A Walk Into the Unknown: A Diaper Dimension Story (Chapter 25 - Complete)

[LostBBoyBear]

A Warning

As with my previous stories, this one contains several elements inherent to the pre-established 'Diaper Dimension.' These include, but are not limited to:

• Diapers and their usage for their intended purpose
• Breastfeeding
• Non-consensual mental regression through various means (Including possible drugs, hypnosis, and/or surgery)
• References to surgery to achieve various nefarious goals
• Humiliation
• Giants, aka, Amazons or Bigs
• Predominantly female domination (some male) 
• Babying of adults (perceived or otherwise)
• Experimentation on humans
• Kidnapping 
• Coerced or manipulated actions through possible means of white lies, gas lighting, or incentives
• Mild language or use of explitives 
• Depictions of death, illness, or handicaps
• Graphic imagery associated with any of these warnings

This story has not been labeled as mature, due to a lack of specific references to anything overtly sexual, but this warning serves as a 'turn back' point for any readers who do not wish to read about the previous warnings.

Lastly, this list is subject to change during the course of writing this story. While most of the plot is ironed out, more warnings may be added if needed.

For those readers interested or do not care about the warnings listed, please enjoy the following story.

 

So, this will be my next story set in the diaper dimension. I fully admit that I am not paralyzed myself, so I hope I do not offend anyone with this topic, but after tearing a muscle in my back this summer, I couldn't help but think of what I would bargain away to get rid of the pain or the problems that I was having. It seemed to good of an opportunity to pass up. 

If everything holds, this story will be divided into 6 parts, but all will be posted within this thread. If nothing goes wrong, I should have this completed before mid-October and I'll likley be picking up shortly after with a bit of a different story with magic and diapers and whatnot. It's not my usual fair, but I wanted to do something with Halloween in mind this go around. 

I hope everyone enjoys this first chapter!

Part I: New Beginnings

Chapter 1: Crashing Through Life

The storm had been raging for the better part of the day, but Patrick had to be picked up from a friend’s party. He had run his truck into the ground and the engine likely needed to be fully replaced according to the auto body shop that had towed it away two days ago. He sighed and scoffed deeply as he entered his mom’s car, still frustrated over the fact that he couldn’t get a rental car until tomorrow and thus had to rely on her for transportation.

Of course, Laura had noticed immediately and just let it go to maintain the peace between the two of them as usual. For the past two years their lives had touched briefly about every two weeks now in between visits. She didn’t like it, but she didn’t want to start another fight over it.

About halfway through the drive back home, however, Laura turned onto a long stretch of road with only two lanes. It saved everyone who took it about an hour of driving, but it was a dangerous stretch that had claimed many lives. She had just gotten off her shift at the hospital so getting home as soon as possible after dropping her son off at his home was the main priority before her lack of sleep caught up to her. As a nurse, she knew very well the number of deadly crashes that had occurred here even in perfect weather.

Patrick mumbled something under his breath. “Say something, honey?” Laura asked sweetly, trying to keep the spark alive with her ever-further distant son.

Patrick shifted and just continued to stare out the window. “No…”

Laura continued to stare at him with her tried and true facial expression that she had used on him since he was two years old. She didn’t say a word, but her well-crafted look said all it needed to.

Patrick groaned. “Fine, mom. Geez! It’s just embarrassing to be picked up by my mom when I’m 25.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s fine. Just drop it…”

It was now Laura’s turn to sigh. “You know how I hate that word…”

“What? Fine?” Laura nodded. “It’s just a word, mom, and it’s just how I feel. I’m fine.”

Laura sighed again. “I’m sorry you feel embarrassed sweetie, but your car is still in the shop getting repaired and your rental won’t be ready until tomorrow. You’re lucky my shift ended when it did, and I could pick you up. Something tells me that your other friends back there wouldn’t have been… uh, as safe.” Laura tiptoed around outright saying sober, but Patrick still caught on to her insinuation.

“Yeah… maybe. But it was a party!” Patrick threw his hands up in the air. “We were celebrating Sam’s promotion at work!”

“And that’s wonderful, dear. I just wish your fun would have been safer. I am your mother. It’s practically in the job description to worry about my only child.”

Patrick rolled his eyes. “Yeah… it’s just my stupid car is all. Would have been fine otherwise.”

Laura sighed. “Honey, I love you, but that car has been on its last legs for months now. Even as mechanically inept as I may be compared to your late father, even I could tell that. Sometimes I just wish…” Laura faded off.

Patrick turned to her with an annoyed look, one that was continually adopted by him whenever they talked about his dad. “What?”

Laura shook her head and gave a small shake of her hand to wave him off the subject, before quickly snapping it back to the shaky wheel from the elements outside.

“What?” Patrick pressed again.

Laura sighed. “It’s just that…” She paused and took her eyes off the road for a second to reflect on her next words. Lightning crashed all around the two and the rain seemed to only pepper their car further. The only positive was that with all the bends in the road, both could see the exit off in the distance whenever the lightning would light up the sky. Having taken the road before in more favorable conditions, ten more minutes and they would be off this stretch and nearly home. “I just wish you were a little… less carefree.”

Patrick groaned. “Sorry I’m not some corporate shill like all my other friends,” Patrick said with a deep undertone of sarcasm.

Laura winced at the implication. She wanted the best for her son, but she also wanted him to be happy, a fact which couldn’t necessarily be said about his other friends who had pursued careers for money instead of what they enjoyed. “You know that’s not what I want for you, I just… you’re so darn talented. You could do so much…” Laura said wistfully. “You know how much I admired you for not becoming an engineer, doctor, or lawyer like half the block. I mean look at them all now. Out of the ten friends you grew up with from there, seven went on to have one of those three jobs. Now, only two of them have still stuck with it.” Laura let out and exaggerated breath. “I want you to follow your passions, but I just wish that you would pursue them a little more…”

“It’s my life, mom. I don’t want to burn out like all the rest. Can’t you understand that?” Patrick’s eyes pleaded out with his mom. He wasn’t poor or anything, but no one could consider him wealthy either. He had tried engineering for a while, but after an intense argument one fall semester, Patrick had changed his major to art. Currently, he worked for an ad agency, but he was still the low man on the totem pole.

Laura saw the desperation in her son’s eyes. She knew he had the potential to do well, but two years at the bottom of a company was long enough. Something had to be done. “I do, honey. I just wish…”

“Yeah, yeah. You just want me to work a little harder. Work for my position and all that... It’s a nice sentiment and I’m trying sometimes but there’s more to it.” Patrick paused and looked at the ground for a brief second to gather his willpower to continue this conversation. Once collected, he shifted his head back up to meet his mom’s turned and loving gaze. “I… Mom! Look out!” Patrick quickly reached for the wheel to turn out of the path of the oncoming tractor trailer as his mom tried to react to it as well. It was too late though.

The large vehicle had slipped out of its own lane and was coming right for them. In a second, the two cars collided with a sickening crunch. All at once the world lurched forward as glass and metal spewed in all directions. Two large pieces came hurdling toward him and his mom.

*              *              *

“No!” Patrick bolted upright in bed. He was soaked in sweat and his breathing was labored. Per his old therapist’s recommendation, Patrick looked around the room to steady himself by using his five senses. It took a minute to complete properly, but it really did help, and he once again thanked the universe for lining him up with her after the crash. He looked around the room and shook his head. “Five years… where has the time gone?”

Patrick glanced over at his small, old alarm clock and saw that it was 8:06 in the morning. He groaned audibly. “I was hoping to sleep in today, but there’s no point now. Just got to get on with things…”

Patrick adjusted himself in his bed, and after many years of practice by now, with a grunt, he was able to swing his legs over and to the side of the bed. Some people had massive cramps in the morning with his condition, but not Patrick. With a large sigh, he collected his wheelchair and then hoisted himself into it.

It was black and lower to the ground without any handles in the rear for him to be pushed by someone else, as requested. He lived alone and dealt with all this by himself. It sucked most days at this point, but that was just life after the accident and his ensuing paralysis. His suffering was part of his self-enforced punishment for what had happened.

The accident had done many things, but Patrick had fractured his L1 through L3 vertebrate. It caused a lot of issues initially, but the most apparent were what he had to deal with in the morning ever since he had managed it himself since that night. With a groggy sigh, Patrick wheeled himself over to the bathroom to relieve himself.

Due to the nature of his injury and his doctor’s plan, it was discovered that enemas and intermittent catheterization were the best policies to avoid any accidents or blockages. Patrick had been a private person about most of that stuff before but now, he knew that he just needed relief. Personal happiness or feelings of modesty had to be placed aside occasionally to ensure nothing got worse.

He collected the necessary materials and winced as he prepared himself for the now daily ordeal. The incident that had occurred two years ago when he had to be hospitalized over a blockage then was a painful reminder to just set one’s ego aside and get this whole thing over with. Positioning himself correctly, Patrick applied the apparatuses to relieve himself. It was darn frustrating to do this every morning, but he knew that it needed to be done.

About twenty minutes or relief and cleanup later, Patrick wheeled himself out of the bathroom after washing himself off and removing the catheter. “One day I might get used to this… maybe…”

Patrick sighed and then rolled himself over to his easily accessible dresser. With some careful maneuvering, he quickly popped out a pair of jeans and a nice polo shirt. Today was a special day and he didn’t want to look like a complete bum. His beard had already grown out and he knew his mom would have disliked how it framed his previously gushed-at round and rosy cheeks.

Satisfied with his appearance and groaning after finally getting his shoes on with a little manipulation, Patrick rolled out to the kitchen. After a quick spot of cereal later and the popping of some pills, he was out the door with his usual backpack attached to the rear of his chair. It had everything he would need for the day, and he at least had the common sense to pack it the night before in case it was one of the ‘bad’ mornings.

Closing his door, Patrick looked distastefully at the view before him. His apartment was decent but was by no means the fanciest in town. Sparse furniture and minimal wall decorations all desperately noted his still-single status and overall depression. Dating was tough in this town, but the accident or its consequences always seemed to weigh too heavily on his mind to make a real effort to even contemplate a change.

Regardless, Patrick then locked his door and rolled down the hallway and to the small elevator at the end. A few neighbors acknowledged him as he wheeled by on the creaking laminate flooring in the hallway, but none made the effort to give him a full ‘hello.’ Patrick had given up on trying to be friendly a year after he moved in here. It was just too much effort for too little of results.

On the ground floor and right before he exited the apartment building, Mr. Stacci bumbled out of his front door. “You! Patrick!”

Patrick halted and pivoted his wheelchair back to face his odious landlord. “Yes, Mr. Stacci?” he asked as politely as he could. Rent control still wasn’t in place around here and Mr. Stacci was highly known for charging more toward those he disliked.

“Rent is due. Pay it in the next day or you’re out!” His breath wasn’t necessarily foul, but if this was a cartoon, a green and noxious odor would have likely spewed out of his chubby and tiny head and all over Patrick as he lumbered over to him.

“Yes… right…” Patrick acknowledged. He had the money thanks to some family funds but keeping track of time always felt hard these days. He kept a calendar on his phone, but it remained an issue of his since the accident. “You’ll get the money on time. Promise.”

“Good.” The heavily obese and balding man huffed by the front entrance but then squinted his dark and beady eyes. “You know I’m a man of my word. Money tomorrow or you’re out.”

Patrick just nodded solemnly, hoping the encounter would end soon. Fortunately for his sense of smell though, Mr. Stacci seemed satisfied and turned about and crept back into his own first floor apartment. A few of the old pictures on the wall briefly rattled as his door slammed close.

Patrick sighed at the encounter, made a mental note of the rent while checking his phone calendar, and then made it outside and to the nearby bus stop. He lived in the city and cars just gave him a bit of anxiety now, so the bus system or newly installed public transportation monorail were good enough and had at least become more reliable since the influx of technology in the past two decades.

The bus soon halted and lowered its platform device for Patrick to get on board. A few stared as he locked himself into position, but Patrick just ignored them as he usually did by now. It had become routine and Freddy, the bus driver, just gave a nod of his head when Patrick signaled that he was ready. The two rarely spoke, but Freddy had trusted him enough to let him lock himself in by now. It was no secret to anyone that even slightly knew him that Patrick still liked his independence.

About thirty minutes after a bumpy and uncomfortable ride later, Freddy announced, “Seventh Street! Seventh Street!” With all the automation in technology, Freddy appreciated the warmth of the personal announcement that he would give out on his bus. Plus, his booming yet gentle voice usually woke anyone up who had fallen asleep and would prevent them from missing their stop.

