A voice yelled from the front. Carol poked her head up. “It’s an emergency!” 

 

“Ma’am, you’ll need to make an appointment. The doctor is with other patients at the moment.” 

 

Emergency? Gynecology didn’t get many emergencies. Unless… She sighed. It must be someone from one of those communities. There were several Anabaptist settlements outside the town lines that preferred home births. Every once in a while someone would come in the hospital begging for help. 

 

Carol frowned as she poked her head out into the waiting room. This wasn’t one of them. Instead, there was a young woman dressed in scrubs looking wild eyed and panicked. Carol had seen her before. She eyed her name tag. That’s right, she had passed her in the hall last week while her head was in a trashcan. Carol had been teasing her.  She was a nursing student.

 

“Hello, I’m Dr. Rodger’s. Do you need something?” 

 

“I need you to come with me! It’s an emergency! And bring supplies! Pain medicine! Iv line!” She began listing odd and end supplies. Carol could barely make out what she was saying. Something about her daughter and needing the money. Yes, it was just as she originally thought. Another home birth. 

 

“How old is the patient?”

 

“Young! I don’t even know if she’s in her teens yet.” And here she thought today would be easy. 

 

“I’m not a midwife.” 

 

“Fine! Please, hurry!” Evelyn huffed. “I need you to drive. I ran here.” 

 

“From the settlements?!” 

 

“No, a home in town. No time, please. She has my daughter!” The woman was near hysterics now. 

 

“Okay, okay, calm down.” She looked at the front office worker. “Call Susan in and cover my patients. If not, reschedule them.” She went to her office and retrieved her emergency bag. It wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last. “Explain on the way.”

 

“You’ll have to see.” 

 

When they pulled up to the house, Evelyn jumped out the car and barreled her way inside, Carol followed, bag in hand. Once she was inside, she was greeted with the anguished sounds of labor pains coming from inside. 

 

“Fill a tub of warm water and bring it upstairs. And bring lots of towels.” She hurried upstairs two at a time and opened the bedroom door to find a large, surprised woman holding a squirming child by the wrist.

 

“Who are you?!” The woman demanded. Carol ignored her and turned her attention to the girl writhing in pain on the bed.

 

“Hello, my name is Doctor Rodgers.” she said as she looked the girl over. Her skin was ghostly pale, and she was sweating profusely. “Can you tell me how far along you are?” 

 

“She’s not pregnant, you imbecile!” The woman yelled from behind her. Carol frowned. If she wasn’t in labor, what emergency could a Gynecologist be needed for? 

 

“Can you tell me your name?” Carol asked.

 

“J-Jen-ny.” The girl panted out through gritted teeth.

 

“Hello, Jenny, can you tell me what’s wrong?” The girl weakly pointed down before her hands became fists at her side and she let out another moan. 

 

“IT HURTS!” She screamed out. 

 

“I’m going to take a look, okay?” Carol lifted the blanket. Her face blanched. 

 

“The clumsy thing spilled a pot of water while she was cooking.” The woman said before turning her attention to Evelyn. “You! I told you not to bring anyone!” 

 

“Let my daughter go!” Eveyln demanded, setting the bowl of water and towels down. Carol stared in shock as the beast of a woman took the child's arm, and with a sharp sudden twist ,snapped it. There was a loud crunch. The girl let out a howl.

 

“HORTENSIA!” Evelyn screamed. 

 

“Next time when I say don’t bring anyone maybe you’ll listen!” 

 

“I can’t do this on my own!” Evelyn cried. 

 

“She needs to go to the hospital.” Carol said.  

 

“No. Fix her here.” The woman growled. 

 

“Au-aunt Trunchbull, p-p-lease.” The girl begged. 

 

“SHUT UP!” 

 

“I’m calling an ambulance.” Carol said. She hurried downstairs to the phone, loud clomping followed behind her. She reached for the phone, but when she picked up the receiver there was nothing but silence. She glared at the woman, Trunchbull the girl had said. “What did you do? Why isn’t the phone working?” 

 

“She. Stays. Here.” The Trunchbull said. Carol swallowed. She still had the crying child gripped tightly by her broken arm. “Who do you think is faster, the police or me?” Her hands moved to the child’s neck. “Now get back upstairs and quiet the little whore.” Carol silently went back up the stairs. 

 

“Can you rate your pain on a scale of one to ten?” Carol asked. She knew what the answer would be.

 

“T-ten.” Jenny cried. 

 

“How long ago did this happen?” Carol asked. She pushed the blanket up to her stomach and stared. She hadn’t seen scalding this bad in years. She didn’t have the right equipment for this. 

 

“I don’t know.” Jenny whimpered. “I’ve been i-in and out.” 

 

Carol reached into her bag and began to put on gloves. The first thing she needed to do was clean her up. Judging from the stains she had urinated on herself. Carol grimaced. She couldn’t imagine how agonizing that must have been. “This might hurt.” She lightly dabbed the wet washcloth against her skin and was rewarded with an ear piercing scream. “I know. I know. I’m sorry, but I need to clean it. Evelyn, can you start an Iv line? Do you know how?”

 

“Yes.” 

 

“Good, after that I’m going to need you to go back and get me a list of things. Go back to my office, hand it to them and they will get it for you.” 

 

“Will she let me leave? What about my daughter?” Eve asked. They both looked at the child whimpering in the corner. 

 

“You’ll have to convince her. I’ll keep her safe.” Carol said. She wiped at Jenny’s skin again and earned herself another blood curdling scream. “I need a few dipstick strips, pain medicine, a catheter, Iv fluids, a pole, stirrups, antibiotics. She has open, infected wounds. She’s running a high fever. And bandages. Lots of bandages. How’s that IV coming?”

 

“She won’t stay still.” 

 

“Try and keep your arm still. I know it’s hard.” 

 

“Got it!” 

 

 Carol handed her a list of supplies she needed. “Hurry.” She turned back to the girl in the bed.

 

“How did this happen?” Carol whispered. “Did she do this to you?” She couldn’t tell between the writhing and moaning, but she was almost certain the girl had nodded. “We’ll get you out of here.” She pulled out the desk chair and got to work gently dabbing the wounds clean. 

 

“What’s your name?” Jenny weakly asked. Carol was about to answer when she realized Jenny wasn’t talking to her. 

 

“Hortensia.” The little girl said with a sniffle.

 

“Anastasia’s a pretty name.” 

 

“It’s Hortensia.” 

 

“Why are you crying?” 

 

“She hurt me.” Hortensia whimpered, cradling her arm against her chest. 

 

“She hurt me too.” Jenny whispered before closing her eyes. 

 

“I like your stuffed animals.” Hortensia said. Jenny opened her eyes and gave her a forced smile. 

 

“Which one’s your favorite?” The girl pointed. “I can’t see.”

 

Shit, Carol thought. Did she just say she had to pee? She wasn’t prepared for that yet. 

 

“Can you wait for the catheter?” Carol asked. No, if she couldn’t, she’d be in agony. She couldn’t risk getting urine in the wounds again. That’s probably why they were infected in the first place. But how could they do this? Getting up wasn’t an option. A bed pan was no better. 

 

“Huh?” Jenny moaned, rolling her head back forward. “Will it hurt?” She asked in ragged pained breaths. 

 

Yes. It would. “I’ll be gentle.” She dug in her bag until she pulled out a protective pad. She’d start with this. “Can you roll onto your side?” Jenny grunted in pain before falling back onto the bed. 

 

“No.” She groaned. 

 

“Try pushing yourself up so I can slide this under you. Yes, like that.” She slid a couple pads over the wet bedding. It would have to do for now until Evelyn came back and helped her change the sheets.

 

“Oh, that one.”  Jenny mumbled. Carol looked up to find the little girl holding up a stuffed dog. “His name is Rover. Do you like him?” The little girl nodded. “Then he’s yours.” 

 

Carol smiled and went back to digging in her bag. Her head shot up when she felt the bed shaking. Jenny whimpered as Hortensia pulled herself up with a jump. “Woah, get down from there.” Carol admonished.

 

“She’s okay.” Jenny panted out. The little girl had her good arm wrapped around her neck. “You're very sweet. How old are you?” 

 

“Five. Almost.” 

 

Good, maybe the kid could keep her mind off the pain. She doubted it, but anything helped at this point. 

 

“You like kids?” Carol asked, resuming her frantic search. 

 

“Yes.” Jenny answered. She waved a hand through the girl's blond curls. “I like their innocence.” 

 

Carol’s hand touched something plastic. She pulled it out to reveal a crumpled up sick bag. Good, something waterproof. Maybe she could bend the mouth piece and make it form fitting. 

 

“You doing okay? I’m almost done. If you can hold it a little while longer.” She pushed on the hard plastic rim. It was slow, but it was bending.

 

“Hold what?” Jenny groaned. 

 

“Your bladder.” 

 

“I’m fine.” Jenny whimpered.

 

“You’re wriggling.”

 

“Because it hurts.” 

 

Carol breathed a sigh of relief. “So you don’t need to go?” She looked up to find the girl grimacing. 

 

“I don’t want to. It’ll hurt.” 

 

“It might.” Carol lied. “But do you need to?” Jenny looked away. “It will hurt a lot worse if you urinate on yourself again.” Jenny slowly nodded, fists clenched at her sides. 

 

“Alright, I’ll help you in a minute. I’m trying to figure out a way so it doesn’t get in your sores.”

 

“How bad is it?” 

 

Bad. “I’ve seen worse. You’ll be okay.” She resumed fiddling with the mouthpiece until she got it to bend inward. “This is as close as I can get it to making a seal.” Carol stood and placed it firmly against the girl's skin, eliciting another loud cry of pain. This was not going to be fun. She covered the exposed sores with the padding in case it leaked. “There, you can go on and have a nice wee before everyone gets back.” 

 

“It’s going to hurt.” Jenny moaned. 

 

“Evelyn will be back with pain meds soon, hopefully, and then we need to work on getting your fever down.”

 

“I can wait until the pain meds.” Jenny mumbled. 

 

“I need to make sure you’re not pregnant first before I can give you any. I need your pee for that.” 

 

“I’m not pregnant.” Jenny moaned. “Please.” 

 

“Do as she says.” A voice growled from behind her. Carol turned to find the woman named Trunchbull standing in the doorway. “It would just be like the little whore to be pregnant, wouldn’t it!” she remarked. 

 

“Ma’am, please,” Carol said. 

 

“Do it, you good for nothing cow!” The Trunchbull spat. “UR-IN-ATE!” Both girls flinched. 

 

“It’s okay, Jenny, it won’t be that bad. Give it a good push.” Carol lied. She pursed her lips as Jenny began to sob and liquid began to trickle into the bag. She held it tighter against her. Good, it wasn’t leaking. “That’s it, you’re doing good. Keep going. Let it all come out.” She waited a few seconds after the stream had stopped. “All done? Is it safe to pull the bag away?” Jenny continued to sob, but nodded. She lightly dabbed at her wet skin with the washcloth to clean her. 

 

 “Ohh, you’re not supposed to go potty in the bed.” Hortensia said.

 

“She didn’t go potty in the bed.” Carol said. “She did exactly what she was supposed to do.”  

 

“Test it. I bet the whore’s pregnant, I know she is!” Miss Trunchbull growled. Carol glared at the woman. Her hand inched forward as if it wanted to fling the bag of urine at her. Carol stopped it. It would be a waste of urine. 

 

“Fine.” Carol hissed. She took a few deep breathes. She had never been so angry before. Her hands were shaking. She reached into her bag, but stopped when she felt the side zipper. Carol felt the syringe. She debated whether or not to jab the woman with it, but once again, it would be wasted. Jenny needed it more. It might be overkill, but if Evelyn didn’t come back soon she’d use it. 

 

Instead, she reached into another pocket and pulled out a plastic packet. She had put them on her list of items to bring back, but it turns out she had a couple after all. Carol ripped the package open with her teeth before dumping it out on the desk. Next she took the test strip and swirled it around in the bag of urine. She set the pee soaked strip on a washcloth before pushing her way past the giant. 

 

“It takes a minute.” Carol said before going into the hall bathroom and dumping the contents of the bag in the toilet. 

 

“Don’t lie to me! Those are supposed to be instantaneous!” The Trunchbull spat. 

 

“It’s testing several things.” Carol said. “White blood cells, acidity, glucose, along with a slew of other things. And yes, HGC levels. I can already tell you just by looking, she has an infection. Your daughter’s very sick. Please reconsider transferring her to the hospital.” 

 

“That thing is not mine!” The Trunchbull bellowed. “My sister and her good -for- nothing- husband dumped her on me.”

 

“Where are they?”

 

“Dead.” The Trunchbull hissed. “Just like that brat will be if you don’t fix the mess she made.”

 

“The mess she made? Those burns are from having liquid poured on her, not spilled.” Carol glared. “The moment whatever deal you made with Evelyn is over, your ass is going to prison.” In the blink of an eye, hot searing pain washed over her. She was doubled over on the ground, gasping for breath. 

 

“If that’s what I can do to you with one hit, just think what I can do to them.” The Trunchbull sneered. She lifted her foot. There was another explosive wave of pain in her side. Carol groaned, rocking back and forth. “Now get back inside! And if I see a single one of you out of that room again before my whore of a niece walks out that door, I’ll break her other arm. Do I make myself clear?” Carol quickly nodded her head up and down. “Good, because next time, I won’t be so nice. Maybe next time I’ll pull off her neck.” The Trunchbull leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Just like Reye’s” 

 

[BabySofia]

Might be a good idea to add a warning label to this chapter...

[kerry]

10 hours ago, BabySofia said:

Might be a good idea to add a warning label to this chapter...

I totally agree! I don't trigger easily but this was so horrific...

[SashaButters]

16 hours ago, BabySofia said:

Might be a good idea to add a warning label to this chapter...