At the current seventh street, Patrick made no motion to Freddy to stop, but he did anyway only meters away from turning into the bust stop. Patrick had taken this route several times before, so Freddy only maneuvered the controls to let Patrick off near the curb. Satisfied after Patrick had made it off, Freddy closed the doors and leaned back in his seat. Soon, the bus was huffing away down the hilly road to the east and eventually out of sight.

Patrick sighed at the loneliness of seventh street but then wheeled himself a block to the west and halted before looking up at the large sign above him, ‘Grace and Prosperity Cemetery.’ Patrick blinked back the tears that always seemed to form when he entered here and fervently hoped that one day that might stop. Still, today was more important, and after purchasing a bouquet of flowers from a nearby vendor, he pushed forward more in the cemetery and finally made it to a small plot of land perched on a hill looking over the growing and buzzing city in the near distance.

The grave was large and had been purchased years ago by his father. The black granite was practically a mirror to all else that went on around it, but the intricately carved white lettering provided a nice contrast that his parents both appreciated when they were selecting it together. When his father passed away suddenly, his mom and him both found the site a bit depressing but still elegant and regal. Today wasn’t any different. “Happy Birthday, mom.”

The accident had taken away more than the majority of feeling from Patrick’s waist down; it had also taken his mom’s life. The storm had caused a delay in rescue and treatment which led to his mom bleeding out more than the doctors could repair as well as the deadening of his nerves in his spine.

The distant city shone against the cloudy atmosphere of the day and stood as a symbol of all the change that the world had undergone after discovering portal technology. Trade agreements with the Amazons, or how they liked to be called, Bigs, had fixed so many of the world’s previous and seemingly insurmountable problems. Pollution was quickly becoming a distant memory and most citizens of the world had enough food and power to at least be satisfied, if not comfortable. Even medical treatments had started to advance, but like all things, they had come with a price and had their limits. Now, his mom might have been saved, but even a few years ago, well… the grave was evidence enough of the technology not arriving in time to save her life.

Patrick fumbled around in his backpack and pulled out an old silver flask. His dad had given it to him when he had turned 18, much to the chagrin of his mom, but it was a nice reminder of better times. “Cheers, you two.” Patrick toasted the stark gravestone etched with his parents’ names and then took a swig of the whiskey he had poured into the flask last night when he had packed his backpack.

“I hope you all don’t judge me for this…” he said, gesturing to the flask. “I know the doctors advise me not to drink with my medication, but… I’m sure if you all can hear or see me now… you would get it.” Patrick took another swig and casually glanced around to see if anyone was watching him. They likely wouldn’t care, but he still didn’t want to be watched in pity. He still had some standards to maintain…

Another hill over, Patrick could see a family gathering around another gravestone. Their heads were all hung low, but each held each other’s hand tightly. It wasn’t the first time, but the loneliness of it all could still be felt just as keenly as when he first realized he was now all alone. “Honestly, a sibling, an aunt or uncle… someone would be nice by now. Can’t blame you all, but ugh… I just miss you all… so friggin lonely around here these days.” He took another swig and winced a little as a few more drops went down his throat than were intended. It burned but on days like this, feeling the burn almost felt good. Given his current predicament, the burn was at least something. He was already numb in so many other ways, so even the sting in the back of his throat was a reminder that he was still above ground, unlike most of the people here today.

Patrick then laid the small bundle of flowers he had purchased on top of the grave and gave another toast with his flask. “Cheers to you all. Sorry to be the downer and all… but if I hadn’t… I only wish… I would have done that night very differently…” Patrick blinked back an errant tear. It wasn’t the first time he apologized or felt guilty when coming here. While his inheritance and disability let him live a comfortable life, the guilt that plagued him after that night with his mom was nearly intolerable. To say the least, there had been several low points in the five years since the accident.

Patrick wiped his face and then gave one more cheer and a long sip of his flask before rolling back out of the cemetery. Staying longer wouldn’t do anyone any good and would just give him more ammo of feelings of guilt later tonight. He had figured that out the hard way three years ago when he had stayed until dark.

Rolling down the block, Patrick briefly stopped at the bus stop where he had originally got off and he knew from experience that Frank would be here within the next thirty minutes, but today was different. From his position at the top of the hill, he could see a small corner bar. Knowing the drinks were strong and cheap from other times he had visited and then deviated from going straight home, he knew that it felt like just what he needed today.

The neighborhood was in a failing state of what once was in society and the city. Some areas had been refurbished around the world that once looked like this, but the portal industry had changed this area for the worse. A new city center was established to the west and the original neighborhood had been left in ruin. A large and shining billboard clearly indicated the decrepitude of the chipped paint and broken brickwork buildings was not to last and soon, the new industries would be here as well. Likely, in a year, the bar now in front of him would no longer be here. “Progress…” Patrick popped some more pills before shaking his head and then wheeling himself inside.

After a single beer with his sandwich, Patrick leaned back in his wheelchair and observed the patrons around him in the aging sports bar. It was still slow, but at least five people had already stared at him from their own positions at the bar or at a nearby table. He picked the corner spot to avoid more attention being drawn to him as usual, but in a place like this, someone like him tended to stick out no matter what they did.

Patrick was paying more attention to his sandwich when one of the patrons started speaking loudly and caught his attention. “…stupid Amazons… All of dem are stupid… Isn’ dat wigh… right, Bill?” The man was obviously intoxicated, and the bar counter seemed to be one of the few obstacles that stood in the man’s way from completely collapsing.

“Sure, Sam…” the bartender acknowledged but also partially dismissed of the patron. From his face, Patrick could see that it wasn’t the first time that this had happened with the local drunk.

“Stupid tall fascists came here with all their… fancy technology…” He leaned more heavily into the bar. “I had a good job, Frank… Coal power plant.” He hiccupped. “Hippies hated us… but it was a good job!”

“Good job. Right, Sam…” He polished another glass and nodded his head.

“Then they came in… with the government and all. It was such a happy day.” The man took another swig from his drink. Patrick couldn’t tell what was in it. “You remember that, Frank?”

Frank sighed. “I do, Sam…”

Patrick did as well. Most people alive back then did too. Patrick was only five, but even at that young of an age, it wasn’t every day that a race of beings comes from a different dimension and offers your world a treaty that would only seem to solve everyone’s problems.

“Yeah! Had a mass on my liver. Hardening even back then, and boom! Gone in a day!” He then got a smug look on his face. “Iss why I can drink all… this,” he gestured to his quickly draining drink. “Can’t kill me anymore!”

Patrick stared at the local drunk and couldn’t help but notice almost the sad hint in his voice. He had obviously lost his job when the fusion reactors outside of town had popped on. It was free energy and the Amazons had offered job training, but the more stubborn or set-in-their-ways folks had elected for unemployment instead. ‘Idiots…’

Patrick’s father had eagerly signed up for the training. Built his own business from what he learned in the new offered classes by the new beings and then sold it for a nice chunk of change. Their small family would be financially set for years to come, but almost like a curse from that windfall of money, after only a year of joy, the next six had then claimed both his parents.

“Alright… I think you’ve had enough for the day, Sam… let me call you a ride.” Frank quickly tapped on a nearby touch pad and instantly sent for a ride service to pick Sam up. It was simple and convenient and now, most just accepted the service after it was practically fully funded by the city once true unemployment and homelessness had almost been eliminated. It was a good life… ‘Too bad it was all too late for my family though...’

Patrick continued to sit in the bar for the next four hours. The light began to dim outside, and Patrick had relieved himself in the bathroom twice already with his mobile and disposable catheter products. Each had cleared his head a bit, but once he had switched to the harder stuff beyond beer an hour ago, his inebriation only seemed to take a life on its own.

By the time it was night out, Patrick was feeling everything, and his inhibitions were fully lowered. The sadness of the day had been briefly put on hold. For a minute, he could almost imagine himself back with his friends before the accident if he just shut his eyes.

Then, a very beautiful and leggy redhead sauntered into the bar from outside and sat at the steadily crowded bar. She was alone and many looked at her with longing looks of their own after her stunning entrance. After three guys struck out, Patrick decided to try his luck and wheeled as smoothly as he could right over to her. With a breath, he spoke in the voice he used to use to pick up women before. It had a bit of a swagger to it, but it practically breathed confidence and sincerity. “Hey there, red. I’m Patrick. Mind if I ask what’s your name?”

The woman swung around to meet the gaze of the voice next to her, but after a moment of seeming confusion, her eyes dropped to the figure beneath her. After a moment of looking unsure of what to do next, she finally spoke. “Oh… uh, Mary.”

“Good to meet you…” He hiccupped and could feel the stronger effects taking over. He had to push forward, but this bravado probably wouldn’t last long. “Uh… sorry, Mary. You live around here?” Not having dated for a while now, his social skills weren’t as refined as they used to be, but he still had a smidge of confidence about him. His fifth whiskey on the rocks had helped with that.

Mary looked at the man below her with the same sense of loss and almost pity that Patrick had come to expect. “Yeah… but um, I’m…”

“You here by yourself?” Patrick blurted out. His heart had fallen a bit at the looks she was giving him, but he had to push his luck.

Mary grimaced a bit over the suddenness of the question. “Umm… yeah, but look, uh…?”

“Patrick…” he said, starting to sound a little deflated at the notion of her not remembering his name already.

“Right… look.” She sighed. “You seem nice and all…” Patrick could feel his drunkenly inflated hopes start to quickly fade. “But I have a boyfriend…”

Patrick groaned. This was headed for failure anyway, so he decided to push his luck further. In times like these, inhibitions might have been a good thing. “Right… do you though?” he questioned. The words had just slipped out and Patrick could immediately tell that Mary wasn’t prepared for them.

After her initial shock of his rudeness, her eyes squinted in annoyance. “Well, if you really must know, then no. I don’t have a boyfriend.” Her eyes narrowed further, and her voice started to rise. “I was actually just trying to protect your feelings at a rejection, but I suppose that doesn’t matter.” Patrick started to shrink away in embarrassment. Many of the growing number of patrons in the bar began to look in pity over the developing event before them.

Mary seemed to notice as well and took a moment to collect her feelings. “Look, you seem nice and all… probably… but you’re drunk, and you just seem… you look like you could use a shave and maybe a haircut.” She sighed. “Maybe in another life, but not this one and certainly not today. Understand?”

“Yeah… okay…” Patrick’s drunken revelry and confidence was no more. With all the dignity he could scrounge left, he quickly downed a few more rounds back at his old table, but after a few stares from those around him, however, he felt that his welcome here had passed.

Subsequently, he rapidly paid for his food and drinks and exited without another word to anyone or even a glance back to the woman who had turned his advances away. The still-seated Mary and the others stared back in sympathy over the figure they saw exiting the front door, but Patrick was too entombed in his own self-pity that he didn’t notice. He didn’t even hear Frank call after him to get a ride back like he had done with Sam earlier.

Once outside, Patrick rolled on through the streets. The neighborhood was still a bit of a relic and leftover from the old days of the city, and no time like the night was this more evident. Many of the lights were still their old energy sucking and dimly lit versions, which were barely able to keep even the streets below them properly lit. As such, there were many alleyways and dark corners. Gangs and drug deals were rampant in certain spots and Patrick actively avoided them at all costs.

Once completely out of view of the bar and a few wandering people on the streets, Patrick began to curse himself as he made his way back home. “Stupid, stupid, stupid! Damn alcohol!” he cursed out loud. “Why would someone like that even talk with someone like me? Who am I but a lowly failure?” He paused his wheelchair in front of a partially cracked window that barely showed his passing reflection. “Fitting,” he huffed as he looked back at his own image. “Fading away and cracked down the middle…” He shook his head in disgust and wheeled onward.

While his confidence from alcohol had seemingly evaporated, his overall drunken state still hadn’t. “Stupid accident… stupid party! If I had just stayed over or found my own ride, she would still be alive! Stupid! Stupid!” Patrick took another round of pills and then rolled his wheelchair down a particularly uneven sidewalk toward one of the distant bus stops. The dim lighting and his drunken state were too much though, and he missed a large crack in the sidewalk until his front wheel got caught in it.

“Oh shit!” Patrick cried out when he realized the predicament that he had just gotten himself into. Unfortunately, no one was around to help him out so he tried as best he could to dislodge himself. It was no use, but he stubbornly persisted. It proved to be too much however, and his chair tipped over to the side after one of the larger lurches.

“Ah! Damn it!” The wheelchair fell on the ground and Patrick sputtered out in front of it, landing with a dull thud on his head on a piece of the upturned sidewalk.

In pain, disoriented, and still very drunk, Patrick looked about him for any signs of anyone that could help. Being a part of the old city that most were no longer frequenting, he reaffirmed that he was all alone.

Now, Patrick had been diligent about his intermittent catheterization at the bar. It was mighty uncomfortable at times, but he had a routine. With his mild rejection and drunken state though, he had neglected to empty his bladder before he left. As such, the impact of the fall had caused the damn to burst, but Patrick still hadn’t noticed… until now as the urine encroached on his stomach.

“Shit… did I fall in a puddle?” His head throbbed and his vision was becoming blurrier by the minute, but he quickly cocked his head down just to see the damage. To his horror though, all he saw was a wet spot emanating from his crotch and lower portion of his shirt. “Unbelievable…”

Normally, he would have shaken it off and just gone home. He had a change of clothes in his still attached and nearby backpack, but the bump on his head and his inebriation were proving too much for his body to handle.

Darkness began to overtake him and the last thing he saw was a pair of flashing lights and then a large white truck pulled up with ‘Oasis Opportunities’ plastered over the side. He could hear some distant shouting and the sound of footsteps, but he soon slipped out of consciousness and into a world of only darkness.

[sklawlor]

this is really good, I'll be looking forward to what happens next.

[Guilend]

Very interesting start

[SGTbaby]

Interesting start!

[LostBBoyBear]

I just want to thank everyone for their likes and comments of support. It always means a lot when starting a new story on here and it is my wish that I can continue to provide an interesting story for you all. 

I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter!

Chapter 2: A Glass Façade

Twenty years ago, the same scenario might have played out very differently. When Patrick awoke, his kidneys, or other vital organs, would have likely been harvested and waking up at all would have been considered a minor miracle.

Now, however, Patrick awoke to the sun shining brightly on his face, a bouquet of flowers perched on a table beside him, and a lovely aroma of lavender and fresh linen encapsulating every square inch of his morning breaths. Still, after looking over what appeared to be a mix of a hotel and hospital room, he quickly knew it wasn’t where he lived and most definitely wasn’t where he had passed out. Like the morning before, he bolted awake, but only the pain of all where he could feel greeted him now.

The light shone in from all around him and he grimaced as he moved his hands to massage his head. “Ah!” A quick pain emanated from where he had touched. Worried of what it could be, Patrick slowly palmed the spot on his head where the lightning pain had erupted from. It was definitely still there, and he quickly remembered hitting his head from last night. “Ugh… not good…”

Patrick didn’t have long to think any further as he stared to hear a pair of shoes clacking from outside the door, which was then quickly followed by a male orderly entering in a state of panic. Upon seeing a conscious Patrick though, his demeanor quickly relaxed. “Oh, thank goodness. You’re just awake and not injured more. That’s so great!”

His loud words seemed to slingshot around in his head and Patrick rubbed the tender spot once more. “Ugh, where… where am I…?”

“Ah,” the male orderly said as if everything suddenly made sense now, despite Patrick’s evident and still lingering confusion. “Let me go get your main nurse. She’ll be so pleased to know you’re awake!” The man practically skipped off after setting a stack of white linens on a nearby countertop.

Patrick was left in a state of confusion, but still not knowing where he was, he didn’t want to wait for whomever to show back up, so he immediately began to get up and haul himself into his usual position to get out of bed. A wheelchair was parked nearby and with a little finagling, he was able to move it into the right position.

As Patrick strained and grunted to position the chair just right though, the door reopened, and a tall blonde woman casually walked in. Each step caused her curly blonde hair to bounce and her nearly pristine white and pink scrub uniform to shift about gracefully. “Good morning!” she said cheerfully. “Brad told me you were up and I’m just so pleased to see that!” Her near record-breaking smile faded a bit though as she then saw what Patrick was trying to do.

“Oops! Looks like I’ve got a restless patient on my hands!” The tall woman then nearly skipped over to where Patrick had sprawled himself out over the bed and easily shifted him back to sitting by his pillows.

“I was just trying to get into my wheelchair,’ Patrick said glumly over the loss of achieving his morning goal and making his escape from wherever he was.

The nurse smiled tenderly down at Patrick. Despite not knowing her, her demeanor almost seemed to calm him down. Shen then bent slightly down and rested her hand on his shoulder. “I understand, sweetie, but we’ve got some strict rules while you’re here today. Don’t want you to hurt yourself further now, do we?”

Patrick wasn’t a fan of how she was talking to him. Her sickly-sweet voice would no doubt be grating after more than 10 minutes at this rate, but he also felt an odd sense of calm envelop him at the same time. It had been quite some time since anyone had shown him the care that she was obviously trying to show him now. Even if her voice was a bit annoying, he craved more of this cared-for feeling, so he just shook his head. “No…”

“Wonderful… now,” she sat on the edge of the bed and twisted her body slightly to fully face Patrick, “we need to do a little talking first, okay?”

Patrick hesitated at the implication of whatever forlorn information she had to impart but simply just nodded in compliance. ‘Maybe this is the point where she informs me that because they got me off the street, I have to pay or else they’ll take my kidneys?’

“Perfect. Now, we just happened to have a patrol roaming the area you were found in last night. Goodness knows what could have happened if we hadn’t found you,” she said with a great deal of concern. Again, it was a nice feeling to at least feel that one person still cared about him. “From the reports that we get, it’s still a bit unsafe in that neighborhood at night. It’s actually one of the reasons we go by there on our nightly patrols.”

‘Patrols?’ Patrick rolled the word around in head and tried to decipher what that meant and what it had to do with him now. Still, he just wanted the nurse to continue and hopefully she would answer his questions in time. He didn’t want to appear weak until he knew where he was. “I would have been fine…”

“Hmmm…” Her eyes glanced downward briefly causing Patrick to immediately become self-conscious. Before he had a chance to see where she was looking though, her eyes popped back up. “What’s the last thing you remember, honey?”

Patrick had to think for a moment. It was all pretty blurry still in his still half-awake state. “I came out of the bar… my chair tipped over and I fell, and I…” Patrick froze in terror. Her previous glance down now made perfect sense in the most horrific way.

The nurse smiled as Patrick made the connection. “I take it you remember that little part now, huh?”

Still too shocked at the memory, Patrick just meekly nodded. It had happened before, but it had been relatively private. ‘Great. Now, Nurse Sparkles knows as well...’

“Awww. No need to be embarrassed sweetie. In fact, we even waved one of our usual protocols when we find someone like you with your… ahem… situation.”

Patrick was confused by what she meant, but then noticed a stack of thick plastic objects on one of the higher shelves in the room. ‘Shit! I’m going to be sold to some pervert from the other dimension!’ His heart began to beat rapidly and tried to inch away from her as best as he could. “St… stay away… fr… from me! There are others! P… people looking for me!”

The nurse just giggled at the sight unfolding before her. “Oh, sweetie. Relax! I’m not one of those people. Just a human and just like you! Born on this planet and in this dimension.” Patrick still held his guard. “Promise.”

Patrick didn’t believe her. For all he knew, it could have been a lie to lure him into a false sense of security before they pounced on him. “Prove it!”

The nurse seemed perplexed over how she could but then snapped her fingers and stood up. “Here.” She then thrust the curtains open and showed a picturesque view of the downtown of his city. It looked far different than where he lived of course, but it was just the new part spurred on by the portal travel. “See? Still in this dimension and even the same city where you live. And, as I said before, we waved our usual protocol to diaper one such as yourself… Looked up your file and paralyzed members here get a little more leeway in certain matters. Okay?” Her eyes looked directly into his.

Patrick could almost get lost in their bright blue color. He could quickly feel his walls fade away. He then just nodded and settled back down on his bed. His heart still beat rapidly, and he probably still looked panicky, but it seemed to be enough for the nurse.

“Good… now, I didn’t introduce myself before. I’m nurse Patricia, but you can just call me nurse, Patty, Patricia… whatever! Kinda cute that we have such similar names, huh?”

“Yeah…” Patrick said hesitantly, still clearly wary of what was going on.

“I bet you’ve got a bunch of questions, huh?” Patrick quickly nodded. “Well, I’ll let Mr. Docker explain things more later, but I can help answer a few bits. First though,” Patricia then moved close to where Patrick had finally settled, “I think we need to do a few morning bits, huh? Get you going and all.”

Patrick realized the time and nodded. “Yeah… just lend me the wheelchair and I can do the rest.”

Patricia however didn’t seem thrilled. “Well… I can give you some independence and whatnot, but I’m going to help you in a few areas of my choice. No negotiating on that one, okay?”

Patrick wanted full independence, but maybe it was her large frame and intense look, but he didn’t feel he was in a place to say no to her. “Fine…” he then relented.

Patricia only smiled and then helped him into the wheelchair. He quickly noticed it wasn’t his own and had handlebars on the back where someone else could push you around. Sighing, he just let himself be wheeled over to the bathroom. Gratefully, Patricia only got him into position and got everything out for him to use for his usual morning routine. ‘Nice but… weird. How does she know the exact equipment that I use back home?’

Shaking his head and adding his question to the steadily growing pile, Patrick soon finished up and exited the bathroom after disposing of the products and washing his hands.

Patricia quickly popped back into the bathroom. “Perfect! Let me just log that into my watch, and… we’re good!” She then marched over and took over the steering of Patrick out of the room.

Too wrapped up in everything going on, he only then realized that he was wearing a pair of greenish-blue hospital scrubs with a logo over the left chest area. Upon looking further, he recognized the name from the logo on the van last night. “Oasis Opportunities… is that this place?” Patrick asked after reading the logo on his scrubs and along one of the walls as they passed it.

“You got it!” Patricia confirmed gleefully. “Newly built and all with the advent of the renovation to the nearby portal facility. We run all usual technical bits outside the city, as I’m sure you know, but we do most of the outreach and admin programs from this building here.”

Patrick nodded, and still trying to get the lay of the land, he wanted to know more about her. “Are you associated with them then?”

“Them…?” Patricia seemed to be confused over the word choice, but it didn’t last long. “Oh! The Bigs you mean!”

“Yes…” he said hesitantly.

“Well, me personally… only in a roundabout way, but OO here, yes!” she said enthusiastically.

Patrick took the thought in. Only moments ago, she had calmed him down about not kidnapping him for the portal, but now, he was in a building literally dedicated to the same thing. “I thought you said this wasn’t with the other dimension and all?”

“Nope! All I said was that you weren’t in the other dimension. We’re still on Earth and all, but this place is just headed by the other side is all. Innocent programs and all!”

Patrick wasn’t sure how much he actually believed her, but he didn’t want to upset the woman now wheeling him around. “The programs… that’s why I’m here?” Patrick finally asked reluctantly, very well already likely knowing the answer.

“Well… as I said, Mr. Docker will explain things more to you in a minute,” Patricia practically skipped over.

Patrick just sighed and resigned himself to the fact that he was only going to get part of the story for now. Patricia didn’t seem like a danger, so for now, he just sat back in the wheelchair as Patricia wheeled him along a corridor with several other rooms that looked just like the one he had just exited.

The pair then soon arrived at a large elevator at the end of the hall and by what could only be a nurse’s station. After a ding, the two entered and Patricia pressed the button labeled, ‘Floor 24.’

The elevator was large and elaborate. It even smelled fresh and new. “Pretty big and fancy building… how much is all this going to cost me? I’ve got money, but… I just need to know how much ramen I’ll have to pack away in the next week or so…” Patrick half joked.

Patricia let out a tiny giggle. “Actually, the government funds this whole place. A few of the adventures pay for the overhead and all, but day-to-day stuff is predominantly covered by one of the government programs instituted a few years ago. Upper Deal? New Plan? Something like that.”

“Oh…” Patrick said with a bit of relief. He did have the money, but this all still felt like a lot. At the same time though, Patricia had mentioned a few of the programs here had helped with the funding. With 67 floors in total, only a few seemed unoccupied by some portal dimension sounding program.