 

5 hours ago, kerry said:

I totally agree! I don't trigger easily but this was so horrific...

Too much? 

[kerry]

Not really. I mean, it is the Trunchbull, after all. Roald Dahl didn't exactly pull a lot of punches with her. 

[SashaButters]

1 hour ago, kerry said:

Not really. I mean, it is the Trunchbull, after all. Roald Dahl didn't exactly pull a lot of punches with her. 

Just channeling a little Annie Wilkes 

[BabySofia]

2 hours ago, SashaButters said:

 

Too much? 

Too much without a warning I think... I've gotten people upset with less I think.

[SashaButters]

57 minutes ago, BabySofia said:

Too much without a warning I think... I've gotten people upset with less I think.

I added one, but it feels silly. 

[KPAXOR1987]

4 hours ago, SashaButters said:

 

Too much? 

 If a bull named trench come for me I'm stabbing it in the eye with my crayon 🤨

 

[Allman90]

15 hours ago, SashaButters said:

I added one, but it feels silly. 

It does i think

 

This far into it with as much as has alreasy happened and what we know so far i mean a lot of your stories have been pretty dark so i'm ready, expecting it. 

 

But good job, your nailing it and I want to see it keep going

[SashaButters]

By the time Evelyn made it back, she was startled to find Dr. Rodgers sitting by the window holding her stomach. She looked pale and shaken. 

 

“I was hoping you wouldn’t come back.” Dr. Rodgers said in a low voice. She grimaced as she stood up and took a shaky step forward. 

 

“Of course I came back. My daughter’s here!” Evelyn said, putting a box down. 

 

“Is this everything?” Dr. Rodgers said with a frown as she peeked inside. 

 

“No, I need to make a couple trips to the car.” She turned to leave the room, but stopped at the sound of approaching footsteps. The giant reappeared , arms full of all the things from her trunk. She let it fall to the ground with a loud crash before turning and slamming the door behind her. Evelyn paled as she heard the sound of a lock sliding into place. “Did she just lock us in?”

 

“Yes.” Dr. Rodgers said with a wince. She bent down and began picking up the Iv pole. 

 

“HORTENSIA! GET OUT OF HER BED!” Evelyn yelled. “What do you think you’re doing?” 

 

“But she was reading me a story!” Hortensia whined, clutching the stuffed dog to her chest with her good arm. 

 

“You leave her alone! She is not there to entertain you! Get down now! Don't give me that attitude!” 

 

“Fine.” Hortentensia huffed. She slid off the bed and took a seat by the window.

 

“Sorry.” Jenny said softly. “She was fine, really.” 

 

“You can tell her ‘no’ if she’s bothering you.” Eveyln said. 

 

“She wasn’t.” Jenny said. “I liked having her with me.” 

 

 Eveyln looked her up and down for a moment. “You’re sitting up. Are you feeling better?”

 

“Yes, much better.” Jenny said, closing the book in her hands and setting it on the bedside.

 

“It’s temporary.” Dr. Rodgers reminded her. 

 

“You had pain medicine?” Evelyn asked. She began scooping the supplies off the floor and setting them on the desk.

 

“I gave her an epidural about an hour ago. I need to get to work before it wears off. I only had the one.” She began setting up the stirrups at the foot of the bed. “Your daughter’s been helpful.” she added after a pause.

 

“Hortensia? Helpful?” Evelyn asked with raised eyebrows. 

 

“She’s been keeping her mind elsewhere.” Dr. Rodgers whispered. “This isn’t a good situation. I might have to ask that you let her resume what they were doing while I work. It’s best she not think about it.” 

 

“So she wasn’t driving everyone crazy?” Evelyn asked. 

 

“I’m not a fan of kids.” Carol admitted. She found the child incredibly annoying in all honesty. “But my goal is to keep my patient calm and happy. If singing and making silly noises does the trick, then so be it.” She surveyed her set up for a moment before changing her gloves. “Can you start the foley?” 

 

“Yes.” Eveyln said. She went to the box and pulled out the tubes before coming to a stop at the foot of the bed. Carol watched as her face drained of color.

 

“Is there a problem?” 

 

“It's, well, there’s a lot of…” Eveyln said before swallowing. 

 

“It’s fine.” Carol said. She remembered their earlier encounter. She couldn’t risk her getting sick in here. “I got it, how about you start the saline drip?” 

 

“Th-thank you.” Evelyn said. 

 

“Alright Jenny, can you scoot down for me?” Carol asked. The girl gave her panicked look. “What’s wrong?”

 

“I can’t move my legs.” Jenny said. 

 

“You’re just numb.” Carol said. “Alright, that’s okay. Mrs. Smith, can you help me get her onto the stirrups when you’re done with that?” 

 

“Yes, and Eve is fine.” She hung the saline drip on the hook of the Iv pole. “Alright, Jenny, we’re going to move you down now. Are you ready? One, two, three.”  She lifted her up under the arms while Carol pulled until she was nearly halfway off the bed. 

 

“That’s better.” Carol said, placing the girl's feet in the stirrups. “Jenny, how about you keep reading now? I think your friend wants to hear the rest of the chapter.” 

 

“Yeah!” Hortensia cheered, jumping up and retrieving the book. 

 

“Make sure the little one stays over there.” Carol warned in a hushed tone. “This isn’t something she’s going to want to see.” 

 

“Hortensia,” Eve said. “Make sure you stay seated at the window.” 

 

“But I can’t hear!” the girl complained. 

 

“She can sit with me,” Jenny said. “Like we were before. Sort of.”  

 

“Can you read like that?” Eve asked as she handed her the book, “Flat on your back?” Jenny nodded and opened to where she last was as Evelyn hoisted her daughter back on the bed. “Stay up here.” she warned her before turning her attention back to the teen. “Do you like to read much?” 

 

“Yes, I love it.” Jenny said. “I just wish I had more books to choose from.” 

 

“I wish this one had an interest. I’ve been trying to teach her, but it’s like pulling teeth.”

 

“She was reading earlier. I heard her.” Carol said from the foot of the bed. 

 

“She was?” Eve asked, a tone of skepticism in her voice.

 

“Yes, Jenny was helping her. Would you mind taking vitals?” 

 

“She’s running a high fever. 39.6c” Eve said after a minute once the thermometer beeped. 

 

“We need to get that down. It’s the infection. I’ll start her on antibiotics once I’m done with this.” Carol said. 

 

“Are you still working on the foley?” 

 

“No, that’s in. I’m trying to clean out some of the pus while she’s still numb. Some of the blisters have opened.” 

 

“Oof.” Eve said, crossing her legs. 

 

“Don’t come over here if you're squeamish. I’ve got the speculum in.” 

 

“What’s that?” Jenny asked. 

 

“It’s a tool to help me see what I’m doing. Do you feel any of this?” 

 

“No.” 

 

“Good. Keep reading. Just ignore me for the time being.” 

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Best you not know.” Carol said. “I’m almost done. Eve, I really hope that’s not what you brought for bandages.” She nodded her head towards a bag of diapers in the corner.

 

“No, I wasn’t sure how long we’d be here for.” Evelyn said. “There for Horte-”

 

“NO THEY AREN'T!” the girl yelled. Eve rolled her eyes.

 

“Fine, I just happened to grab a bag because I felt like it.” Eve said before whispering. “She’s 0 for 3 this week. I don’t want to worry about her falling asleep and making a mess.” 

 

“For the best. We’re locked in.” Carol said. 

 

“Not really.” Jenny said. “It’s easy to get out.” 

 

“Does she often lock you in?” Eve asked softly.

 

“Just at night.” Jenny said. 

 

“There’s no just, she shouldn’t be locking you in.” Eve said with a frown. “What if you need something?”

 

“Then I sneak out.” Jenny said before chuckling softly. “I like to hide the remotes. I can hear her yelling downstairs. It’s funny.” 

 

“So that’s what you do for fun? Read and antagonize your aunt?” Carol asked. 

 

“Mhm.” Jenny said as she closed her eyes.

 

“Hey! Finish the story!” Hortensia said. 

 

“I’m tired.” Jenny whispered. “Why don’t you show your mommy how much you can read? Read the sentences we worked on.” She passed the book up to the little girl. “It’s on the first page.” 

 

Eve stopped what she was doing and listened in surprise. How? “You taught her all that while I was gone?” Jenny shrugged. “You’d make a good teacher.” 

 

“It’s starting to hurt again.” Jenny whimpered.

 

“Alright, I'm done here. I just need to bandage you up.” Carol said. “You did good staying still for me while I sewed you up.” 

 

“You sowed me?” Jenny asked, horrified. 

 

“A few spots needed closing. I gave you a couple of stitches.” Carol said.

 

“How many?” 

 

“27.” Carol said.

 

“27!?” 

 

 “Don’t think about it. The good news is the worst is over and you didn’t feel a thing. You will need to apply silver sulfadiazine ointment several times a day and change the bandages. For now, we will help you with that.” She bent down and pulled out a yellow tube of ointment before looking back and letting out breath. “If only I could sit you in a saddle of the stuff.” Applying it was time consuming, but necessary. 

 

“You look like a mummy.” Hortensia said once the last of the gauze was wrapped tightly around her from her knees to just below her belly button.  

 

“Did you bring any more of these pads?” Carol asked, looking through the boxes. “Oh good, you did. We need to change her bedding. Should change her clothes too.” She looked around the room and frowned. “Jenny, do you have any clean sheets in here?” 

 

“Check in the closet.” Jenny said. 

 

“Just a few more things and we’ll let you rest, alright?” Eve said. “You’re doing so good.” 

 

“Here they are.” She grabbed a fresh change of bedding and stood over her. “I’m not quite sure how to make this work. Eve, I’m going to need your help.” With lots of rolling, bending and adjusting, the two of them managed to get a clean sheet on. “I need to sit down.” Carol said. She held her side and with a grimace of pain took a seat on the bench by the window. “Let’s get some air in here.” She tugged on the window and frowned. “What the…”

 

“What is it?” Eve asked, wet washcloth in hand. 

 

“It doesn’t open.” Jenny admitted.

 

“It’s nailed shut!” Carol said. She stared at the window dumbfounded before turning back to the girl in the bed. This child was a prisoner! Nails in the window, lock on the bedroom door! Carol swallowed. They were all prisoners now. She slumped down in the seat gripping her side. 

 

“How are you feeling, hun?” Eve asked. 

 

“My arm hurts!” Hortensia whined. “And I’m hungry.”

 

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Eve said with a shake of her head. “Kids.” she whispered. Jenny gave her a weak smile. 

 

“She’s sweet.” Jenny said as she closed her eyes. “Her hair's so pretty.”

 

“Don’t let those bright blue eyes deceive you.” Eve said with a roll of her eyes. “The curls are just there to hide the horns. Now let’s get you out of those dirty clothes. I’ve got you something clean to wear here after I wipe you down. No, arms at your sides. I know there isn’t much privacy right now. That’s it. I’ll be done in a minute.” 

 

“Privacy is the least of her concerns right now.” Carol said. “If she’s embarrassed, it means she’s not in pain.” 

 

“Both.” Jenny mumbled. 

 

“Is it starting to wear off?” Eve asked. Jenny nodded. “We’ll give you something soon. Almost done here.  How old are you, sweetheart?”

 

“Sixteen.” 

 

“Really? I mistook you for someone younger.” Eve admitted. So had she, Carol thought as she watched. She had guessed her to be thirteen at most. “Any plans after highschool?” 

 

“No.” Jenny mumbled. 

 

“Well, you’ve got a few years to decide. No hurry.”

 

“I graduate this year.” Jenny said. 

 

“Really? You’re so young.” 

 

“School is my escape.” she mumbled. 

 

“You must be very smart.” 

 

“My father started me a year early, that’s all.” 

 

 “No idea at all what you want to do? What about college?” Eve asked. 

 

“She’d never let me.” Jenny whispered. 

“What does she expect you to do after high school then?”

 

“The housework.” 

 

“No, that can’t be right. No guardian would waste your potential like that.” Eve frowned as Jennifer let out a barely audible snort. “Well if you could pick, what would you want to do?”

 

“I don’t know.” Jennifer answered honestly.

 

“Well, I stand by what I said before. I think you’d make a great teacher.” 

 

…

 

“Are you alright? You don’t look so good.” Eve asked. Carol opened her eyes to find the woman staring down at her. “Does your stomach hurt?”

 

“I’m fine,” Carol lied. “We had a bit of a disagreement in the hall earlier.” 

 

“What?” Eve asked with pursed lips. Her eyes were scanning over her. “What happened?”

 

“Nothing, don’t worry about it.”

 

“Dr. Rodgers, lift up your shirt.”

 

“No, I'm fine.” 

 

“You’re not fine. You’ve been holding your side since I got back. What happened?”

 

“Keep your voice down.” Carol hissed. The last thing they needed were the children upset. 

 

“Lift. Your. Shirt.” Eve demanded in a low hushed tone. Carol sighed and unbuttoned her blouse. “Dr. Rodgers.” Eve said. She took in a sharp intake of breath. 

 

“It’s just a bruise.” 

 

“That’s not just a bruise!” Eve admonished. “We need to wrap that! You could have a broken rib.”

 

“Don’t waste the supplies on me.” Carol said as she refastened her shirt. “Nothing’s broken.” 

 

“You don’t know that.” Eve said. “Jenny said it’s easy to get out, you should-”

 

“No.” Carol said through clenched teeth. “Even if the lock wasn’t there, we can’t leave. Not yet.” 

“We’ll have to leave soon.” Eve said. “Hortensia needs to go potty. She’s been squirming for the last couple minutes.” 

 

“No, you can’t. Don’t risk it.” 

 

“Dr, she’s only four. She can’t hold it.”

 

“No.” Carol said more forcefully. “If she’s going to have an accident, then put her in one of the diapers you brought.”

 

“They're just for sleep.” Eve argued.

 

“And now they're not.”

 

“I can’t hold it.” Eve hissed.  

 

“Welcome to the medical field.” Carol said. 

 

“Tell me. Why can’t we leave this room?” Eve demanded. Her voice was no longer hushed. 

 

“Because it’s not safe.” Carol admitted. 

 

“We’re just going to the bathroom and back.” 

 

“You don’t understand the danger we’re in. That she’s in.” Carol pointed to the squirming child. “That woman,” she dropped her voice to a whisper, “killed Billy Reyes.” She watched the color drain out of Eve’s face. “What do you think happened to Jenny?”

 

“Sh-she said she spilled-”

 

“Poured.” Carol said through clenched teeth. “She poured boiling water on her, and for what?!” 

 

“For being a whore.” they heard a soft voice whisper. They turned to find Jenny awake and sitting up in bed. 

 

“No, Jenny, no matter what happened, you didn’t deserve that. No one does.” Carol said. She stood and took a seat by her bedside. “Why don’t you tell me what happened? Do you remember?”

 

“She caught me…” A pained expression came over her face before a single tear slid down the side of her face.

 

“It doesn’t matter what she caught you doing or with whom.” Carol said. “You’re hardly the first teenager to get caught with a boy in their room. Is this why she assumed you were pregnant? You’re not by the way.” 

 

“No! I was just, uhh. I was. I was just, umm,” her eyes darted to the child and back to Carol, “uncomfortable.”

 

“I see.” Carol said. “And your aunt caught you making yourself… more comfortable?” Jenny nodded with a sniffle. Carol closed her eyes and chanted the doctor's mantra. Do no harm. Do no harm. “Jenny, you didn’t deserve this. You did nothing wrong.” 

 

“I’m a whore.” Jenny choked out with a sob.

 

“No, you’re not.” Carol said. “I do it. Eve,” The woman looked up from the diaper bag and gave her a questioning look. “Do you masterbate?” 

 

“Excuse me?” Eve choked out. Carol gave her a look that said just go with it. Her face turned a shade of crimson. “Sometimes.” 

 

“See, nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, the only whore in this room is me.” Carol said with a wink. Eve snorted and Jenny gave her a painful sad smile. “Now that we’re on this topic, are you sexually active, Jenny?” 

 

“Mommy, what’s a whore?” Hortensia asked. Eve groaned. Carol had to bite back a laugh. 

 

”It’s…It’s someone who plays with a lot of people.” Eve said. 

 

“So, you have a lot of friends?” Hortensia asked, looking at the doctor with wide eyes. 

 

“Hortensia!” Eve groaned. 

 

“Yes,” Carol chuckled. “I’ve had a lot of friends over the years.” 

 

“Is that why my name’s Whore-tensia?” she asked, eliciting another snort from Carol.

 

“No! You were named after your grandmother!” Eve said. 

 

“Does grandma have a lot of friends too?” 

 

“Depends on if she has plastic over her furniture or not.” Carol chuckled. 

“She does!” Hortensia volunteered. 

“Oh, grandma’s a squirter.” 

“Dr. Rodgers!” Eve groaned into her hand.

 

“She doesn’t understand.” Carol said with a smirk. 

 

“But I do, and I don’t want to think of my mother like that.” Eve mumbled before shuddering. “What happened to being professional?” 

 

“Sorry, sorry.” Carol said. “Just trying to lighten the mood for her.” She spun in her chair and faced the teen again before clearing her throat. “Right, where were we? Are you sexually active?”

 

“Does it matter?” Jenny mumbled. 

 

“Yes, it does. I’m a gynecologist. I specialize in women’s reproductive and sexual health among other things. These are just routine questions. Trust me, nothing you say will shock me and everything you say is confidential and pri-” she looked around at the room of people. She cleared her throat. “Your aunt won’t know, how about that?” 

 

“I…I don’t really know.” Jennifer said. 

 

“Let me put it this way. Have you done anything with anyone other than yourself?” Jenny nodded. “And how many partners would you say you’ve had?”

 

“One.” 

 

“And is this relationship in the past, or is it ongoing?” Jenny shrugged and looked away. “I’m going to take that as ongoing. Hey, there’s no need to cry.” Carol sighed as the girl hid her face behind her hands. “Does your aunt know about this relationship?” Jenny nodded. “Is this why she’s locked you in this room?” Jenny shook her head. “So she’s angry with you for masturbating, but not about having a sexual partner?” Carol asked out loud. Jenny began to cry harder. 

 

“It’s her.” Jenny sobbed. 

 

“I’m sorry, I-I don’t follow.” Carol said. She swallowed the lump rising in her throat.

Do no harm. Do no harm.

 

“She’s the sexual partner.” 

 

Do no harm.

[SashaButters]

“The lungs on that one.” Dr. Rodgers said with a grimace. Jennifer and Carol both stared at the closed closet door. Jennifer’s confession had sent Evelyn scrambling to remove her daughter from the room so they could talk in private. Unfortunately, the only place to go had been her closet. Dr. Rodgers had noticed the diaper in Evelyn’s hand as she closed the door. It had been the final straw for the child. Now it sounded as if all hell was breaking loose. They could both hear the sounds of screaming, thrashing and objects crashing to the ground. 

 

“I hope there’s nothing valuable there.” Carol said before dropping her voice. “She needs to get control of her brat.” She was afraid of what Jenny’s aunt would do if she heard her tantrum. 

 

“She’s just a kid.” Jennifer mumbled. But Carol could see the panic and fear etched in her face. They were both thinking the same thing. Her meltdown was putting them all in danger. If someone didn’t quiet her soon, who knows what the Trunchbull would do. There’s no way she couldn’t hear it. 

 

Carol stood and knocked on the door. 

 

“Evelyn, you need to quiet her!” Carol said. There was another loud crash. Her eyes flicked to the bedroom door and back. She couldn’t tell if the Trunchbull was coming or not. Every bang and scream put her on edge. 

 

“What do you think I’m trying to do here!” Eve yelled back. 

 

“It sounds like you’re breaking every bone in her body! What are you doing?”

 

“Trying to put a diaper on her, but she's not cooperating!” Eve yelled back, sounding just as alarmed. “HORTENSIA! CALM DOWN, RIGHT NOW!” 

 

“She’s going to bring that monster back!” Carol shouted. “Forget this.” she hurried to her bag and pulled out an empty syringe. 

 

“What are you going to do?” Jennifer asked. 

 

“Sedate her.” Carol said. She pulled a vial out of the box and jabbed the needle inside before pulling up the plunger. “Open the door. Let her out!” Carol shouted. 

 

“No! Don’t do that!” Jennifer said. “She’s just upset!”

 

“I don’t have a choice. She’s putting herself in danger.” 

 

Carol froze, syringe in hand. She could hear the pounding footsteps even over the screaming child. Oh no. She braced herself. They could hear the pin unlatching, and with a violent pull of the door, the Trunchbull stood in the doorway looking every bit enraged as Carol imagined her to be. 

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?” She shrieked. The wailing child inside the closet went quiet. She glared at them. “Where’s the other bitch at?” 

 

“In there.” Carol said, pointing to the closet. She tried her best to stand tall despite her trembling legs. She swallowed. “The child is in pain, please allow them to leave. I can handle things here myself.” The Trunchbull gawked at her. Carol stood between her and the closet door. “At least leave us full access upstairs. We can’t care for your niece like this. We need food, water, and access to the restroom.” Agatha scowled. 

 

“You’re a demanding old hag.” she sneered. She noticed the syringe in Carol’s hand. “What do you think you’re doing with that? Get rid of it!” 

 

“It’s for the child.” Carol said before adding. “I wouldn’t waste it on you.” 

 

“You’re supposed to be working on the whore!” She shoved a fat finger towards Jennifer. 

 

“Stop it!” Carol growled, hands clenched into fists. She wished she had pulled more into the syringe. It wouldn’t make a dent in this damn behemoth. “She’s just a child! I know what you’ve been doing to her. She’s your niece, you sick fuck!”

 

“Don’t.” Jennifer whimpered. Agatha’s lips twisted into a smile that made the hairs on Carol’s arms raise.

 

“She told you that, did she?” Carol watched uneasily as the beast walked towards Jenny’s bed before coming to stop. She stood besides the girl who now sat cowering on the bed clutching her blanket. She put a hand on top of the teens head before slowly sliding her fingers down Jenny’s face. “Did she leave out the part where she begs me for it?” Jenny let out a choked sob. 

 

“Get. Out.” Carol hissed. 

 

“I guess you don’t want that food then. What’s another few bodies in the attic?” 

 

“P-please stop, A-aunt T-trunchbull.” Jenny whimpered. “Wh-what’s the p-point of all th-those rations if you do-don’t use them?” 

 

“You! Who said you could talk?” She faked a hit, making Jenny cower. She let out a snicker before turning back to Carol and sneered. “Fine, but you’ll be getting the worst ones.” She strode out the door before stopping in the hallway outside. “Why don’t you show them where the bathroom is, Jenny? They must be uncomfortable.” She slammed the door before the lock slid back into place.

 

They sat in silence for a few seconds before the closet door opened with a creak. 

 

“Is it safe?” Eve asked, sticking her head out. 

“If you can call this safe.” Carol said with a sigh. She looked at the trembling girl in the bed. “Are you alright?”  Jenny nodded her head as she wiped at her tear streak face.

 

“I-I don’t beg her for it.” She mumbled before looking away.

 

“Of course you don’t. I didn’t believe her for a second.”

 

“She just wouldn’t stop teasing me.” Jenny said, barely above a whisper. Carol gave the girl's hand what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze. 

 

“It’s not your fault. None of this is.” 

 

“Umm, sorry, did she say something about a restroom?” Eve asked as she stepped out, followed by a diapered and grumpy looking toddler. 

 

“Under the bed.” Jenny whispered to the blanket. With a look of confusion, Eve got on her hands and knees and peeked underneath. She reached her arm out before tossing a pair of soiled pajama pants into the middle of the floor, making Jenny groan and stretched again. 

 

“This is a bucket.” Eve said incredulously before standing up. Jenny nodded, avoiding everyone's gaze. 

 

“No. No. No. No. No.” Carol said. She snatched the object out of Eve’s hand before scooping up the soiled pajamas and threw them both in the closet before shutting the door. “The room needs to stay as sterile as possible.” Eve bit her lip and stared at the closet door. “NO!” Carol said again. “We are in a patient's room!” 

 

“But I-” 

 

“Hold it.” Carol demanded. “You are not a child.” 

 

Eve nodded glumly, a pained expression on her face. 

 

“It’s better than nothing.” Jenny mumbled. “You can use it if you need to. It’s why it’s here.” 

 

“That’s, umm, nice of you to offer, but no.” Carol said. “That’s very unsanitary.” 

 

“You had me wee in a bag.” 

 

“That’s different.” 

 

“How?” 

 

“It was an emergency.” Jennifer looked to Eve, who was shifting from foot to foot, then back to Carol. “You’re sick. No one expects you to be able to hold it.” 

 

“What if I have to wee again?”

 

“You won’t.”

 

“Why not?” 

 

“You have a catheter.” Jennifer gave her a puzzled look. “Your bladder’s draining by itself. See.” She held up a clear quarter full bag of urine sitting by the foot of the bed. Jennifer's face darkened. “It’s a good thing. No more painful urination, for the time being.” 

 

“What if I have to…?” Jennifer gave her a look.

 

“Do you?” Jennifer quickly shook her head. “Good.” Carol sighed. “We’ll cross that bridge when the time comes. Just give me enough warning.” She thought of the soiled pajamas. “If you can.” Jennifer scowled, but nodded. 

 

They all went silent as footsteps began pounding up the stairs. The sound of metal clanged before the door opened a crack. In flew one box, followed by another and then a third. Finally a large jug of water crashed to the ground before the door slammed shut again.

 

“Enjoy.” Agatha cackled, before retreating back down the stairs. 

 

Carol picked up a box and examined it. “What are these?” she asked.

 

“War rations.” Jennifer said with a sour face. “What did she give you?”

 

“So, there, what, MRE’s? Let’s see, there’s Veggie Omelet, Chicken A la King and Veggie Burger. The chicken one doesn’t look too bad.” 

 

“That’s because you haven’t tasted it.” 

 

“Can’t be any worse than the hospital food. Eve, have you had the pleasure of dining in the cafeteria yet? You haven’t lived until you’ve had the chicken masala.” 

 

“Never again.” Eve groaned. “Why do you think you found me with my head in the trash can?” 

 

Carol chuckled and opened the box before dumping the contents out onto the desk. “Anyone?” 

 

Eve raised her hand. “I’m starving. Hortensia, will you eat some?” Hortensia grunted. It looked like she still wasn’t on speaking terms. Carol threw her a bag which she caught with both hands.

 

“Jenny?” 

 

“No, I don’t think my stomach can handle it.” Jenny said with a wince. Carol checked her watch. It was already nearly 9 pm. 

 

“How’s your pain level?” 

 

“A six.” 

 

“Okay, it’s close enough.” She put the MRE’s down and filled a syringe with a clear liquid. “This might make you feel a little loopy, but it’ll help you get some rest. Are you sure you don’t want to eat first?” 

 

“I'm sure.” Jennifer said. Carol pushed the plunger down into the IV line, and within a minute, she could see the teen's eyes begin to droop until they closed. 

 

“Sorry, last thing, open your mouth. Let me take your temperature.” Without lifting her eyelids, Jennifer opened her mouth and Carol took the opportunity to shovel in a forkful of the mush. 

 

“Liar!” Jennifer said sitting and coughing. 