“Here let me show you around. We still have a bit before we need to see Mr. Docker.” The elevator stopped and the two got off at the bottom floor of a large atrium. After Patricia moved him out a little way, Patrick could quickly see that at least eight floors had their offices perched behind him and overlooked the atrium and the immense glass curtain wall in front of them. It was a grand, magnificent, and beautiful, if not unnerving, sight.

“Wow… all this is for OO? Portal travel and all? Just for this single portal?”

“Yep,” Patricia practically chirped. “We’ve got lots of offices for a whole host of programs. We tend to cover the gamut on portal travel here, so we even have three floors dedicated to the R&D department.” She then lowered her voice. “If you ever come back here and are wandering around, stay off floors 34 through 36. High level clearance required, and one poor delivery guy got sucked into a dimension with talking and hallucinogenic plants. You do not want to end up like that.”

Patrick nodded gravely. If he needed any reminder and jolt back to reality for what type of company he was standing in the middle of, Patricia’s warning and tiny anecdote had performed its task admirably.

After a minute or so of silence, Patricia piped back up. “So, you want some, errr…” she looked at the large touchpad watch on her wrist, “yeah, lunch?”

“Oh, uh, sure?” Patrick said hesitantly, still in awe over the enormity of the building for just one portal. If the news article from last week was any indication, there were at least 36 in the states alone.  

Patricia quickly picked up on his apprehension from eating food from a portal company. “Relax. All still covered by the government and not a single thing here is spiked or could cause you any issues.” Patrick stared at her with an unconvinced look. “Promise. Pinky swear on it if that would help…”

Patrick looked at her outstretched pinky and shook his head. “Uh, no. That’s fine. I’m good. Just…” Patrick let the implied notion hang in the air for a second.

“Oh, no need to explain. After all, you are talking to a normal human working for a company that deals exclusively with Bigs and all as upper management.” She then lowered her voice once more. “Hard not to hear about the… others that work, or I should say worked on the other side of the portal…”

Patrick nodded but wanted to move on as quickly as possible. “So, lunch?”

She popped right back up. “Right!” Patricia then wheeled Patrick over to a nearby food court situated in the corner of the atrium. There was a tiny line, but it also allowed Patrick to look at what he wanted. After Patricia got a cobb salad and Patrick got a Cuban sandwich, the pair sat down and would occasionally talk through their delicious bites.

Patrick, however, was more distracted by what he was seeing. Having previously worked at a corporate office job to make some good money one summer before his accident, he knew of the typical personnel who visited these places. This atrium drew a large crowd for its obvious beauty and confirmed tasty food, but Patrick couldn’t help but notice a few oddities.

While visitors to such places could always draw in a few strangers that didn’t exactly fit in with the rest, the personnel who worked here all seemed very cut and dry. All seemed like part of the medical staff, like Patricia, or were buttoned up into a variety of business attires. What was odd though, was the array of people like him.

Not confined to a wheelchair necessarily, but all still seeming to suffer in their own tiny ways. A persistent cough, recent surgery lines, even a few that were still hooked up to IV bags. It was an anomaly that bugged Patrick, but Patricia’s timing was impeccable and quickly distracted him with another question, this time about what he wanted for his future.

Soon though, lunch was over and after looking at her watch once more, Patricia stood up. “Well, looks like it’s just about time to head on up. Wish I could give you a longer tour of more of the floors here, but maybe some other time. Mr. Docker is a busy man, and we shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

Patrick nodded and stretched out his hand. “After you…”

Patricia giggled and after a moment, Patrick realized that his chivalry was lost in a practical sense on the nurse before him. While he could have pushed the wheelchair himself, Patricia was a hands-on type of nurse, so she was most definitely behind him as they moved on from the expansive and beautiful atrium.

The pair soon arrived back at the large elevator they had previously boarded. After a ding, the two entered the leftmost one and Patricia pressed the button labeled, ‘Floor 42,’ once inside the shiny metallic box.

A short zoom upward, another ding, and the doors then opened back up. Patricia pushed him forward and finally halted at a waiting area at the end of the hall on the floor. A large glass window opened onto the city to the south and Patrick could easily see the breathtaking views and just how high they were. If it was possible, it was even more impressive than the atrium they had just come from.

Before Patricia even had a chance to sit, a young and attractive woman stood up from behind her desk and motioned to her. “You can go right on in, Patty.”

“Thanks, Sammy,” Patricia gleefully replied as she rapidly pushed Patrick into the awaiting doors which conveniently opened automatically.

Patricia then gently guided Patrick into the large and impressive office. Two of the walls faced the outside and were nearly floor to ceiling windows. One could see all the way into three neighboring states and the faint glow, even in the daytime, from the portal facility could be seen to the south.

At the far end of the room, a tall and fit man with styled salt and pepper hair and a slick goatee stood and looked out one of the windows. As soon as the wheelchair entered the room, it hit a small bump in the place where the flooring from the outside and inside met. The man suddenly turned around and smiled. “Ah, good evening, Patrick. Come on in and don’t be shy!”

The doors behind Patrick closed with a shudder and Patrick couldn’t help but gulp at the man now standing in front of him. His subtle pinstripe suit and red shirt underneath were well fit to his impressive stature and his eyes gleamed at Patrick. If he didn’t know any better, his looks almost bordered on what Patrick thought a wolf would look like as it looked upon a fluffy and tiny lamb.

Whatever the case, Oasis Opportunities may have looked nice on the outside, but something told him that whatever was about to be offered might prove to be just too much for him to accept. Hopefully, whatever it was, could still be rejected if needed be and that Patricia hadn’t just lied to him about everything. Whatever the case, the doors slammed to a frightening close behind him, sealing him inside for whatever was to come.

[kerry]

1 hour ago, LostBBoyBear said:

gambit

FYI: The spelling you want here is "gamut." I'm definitely enjoying this one so far.

1 hour ago, LostBBoyBear said:

Floor 42

As soon as they went here, my first thought was, "Don't Panic." 🤣

1 hour ago, LostBBoyBear said:

shuttered

I think this probably should be "shuddered," but maybe you mean something else?

[LostBBoyBear]

2 hours ago, kerry said:

FYI: The spelling you want here is "gamut." I'm definitely enjoying this one so far.

As soon as they went here, my first thought was, "Don't Panic." 🤣

I think this probably should be "shuddered," but maybe you mean something else?

Darn. I thought I caught those. Thanks for the heads up.

[Guilend]

I don't like that guy. He seems to enjoy his job of sending Littles off to a dimension to be regressed and diapered way too much.

I am curious to how the Bigs on the otherside view their "Little" staff on this side. I imagine the rules for the staff and probably even the punishments are a bit different then other jobs that aren't owned by the Bigs.

I'm not sure if I fully trust the nurse either. She's either enjoys her job too much or is very decent at hiding her own fear of something happening to her, either due to insinuations or from watching a few coworkers have something bad happen to them. Either way She's only out for herself (not a bad thing) so can't be trusted.

Ps. The secretary is wearing diapers or pull ups because as long as it's not stated otherwise I can imagine whatever I want. 😝

[LostBBoyBear]

I've always been of the opinion that it is an unspoken terror by any employees on this side of the portal with who they work for. Bigs are tricky and these people are putting themselves in extremely vulnerable positions. I was going to add a mini storyline with Nurse Patricia and her talking about a friend who had been lost in the other dimension, but then I relized that proably would have put me off if I had heard that right after I had been offered this deal. Even in this community, I feel that some bits in their dimension are just not desirable.

Also, I will neither confirm or deny if Sammy the secrerary is wearing any kind of protection or not...

I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter!

Chapter 3: The Deal on the Table

Without a moment of hesitation, Mr. Docker strutted over to the pair with an outstretched hand and a curvy smile on his face and then looked down at Patrick. “Good to finally meet you, Patrick.”

Patrick shook his hand slowly but didn’t say a word. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling or sensing, but there was just something about this man that he felt drawn to, but at the same time, both could and could not trust him. It was an odd sensation, but it definitely at least warranted a warning bell inside his head.

Mr. Docker seemed somewhat disappointed at the lackluster response to his greeting, but just continued to smile broadly. He then looked up and at Patricia. “Thank you, Patty. Patrick here should be just fine. We’ll buzz you in here if we need you or just when we’re all done today.”

From her position to the side of him, Patrick could see Patricia give a little nod and then turn toward him. “Okay, sweetie. I’ll just be outside. As Mr. Docker said, just holler if you need me. For anything…” she emphasized. She then turned around, her hair bouncing comically once again, and then exited out of the doors quickly.

Despite his initial distrust of her, Patricia had at least so far proven to be a friend. Patrick couldn’t quite place it, but an almost seeming warmth seemed to vanish from the room as the doors opened and then shut loudly once more. Now, Patrick felt truly alone and vulnerable since he had woken up here.

After a moment of almost seeming to size Patrick up, Mr. Docker walked back over and leaned on his large table while still looking at him. “Now, Patrick…”

Patrick then held up his hand to stop the slick businessman. This odd feeling was killing him, and he knew that he just had to get it out in the open. Even if that meant his ultimate doom in the next 30 seconds, he just had to know if he had been ultimately duped by this place and the portal like so many others had. “Wait, Mr. Docker…”

Mr. Docker then held up his own hand. “Please. Call me Brett.”

“Okay… Brett,” Patrick said apprehensively, obviously a little uncomfortable with calling this particular man by his first name, but also not wanting to go against his simple request. Patrick was already uneasy enough about him. He didn’t want him getting upset on top of that. “Uh, what am I doing here? MI mean… more specifically, am I getting sold to the other dimension? Am I to be a slave? Am I getting punked? Are you selling my kidneys? Or is this some kind of scheme or reality tv, or…?”

“Woah, woah, woah there, partner,” Brett said trying to ease Patrick back down. “I can see you have a bunch of questions, but also that you’re a straight shooter. I can admire that in fella. So, if you really want to just get down to it…” Brett paused and then pulled up the tablet that had been lying on his desk behind him. “You see, we are an organization that runs through OO here. We’re known as Psyche New Beginnings.”

Patrick waited for something more, but Brett only looked at him like he was waiting for a reply and as if everyone had heard of them before. So, playing along and with a little nervousness, Patrick asked, “And what do you do exactly…?”

Brett seemed disappointed but just held up his hands as if he himself was a scale and maneuvered them up and down with a slightly puzzled expression. “Exactly…? Well, I’m not entirely sure how to put it very plainly in one go. Not that I don’t know,” he defended, “but what we do just mainly depends on you… or at least for now, others like you.” Patrick looked at the man with a still-confused look on his face. “Okay… simpler…” After a moment of stroking his goatee, he snapped his fingers together. “Well, like OO would suggest, we offer opportunities, but instead of travel destinations or anything like that specifically, we offer a trade of sorts.”

“A trade?” Patrick questioned.

“Yes. A trade.” Brett then moved to the rear of his desk and held up the tablet before sitting down. “You see this file here, Patrick?”

Patrick nodded and it only took a second now seeing it, even in its zoomed-out presentation, for Patrick to realize that it was his entire medical file from Hillside General… where he and his mom had been treated after the accident. “How… did you get that?”

Brett then looked very mischievous and waffled about a bit before answering. “Let’s call it a legal loophole.” Patrick raised an eyebrow and Brett’s smile only grew. “To be frank, since you’re such a straight shooter and all, one of the bills passed a few years ago allowed companies like ours to view medical files to better sort through potential candidates if they were based under or above the company that generated the file in the first place. Not very democratic I grant you, but every once in a while, we find a nugget of something… interesting.” Brett paused before quickly adding, “Or, at least useful to us.”

Patrick’s eyes widened but he was still determined to keep his cool in front of Brett. Patricia had said there was no trickery to all this but promises alone never seemed to help any classified Little before. It was a promise that likely wouldn’t save him in most of these sticky situations. For now, he knew he had to play part possum and part detective. “And I’m that… nugget, as you say?”

“In so few words, eh… but ultimately yes, we believe so.”

The words seemed to drop like weights on the ground in the office like large bowling balls. If they had been real instead of metaphorical, there would likely be a few large holes in the ground from their immense weight plummeting below. Brett hadn’t said much, but it was enough. Despite all the niceties, these people still wanted him for their project deal with portal travel. “Well, thank you,” Patrick began to move his wheels to get out toward the door, “but no than…”

“Now, just hear me out!” Brett called out, standing with his hand raised to try and gesture to stop him before he left.