 

“Swallow it.” Carol said. She watched the girl make a sour face before swallowing it down. “Three more bites. Then you can sleep.” Jennifer shook her head. “You need to eat. You’ll feel worse if you don’t.” Jennifer shook her head again. “It’s not that bad.” It was, but it was food. “Jenny, open your mouth. Little eyes are watching you.” Jennifer turned her head to find Hortensia staring at her. She gave Carol a dirty look before reluctantly opening her mouth for another bite. “Good girl.” 

 

…

 

“So,” Carol asked from her spot on the floor. “Are you going to tell me how you got into this mess?”

 

“She put an ad in the paper looking for a caregiver. Here.” Eve reached into her coat pocket Hortensia was using for a blanket and pulled out a crumbled page of a newspaper. Carol read it over. 

 

“Young mother preferred.” She read out loud. “Will pay cash.” 

 

“I thought she wanted someone who could work with kids.” Eve admitted. “Thought I’d be caring for a child.” 

 

“Evelyn, this has red flags all over it. Why did you bring your daughter anyway? Why didn’t you leave her with your husband? I see your ring.” 

 

“He left.” Eve whispered. “I was desperate and she told me to bring her. Next thing I knew she was holding her hostage.” Carol sighed.

 

“She had this planned from the start.”

 

“Looks like it.” Eve said. The room was quiet for a few minutes before Eve spoke again. “It’s been hell since he left.” 

 

“Hmm?”

 

“She’s always been such a daddy’s girl, and now that he’s gone, she’s been throwing these monster tantrums and getting herself kicked out of all the daycares in town. Then her little friend went missing, and…” She went quiet. “Did she really hurt him?” 

 

“Who?”

 

“Billy Reyes. He was Hortensia’s friend.” 

 

Carol felt her stomach flop. It could have been the stress. It could also have been the MRE, she wasn’t sure.

 

“That’s what she told me after she sucker punched me. Said she snapped his neck.” 

 

“Do you think she was just trying to scare you?” 

 

“I don’t know. She’s certainly strong enough. Either way, mission accomplished.” Carol muttered. She felt her swollen side and hissed. Her mind went to the Vicodin bottle on the desk. Just one would be enough. “It had to be on the right side.” 

 

“Huh?” Eve asked. “What’s on the right side?”

 

“Where she kicked me. I’m still recovering from surgery.” 

 

“She kicked you? I thought you said she punched you? And what surgery?” Eve asked, alarmed.

 

“She did both.” Carol admitted. “I was being stupid and threatened her.” She sighed. “And I had a hysterectomy. God, these hot flashes. I want to kick down that stupid window.” Not to mention the mood swings. She had never felt so enraged before. She looked up at the sleeping girl in the bed. She had worked with victims of sexual abuse before, some even younger than Jenny.  She had seen the damage first hand, but she had never felt such a desire to avenge them. She had always kept a professional distance from her patients, but everytime she changed the bandages, the anger in her reared its ugly head. 

 

“I’m sorry, I can’t take it anymore.” Eve said. Carol watched as she stood up and shuffled  her way awkwardly to the closet. She sighed. They really were prisoners here. 

 

“Go ahead.” Carol said. It was one thing if they were only going to be here for an afternoon, but her watch told her it had been nearly 15 hours. They may not be children, but they were still human. She sat up gingerly and got to her feet. “My turn.” she mumbled as Eve came out. At least they had a little privacy. A pee bucket was better than no bucket at all. She needed to empty Jenny’s catheter bag anyway. 

 

Once she was done she sanatized her hands and tossed Eve the bottle. That’s when she heard a moan coming from the bed.

 

“Ready for more medicine?” She asked the writhing teen. She looked at her watch and checked her notes. No, it was too soon. “Are you in pain?” It felt like such a stupid question to ask. The girl had third degree burns on her privates, of course she was in pain. 

 

“I need to…” Jenny whimpered. Her eyes were wide with panic and what little color her face had regained was now gone. 

 

“You need to what?” Carol asked. She had to fight back a yawn. She was so tired. She felt like she had been in a fog all day. The girl groaned and gave her a pleading look. The light flicked on in Carol’s head. “Oh.”

 

“Bucket. I need the bucket. Please hurry.” Jenny begged. 

 

“No bucket for you.” Carol said firmly. She dug in her bag and searched for a solution. She should have thought this through sooner. It was bound to happen eventually. “Are you going to throw up?” She asked. She could deal with vomit easily. Jenny shook her head. Damn. She flicked on the main light and tore through the supplies. Nothing. She gritted her teeth and faked a calm demeanor. “Let's get these bandages off you first. She unwound the gauze in the line of fire before searching again. She had to come up with something. 

 

“Eve, I need your help.” Carol said. The woman stood and came over. “She needs to go number two.” she whispered. “I can’t think of anything.” 

 

“What about the diapers? Or a emit bag?” Eve asked. 

 

“I can’t get her in a position to make the bag work. She CAN NOT get fecal matter in her burns, diapers are out too.” 

 

“The bucket?”

 

“We’ve already contaminated it.” Carol said. 

 

“Please, hurry.” Jenny begged, holding her stomach. 

 

“Honey, why didn’t you tell me sooner you needed to go?”

 

“No warning.” she said through gritted teeth.

 

“Do you think you have diarrhea?” Jenny nodded. 

 

“Do you think she can hold herself up long enough?” Eve asked. “Or one of us can hold her legs. We can just pull the pad.” 

 

“No choice, it’s going to have to work.” Carol whispered. She slipped on a fresh pair of gloves and gave the girl a sympathetic smile. She pulled her blanket and set it aside. “Ready?” Jennifer nodded but frowned at their lack of well, anything. 

 

“Where?” she whimpered. 

 

“Can you push yourself up or do you need one of us to hold you?” 

 

“What if you put her in the stirrups? It would at least give her front more clearance.” 

 

“It could make a bigger mess though.” 

 

“You could use another pad as a shield.” 

 

“That’s true. Alright. Help me move her down.” Jenny let out a soft mewl as they adjusted her until her feet were up in the air. “The good news is your anal cavity only has some minor burns. There’s only one spot that concerns me, do you think you could lean a little to your left. Perfect, hold that position.” Jennifer let out another cry as Carol held up another pad and placed Jennifer's feet over it to hold it in place. 

 

“Hurry. I can’t…” 

 

“Everything’s set on our end, sweetheart.” Eve whispered. 

 

“But…but…” Jenny stammered. “There’s nothing…”

 

“It’s alright, Jenny,” Carol whispered. “Just go on the bed.”

 

“What?” Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.  “No!” 

 

“We just have to swap out the pad when you’re done. I know you’re in an awkward position, but it’s the only way to keep everything clean.” 

 

“We’ll just sit over at the window and talk amongst ourselves.” Eve reassured her. “Just call us over when you’re ready.” She gave her head a pat before they both took a seat by the window.

 

Jennifer let out another horrified cry and covered her face with her hands. 

 

…

 

“Shh, don’t cry, dear.” Eve whispered as she ran the washcloth over Jennifer’s skin. “At least Hortensia slept through everything.” 

 

“Please, don’t make me do that again.” the girl choked out. 

 

“Sorry, hun, it was the only choice we had. Does your tummy feel better at least?” Jennifer made a so-so motion with her hand. “You’ll feel better once the infection’s all cleared up.” She balled up the dirty pads and stuck them in the closet with the other soiled things before stripping off her gloves. 

 

“Here,” Carol said, handing her a face mask before securing one of her own. The smell in the room was beginning to make her eyes water. “Try not to gag in front of her next time.” 

 

 Eve took the mask and flashed her an apologetic wince. “Sorry, it was everywhere.” she whispered. “I’m not used to it yet.”

 

 Carol nodded in understanding. It had sounded bad. It was why she had volunteered Eve in the name of ‘practice’. Her speciality was the front end.  She stood and stared out the window. The sun was just coming up. She wondered how long it would take her office to report her missing. They’d know something was amiss when she didn’t show up to work this morning, right? She checked her watch. Her morning alarm would be going off in a few minutes. 

 

“Breakfast anyone?” Eve asked, holding up the veggie omelet box. She opened the box and pulled out a bag and tossed one to Carol. “Jenny?” The teen shook her head again before giving Carol a dirty look. 

 

“Don’t you dare.” She mouthed. Carol smirked and opened her bag. Her face paled. What was this supposed to be? She looked at the picture then back to the contents inside. “I call it the vomelet.” 

 

“How appropriate.” Carol muttered. She took a tentative bite and forced herself to swallow. “Well, I’m stuffed.” She put the bag down and watched Eve’s reaction. 

 

“Yeah, no.” Eve said, looking at the contents. “Pretty sure this is what I just cleaned up.” 

 

“Aren’t you at least going to try it?” Carol teased. “Go on, take a bite.” 

 

“I-I’m not that hungry after all.” Eve mumbled. “She hadn’t been kidding about giving us the worst ones.” 

 

“The veggie burgers are a bit better.” Jennifer said. “At least it doesn’t look like your eating gelatinous poo.” 

 

They were better, not by much Carol thought, but at least they didn’t have her on the verge of gagging. Even Hortensia had taken more bites than she had last night. 

 

“Mommy, will you read me more of the story?” Hortensia begged, holding up the book from yesterday. If it would keep her quiet even Carol was willing to read to her. Eve took the book and opened it. Carol watched as a piece of torn notebook paper fluttered to the ground. Hortensia snatched it up and stared at it. “Mommy, what does this say?”

 

“Why don’t you try reading it out loud?” Eve suggested. “You did so good reading yesterday. I’m so proud of you.” Hortensia stared at the note until it looked like she might explode as she struggled to sound out the first word.

 

“F-F-F-uhh..hhh..” Eve snatched it away and set it aside. “What does it say?” Hortensia asked again.

 

“Umm, it said, ‘fudge is delicious’.” Eve said before clearing her throat. “Where did you leave off?” 

 

Carol picked up the piece of paper and stared at the note that read, Fuck you Aunt Trunchbull, and smirked at Eve. “Fudge is delicious, huh?” 

 

“Very.” Eve said before turning back to the book. Carol stared at the note again and sighed. Poor kid. She looked at the sleeping girl. Must be her way of venting. She stood and made her way to the bookcase before pulling a copy of Anne of Green Gables. She stared at it in confusion. The weight felt off. She opened it and let out a chuckle. The center had been cut out to make a little hidden pocket.

 

“Ohh, Eve check this out.” She had been hoping for more notes, but this was even better. She held up the little white object.

 

“Is that…?” Eve asked. Carol nodded and put it back where she found it. Too bad they didn’t have a lighter. It would probably improve the smell in the room. She picked up another book and flipped through the pages. No contraband, but she did find more angry notes. “Let’s take a break, honey.” Eve said and placed the note from earlier back inside as a bookmark. “I’m sure you’re more than ready to get out of that wet diaper.” Carol softly chuckled at the girl's horrified expression. “C’mon, let's go back in the closet and get you cleaned up.”

 

“Can I have my panties back?” 

 

“Yes, you can, but I want you to try going potty first.” She opened the closet door.

 

“Eww, it stinks.” Hortensia complained as Eve pushed her in and closed the door behind them. 

 

“It hurts really bad again.” Jenny whimpered. “Can I have pain medicine yet?” Carol checked her watch.

 

“Yes,” Carol said, getting to her feet and readying the syringe. “Did you get any sleep after…?” She let her words trail off. After that blowout, she thought. 

 

“A little.” 

 

“Mommy, why are you going potty in a bucket?” They heard coming from the closet followed by panicked shushing sounds. 

 

“At least she was asleep.” Carol said with an apologetic smile. The last thing they needed was the little one going, “eww” at the teens expense and making things even more awkward for her. Jennifer covered her face with her hands. “We’ll have her wait in the closet next time you need to go.” Jennifer scowled at the sound of a next time.

 

“Hortensia, don’t leave yet. Go potty.”

 

“Why do I have to go potty in a bucket?” the child whined. 

 

“Do you want another diaper?” Eve threatened. 

 

“Your fever’s gone down since last night, so that’s good.” Carol said after clearing her throat and adding. “I found your stash.” She smirked. Jennifer gave her a panicked look. “Your secrets are safe with me.” 

 

“They’re hers.” Jennifer said. “I just like taking her stuff when she makes me mad.” Carol gave her sad smile. 

 

“I hope you’re not putting yourself in any unnecessary danger. Your safety is my first priority. You shouldn’t be doing anything to make her an-”

“There’s tequila behind the air vent cover, if you want some.”

 

“Good girl.” She said with a laugh. She was about to push the plunger when she could hear footsteps coming down the hall. She froze on instinct. Eve hurried out of the closet.

 

“Hortensia, stay in here until I tell you to come out.” Eve whispered before closing the door behind her. She  stood guard as the lock began to rattle. 

 

The Trunchbull opened the door and stared at Carol, syringe in hand as she stood over Jenny before her eyes settled on Eve. 

 

“You, come with me.” She yanked Eve out of the room by the arm and slammed the bedroom door closed. Carol waited a few minutes, but it didn’t sound like they were coming back. She finished giving Jenny her pain medicine, before opening the closet door, only to be greeted with a rancid smell. She let the girl out before she turned and stared at the bedroom door. She hadn’t heard the lock slide back into place. 

 

Carol pulled the door open a crack and peeked her head out. She could hear the Trunchbull barking orders downstairs. She tiptoed out and into the bathroom and quickly gathered a few things to make their situation a little more bearable like a toilet paper roll, trash bags, and a can of air freshener before hurrying back into her cage. She went back into the closet and threw away the cause of the most offensive of the odors before tying it in a knot. She doubted Jenny wanted to keep the soiled pajama pants. After spraying the room, she took a whiff and sighed. 

 

“Now it smells like Shitrus.” She announced earning her a weak smile from the teen. Next she took the bucket and tiptoed back into the bathroom and dumped it down the shower drain. “I’ve done what I can.” she announced as she took a seat.

 

“Can we play the alphabet game again?” Hortensia asked. 

 

“You should really let her rest.” Carol said. 