Patrick was still ready to bolt in a second for the door, but his muscles relaxed a bit, and he only still held a casual grip over the wheels on his chair. They had done all this and a second further of hearing him out might not be the worst thing. In any case, with his desire to walk out the door, he might have just given himself a better negotiating position. If news reports from the other side were any indication, Littles were desperately needed, so a ‘yes’ from him was likely a valuable commodity.

Brett relaxed upon noticing the shift in Patrick’s desire to leave right then. “Good. Now, as I said, I’m offering an opportunity for you, Patrick. Just look.”

Brett then gently walked over to Patrick and handed him the file to start browsing through it briefly. Despite his sleek business abilities, Brett didn’t seem to have the largest reserve of patience though. Not minutes later, he started speaking again. “According to this, you are paralyzed from the waist down. You are aware of that and you’re probably also aware that due to poor response measures and the technology offered at the time, your nerves were nearly completely deadened that night if I remember correctly. Is that true?” he asked calmly but bluntly as he sat back down.

Patrick didn’t appreciate his past being brought up so suddenly and his eyes narrowed. Brett seemed smart and the non-arrogant type, so this felt… odd. ‘Was this overconfidence or something else? What was the ultimate goal here and why would they care about my stupid injury from so many years ago. Surely someone else would suit their needs more…’ His internal questions would have to wait though. Brett seemed to be playing his game, so Patrick resolved himself to play his own. “You had this exact file…”

“That’s true…” Brett said even more carefully. It felt like he was walking on eggshells now to get this message across just right. After a moment though, he took the silence as his cue to chime back in. “So, I’ll take that as a yes then?”

“Yeah…” Patrick said reluctantly. He needed more answers, and the suspense was now hurting his head.

“Good.” Brett smiled. “Don’t want to be mixing you up with someone else.” He then adjusted his suit and readjusted himself in the chair. “Now, the opportunity… you see, we offer a trade… as I said. In your case, you’ll get to walk again.”

The air felt like it had just left the room and that time had stopped completely. Brett had made it sound like he was talking about the weather, but Patrick could feel his heart race and the ocean sounded like it was blaring in his ears. They were the words he had dreamed about for years. They were almost nightmares because he knew they would never come to pass, but now… Patrick needed to know more, so finally, just to say something, Patrick blurted out a simple, “Excuse me? Can you run that by me one more time?”

Brett smiled at Patrick’s dumbfounded reaction. “Walk again. Yes, Patrick. You heard me correctly and to answer your next question, yes, I am being serious.” Brett then popped on his computer screen and showed an overview of a list of therapies and medicines. “As you can see, all in the realm of possibilities I assure you with current technology. Hard, and a little expensive for some cases, but after a period, yes, with our help, you would be able to walk on your own again.”

The offer felt wonderful and awesome and… just too good to be true. ‘They’re a portal company for Pete’s sake! How can there not be another angle?’ Patrick’s previously peaceful face soon soured. “And the trade?” he asked with some gruffness and annoyance that he had even allowed himself to hope.

Brett looked like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar but easily grinned and passed it off. “Ah, yes… the trade. Well, there’s the rub for many...” Brett then sighed. “While others may leap at any, even tiny, chance they get to heal themselves, perhaps even save their lives, your injury isn’t… life threatening. In fact, you can head out that door now,” he pointed to the double doors that Patrick had entered behind him now, “and that will be it. I won’t stop you and you may never walk again, but you will live. No catches or payments. Just go about your life as this was just a bump in the road or even a bad dream if you wish.” Brett pointed back to the screen. “Technology isn’t a guarantee so advancements may not occur how you would like in the next few decades around here or so while still at least remaining affordable, but if that’s the risk you want to take… as I said, I won’t stop you from leaving.”

What Brett had offered was a miracle beyond belief, but with all the incoming technology, it was no longer just a fantasy that some guy was trying to sell him. It was no fool’s gold. If Brett was offering this cure for some type of trade, it was legitimate. Still though, Patrick couldn’t swat away the feeling that something more was afoot… something having to do with that aforementioned trade. “So… what’s the catch? If I’m doomed here on this planet, what makes the difference… oh.” Patrick’s face dropped at the realization of everything on the table now.

Brett smiled mischievously. “Catching on a bit more I take it?”

Patrick looked like someone had just given him a death sentence, and for some, it might as well have been. “You can’t be serious…”

Brett smiled and stroked his goatee. “I am. Especially when it comes to these matters,” Brett said resolutely. “In trade for the ability to walk again,” he said while gesturing around with his hands, “you will be transported to what I believe is the poorly named, Diaper Dimension, and receive care under a to-be-selected caregiver there. An Amazon, or Big, of course in that role… you know, just in case you had any doubt. That is the trade.”

Patrick still seemed to struggle with the reality of the concept. “But that’s…”

Brett half-smiled and exhaled. “It’s a hefty bargain I grant you, but five years in a chair… I know there’s a lot to think about but… add this into the mix as well up there in your head as you process all what I’ve just said.” Brett paused again and twisted his desk monitor a little more toward Patrick after typing a few things and going to a new screen, showing a list of both pros and cons. “Take the deal I’m offering here with all that’s on this screen, and you will only legally need to be over there for five years. You’re not even 30 yet, so coming back after five years there… it’s nothing! A blip in the grand scheme of the rest of your life if you will.”

Patrick sighed and eyed the pros and cons. ‘Living in the other dimension’ was a single line on the con side, but it was a huge factor in all this. “But it’s over there… and you said something about a caregiver?”

“Yes…” Brett said, looking a bit uncomfortable at the mention of that word. “That is a stipulation, but we also allow you to choose from several top candidates while you’re there. Avoid the horror stories I’ve no doubt you’ve read about by now. This way, you can have your cake and still have the ability to eat it as well by the end.” Brett smirked and Patrick nearly wanted to slug him on the spot for making that joke. This was no time for that type of humor.

Still though, the offer was tempting. Here, Brett was at least right about the fact that the technology may never be available for someone in his position at this point. If him and his mom had only been found ten minutes earlier, things might be very different, but now… what Patrick wouldn’t give just to go on a simple walk around the block on his own two legs and then call his mom after just to talk about his day.

Patrick looked up from his own thoughts and could have sworn he saw a glint of a sinister smile under the warm one that Brett was trying so hard to show first. “What’s the catch?” Brett looked like he was about to answer, but Patrick spoke up again with more feeling and force behind his words. “I mean really. All what you’re telling me sounds like something I could have read in a brochure or the party line. If you’re offering me the use of my legs back for a price like this, I want to know the truth.”

“Straight shooter once again, huh?” Patrick nodded and Brett sighed. “Well, apart from what I just told you with living there and a caregiver for five years, if you really must press and in the interest of full transparency with your whole truth bit…” Patrick waved his hand about to confirm that he wanted him to continue. “The catch is that you are still going to a foreign land. We will have several stipulations and regulations in place to keep you safe with the others in this program, but there’s still a risk. It’s like any other foreign land where not everyone is your friend. That’s not a guarantee to happen and bump into those people but that’s what you’d be getting into.”

Patrick hesitated once again, and Brett noticed immediately. He was an excellent salesman and Patrick had yet to truly say ‘no’ to what he was proposing. Now was the time to give him what he wanted and make the deal. “I’m going to give you another little piece to add into this mix just because you asked.” Brett flipped through a few screens on his monitor until he got to one that showed blood work… more specifically, Patrick’s from his intake. “Now, we don’t follow you around or anything, but just from the blood we tested from you last night, I can tell two things.”

Patrick leaned in, almost fearful that Brett had discovered that he had cancer or something of that kind, but Brett noticed his distress and waved his hands about frantically. “No, no, no. before you ask, no, you don’t have cancer.” Patrick’s tension immediately relaxed, and Brett breathed a sigh of relief of his own. “Sorry about that, but I did notice two spikes when reviewing your file. He clicked on a portion of the results on the screen and highlighted both peaks.

“Now, while your alcohol content here,” he said, pointing to the much larger of the two spikes, “is much higher and a concern in of itself but… this other one concerns me more.”

Patrick looked at the other spike. The lettering above it looked familiar but he couldn’t quite place it. “What is it?”

“This is the drug you are taking for your pain management and treatment of your muscles and other functions after your accident,” Brett said glumly.

“And?” Patrick looked perplexed over what Brett was insinuating. “My doctor gave me that stuff. Miracle drug and all apparently.”

Brett sighed. “Yes, well, it is, but it’s got a downside.” Patrick leaned in once more. “You see… that drug was designed with the notion that whoever took it, would be cured of their paralysis within less than ten years.”

“Okay… but it’s only been five for me.”

“True, but are you any closer to becoming less paralyzed? Do you have a bundle of cash or treatment plan that I don’t know about or a tingling sensation at least since your last check-up?” Patrick remained silent and Brett nodded. “That’s what I thought.” He sighed and then almost seemed frustrated. “In truth, I hate this drug. It’s wonderful and can even promote nerve growth and help with other functions of those who have been paralyzed, but after that ten-year mark…”

Patrick felt like he was going to burst as Brett kind of just faded off. “What? Don’t just leaving me hanging here.”

“Sorry…” Brett grimaced a bit but continued. “Well, I won’t go into specifics, but let’s just say that in 15 years, it will lose its effectiveness and your organs could potentially begin to shut down.”

“What!” Patrick was enraged. If he could have stormed to the hospital and beaten up his doctor for not disclosing that bit of information, he would have done so right then, consequences be damned.

“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you that, but I can also add a little hope here…” Brett looked over something on the tablet that Patrick had placed back on his desk and then looked up. How are you feeling today? Any pain? Nausea? Anything like that?”

Patrick thought for a moment. Normally by now he would have taken his pills and even then, he would have still felt some cramping in his back right above where he had been injured. Today though… nothing. “No… did you all give me something? Some other wonder drugs?”

“Well… yes and no.” Patrick squinted his eyes in confusion over that vague answer. “Today, we gave you a sample of one of the medicines you would get in this program if you were to accept this deal,” he said, clearly trying to bolster the offer on the table. “Just once a day and it curbs some of your pain and… desires.”

Patrick’s eyebrows raised. “Desires?”

“Yeah… yours are comparatively a bit minor right now, true, but any more severe and one could label them as additions.”

“I’m not addicted!” Patrick quickly defended.

Brett waved his hand dismissively. “There’s no judgment here, Patrick, and I hate to be the salesman here and all, but just think about that moving forward along with everything else.” Patrick glared at Brett across the desk for the dirty trick he had just played, but in that moment, he could see that there also seemed to be a genuine softness in the salesman before him.

“Again… no obligation. It’s a heavy choice, but it’s still one you need to make. Plus, there’s not really a time limit on all this.” Brett then brought up a calendar and checked a few items. “Looking at all the logistic and whatnot, I might suggest agreeing within the next week to get into one of the nicer places we offer, but we have other facilities you can slip into as well if not…”

Patrick remained silent for a minute. His attention was more focused on the storm clouds gathering in the far distance and he briefly wondered if it was going to rain here later. All this was almost too much to take in at once and even some clouds were a pleasant distraction.

Likely sensing the potential candidate’s indecision and knowing that pushing him further could just lose him now, Brett just stood up and walked around his desk. “Look… I just want you to take your time. Take it easy and think it over. I’m just a phone call away, but again, no worries if you decide not to. All I’m offering is a simple trade for something that you want.” He then handed his card to the still silent figure before him and then buzzed for Patricia to come back in.

After a few pleasantries and a send-off from Brett, Patricia rolled Patrick out of the room and back to the elevator. Sammy just grinned at Patricia as she rolled by, but Patrick was still too far in his head to notice. In fact, he didn’t say a single word until Patricia was rolling him back into his room from earlier. “What do you think I should do?” he asked quietly of his nurse.

Patricia stopped pushing his wheelchair in front of the bed and then walked around and crouched down in front of him. “I can’t answer that for you, sweetie. I really wish I could, but there are some things you need to decide for yourself. I can help you with your meds, therapy, propping a pillow, or even giving you a sponge bath if needed, but things like this… I can’t influence you with. You need to make this decision yourself, honey.”

Patrick sighed and quickly looked disappointed. “That’s what I thought you were going to say…” Patricia sighed, but Patrick realized he needed to ask her from another angle. “How about this… what would you do if you were me?” Patricia looked like she was going to object again, but Patrick just raised his hand up to stop her. “It won’t influence me. I just need to hear it from someone else out loud. It’s getting too… jumbled in my head hearing it all just pouring out from Brett.”