 

“I think I can stay awake for a little longer.” Jenny said as she smiled at the girl and patted the spot next to her on the bed. You can join me if you want Anna, we’ll change it a little though. This time, let’s see. We did animals yesterday, so this time…” she went silent for a minute before announcing, “It has to be a silly word. Doctor, would you like to play with us? It’s more fun with more people.” Carol sighed as she looked at the two eager faces. 

 

“Fine, but only if you remind me where that tequila was.” 

 

They went through a few rounds, before Jenny had to close her eyes. Carol had to hand it to her. She had a way with kids. Even with third degree burns she had more patience with Hortensia than Carol and Eve combined. She had to agree with Eve. Jenny would make a good teacher. If they could just get her out of here. She took another swig from the bottle and winced. 

 

“Can I have some? I’m thirsty.” Hortensia said.

 

“No, sorry, this is only for adults.” Carol said. “I’ll get you some water.” 

 

“You gave her some.” Hortensia pouted. 

 

“You weren't supposed to see that.” Carol said. “You wouldn’t like it anyway. It tastes like medicine.” 

 

“Then why are you drinking it?” 

 

“Because I’m in pain. How’s your arm by the way?” she asked in order to change the subject. 

 

“Hurts.” Hortensia whined. 

 

“Let me see.” She looked at the girl's arm. It was swollen and purple in places, but she was far from a pediatrician. “Do you want me to make you a cast?” It wouldn’t be very good, but at least it would keep her from jostling it. She dumped out the rest of the Veggie Omelets and tore the cardboard box into pieces before fitting it around the child's arm and taping it into place. “Maybe when Jenny’s feeling better she can play with you some more.” 

 

“Why can’t she get my name right?” Carol had been wondering the same. Trauma did funny things to peoples memory. “I think you remind her of a character from a book. See, that big one says Anne of Green Gables. Maybe that’s where she got the name. You’re both very…energetic.” Hortensia started to reach for it, but Carol stopped her. “Let’s not touch her stuff while she’s sleeping.” She didn’t feel like explaining what a joint was. 

 

“Where’s my mommy?”

 

“Downstairs, I think. She’ll be back soon.” Carol said. She hoped so at least. Her granddaughter was the only child she had patience for. She was also an energetic handful, but Carol adored her anyway. She was heartbroken when they had moved to the states last year. 

 

…

 

It was nearly evening when the door flew open and Eve was shoved back inside before the door slammed shut behind her. This time Agatha hadn’t forgotten the lock. 

 

“Where hafth you been?” Carol asked.

 

“Ugh! She made me clean the whole damn house!” Eve said, throwing up her hands. She turned back to Carol and frowned. “Why are your eyes bloodshot? Were you smoking those joints?” 

Carol nudged the nearly empty bottle towards her.

 

“You’re drunk!” Eve said with a frown. “Where did you get this?” 

 

“More constrawand.” She slurred and nodded her head towards Jenny. 

 

“You could have saved me some.” Eve said. “I hope you weren't dispensing medicine like this.” She picked up the small bottle and downed the rest before coughing. 

 

“No.” She lied. She looked at the teen fast asleep in the bed. She may have given her a little more than necessary, but she had been in tears when it came time for more medicine. At least she didn’t have to give any injections. “Please don’t tell anyone.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. It wasn’t one of her proudest moments, but it had dulled the pain in her side and made the MRE taste like actual food. Almost.

 

“I have a feeling nothing about this situation follows standard operating procedure.” Eve said. “That or class just hasn’t gotten to the part about being held as a hostage or when it's an appropriate time to shit in a bucket.” 

 

“I snuck out for that.” Carol said. Eve scowled.

 

“You risked my daughter's safety for that? What if she caught you and took it out on her?” Eve demanded. 

 

“No, I snuck out to get more supplies for Jenny and empty the bucket.” She opened the closet door. “We even have an air freshener now, and toilet paper. It just so happened since I was in there anyway…” Carol cleared her throat. “That veggie burger.” she winced. 

 

“No fair.” Eve grumbled and held her stomach. “She wouldn’t let me use the downstairs restroom. She stood over me the entire time while I cleaned and cooked for her.” 

 

“If you're going to do that, put a bag down first and tie it up when you're done.” Eve scowled. “It’s better than what we had.” 

 

“I’m not doing it until I absolutely have to.” Eve said. She looked around the room. “Where’s Hortensia?” she asked in a panic. 

 

“I put her in the closet when I heard her coming.” Eve let out a relieved sigh and opened the door, only to elicit a panicked scream from the girl. Eve shut the door again and Carol gave her a questioning look.

 

“She’s going potty.” Eve explained. “I have a present for you when you’re done.” she called towards the closet. The door opened and Eve handed her a candy bar. 

 

“Hey, where’s ours?” Carol teased.

 

“I couldn’t risk taking more than one.” Eve said. “Besides, you got to stay up here and get drunk. You had your treat.” 

 

“I did.” Carol agreed. “I needed it in order to deal with your kid all day.” 

 

“She’s not that bad.” Eve rolled her eyes. Carol raised a brow. “Usually.” Eve muttered before collapsing into a chair. “I’m so tired.” She nodded her head towards the sleeping girl. “How is she?”

 

“Her fever is almost gone. It spiked a bit this afternoon, and she did have a few other, umm episodes like earlier.” Eve winced. 

 

“I hope Hortensia behaved herself.” 

 

“I had her wait in the closet.” Carol said. “I brought a roll of trash bags from the bathroom. Next time she needs to go, you can just put her feet in the stirrups and hold one of the bags in place for her. She wanted to do it herself, but her hands were shaking too much. It’s awkward for everyone involved, but it cuts down on the smell and mess considerably.” 

 

“That’s good. The poor thing was so upset earlier.” Eve said. 

 

“Of course she was. You nearly threw up on her.” 

 

“I did not.” Eve rolled her eyes again. 

 

“It’ll get easier.” Carol said. “I’ve seen things that have made me nearly lose my lunch when I was first starting out.” 

 

“What made you get into your line of work anyway?” 

 

“There were more openings than men's health.” Carol said with a smirk, earning her another roll of the eyes. 

 

“No, seriously, it sounds like such an unappealing line of work. Right up there with proctology, no offense.” 

 

“It has its unpleasant moments, but it’s a necessary field. There were plenty of job opportunities, and after so many years, nothing phases you anymore.”

 

“Not even that.” She nodded towards Jennifer. 

 

“That’s different.” Carol said with an exasperated sigh. “It’s not the injuries themselves, it’s how she got them.” 

“It’s why I took this.” Eve whispered. She reached into the pocket of her scrubs and pulled out a serrated knife.

 

“It won’t help much.” Carol said. “But this might.” She pulled out a capped syringe full to the top of a clear liquid. “If she doesn’t let us out by Friday or attacks one of us again…” 

 

“Friday? That’s generous.” 

 

“Here, take it and hold onto it. If you need to use it, aim for the side of the neck.” Eve took it and stared. 

 

“Why are you giving this to me?” 

 

“Because I don’t trust myself and she’s already suspicious of me.” 

 

"I’ll do it on one condition.” Eve said as she stared at the syringe.

 

“What’s that?”

 

“I’m using it before Friday.”

[Allman90]

We already know some of what transpired at this point. Wow though this is wild

don't leave us hanging at this bit i wanna get back to the better times

[SashaButters]

It’s been three days. Doesn’t anyone notice I’m gone?

 

Doctor Rodgers stuck the torn piece of paper with her scrawled note inside the book with all the others. She wasn’t sure why she had done it. She supposed she just wanted to leave a trace of her honest thoughts behind like Jenny had done. She wasn’t just a random person off the street, Goddamn it! She was an in demand physician! A specialist! So where were the police? She mattered! Didn’t she? She had to have been reported missing by now. 

 

By the fourth day tempers were beginning to flare. They couldn’t seem to get out of each other's way no matter how hard they tried.  Food was running low and managing Jennys pain was becoming more and more difficult with supplies diminishing. Agatha had not returned to check on them. At first a blessing, but now with only half a Vomlet each, Carol was growing worried. 

 

On the fifth day, when not a bite of food was left, Carol's temper had finally snapped. She had been changing Jenny’s bandages when she had noticed a dried streak of fecal matter on the back of one of her legs. How many times had she told Eve she had to be thorough?! When she had pointed this out, the situation had escalated into a screaming match.

 

“Then you clean her up if you’re so damn perfect! This whole time all you’ve done is complain!” 

 

“That isn’t my job!”

 

“So what, cleaning up shit is beneath you, is it?” 

 

“This is literally what you're in school for! It’s your fault we’re in this mess to begin with! At least you can do is pull your damn weight!” 

 

It took seeing Jenny break down in sobs and begin to incessantly apologize for them to see just how inappropriate their fighting was. She was the true victim in all of this. 

 

“I’m sorry,” Eve said softly to the girl.  

 

“That was unprofessional of us.” Carol muttered. “The confinement is getting to us all. Are you in pain?” Jenny nodded and buried her face into the blanket. 

 

“It’s my fault.” She muttered into the blanket. 

 

“It’s not.” Eve whispered. But it seemed no matter how many times they tried to convince her of it, Carol could see in her eyes she didn’t believe them. 

 

“Eve, do you still have that syringe?” Carol asked. She knew she did. She had caught her staring at it multiple times. “We might have to give it to Jenny in small doses.”

 

“No! This is our only chance out of here!” Eve said.

 

“I’m running out of pain killers. It’s getting more and more difficult to keep her pain level under a five with what’s left.” 

 

“Then the next time she comes in here I’m jabbing her with it.” 

 

“Eve, she hasn’t checked on us in two days. I don’t even know if she’s still here!”

 

“Then we draw her attention and-” 

 

“You can always go out and check.” Jenny said. “She could have gone to the cabin in the woods. She likes to practice her hammer throw out there.” 

 

Carol pursed her lips and thought about it. “How do you open the lock, Jenny? Do you use a credit card or something?” 

 

“In my desk drawer, there’s a magnet. You just need to catch the pin and slide it across.” Jenny explained. Carol opened the drawer and dug around until she found the black rectangle. Ever so slowly, she did as Jenny said and disengaged the lock. She inched the door open and listened. She heard nothing. She turned back and eyed the others.

 

“I’m going to take a look downstairs.” Carol whispered. 

 

“No, let me.” Eve said. “I’ve been downstairs before. I know where everything is.” 

 

“She keeps the MRE’s in the basement.” Jennifer said. Eve made a face. 

 

“If the coast is clear our priority is getting out. If that’s not an option, then we call for help. She must have connected the phone line by now.” 

 

Carol watched tentatively as Eve tipped toed down the stairs and poked her head around the corner before disappearing out of sight. She went back inside and waited. Her fists clenched by her side as she listened for a signal. She started as footsteps hurried up the stairs. 

 

“No one’s here. She’s gone.” Eve said in her normal speaking voice. Carol moved to shush her. 

 

“We don’t know if she’s upstairs.” Carol whispered.

 

“You have to see for yourself.” Eve said as she motioned her out. Carol quietly followed. Could they really get out this easily? Could they just open the front door and run? No, Eve would have grabbed her daughter if that was the case. She came to a halt at the foot of the stairs. Her mouth went dry at the sight of the giant chain and padlock sealing the front door from the inside. 

 

“Looks like she didn’t want anyone getting out while she was gone.” Eve mumbled. Carol pulled on the front door to no avail. Next she ran to the back, only to find the same thing. She needed to break a window.  She grabbed a stool, ready to swing until she came face to face with the security bars. She dropped the stool. The phone! She ran to the kitchen counter and picked up the receiver. Nothing! She slammed the phone down. 

 

“Let’s focus on getting food.” Eve said. “We don’t know when she’ll be back.” 

 

“What if we wait down here for her and-” Eve gave her a doubtful look. She was right. Even with the two of them combined they didn’t stand a chance.  They raided the fridge and cupboards, but there was little they could take that didn’t need to be cooked first. 

 

“Ugh, fine, but I’m picking the flavors, and not a damn one is going to have the word ‘veggie’ in it.” 

 

They each returned with armfuls of ready to eat meals and jugs of water. After their last day and a half had consisted of Vomlets, their haul was bound to taste like a ribeye steak. But only if they couldn’t find a way out of here first. They tried all the doors and windows but nothing.  They were both in the living room when one of the side doors began to rattle. 

 

“RUN!” Carol yelled. Eve sprinted down the hall, past the rattling door knob and back up the stairs. Carol knew she could never make it in time. She froze where she was as the once locked door shoved open.

 

“YOU! HOW DID YOU GET OUT!” Agatha bellowed. 

 

“Let us go, please.” Carol said. “We’ve done all we can for her.” 

 

“Why? So you can run to the police?” 

 

“We won’t-” Carol started to say, but even she knew it reeked of bullshit. 

 

“You think I’m stupid? Is that it?”

 

“N-no.” 

 

“Think I’m all brawn and no brain? Well let me tell you, my brain’s just as big as these biceps.”

 

“You can’t just keep us here forever!” 

 

“I’ll keep you until I have no further use for you!” A large hand grabbed Carol by the wrist and yanked her forward as if she was a child. 

 

“And then what? What will you do when you have no further use for us?” Carol demanded as she was forcefully dragged back up the stairs. 

 

The giant was about to answer when the bedroom door sprung open. Out charged Eve, syringe in hand. Before Agatha could process what was happening, Eve lept on her. In one swift motion, she jabbed the syringe into her neck, but before she could push the plunger, the Trunchbull plucked her off and tossed her. Carol watched as Eve toppled down the staircase and crashed to the bottom in a crumpled heap. 

 

“Evelyn!” Carol screamed, fighting against the log of an arm that held her in place. The Trunchbull yanked the needle out of her neck with a growl. “No, don't!” her words fell on deaf ears as she pushed the plunger, sending the last of their much needed opiate supply squirting out and onto the carpet. 

 

“You!” The Trunchbull hissed. “This was your idea, wasn’t it?” Carol tried to twist and see if Eve was getting back up, but a large hand grabbed her by the hair and pulled her forward. With an almighty shove, she went sprawling to the ground inside the bedroom. “You’ll never see the outside of this room again! I’ll make sure of it!” Before Carol could get her bearings, the Trunchbull reappeared carrying Eve in her arms. She let her fall onto the ground with an unceremonious thunk and slammed the door behind her.

 

“Evelyn!” Carol said, jumping to her feet and making her way over. The woman on the ground groaned in pain. “What hurts?” 

 

“My back.” She hissed. Carol stood and went to the pile of diminished supplies. She shook one of the few pain pills left into her hand before grabbing the jug of water. 

 

“Can you sit up?” Eve shook her head. She handed her the pill. “I can only afford to give you one.” Eve swallowed it down with a cough and wince.

 

“Mommy, are you okay? Why are you on the floor?” Hortensia said, coming to sit beside her. 

 

“I’m okay, honey, mommy just fell and got the wind knocked out of her.” Eve said weakly. Carol bit her lip. She knew it was more serious than that. 

 

“If I broke that window, do you think Hortensia could run for help?” Carol asked. 

 

“From the second story? How do you expect her to get down? She’s four.” 

 

“She’d be in here faster than she could get away.” Jenny said. They sat in silence for a moment. “If you want to get out you’ll have to speak her language.” 

 

“And how do we do that? Through violence? We tried that.” Carol said before standing and checking on their haul. She opened a box labeled jalapeno pepper jack beef and dug in. Compared to the Vomlets, it was heaven. 

 

“No, “ Jenny said softly. “You need to talk money.” 

 

“Money, psh,” Carol said. “Where are we supposed to get money from?” 

 

“What if I gave the money back?” Eve asked weakly. 

 

“No, you got it backwards.” Jenny said. “I think you should demand it from her.”

 

“We’re not exactly in a place to be making demands.” Carol said. 

 

“Saying you’ll stay quiet won’t do you any good.” Jenny explained. “She’ll never believe you. There’s no incentive.” 

 

“Jenny, are you saying we should threaten to black mail her?” Eve asked doubtfully. “That sounds dangerous, especially when she can just pick us up with one hand and toss us down staircases.”

 

“And illegal.” Carol mumbled to herself. “Although if we did something just as illegal as kidnapping…”

 

“We couldn’t go to the police.” Eve said with a wince as she sat up. “Maybe if she bought our silence, she wouldn’t feel the need to...” She mimed shooting herself in the head while Hortensia was distracted with lunch. 

 

“But even if it worked, how could we explain your injuries? It’s obvious someone did that to you. Not to mention where we’ve been.” And she’d have a lot of explaining to do about the missing drug supplies. Jenny gave her a sad smile. “No, we are not leaving you here!” Carol growled. 

 

“I’ll be okay.” Jenny whispered. 

 

“No!” Eve and Carol both said in unison. 

 

“We’re not leaving you behind.” Carol said before looking at Eve, propped against the bed. “I could at least try and negotiate your release though.” Carol said to Eve. 

 

“It-It’s not that I’m not willing to stay,” Eve said slowly.

 

“You have Anastasia, I understand.” Jenny said. She looked around the room before asking for a pen and paper. She looked at them thoughtfully for a minute before jotting down a few paragraphs and signing her name. She handed it to Eve, who read it and went ghost white. 

“Oh, sweetheart,” Eve said softly. Carol saw her wipe her eyes before she handed it to her. Carol read it and felt the anger rise inside her once again. She would get Jenny out if it was the last thing she did. 

 

“In case you need proof.” Jenny said with a shrug. 

 

“Did she really…?” her voice trailed off as Jenny nodded her head and wiped at her tear streaked face. 

 

Carol took in a shaky breath. “Let’s focus on this later. For right now, let me change out your bandages and get you cleaned up.” Eve looked like she was going to try and push herself up but Carol stopped her. “I got this. You’re in no shape.” She unwound the ace bandages and removed the gauze. “You’re going in the right direction at least, Jenny. The infection is gone, and you haven’t had any bouts of diarrhea today.”

 

“That’s because I haven’t eaten any of those today.” Jenny mumbled, and pointed over to the pile of MRE’s. Carol looked over and forced a smile. They had given them all the runs. That closet needed to be condemned. 

 

“You aren't the only one.” Carol muttered. The first thing she’d do after getting out of here was buy Jenny a new wardrobe. The clothes currently hanging needed to be burned in a pit. “Speaking of, would you like to try going before I start? Now would be the most convenient time before I wash you.” 

 

“I-i’m okay,” she mumbled into her blanket. She felt it get pulled away and frowned. 

 

“How about you try for a few minutes? Since I’ve already got you in position.”  Jennifer looked over and frowned. Carol peeked behind her and noticed Hortensia sitting on the bench trying to read from a book. It was amazing how much kids could learn out of boredom. With nothing better to do, Hortensia had been eagerly accepting reading lessons from Jenny. Even Carol had to admit she was picking it up remarkably fast. She was pretty sure Eve had Jenny sold on the teacher idea. Carol could see it in the way Jenny’s face lit up when Hortensia managed to sound out a word by herself. It was joy, Carol realized. She was a little jealous. Even in such a dark situation, she still managed to find something that brought her joy. Carol struggled to find it even in the best of times. 

 

“She’s alright, she’s focused on the book.” Carol said before whispering. “Don’t make her go in there, it’s bad.” Jenny grimaced before nodding. “Call me when you’re ready.” She sat on the bench next to Hortensia. “Are you reading or just staring?”

 

“Reading.” Hortensia said through gritted teeth. 

 

“Which word are you having trouble with?” She turned the book towards her.

 

“Ta-”

 

“Table!” 

 

“Yes, very good!” Carol said. Hortensia beamed, and in the blink of an eye, stood up and ran over the other side of the room.

 

“Mommy, look what I can rea-”

 

“Hortensia, no!” Both adults shouted, but it was too late. Hortensia turned her head and froze. The book fell out of her hand and fell to the ground with a soft thunk. Her face screwed up. She leaned over and vomited on the carpet before letting out an ear piercing scream. 

 

“Hey, hey, sweetheart, come here.” Eve said, nudging Hortensia to join her on the ground. “It’s okay. It’s okay.” Hortensia began sobbing incoherent things into Eve's shoulder. “I think she’s just scared.”

 

“Wh-what’s going on?” Jenny asked. 

 

“It-it’s nothing.” Carol said before turning her attention down to the empty pad. “No luck?” 

 

“Why is she screaming like that?” Jenny asked. “Anna, are you okay?” 

 

“She’s okay, she just threw up.” Carol said. She watched as Hortensia pulled her head out of her mothers shoulder and looked up at Jenny. 

 

“Anna, are-” Jenny froze as Hortensia buried her shoulder into her moms neck and bawled. “Why is she afraid of me?” She asked in a robotic tone. 

 

“She saw.” 

 

“Wh-what? Y-y-you said it wasn’t that bad!” 

 

“She’s only four, Jenny. She’ll cry if she sees someone bleed from a paper cut.” Eve said, rocking her daughter in her arms. “Shoot, she's wet.” 

 

“Does she wet herself and throw up after seeing a paper cut too?” Jenny asked in a voice about to crack. 

 

Carol turned herself away and took a deep breath. She heard something rattle before another ear piercing scream, but this time it wasn’t coming from the toddler. Carol spun around to find Jenny, out of the stirrups and into the fetal position as she screamed and sobbed into her pillow. A handheld mirror rested by her waist. Carol put two and two together.

 

“What did she do to me?” She shrieked. 

 

“Hey, it’s okay. It just looks a lot worse than it is.” Carol lied. “It’s just got all the old medicine on it. If you want to see what it looks like when it's cleaned you can have another look.” Jenny shook her head, body heaving from sobs.

 

“I-t-t’s n-n-not th-that!” Jenny wailed. “I understand now! She -she did it-o-to t-t-take away the th-thing I wanted m-most!”

 

Carol hid her face and pinched her eyes shut. She wasn’t going to get emotional in front of a patient. Damn these hormones. Remember, professional distance. Professional distance. 

 

But the woman burned her not just to cause her pain, but to take away her chance at a normal happy future with a family of her own? Ruining her childhood wasn’t enough? Had to rob her of her future too? It was obvious what Jenny wanted more than anything. Kids. 

 

“If you're worried about fertility, we can get to it later.” 

 

“Can I still…?”

 

“Later.” Carol insisted. She couldn’t have this conversation right now. Neither could she. She took a deep breath and spun back around. She grabbed Jenny’s hand and gave it a soft squeeze. “ When you're ready, I’ll finish with your bandages.” She let go and turned to leave, but stopped when she realized Jenny was still gripping her hand in a firm grip. Carol stood in place, unsure of what to do, before she finally settled on sitting on the edge of her bed. She had never been in this sort of situation with a patient before. She usually just looked up their cooter and sent them on their way. 

 

Carol tentatively stuck a hand out and placed it on the girl's shoulder. She looked to Eve for help, but she was busy trying to settle her own daughter. Carol swallowed as arms wrapped around her waist as Jenny desperately clung to her. She was no good with this sort of thing, but it was clear the teen was starved for affection and needed this. Fighting against every flashing red warning light in her head about professional distance, she repositioned the both of them so that Jenny was securely wrapped in her arms. 

 

“We’ll get you out of here.” Carol whispered before sighing. She had broken all the rules anyway, what was one more.  How could she not care about this girl who had suffered so much? 

 

She waited patiently for Jenny to calm down before getting her cleaned up and changed. She locked eyes with Eve. 

 

“Should we try?” Carol asked. It seemed risky. Their captor was belligerent, bad tempered, and as Carol learned more and more about her, sadistic. 

 

“What do we have to lose at this point?” Eve asked. A lot, Carol thought. She looked at Hortensia, still wrapped in her mothers arms, still looking every bit as traumatized as everyone felt. 

 

“Jenny?” Carol asked. The girl opened her eyes and gave her a questioning look. “This affects you the most.” Carol frowned as Jenny shrugged. She didn’t like the look on her face. The anger and fight in Jenny’s eyes seemed to be replaced with a look of resignation. “What’s her name?”

 

“Agatha Trunchbull.”  Jenny looked at her with sad eyes. “Even if you tell someone, they won’t believe you, and even if they do…” She shrugged again. “The police are fond of her.”

 

“Fond of her?” Carol's brows knitted in confusion. “She’s a monster. Why would they be fond of her?”

 

“She’s the headmistress of Crunchem Hall.”

 

“Isn’t that the school where all the bad kids go?” Eve asked. 

 

“It’s just a rumor, it’s just a regular school, although now, I’m not so sure. She’s made a name for herself as a harsh disciplinarian. When troubled kids are sent there, they become so scared of her they come out reformed. 

 

“Did you go there?” 

 

“Yes. I hated it.” Jenny shivered. “She’d throw me in the chokey if I didn’t do my chores fast enough or if I…refused her.” 

 

“What’s the chokey?” Carol asked. 

 

“Wait, are those rumors true?” Eve asked. 

 

“Yes.” Jenny whispered. 

 

“What rumors?” 

 

“That there’s a metal box the kids get thrown in when they misbehave.” 

 

“It’s worse than that.” Jenny said. “There’s these nine inch nails hammered into the door so if you don’t stand perfectly still, they’ll cut you. The bigger you are, the worse it is.” 

 

“Are you serious? And she’d lock you in there?” 

 

“At least once a week.” Jenny said. “Although I haven’t been there in a few years, I still don’t like small spaces.” 

 

Carol blew out her held breath in a long exaggerated sigh. “And the police let her do this?” 

 

“All they see is results. They don’t ask “how” or “why.” I’m pretty sure they know; they just look the other way.” 

 

Carol looked her up and down as she debated what to do. She had already taken the Iv. out this morning. Just in case anything happened to her while she tried to argue their demands, she decided to take the catheter out as well. The last thing Jenny needed was someone inexperienced to pull it out just in case. Her hopes weren’t very high that this would work, but Jenny knew her best. 

 

“Are you ready?” Carol asked. They all nodded their heads. Carol used the magnet and opened the door. “AGATHA!” She yelled into the hallway. “LET’S MAKE A DEAL!”

 

..,

 

Carol sat frozen in place on the couch. It was working. It was actually working. She couldn’t believe it. At first, the woman's face had gone red. Then purple. Then finally pale ghost white before she beckoned Carol and Eve downstairs. 

 

She swung a portrait out, revealing a safe behind the wall before stacks of hundred pound notes were tossed onto the coffee table. 

 

“How much?” She growled. Carol began to sweat. She couldn’t mess this up. If she went too high, she might end their negotiation right here and now, but if she went too low, she’d assume they weren’t being serious. It wasn’t that the Trunchbull’s language was money. It was dirty money. 

 

“5, 000 pounds.” Eve blurted out. The Trunchbull scoffed. 

 

“A month.” Carol threw in. Eve shot her a panicked look. The Trunchbull's eyes narrowed. “I’m a doctor. It will take a lot more than one 5,000 pound payment to buy my silence. I think a five thousand payment each out the door for our trouble would be a good place to start.” She could feel Eve trembling beside her, but Carol kept a calm and calculated composure. Agatha sat stone still, except for her fingers which drummed noisily on the coffee table. Finally, just when Carol thought she wasn’t going to say anything, she slid a handful of stacks across the table. 

 

“The key, please.” Carol said. “And if you miss a payment, we have a witness statement that goes straight to the police.” 

 

“How will I know you won’t do that anyway?” The Trunchbull sneered. Carol had thought of that. She pulled a piece of paper with the handwritten note signed by them. 

 

“Just as we have proof of your misdoings, you will have proof of ours.” She slid the signed note across. The Trunchbull read it over before tearing it up. 