Patricia sighed but nodded. “I can understand that, but if you wish… maybe think about it this way. Right now, you are paralyzed but you seem to be independent. You suffer, based on what I read from your file, from guilt as well. Both are leading you nowhere, but you are you. If you want to get so drunk you stumble down and pee yourself, that is your decision to make. That is your freedom. You could do something else but ask yourself how likely that would even a year from now.”

Patrick looked down in shame over her biting but truthful words.

Patricia saw his dejection and placed her dainty and manicured hand on his arm in sympathy. “I’m not trying to bring you down, but it’s something to consider, because the alternative… well, in time, you’ll get to walk again, you’ll be off your meds, you’ll do group therapy however much you want, and all in the comfort of a large practically resort level building in a beautiful location. As you know though, the tradeoff is that you will be agreeing to a commitment to at least one Big over there. You can choose who they are, but at the end of the day, you’ll be a Little.” The word alone stabbed the air and made Patrick nauseous. He realized now that Brett had avoided that term during his whole pitch on purpose. ‘Smart salesman…’

Patricia continued. “That could mean a whole host of things, but I doubt anyone would ever use the word ‘independence’ to describe your situation.” She took a breath and refocused on her patient’s face. “Does that help, sweetie?”

Patrick looked like someone had just smacked him in the face or revealed some large truth to him. It was all too much, but Patricia had laid it all out in front of him as he had requested, so it was hard to deny her words. “I… I think I just need time,” he said at last, slightly drooping his head down purely out of stress.

Patricia smiled and patted him on the arm. “I understand. Do what makes you feel right, but let’s get you home now.” Patrick nodded and she then got up from her crouched position and helped him get dressed in his freshly laundered clothes from yesterday.

Under her watchful gaze and tender helping hands, Patrick felt a sense of security and helplessness but in a way that just made him feel cared for. It was hard not to imagine this very situation becoming a daily occurrence if he accepted their offer. Still though, saying ‘yes’ just felt too out there to fully accept in this singular moment.

The two then parted at the exit and Patrick boarded a bus on his own insistence on getting home by himself rather than take the offered company transportation. In truth, he needed more time to think without the weight of someone working for the company looking over him, no matter how lovely Patricia had been to him.

By the time he got off at his stop and back to his apartment building, a growing realization was dawning inside him. Before he could think more about it though, Mr. Stacci lumbered once again out of his first-floor apartment. “Patrick! Rent is due! Today!”

“Yes, Mr. Stacci… I’m going up now and I’ll pay then. I won’t forget…”

“Good! Remember, you don’t, and you get thrown out!” he yelled, pointing a sausage-like and hairy finger at him.

Patrick just meekly nodded and wheeled himself over to the tiny elevator to get up to his floor. The small metal cage felt like such a contrast from the nearly pristine and futuristic looking one at OO. The cleanliness and shine of that building only seemed to emphasize the age and decrepitude of his own current living situation.

Back in his apartment, Patrick humbly looked around. He was surviving in this world, but everything seemed so much bleaker. The storm that he had seen earlier had arrived over the city which didn’t help matters, but he had seen this place on beautiful days as well and the whole place seemed to echo the same answer that he had been feeling for the past thirty minutes.

In fact, every crevice of the dwelling seemed to shout the same answer as well. A pile of bills lay beside his aging computer, the fridge was practically empty, and bottles of pills and booze lay strewn about, all easily accessible while almost looking like they were taunting him. He still didn’t have any pain due to whatever they gave him this morning while he was still asleep, but how much longer that would last was beyond his wildest guess.

Before doing anything else, Patrick knew what he had to do. Before bills, relaxing, or even eating a snack, his choice was as clear as the thunder striking nearby outside the rain-pattered and dingy windows.

Patrick wheeled himself over to the kitchen table and plucked out his cellphone from his backpack and the card that Brett had given him. There was no extension on it, which he found weird, but after dialing it up, Patrick realized that it was Brett’s personal number.

“Hello?” Brett asked over the phone.

“Hi, Brett? This is Patrick…” He stared over the butterfly logo on the card and reflected on the shimmer it cast off from the dim lighting around him. ‘Psyche New Beginnings…’ It all almost seemed magical and mysterious. ‘Is that prophetic or a sign of what’s to come with this whole thing?’

“Oh yes! Patrick! Of course.” A silence then lingered between the two. “Did you have a question, or…”

Patrick sighed. He would be taking a mighty plunge in the next minute, but at the same time, there was a sense of something more. A new beginning like the card logo said, but also maybe a second chance. It had been five years since the accident, so Patrick could only lament what another five years were compared to a life after he could walk again.

Patrick cleared his throat. “I… uh, I want to accept…”

There was silence on the other end and Patrick nearly asked if Brett had heard him. Then, however, Brett answered coolly and with a note that Patrick swore he could just picture him smiling with. “Excellent. Let’s begin, shall we?”

[Guilend]

I definitely think I would have asked a lot more questions, like what are the protections and what are the risks exactly and is there a possibility that after 5 years the Bigs might just decide he's not going back and keeping him their permanently.  However even with that information I would probably still agree to it. Especially in his position. 

I'd definitely would love to work at that facility for sure.

[LostBBoyBear]

So, this is the last chapter of part one. Fear not though, I already have almost all of part two completed and I should keep posting at least semi regularly. 

I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter!

Chapter 4: Just Go Through and Find Out

The next week was practically a blur for Patrick, but an odd feeling had been creeping in the pit of his stomach that persisted to today when he was leaving. Now, like all trips, there was a lot of preparation to be done, but having dealt with several aspects of his family’s house and belongings after his mom had died in the accident, this also felt far too eerily similar as if he was at least preparing to die himself as well.

Based on the help that Brett had given him on the day he had accepted the offer, several processes had quickly fallen into place. As Patrick didn’t have a job currently, that was one less task to complete over most, but his insurance and medical dealings had been a nightmare to explain to what he was doing. Needless to say, he had to run a battery of tests and purchase some ‘kidnapping insurance.’ As the paperwork was filed, Patrick couldn’t help but feel that at least part of this was a mistake or that he should have at least asked more questions before agreeing to the deal.

Next, his possessions were to be stored in a long-term facility provided by Psyche and all. “Just trust us and you can decide after your five years what you want to do with it all…” Those words had hit Patrick probably the hardest of most. Due to both his parents’ deaths and the few other family members who were still alive, he had inherited most of the historical stuff that had been passed from one generation to the next. While the cast iron skillet didn’t mean as much to him, items like old photos from holidays and parties long ago and his grandfather’s dog tags did. They were stored carefully and in a sealed room that could apparently withstand a nuclear blast, but it was still a sinking feeling as the door closed and all those items.

Finally, the last person to inform was Mr. Stacci. Psyche had paid his rent to ensure he wouldn’t be thrown out for any unforeseen circumstances, but Patrick still had to inform the touchy and obese landlord.

“You’re doing what?”

“Leaving, Mr. Stacci. I’m going to be able to walk again but I’m going to the other dimension for a long time. I won’t be living here anymore. I can give you it in writing, but I just wanted to let you know first.”

“The other… You stupid idiot! You’ll be their plaything in no time. Worthless little peon like you, I bet you’ll be sucking some broad’s tit in a week! Good riddance to you!”

It had honestly gone better than he had expected, but the words still cut through him. It wasn’t like he didn’t think the same thing in his own way every night before he went to bed, when he woke up in the morning, or any free moment he had in the week since he had accepted the deal, but it was actually almost a fortuitous moment. Patrick had been filled with a bit of doubt after all the cogs were moving into place, but Mr. Stacci’s outburst over the news had only seemed to solidify why he had to go, nerves today be damned. Walking again was wonderful, getting off drugs was the icing on the cake, but a new start in some regard was swiftly becoming apparent as a wonderous byproduct of all this.

Patrick sighed and smirked as he looked over his apartment one last time. All his possessions had been removed last night except for one box that would be shipped separately to the treatment facility and the few items that he needed for last night and this morning; OO would be by later to collect those. After one last check, Patrick grabbed his confirmation papers, keys, and wallet, and then headed downstairs.

Not wanting to confront Mr. Stacci today, or for that matter ever again, he simply dropped a final bill into his small metal mailbox outside his first-floor apartment. It was a major relief and so, just like that, he was now fully committed to leaving and taking off on this new adventure.

As discussed beforehand with Brett, a white van with ‘Oasis Opportunities’ painted on the side was waiting outside for him. “Mr. Patrick Henderson?” a suited man asked as he stood in front of it.

“Yes, that’s me,” Patrick noted as he wheeled toward the driver and rear door next to him.

“Excellent. You can call me Greg but first, just let me get the door for you.” Greg then turned around and pulled open the side door. A push of a button later and a small ramp extended down.

“Thank you, Greg, and you can just call me Patrick.”

“No problem, Patrick.” Patrick smiled at his driver and then wheeled himself into place. “Perfect. Let me just get those…” Greg then reached down and attached the appropriate straps and buckles to Patrick’s wheelchair and then offered him one more to serve as a seatbelt.

After a click, Greg stood back. “There. That should all be good, so, with your permission, I think we best be off.”

“Sounds good to me.” Greg smiled and then closed the door. A minute later, he was in the front seat starting the car engine out of its neutral position. Soon, the two were driving out of the city and toward the distant and slightly glimmering portal facility.

After a moment of looking around him and seeing the city pass by his window, Patrick noticed a few hooks and other slots for what he knew could only be medical equipment. “I take it I’m not the first person with something medical to sit here, am I?”

Greg looked into his rear mirror. “Not so much. I’ve been transporting a few people in this van to the portal facility for a good bit now. I’ve got some normal seats for those utilizing other programs, but Psyche has been growing steadily over the past year. Five new candidates in the past two weeks alone.”

“Are there really so many of us willing to sign up for this program? I mean, even with all that’s been in the news?”

“Eh. It’s not a flood mind you. Just a steady stream, really since about six months ago. I would say in the past months, you’re still only my third paralyzed passenger. Most have cancer, some autoimmune or genetically terminal disease lately. I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same if I was in your all’s position.”

Patrick frowned. “I didn’t come by it lightly you know…”

“Oh, I get that,” Greg defended. “I’m just saying… five years in return for a better life, or even life itself? Who wouldn’t take that deal?”

After a moment, Patrick knew that Greg could give him a straight answer that he had been wondering about for a bit that he knew he couldn’t have asked Brett. “You don’t think it’s rash, do you?” Patrick asked hesitantly. He had confirmed his willingness to go and signed all the documents, but there was still a hint of doubt running about in his mind. Greg could have been biased, but he was another person that could give their opinion for whatever that was worth.

“Not really… I mean, don’t get me wrong, I would be hesitant as well. Lots of unknowns and going to an entirely new dimension. That’s some sci-fi level stuff right there.” He then looked in his rearview mirror and lowered his voice. “I probably shouldn’t even be saying this, but it gives me the willies to just think about it. Though… maybe take what I say with a grain of salt? After all, I’m the type of person who hesitates to even fly to see my parents in Tampa, so…”

“No, I’m glad to have another opinion with this. Thank you.” The two smiled at each other in understanding. “Honestly, I think in any other circumstance, I wouldn’t touch that dimension if I was being paid a million dollars, but… my legs… it was just too much of an offer.”

“Exactly. It’s a big pull that negates a lot of the other stuff. It’s a chance, so, I wouldn’t think too much on it. Psyche has got some great security if you just follow their rules. Stick to them and I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

Patrick smiled at the kind advice given by Greg and just sat back in his wheelchair in the van. The next twenty minutes flew by and the two talked about pretty much everything from the growth of the city to who could win the next Superbowl with football season just starting back up again. Before he knew it though, the van had pulled up to the large portal facility.

“Here we are. Let me help get you out.” Greg then hopped out of the van while keeping the engine running and made his way over to the side and opened the door. After a few fumbling’s, Patrick was finally released, and he rolled down the once more extended ramp.

“Thank you, Greg. You’re a good driver and I appreciated your opinion and you talking to me. Kept me distracted from all… this,” Patrick said, gesturing to the large almost airport terminal style of building from this side.

Greg smiled in gratitude for the compliment. “No problem, Patrick. You’ll do fine. Just listen to the rules and I’ll probably be the one to see you in five years.” The pair then shook hands and with a nod of his head, Greg returned to his van and drove off.

Now relatively alone, Patrick turned about and viewed the building before him. The drop-off zone was a long stretch that surprisingly had several other people offloading as well. Portal travel had become an increasingly tempting vacation destination, despite the risks.

Like most airport terminals, the drop-off zone was cordoned off into particular destinations. Previous travel could really only link one portal on this side to one portal on that side. Even ten years after, portals could be highly finicky over where they sent you when more than one was involved. Patrick had even heard about one couple that had been sent to Honshu instead of Gaule. Fortunately, the travel company was prepared and soon had them sent free of charge to their intended destination before they could be claimed by a Big for being ‘neglected’ as they had put it.

Now, Patrick stared up at the large sign about to embark on his own journey. “Gate 6, Libertalia.” With a sigh, he then wheeled himself forward through the automatic doors and to the check-in area.

Once inside, he quickly found the front desk where he would check in and then hopped in line. After a few minutes in the small line, he was up next.

“Hello, sir. Where are you off to today?” the kindly travel receptionist asked as Patrick got closer.

“Uh, I have this…” Patrick then handed her a laminated card that Brett had sent him the other day. Due to the specialized nature of the program and possible medical concerns, all travelers needed to go to a specific gate for ‘extra precautions’ as Brett had explained. ‘Whatever that means…’

The receptionist looked at the card with wide eyes. “I see. Well, let me just get you all checked in and we’ll have you out of here in no time.” Several clicks and clacks later and she handed the card back to Patrick. “Okay! You’re all set, so just go right through those doors with the big ‘13’ on them. There should be several other helpers over there to guide you, but just follow the signs if you get lost or turned around for whatever reason.”

Patrick then took the card from her. “Thank you.”

“No problem. Enjoy your time!”

Patrick nodded and then wheeled himself over to the doors marked with a large and orange-colored ’13.’ Fortunately, they were automatic and opened wide and long enough for Patrick to pass through without any issue.

A brief ride down the corridor later and Patrick arrived at the waiting zone and parked himself in the area designated as ’13C-2.’ Soon, a helper came up to him. “Ticket please.”

“Patrick then handed the man his laminated card.”

The man took it without a word and scanned the barcode on the bottom. “To confirm… Libertalia, state of Crescentia, station 2.”

Patrick hesitated over those last two bits but just nodded. He had heard them briefly talked about as the location for where his Psyche facility was located at when he did some research online, but he was still a little frustrated at Brett for not giving out that information and at himself for not asking more questions once again. Of course, Patrick knew that sometimes state names were the same in Libertalia as they were here in the US, but other times… they really did mark the dimension as being a foreign land in an entirely other dimension.

“Good. Just wait here and a shuttle will pick you up.” The man then looked at his watch. “Should only be a minute or more, so just stay here. Don’t go wandering off to check out the shops or eateries. I don’t want you to miss your window.”

Patrick nodded and stayed put. There were only three portal exits, so their locations had to be rotated to take in the most people they could at one time. Sometimes, according to Brett, one could wait up to three hours to be called up next, but Patrick soon saw the small transit car pull up to the glass door in front of the door and the flooring around his area lit up.

The doors then opened, and after the nearby attendant confirmed this was his, Patrick wheeled himself into place. Two others got on, but neither seemed sick. Likely, they were probably just visiting Crescentia and were not a part of Psyche. ‘Would any of us ever make the return trip back here?’

Patrick shook his head at the morbid thought and decided to distract himself by looking out the window. Large and glowing blue cables ran alongside them as their train car moved toward another large building. This one was smaller and squatter and almost even appeared as just a warehouse type of building, but all the glowing cables leading to it gave it an almost unearthly aura.

The train then shuddered to a stop and the front doors opened. Patrick let the other two off first and then rolled out himself. To his surprise, a few others were already there, but most surprisingly, Nurse Patricia was standing on the platform with a large smile. “Hello, Patrick!”

“Patricia? What are you doing here?” Patrick asked as his wheelchair cleared the train car.

“Oh, I work here for half the week a lot of times, but I knew you were going, so I thought a friendly face might do you well. Any nerves?”

“A little…” Patrick admitted.

“Awww. Well, that’s okay, and to be honest, kind of expected, but you’re in good hands with me.” Her smile would have almost been frightening if it didn’t also convey a vast sense of warmth and comfort at the same time.

Patrick eagerly took in her kind gestures with thanks. Despite her near saccharine nature, it did kind of feel good before embarking on this journey. “Thank you, Patricia. So, what’s next?”

“Well, I’ll have you just follow me.” She strutted off and waved for him to follow. After a second, she stopped at a small metallic table with various implements on it. “So, normally, we would just give you a pill these days, but because of your medical history and all, we don’t want to take any chances!”

“So, a shot?” Patrick asked, warily looking at the syringe filled with an ominous green liquid.

“I’m afraid so, but I don’t want you exacerbating your injury, so just relax and I’ll have this over in a jiffy!”

Patrick nodded and tried to center himself to calm down a bit.

Patricia noticed and took the opportunity to quickly wipe his arm down with an alcohol swab before deftly inserting the needle.

A hot pain surged through his arm but strangely enough, Patrick swore he could taste strawberry afterward. He then smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth to get rid of the random flavor. “Is that…?”

Patricia giggled. “Yep! One of the newest things from the other dimension. A shot that gives you the sensation of sucking a lollipop right after. A bit odd and I’ll still hand out a sucker back in my usual practice normally for those who want one, but it’s a nice flourish here with all this…” she gestured around, “scary stuff.”

“Fair enough.” Patrick looked around and saw a large circular metallic ring at the end of the room. Dozens of wires pulsed with the same glowing blue that he had seen outside and leading into here. Everything seemed to hum as he edged closer to it. “So, is that it?”

“Yep!” Patricia said excitedly. “That’s the portal. It’s just taking a second to recharge, but soon, we’ll have you on your way in no time.” She then reached back over to the metal tray. “Now, say ‘ah.’”

Patrick hesitated but complied. “Ah,” he said as he trustingly opened his mouth.

Patricia smiled and wasted no time by quickly inserting a small probe into his mouth and giving it a tiny swirl. “There,” she said, removing the device after about a minute of her probing. “That should be all I need…”

Patrick sputtered a little bit after the intrusion. “What was that thing?”

“Oh, just a little check.” Patricia was giddily tapping a few of the buttons on her touch screen before it loudly beeped. “There! All done.” She then surveyed the results that flashed before her. “Excellent. To answer your question further now, it was just a device that can give me all your vitals and all your medical stats. If you had anything from a cough to cancer, this thing would register it, but good news, you don’t have any of that other stuff!”

“Would that change anything if I did?” Patrick asked, thinking back to the other people that Greg had ferried here lately that he had talked about.

“Not really… just would need to give those people another booster is all. Portal travel used to be much harsher on the human body. The Bigs can withstand it more, but some of the first of us humans were nearly torn to shreds when they first went through.”

Patrick looked at her with a sudden and immense amount of panic. Patricia only laughed when she saw his reaction. “Oh, Patrick! No need to worry, honey. It’s much better now. The shot I gave you and the other, if you had been sick, are just to ensure that without any doubt, okay?”

“Yeah… okay,” Patrick responded, still looking at the portal with a new sense of dread.

“Hmmm… not sure if I believe you completely, but it will have to do for now.” Patricia then turned back around to the metal tray and set the device back on its surface. In exchange, she then picked up a small cup that contained two large gray pills. “Here,” she said turning back around and handing the pills to Patrick. “Take these. I have a glass of water to make them go down easier.”

“What are they?” Patrick asked, taking the pills but still eyeing them suspiciously.

“Just further help with the portal. Everyone going through takes them. If you didn’t, you’d be fine going there, but there would be a high chance that we couldn’t get you back over here.” Patrick then raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “Please don’t ask me to explain that one. A bunch of scientific stuff that goes way over most people’s heads these days, but I promise, they’re completely safe.”

Patrick hesitated for a moment but then nodded and took the pills. He then readily accepted the glass of water next being offered by Patricia to wash everything down completely. After a second, Patricia smiled. “Excellent. Let’s go over to the portal now.”

Patrick nodded and wheeled himself over to the base of the portal. It was raised slightly, but possibly with people like him in mind, a small wheelchair accessible ramp went up to the platform near its opening.

Suddenly, the room began to vibrate and hum with a furious vigor that almost seemed like it wanted to tear the room in two. The previously open circle then filled with an almost mercuric liquid that quickly shimmied off the glowing blue cables underneath it. It was all very otherworldly and mesmerizing. Still though, everyone plugged their ears for the twenty or so seconds that it all lasted. Finally, though, the noise stopped and the near liquid matter inside the large metal circle halted and then only rippled slightly afterward.

“What the hell was that?” one of the people in front of Patrick asked in a state of panic.

One of the men in lab coats then stepped up. “No need to be alarmed. All perfectly normal in these proceedings. Doesn’t always happen, but we had to turn the portal off to recharge it. What you all witnessed was essentially the portal device puncturing a small hole in our universe. Most of the recent advancements in technology have only been in effort to better reseal the hole.”

The two people in front of Patrick seemed less than convinced but Patrick was just glad the noise had ceased. The vibrations alone had shaken his chair to the point that he was even worried that it would collapse in a pile of rubble.

“Now,” the scientist continued, “we shall proceed. Each of you shall come forth one at a time and go when we tell you. Only when we tell you. Understood?” Patrick and the others nodded their heads in silent acknowledgement. “Good. First up!”

The man walked forward cautiously and made his way quickly to the scientist and the portal entrance. “Just step into the liquid looking part. Physics should take care of the rest.” The man nodded, took a breath, and stepped right in.

No scream or cry of any sort could be heard, and the liquid only seemed to ripple more heavily as it encased his body entirely.

“Wow…” Patrick said, almost without thinking about it.

“Indeed,” the scientist mused. “Next!”

The woman then stepped up and the process was repeated. “Next!” the scientist shouted again.

After a few moments, it was now his turn. Patrick hesitated but quickly rolled up to where the others had gone. It took him a minute longer with the ramp, but soon, he was face to face with the large and nearly mirrored surface.

The scientist stared down at him. “Okay… a bit different for you, but just wheel yourself into the surface. You might experience a little more delay in the effects of it all, but don’t panic. It will all still work. Just take a breath and proceed on through.”

Patrick nodded and took a breath as instructed. The surface showed a hazy outline of his reflection and arcs of neon blue bathed him in the near mystical lighting. The past week and his future all depended on this, so with another breath, he wheeled himself into the rippling substance.

*              *              *

At first it felt like he was just being dunked into the surface of a pool, but all his insides soon felt like they were being stuffed into a tiny glass beaker at a very high speed. The world seemed to drop and then plummet forward as if he was a giant asteroid ready to destroy whatever lay before him.

Instead, he just opened his eyes once more when the pulling sensation stopped. A blast of white smoke enveloped his entire body and left him coughing for a moment with whatever it was. For some strange reason, it almost tasted oddly like burnt marshmallows.

“Sorry there,” a voice said from above, “got a little too carried away on that one.”

“Wha…?” Patrick looked about but the smoke was still around him and partially blinded him. As he looked around though, he quickly noticed that his arm was smoking on its own. “Oh, shit! I’m on fire! I’m on fire!” He quickly smacked his arm, but it only seemed to make the smoke grow in intensity.

“Oh, whoops! Let me get that for you,” the voice said again.

Patrick fought his entire bodily instinct but stopped patting the spot to put out the smoke. Gratefully, a hand pierced the veil of the surrounding smoke with a green cloth and patted the small smoke cloud completely out.

In his panic over the smoke, he hadn’t noticed anything about the hand, and it just seemed like any other. With the smoke out and the fog dissipating more though, it was immediately apparent of the enormity of the appendage now placed on his own arm.

The nearly nine inches across blue-gloved hand moved about. It wasn’t immediately threatening him or anything like that, but it was still disturbing to see something up close that was almost twice the size of the own width of your hand. Normality is what you get used to, so being an adult, size differences were mostly subtle, barring athletes or world record holders. This hand disparity, however, was anything but subtle.

With a gulp, Patrick then absentmindedly traced the hand back to the arm and then the face at the top of the body before him. Embarrassingly but fittingly enough, Patrick let out a little squeak.

“Oh, easy there, little one. No need to panic. All is good, sweetheart,” the woman coaxed gently.