 

“I’ll make one.” She scrawled a couple of paragraphs before sliding it over. Carol read it. 

 

“No, she’s coming with us.” 

 

“Like hell she is. The whore’s staying put.” 

 

Carol could feel her blood boiling. No! They had to take Jenny with them! She promised! Eve grabbed her arm and shook her head. Carol gritted her teeth. She read the note again and again for their terms of release. Finally an idea struck her. She picked up a pen and wrote an additional paragraph.  She slid the note back over. The Trunchbull read it before looking up and glared at her. 

 

“What good will it do her?” 

 

“You work at a school, don’t you? I don’t care how you make it work, just put her in charge of the bottom form.”

 

“And what If I already have a suitable bottom form teacher?” 

 

“Then split the class. I don’t care, just do it. Those are my terms.” 

 

“Fine.” She hissed. She signed the note and slid it back across the table. Carol signed it next, and after looking over it, Eve signed it last. “Now get out of my sight!” 

 

“I need to get my daughter.” Eve bolted up the stairs. Carol stood to return upstairs as well but Agatha stopped her.

 

“Not you. You’re not leaving my sight.”

 

“I want to say goodbye and explain.”

 

“No!” She said firmly. “No more demands! Take your bloody money and GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” 

 

“As you wish.” Carol scooped up the money off the table and walked to the front door as Agatha unlocked it. “But If I ever hear you’ve laid another hand on her…” She leaned over and whispered in her ear. “I’ll kill you.” 

 

She walked out the front door before Eve came bounding down the stairs with Hortensia in tow. The door slammed shut behind them as they ran toward the car. 

 

“What took you so long?” Carol asked. 

 

“I told her what happened.” Eve explained breathlessly once they were in the car. I also stopped to empty the bucket.” 

 

“Okay.”

 

“In Agatha’s bed.”

 

“You what?!” 

 

“I was afraid if I threw it on her directly she wouldn’t let us leave.” Carol threw a panicked look up to the second story window. “She’ll be okay, she’s tough. Just two more years and she’ll be 18.” 

 

“I guess.” Carol whispered. The guilt of leaving was already starting to eat at her insides. “I hope she doesn’t think I abandoned her.” 

 

“I liked your idea about sending her to college as a stipulation.” Eve said as they pulled away from the house. “She’ll make a good teacher.” 

 

…

 

It had been two very long years of court cases, arbitration, and finally the loss of her medical license. With no real explanation she could give of where she had been and what she had done with all of the pain medication she had taken, she had been fired before being reported to the medical board. She had planned to appeal it. She even had all the paperwork filled out and ready to be mailed, but something caught her eye. 

 

There, riding past her on the opposite end of the street on a bike, was a face Carol hadn’t been able to remove from her head no matter how much she drank. 

 

“Jenny.” Carol said to herself, stunned. She watched her in her rearview mirror as the young woman peddled down the street balancing a large cardboard box on her handlebars. Intrigued, she started her car and pulled out. Where was she going with all that stuff? She slowly followed her down the busy main street and out into the fields as she tried to think of what to say. No apology could ever make what she did okay. Everything she thought of sounded lame and full of excuses. 

 

Carol pulled over as Jenny got off her bike and walked it down and into a row of hedges. Where on earth was she going? Carol slowly followed until she came to a shack in the middle of a field. Carol peeked her head around to find Jenny standing in the garden with the biggest smile Carol had ever seen.

 

“I did it, you crazy bitch!” She yelled into the sky. “I got away from you! I’m free!”  Carol looked at the decrepit shack and frowned. Don’t tell me she planned on living here, Carol thought. She turned back and watched for a few more minutes before slowly making her way back to her car. She didn’t have the heart to take this moment away from her. 

 

Just as Carol was about to put her paperwork in the mailbox, something on the ground caught her attention. The classified section of a crumpled up newspaper. The same thing that had started this whole ordeal.  She was about to ignore it when she noticed the words, “Crunchem Hall” She bent and picked it up. “Looking for a school nurse, are we.” She smiled. It was about time she checked in on her dear friend, Agatha.

[CDfm]

Well where do I start?

THIS STORY IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

It seems like I have experienced just about every basic emotion possible. I have laughed , cried, been mad as heck, and hopeful. I am not even sure how you are managing all of the twists and turns this story is taking. You are doing a splendid job with it though. Just when I think I might have a hint about what’s going on, it changes. You couldn’t possibly come up with two characters more down than Matilda or Jenny.  I know you are sure trying hard with Hortencia, Carol, and even Eve. Yet they still seem to be able to remain positive and looking to lift each other up spiritually and emotionally. 
The vile Aunt Trunchbull has me so angry I would like to go throw her body in jail just for some satisfaction. 
Now that I have read all there is, it’s going to be very hard to wait for the next chapter. 

[WBDaddy]

I love the fact that this story is so wildly engaging despite being a fanfic of books I've never read. 

And STFU about how much diaper content is involved.  A great story is a great story is a great story.  You've never been much for leaning in on the diaper content anyway, because you're writing stories, not kink service. 

[SashaButters]

11 hours ago, CDfm said:

 

 I am not even sure how you are managing all of the twists and turns this story is taking. 

I am a screaming passenger in the front seat xD It's a lot of going back and re-reding and trying to remember where the hell I was going with that haha Like with Eve, at one point I said she had a bad back so she couldn't keep picking up Matilda, which then turned into a scene of her getting thrown down a staircase.  

[SashaButters]

11 hours ago, WBDaddy said:

I love the fact that this story is so wildly engaging despite being a fanfic of books I've never read. 

And STFU about how much diaper content is involved.  A great story is a great story is a great story.  You've never been much for leaning in on the diaper content anyway, because you're writing stories, not kink service. 

Someone told me once what I seem to write about is "awkward intimacy" and I think it fits pretty well.  

You should really watch it. It's a great movie, not the cringy musical they just released but the one Danny Devito directed. The book is even darker than the movie, but it's really well written with lots of personality. The opening scene is about how much teachers want to tell parents their kids are idiots. It's great.

[kerry]

5 hours ago, SashaButters said:

You should really watch it. It's a great movie, not the cringy musical they just released but the one Danny Devito directed.

You don't like the musical? It's one of my favs! I thought that the recent film was excellent; what did you dislike about it?

[SashaButters]

15 minutes ago, kerry said:

You don't like the musical? It's one of my favs! I thought that the recent film was excellent; what did you dislike about it?

I don’t like the story line tbh. I thought it was incredibly hokey.  The whole Jenny’s parents were circus performers thing was …

I like some of the songs though.  

[SashaButters]

Jennifer sat upright in bed looking every bit as shell shocked as she felt. No. No, it couldn’t be true. She would have remembered. There’s no way all that happened! She swallowed down the bile that was rising in her throat. She stared into Carol’s face searching for any hint of a memory of her, but there was nothing. Why? 

 

“That’s not possible.” Jennifer said. “I would have remembered having three other people in my bedroom.” 

 

“Jenny, you went through a major trauma. I don’t expect you to remember everything. You were unconscious through most of it.” Carol said before frowning. “Although, it was a shock on the first day of school when you didn’t recognize me. To be fair though, we were wearing masks most of the time. The smell was horrendous.” 

 

Yes, she could remember the smell. And being force fed MRE’S. She had always thought that was her aunt though. Maybe that was partially true. 

 

“If you were a doctor, why work at Crunchem Hall?” She had skipped that part.

 

“To make sure she followed the terms of our agreement.”

 

“Was she not paying you? You know that money was coming from the school.” Jennifer said. 

 

“You can take it all back. I haven’t touched a cent of my share. I never wanted her dirty money.” 

 

“Then what did you want?” Jennifer asked. Carol gave her a sad smile.

 

“You.” 

 

Jennifer’s mouth went dry. She tried to swallow, but there was a lump forming in her throat. “I don’t understand.” 

 

“Our agreement was that she never lay a hand on you again.” 

 

“And you believed her?” Jennifer scoffed. 

 

“No.” Carol said softly. “Not getting you out of that house has been my biggest regret.” 

 

“There was nothing you could have done then, if everything you told me is true.” Jennifer said, unable to hide the skepticism from her voice.

 

“You sound doubtful.”

 

“No one stood up to Agatha Trunchbull.” Jennifer said. “Not for themselves, not for their children, and you expect me to believe you did it for me? Honestly, it’s a bit insulting that you think I'm that gullible.” She grabbed the towel and wrapped it around herself before throwing the blanket off and standing up. “Where are my clothes?” 

 

“What do you remember?” Carol asked, handing over the loose articles of clothing that had fallen to the floor.

 

“I remember the pain. Not much else.” Jennifer said, pushing her way past and into the bathroom with Carol hot on her heels.

 

“But you remember Hortensia.” 

 

“I remember a blonde child curled up in bed with me. I remember being force fed those vile war rations, and I remember…” 

 

“What?”

 

“I remember her suddenly being scared of me.” Jennifer whispered with a grimace. “She couldn’t even look at me anymore.” 

 

“Do you remember what you did next?”

 

“I looked.” 

 

“That’s the part that keeps replaying in my mind after all these years. How utterly broken you looked from that point on. It was in the way you carried yourself. The way you never made eye contact or spoke without being addressed. The light in your eyes shut off. It was as if nothing could ever bring you joy again.” Jennifer let out a bitter laugh. “I’ve told this story to Matilda, but I’m not sure I ever told you.” 

 

“What story?” Jennifer asked with narrowed eyes. Carol pulled out a stool from under the bathroom counter and motioned for her to sit. Reluctantly, she took a seat.

 

“Are you still high?” 

 

“Yes.” Jennifer mumbled. “Why?”

 

“Close your eyes and I’ll tell you.” She could feel Carol begin to run a comb through her hair. It was hard to keep her mind on being angry. She had never felt anything like it. Her body gave  an involuntary shudder as chills ran up and down her back. “Your sense of touch has a tendency to be heightened. Seeing as how you normally jump a foot in the air when I touch you, it must be finally doing something for your anxiety as well.”

 

Jennifer tried to let out a “hmph” but it came out sounding more like a complacent humm. She cringed.

“Relax.” Carol whispered. “Take a deep breath, lower your shoulders, you're safe now, Jen.” 

 

“What story?” Jennifer asked after a minute of silence. 

 

“You always walked the halls with your head down. You never spoke unless addressed, and you never smiled, unless you were talking to a child, but even then, it never reached your eyes. Then suddenly, I bumped into you in the hall the first day of term last school year. And there you were. Life was back in your face, and you were talking a million miles a minute.” Jennifer let out a weak laugh. 

 

“You were staring at me like I was crazy.” 

 

“I think I was in shock.” Carol explained. “Do you remember why you were so excited?”  Jennifer smiled.

 

“I met Matilda.” 

 

“Can’t say I wasn’t a little jealous.”

 

“Jealous? Of what? Who?” She gave Carol a puzzled look.

 

“I’ve been trying to get through to you for the last three years and nothing. You spend one morning with her and you come alive. A good thing she came when she did, one more winter in that hut of yours and I’m afraid you would have frozen to death.”

 

“Wait, you knew about that?” Jennifer spun in her chair and faced Carol. 

 

“I knew.” 

 

“You keep saying you were trying to help me, but you knew I was living in a literal shack?” Jennifer asked with a hint of outrage.. “If you’re so concerned about my well being, where have you been? Where were you when I needed a friend? I would have killed for this three years ago. You only reached out when I told you I had Matilda with me.” Jennifer choked out in a sob. Carol gave her a sad smile before brushing a lock of Jennifer's hair behind her ears.

 

“No, Jenny. You’ve got it backwards.” Carol said softly. “Until you met Matilda, you just never noticed me trying.” 

 

“W-what?” 

 

“You rebuffed me at every attempt to eat lunch together in my office.” 

 

“I-i thought you were just being polite, not that you actually wanted me to join you.” Jennifer said in a panic. 

“I’ve invited you for dinner.”

 

“What?” 

 

“I’ve invited you shopping.”

 

“Huh?” 

 

“I even put a thousand pounds in an empty wallet and set it in front of your hedge entrance. Then I sat in my car and watched this brunette… idiot pick it up and take it to the police station!” 

 

“Th-that was a lot of money! The owner would have been missing it.” Jennifer said softly.

 

“I think I sat in my car for a good ten minutes cussing you out.” Carol said with a laugh. “I finally had to resort to leaving you things by the school dumpster.”

 

“That was you?” Jennifer choked out.  The kerosene lamps, the matches, the blankets, the classroom supplies, they had all been purposefully placed there…for her? “Why?” 

 

“Well, you wouldn’t accept help any other way I tried.”

 

“No, I mean, why would you do all that for me?” Carol let out a deep sigh and remained quiet for a minute.

 

“You didn’t deserve the things she did to you.” Carol said. “You're a special person, Jenny. The world needs more people like you.”

 

“I’m nothing special.” Jennifer mumbled. Carol scoffed. 

 

“You were lying there, with some of the worst third degree burns to the genitals i’ve ever seen, reading to a kid you’d never met before. The children all love you, and despite having next to nothing, you gave every resource you had to offer to make sure that kid had a better life.” 

 

“How could I not? I love her.” 

 

“Can’t say you didn’t scare the shit out of me when you showed up one day in my office and told me she was living with you.” Jennifer scrunched up her face as she tried to remember when that was. 

 

“Oh, when she was sick.” 

 

“Yeah, I called her parents to come pick her up, only to be told she was living with her teacher.” Carol said with a shake of her head. “You always looked like you were one bad day away from throwing yourself in front of a bus, next thing I knew, you stole a kid.” 

“I did not steal her.” Jennifer said. “I just convinced them it was in their best interest to let her stay with me.” 

 

“Uh-huh, you asked them and they just gave her to you?”

 

“They, um, may have thought she was possessed.” Jennifer said with a guilty smile. “Matilda already had them convinced their house was haunted. I just pointed out the source.” 

 

“And they’ve never come back looking for her?”

 

“Never. I did call them once. I needed them to give up their parental rights so I could adopt her. They were annoyed that I was bothering them with paperwork, but once I told them they could stop the payments, they were more than eager to make it official. I still can’t wrap my head around it. How could they not see how wonderful she is?” 

 

“Because some people have their heads too far up their asses to see what’s in front of them, much like your aunt. I know this is a little off topic, but have you considered having her diagnosed?” Jennifer frowned. 

 

“Diagnosed? Diagnosed with what?” 

 

“You know what I’m talking about.”

 

“No, I don’t.” Jennifer said with narrowed eyes. Carol sighed.

 

“She’s very intelligent.” 

 

“Yes?”

 

“But I’ve noticed social constructs seem to be difficult for her to grasp.” 

 

“She’s six.” 

 

“She’s memorized the periodic table of elements, but doesn’t understand it’s not okay to put drugs in everyone’s breakfast. You’ve also said she doesn’t socialize well with other children her age. ” 

 

“It’s difficult for her to relate to others, she sees the world so differently and…oh.” 

 

“Lots of very gifted people are on the spectrum. It’s not a bad thing, her brains just wired a bit differently, but I’m sure you already knew that.” 

 

“Yes, I just… never put two and two together.” Jennifer said before sighing. “No, that’s not true. I’ve suspected it for a while, but I keep going back and forth. Her motor skills are a little off; it’s why she hates anything to do with using her hands.” 

 

“My kitchen and I noticed.” Carol chuckled.

 

“I used to think that she thought art class was beneath her, but she really struggles with dexterity, which is strange because she has beautiful penmanship.”  

 

“Enough about the kids. Let’s go back and focus on you for a minute.” Jennifer pursed her lips. Her least favorite topic. “You understand what kind of doctor I was, right?”

 

“Something to do with…down there.” Jennifer mumbled. Carol let out a laugh.

 

“That’s one way to put it, but let's be adults about this. I was a Gynecologist, my specialty was the female reproductive system and sexual health.” 

 

“It explains why you were so upset about me wanting to remove sex ed.” Jennifer said.

 

“Sexual education is more than just about sex. Ignoring things that might make people uncomfortable will only cause more problems in the future. Take Hortensia for example, she had no idea what was happening to her.” 

 

“How did your talk with her go?” 

 

“I thought she’d be easier to talk to since she can be so…brazen, but nope. She shut right down.”

 

“Oh, well, it’s an uncomfortable topic.”

 

“Yes, but an important one. One that you are long overdue for.” Jennifer's face turned a shade of crimson.

 

“M-me? What are you talking about?” 

 

“Matilda said you had a fit in front of the mirror.” 

 

“I did not! I-I just don’t like them.” Jennifer mumbled. 

 

“Come to think of it, your last attack was also in the bathroom. Why?” 

 

“W-well, it’s just…” she racked her brain and searched for an excuse. 

 

“Do these attacks happen when you are with other people, or only when you’re alone?”

“When I’m alone.” She answered quietly. 

 

“Does looking at yourself still scare you?”

 

“N-no, I’m not afraid of my reflection, I-i’m just…” Jennifer swallowed and took a deep breath. “Yes.” she whispered before hanging her head. 

 

“Would you like to get over this fear?” 

 

“Very much so.” She was so tired of Matilda finding her a crumpled up mess. She was supposed to be the adult here. 

 

“Then wait here.” Jennifer watched as Carol left. She could hear the heavy swing of the garage door opening and closing behind her. What was she getting out of the garage? Her questions were soon answered when Carol came back holding something Jennifer had hoped she’d never have to see again.

 

“No, no!” Jennifer said. She stood to her feet. “No!” 

 

“I thought we were going to be mature about this.” Carol said, as she unfolded an absorbent pad and spread it over the edge of the bed. 

 

“I thought we were just talking.” 

 

“We will.” 

 

“No, Carol, no!” 

 

“Would you prefer I make you an appointment? There’s a clinic down the street that takes walk- ins, but I’m afraid you’d have some explaining to do.” 

 

“No!” Jennifer hissed. “What does this have to do with what we were talking about?”

 

“Do you know the best way to get over a fear?” Carol asked. She began adjusting the poles much to Jennifer’s dismay. She pinched her eyes tight. 

 

“I know it’s exposure, but-”

 

“No, it’s education.” 

 

“Fine, but you can educate me without playing show and tell.” 

 

“No, I can’t.”

 

“Look, now isn’t a good time for this.”

 

“It’s the best time, actually. You’ve just had a bath.” 

 

“Carol!”

 

“Jenny, I’m very serious about this. Do you trust me?”  

 

“That-that’s not…”

 

“What if it was Matilda?” 

 

“What?” 

 

“What if Matilda had your injuries? Would you respect her wishes, or would you make her go to the doctor?” Jennifer ground her teeth. This wasn’t a fair question. She knew about the enema. “You have nothing to be afraid of. I promise.”  

 

“It’s too weird.” She mumbled. “You're my friend. Do you do this with all your female friends? Pillow fights and pelvic exams?” Jennifer asked sarcastically.  

 

“No, absolutely not.” Carol chuckled. “I wouldn’t even if they asked me to. That would be very inappropriate.”

 

“Then why are you asking me? Are we not friends?” 

 

“With you, I have already broken all my own personal rules. Not to mention laws. What’s one more at this point? ”  Jennifer sighed.

 

“You’re not going to drop this, are you?” Carol grinned and shook her head before growing serious. 

 

“It’s time to face what happened to you.” She grabbed Jennifer’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Your aunt did something to you that was absolutely unforgivable, and I know you’re scared. I also know it has nothing to do with me seeing. You’re afraid of knowing the answer to the question that’s been weighing you down this whole time. ”

 

Why, Jennifer thought bitterly, why did she have to be such an open book? She wiped at her tear streaked face and nodded. She was terrified. 

 

“Shh, it’s alright.” Carol whispered as Jennifer began to crack. Jennifer reflectively flinched as Carol wrapped her arms around her in a hug.  

 

“I’m scared.” Jennifer choked out. 

“You have every right to be; It’s okay to be scared.” Carol whispered. “But the longer you stay paralyzed by fear, the longer she wins. If you won’t get in the stir-ups for your own well being, do it to spite her.” Jennifer gave a weak chuckle. She held on for a moment longer before stepping back into the bathroom where the sink began to run. “You can either sit on the bed, or you can put your clothes back on and join the girls in the backyard. Or you can join the girls without getting dressed, whatever floats your boat.” Jennifer bit back a snort. 

 

She stared at the door before letting out a resigned sigh and sat on the bed with her head hung. She couldn’t believe she was going to do this. Her foot tapped with nervous energy as she waited. What was she doing? She could still change her mind. It was the sane thing to do. 

 

“Are you still here?” Jennifer cringed and took a deep breath to calm herself.

 

“Yes.” She said softly. Carol poked her head back around and stared at her for a moment as if studying her face. 

 

“You must really want to give your aunt a big middle finger.” 

 

“The biggest.” She said with a shy grin. “Oh, umm, actually…” She cringed. 

 

“This was a bad lead up to this, wow.” Carol said. Jennifer let out a series of nervous giggles. “Oh, good you’re still high. It’ll be just like old times. Maybe Hortensia can walk in half way through and vomit on my shoes. ” 

 

“Uh, can you lock the door?”

 

“Good idea.” She crossed the room and locked the bedroom door before digging a box out of a dresser drawer. Jennifer’s mouth went dry as she saw her begin to slip on exam gloves. “Are you ready?” She nodded her head as Carol put on a mask. 

 

“Take off your panties if you haven’t already.” With shaky hands, she slid them off underneath the towel. Next, Carol propped her back up with pillows, before putting her into the stir-ups. She frowned, this wasn’t the position she expected to be in. “I am going to need to undo the towel.” 

 

“Okay.” Jennifer shut her eyes tight as she felt it fall away.

 

“Open your eyes, Jenny. You need to see.” She opened them to find Carol holding a mirror. She reflexively turned her head. “No, this is the part that’s going to help. Education.” Jennifer slowly looked back and grimaced. She had never seen it like this. No, wait, she had. 

 

“It’s horrible looking.” 

 

“Jen, I have seen thousands of vaginas. I can honestly say I have never seen one I thought was attractive. They’re all funky looking. What we want is a healthy vagina, not a pretty one.”

“Fine, just stop saying it.” Jennifer cringed. 

 

“Stop saying what?” 

 

“You know, that word.” 

 

“You mean, Va-gi-na?” Carol asked with raised eyebrows. “That’s literally what it’s called. As you can see, here’s the vaginal opening, which leads to the vaginal canal, and the vaginal walls.”

 

“Okay, okay I get it.” Jennifer mumbled. 

 

“Give me your hand. You will be participating in this exam.” 

 

“Why?” She stretched out an arm and Carol took it. 

 

“Relax your hand. Relax. You’re resisting.” She guided her fingers until it made contact. Jennifer yanked her hand away. 

 

“No, I can’t.” She cradled her arm as if the contact had burned her. 

 

“It’s not going to hurt you. It doesn’t have teeth.” 

 

“I know.” Jennifer said with a cringe. “I just can't.” 

 

“Yes, you can. I know it scares you, but-”

 

“Of course it scares me! Look at it! I don’t even recognize what’s what anymore!” 

 

“That’s what I’m here to help you with.” Carol said softly. She reached her hand back out. Jennifer hesitated. “You’re safe. It’s okay.” Reluctantly, she offered Carol her hand. “Are you ready?” 

 

“No, but let’s get it over with.” 

 

“If you have any questions, no matter how embarrassing, please ask them. Now is your chance.” Carol guided Jennifer's hand to various areas and explained what each part was. “Does any of this hurt?”

 

“No,” Jennifer said. She had never spent so much time looking. It was even starting to lose its shock factor. 

 

“Good. I’m actually surprised at how nice it’s healed.” Jennifer frowned in confusion.

 

“This is nice?” The front had been burned so badly there wasn’t even any hair, except for a few patches on the side. 

 

“It’s cosmetic. A surgeon can clean away the dead skin. Is it irritating?” 

 

“It itches sometimes.” 

 

“The good news is show and tell is over, you did it.” 

 

“Oh, it’s over? Thank God.” She started to take her left foot out of the stirrups, but Carol stopped her.

 

“Hey, we’re not done here, you’re just done watching. Go on and move the pillows and lie flat on your back.”  Jennifer scowled, but reluctantly laid back. Now this was the position she remembered. “Just, uh, try and relax for this part.” She didn’t like the sound of that. She raised herself up on her elbows and looked to find Carol putting something on her fingers. “No! Down!”  

 

“What are you doing?” Jennifer asked, a note of suspicion in her voice as she laid back down.

 

“I don’t have access to all the equipment I’d usually use, so I have to do this digitally. Try and relax.” Digitally? She moved her head side to side. She didn’t see any digital equipment. “Ready for the most un-sexiest moment of your life?” 

 

“That’s saying some-” She let out a gasp. “Carol!” No! No! No! “Why?” was all she could get out.

 

“Try and relax.” Re-relax? How could she relax like this? “Almost done. Does this hurt?”

 

“It’s…very uncomfortable.” Jennifer groaned.

 

“I know, but does it hurt?” 

 

“I don’t know!” 

 

“How about this?” 

 

“Yes, that hurts!” Jennifer said through gritted teeth. 

 

“And this?” 

 

“Not as bad.” She breathed a sigh of relief when Carol extracted her fingers. “Please be done.”

 

“I’m all done.” Carol said as she slipped off her gloves. “You’ve been very brave today. I’m proud of you.” Jennifer felt her face flush as she removed her feet and covered herself with the towel. 

 

“I feel violated.” Jennifer mumbled. “What about that was digital?” Carol smirked and waggled her fingers.

 

“Digits.” She explained. “Any questions?” 

 

“Just the one.” 

 

“Well, you’d really need to see a doctor for that.” 

 

“Carol. Tell me.” Jennifer frowned. She didn’t like the way Carol wouldn’t meet her eyes. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

 

“There’s tests that would need to be performed to know for sure, like an ultra sound and…”

 

“Carol!” She sighed.

 

“There is significant scarring, both inside and out. Like I said, you would need tests to know for sure, but from what I can tell, conceiving may be difficult, and even if you could, there’s a good chance the fetus wouldn’t make it to full term. I’m sorry, Jen.”  

 

“I suspected as much.” Jennifer whispered. She shut her eyes tight, as the tears began to escape from the corners of her face. She could hear the bedroom door open before footsteps retreated down the hall. She covered her face and curled herself into a ball. “Here, I brought you some Serotonin.” Jennifer uncovered her face to find Carol holding Matilda out to her. She set her on the bed, before turning back around. “Take your time. I’ll be in the living room.” 

 

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Matilda asked. Jennifer gave her a sad smile before wiping her face with the back of her arm.

 

“Nothing, sweetheart. I’ll be okay. It looks like it’s just going to be you and me after all.” Matilda cocked her head to the side.

 

“You’ve always said it was just going to be me and you.” Matilda said. 

 

“Yeah, I know, I guess a part of me was still holding on to some kind of hope we could have a family.”

 

“But we are a family.”  

 

 “Yes, baby, we are. Come here, I need a hug.” She squeezed Matilda tightly in her arms before kissing the top of her head. “You are enough.”

[kerry]

Jenny has been broken so long and so badly...it's nice to see her finally understand the truth. Don't think it will help with her next (first?) gyno appt, though...

[smilekat414]

Last few chapters have been amazingly dark and visceral, but this one is actually pretty heartwarming, even considering some pretty messed up subject matter. (the bit about Matilda being on the spectrum was also unexpected)I continue to read with interest to see where this goes.