She wasn’t even tall, but the portal had a slightly unknown effect on travelers in that it would heighten their emotions in the five or so minutes after they stepped, or in this case, wheeled through the portal. Patrick was no exception, and his system started to quickly pump adrenaline through his veins to cut through his slight daze.

Patrick’s eyes widened and he gripped his wheelchair firmly and shot backward to the side of the portal platform. “Stay back! Now! I’m not just some Little you can kidnap!”

The woman chuckled as if all this was scarily coming from a child. Patrick gulped and he could feel the fear rising in his body as she got closer to him, her height nearly blocking out all the light in front of him. Getting the ability to walk back was huge, but this was only the first few minutes of his first day here of the next five years. So far, it was not going how he wanted it to, and deep down, he couldn’t help but ask himself, ‘Have I made a mistake?’

[CDfm]

I just got caught up on this.  Wonderful story so far.  Seems like we are just getting into the really interesting stuff but so far, the buildup has been great.  You are doing a very good job writing.  It’s flowing very nicely and has been a pleasure to read.  At this point you can’t help but wonder if Patrick might have made a mistake.  There is no doubt that given an opportunity to walk again for giving up five years that I wouldn’t have made the same choice. Still a lot could go wrong for him. All that just makes me want to read more. 

[LostBBoyBear]

This chapter is a bit longer and from what I can see so far, a lot of the other future chapters will be as well. Now that we're actually in the dreaded Diaper Dimension, I always just feel there's so much more to flesh out and talk about. Regardless, this chapter will serve as the beginning of the next part of this story. Unless something drastically changes, there should be a total of six parts by the end.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter!

Part II: An End Date

Chapter 5: Hell, or Haven?

The two cars slammed into each other and sent shards of glass flying everywhere. The bodies of both vehicles had been completely crushed and now lay mangled off to the side of the road. The fog and rain seemed to want to cover up the violence of what had just occurred in part because of them.

Patrick groaned as he came to. “Oh… my head…” Patrick moved the less painful of his two arms and touched a particular throbbing spot on his head. It stung badly. “Shit… wha… damn!” Patrick tried to move around into a better position to see what was going on but only felt a massive pain in his lower back. “Breathe. Just breathe… take the pain… figure out what’s going on.”

Patrick desperately looked around. He was well pinned, and in front of him was the other car, which had nearly fully crumpled in the front and the driver was only a few feet away from where Patrick was now. The driver, an old mustached man, was clearly dead from his slack expression and the large piece of bloody metal jutting out from the front of his chest. Panicking now though, Patrick turned to his left and saw his mom.

Glass had cut her face up pretty well, but more distressingly, she appeared to be injured in several spots on her body. “Mom! Mom! Please, oh please, don’t be dead.” Patrick tried to shake her as gently as he could to awaken her. He knew that with accidents and injuries like these, spinal injuries were highly likely. One wrong move and a person could be paralyzed from the neck down for life as a best-case scenario.

Gratefully, she began to stir. “Wha… Patrick? What happened?” Her voice was coherent but strained.

“Oh mom. Thank God. I thought…” Patrick shook the worst-case scenario out of his head. “We were in an accident. I can see the blinking on the dash for the automatic call for help… I think they should be coming soon. Just hold on. Please!”

Laura smiled sweetly at the comfort her son was trying to give her. “My sweet boy…” Her face then frowned. “Are you hurt? Your arm…your face…”

Patrick winced in pain as he moved his body back to his chair. “Yeah… I think I’m hurt pretty bad… broken arm and some pain in my back…” Patrick then glanced back over to his mom. “You look pretty bad yourself. Where does it hurt?”

Laura looked at her son oddly and then moved her hands around her body. After a second, she looked back at her now bloodied hand. “Oh… I guess I am hurt pretty badly… I couldn’t feel it…”

Patrick’s heart sunk as he heard those words. She was either critical and needed help immediately, or she was experiencing some type of paralysis. Either way, he just prayed the ambulance would show up soon. This area’s hospital held some of the best medical advancements and was only about 15 minutes away. “Just hold on. With all the portal technology coming over now, I’m sure things will be okay.”

Laura smiled at her son’s simple but comforting words. “I’m sure you’re right…” Her smile then instantly evaporated though when she saw the dead driver in the car in front of them. “Poor man…”

Patrick noticed her change in demeanor and knew he had to keep her spirits up. “Yeah… but uh, remember Mrs. Mankowitz?” Laura solemnly nodded. “Yeah… well, she was in an accident as well… her leg was nearly severed but now… you remember her from last summer… she was one of the fastest swimmers in the pool. We’re going to be okay… those Amazons have some pretty amazing technology. Aren’t they just the miracle we all needed? I’ll have to thank them one day for all the good they’ve done for our society…”

“Bigs, dear…” Laura reminded her son, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Right… Bigs… they just…” Patrick then saw his mom’s eyes start to close. “Mom! Mom!” Patrick tried shaking her awake again, but it wasn’t working. “Mom! Wake up! Wake up!”

*              *              *

Patrick came back to from his memory of that terrible night that had led him to all… this. The woman Big only moved closer to him. ‘How stupid was I to ever want to meet one of these people… let alone thank them… In a matter of minutes, I’m probably going to end up as some drooling potato. Shit… I already can’t walk… I’m probably every Bigs wet dream… How stupid am I for even thinking of coming here?’

Instead, though, much to Patrick’s surprise, the gigantic woman just giggled again at Patrick’s defensive but ultimately, if he truly was in danger, futile and diminutive stance. Her giggle wasn’t malicious or even cruel though… it almost was as if she thought he was just being… cute. Patrick knew that could still mean trouble though, so he continued to brace himself for the worst. She noticed and looked concerned. “Easy there, sweetie. I don’t mean you any harm.” She then crouched down more to his height level to at least attempt to be less intimidating to the clearly frightened Little.

It didn’t work. “Bull!” Patrick thrust his hand into his pocket to retrieve his ticket. “See here? This is a ticket directing me to Psyche New Beginnings! You touch me or kidnap me… you’ll face extreme consequences! I mean it! I have a contract with them!”

The woman just warmly smiled and waited for him to finish. Patrick tried to maneuver further back and away from this woman, but he had reached the end of the platform. The portal then shut off and more of the fog dissipated from around the laboratory-like area.

With less fog now, Patrick quickly saw that they weren’t alone and hardly anyone seemed to being paying any attention to the two of them and their little scene. The woman then sighed and continued. “Patrick. We know why you’re here. You have nothing to fear from us.” The woman smiled and then pointed to the now obvious Psyche New Beginnings logo, complete with the butterfly, on her protective uniform. “We know you’re with Psyche. We even have a ride for you to take you to where you need to go, okay?”

Patrick still gripped his wheelchair but started to relax his body and felt slightly foolish for doubting them or missing the giant logo now so obvious in front of him. Other Bigs may have been untrustworthy, but this was a business after all that was dedicated to helping people just like him. Others may have done it for profit, but these people were at least willing to make a trade to help the Littles out.

The woman smiled warmly at Patrick’s more relaxed demeanor and then patted his shoulder. “There, I’ll take that as a yes.” She then got up from her crouched position and once again, towered over Patrick. “Now, just follow me and we’ll get you to where you need to go.”

Patrick still didn’t fully trust her as a singular woman entity from this dimension, but realizing he needed to start trusting somewhere, he relented and allowed her to wheel him off the platform. A few of the other Bigs gave them some strange looks, but Patrick just kept focusing on the Big in front of him. He had enough to deal with one Big, let alone seven others.

Patrick then realized how foolish and reactionary he had been after exiting the portal. The woman now wheeling had probably just used a tone of voice that had struck something deep within his protective unconscious state. She had likely just used a kind tone to convey trust in her own way, but to him, her tone had felt more like an adult speaking to someone young and unaware. In this dimension, that was not a good thing for a Little to hear.

Patrick had purchased a book the day after he had agreed and talked to Brett, and it had mentioned that type of tone as one of the warning signs to look out for when dealing with strangers here. He wasn’t sure how much of the information from that book would come in handy with his involvement in the program or not, but he hadn’t wanted to take any chances.

Soon, the two were at an entrance to the outside and the woman turned around. “Okay… this is where I leave you, Patrick. Your transportation is right out there. Psyche personnel and their transportation will be clearly labeled, and they’ll help you the rest of the way out.”

There was an awkward pause and the woman looked like she wanted to do more. “Uh, normally I hug most of you portal types, but I’ll just leave you with a ‘good luck out there’ instead.” Patrick nodded and the woman sighed, clearly disappointed that she wasn’t going to get to hug him. “Right… well, I hope you do well and find what you’re looking for, but try to trust us… at least a bit… you never know when you may need our help…”

Patrick wanted to shoot something back about his independence, but the woman had already walked off. ‘Probably for the best…’ Seeing her now usual and much larger strides, he realized that she had actually been trying to intimidate him less. It hadn’t worked very well, but seeing her full power, Patrick doubled down on his relief that she hadn’t given him time to pursue her. Looking down at his own wheelchair and knowing the further issues it would be causing him with these people, he realized that this stay could be more difficult than he had originally thought.

Still, Psyche was waiting, so as directed, Patrick then rolled outside and to the awaiting bus. Few words were spoken, and Patrick simply picked a spot in the rear after a platform had helped him up. One other person in a wheelchair rolled in as well with the lift, while numerous other more healthy-looking people sat in the front. Everyone remained silent, even as the bus started and exited the facility drop-off and pick-up zone. Patrick rationalized that they were either very sick or, like him, were having tiny doubts about coming here.

About thirty minutes later, the bus passed through an eclectic looking communal town and then through a gated entrance at the end of a long road. A few twists up a hill later, the bus came into view of a large Victorian-style mansion perched on the edge of the top of the hill they had been climbing that overlooked everything within view. At the top, the ocean could be seen in the distance out toward one way and mountains could be seen in the far distance in the other.

“Psyche New Beginnings! Here we are!” the bus driver announced. The bus then halted with an abrupt stop and Patrick’s wheelchair rocked forward and back into place from the motion.

A few mumbled about what was happening, but all quickly exited once the front doors opened. Patrick and another quiet girl in a pink beanie were still on the bus and waited for the wheelchair lift to lower them one by one. “After you,” Patrick gestured as the elevator ramp locked into position.

The girl smiled but still didn’t say a word.

As she lowered to the ground, Patrick tried to guess why she was here in the first place. All her limbs were intact, and he could see her left leg nervously twitching about, so he rationalized that whatever was happening with her was something internal. ‘Maybe cancer or some brain thing?’

Patrick didn’t have time to contemplate long as the wheelchair lift rose back to its original position for him to get on. After he locked his brakes on the platform, it slowly began to lower once again, and Patrick could feel the warm sun on his face. It was the very end of the summer season, but the leaves had already begun to turn. A faint breeze rustled about on the grounds in front of the mansion and the air never seemed cleaner. ‘Ah… Big technology at work cleaning up their atmosphere…’

The lift finally made it to the ground and Patrick wheeled himself away. It felt odd to him not taking anything else besides his wheelchair and clothing on his back while traveling, but if everything went according to plan, he would have some belongings here with the next weeks. Ominously though, previously, Brett had made sure to mention that he wouldn’t need much beyond some personal mementos… One thing that Patrick had quickly found odd that Brett hadn’t elaborated on was the lack of need for clothing.

Suddenly, another Big appeared right in front of him. Patrick had to shield his eyes from the sun as he stared at the pink scrub covered woman. From his even lower position in his wheelchair, he could only make out her slightly wavy red hair.

“Well, hey there, cutie,” the woman said, now starting to crouch in front of him with a smile. Her green eyes, soft skin, and easy-going smile were immediately apparent to Patrick. “I’m Addy. I’ll be your nurse while you’re here.”

She seemed like she was getting up and going in for a hug, but Patrick just shot his hand out first. “Patrick. Good to meet you… Addy.”

Addy stopped and just chuckled at the speed of the offered hand gesture. “I guess we’ll work up to that, but good to meet you too,” she said, now shaking his hand. “So, today is mostly just about introductions for you two.”

“Two?” Patrick questioned.

“Two.” Addy then waddled a bit to the side, still in her crouched position, and revealed the same woman who had been wheelchair bound on the bus as well. Addy looked like she wanted her to speak up first, but the gaunt and pale woman just squirmed a bit in her seat.

Addy took the hint. “Patrick… this is Cara.”

“Good to meet you, Cara.” Patrick then waved at her, and she waved back but still said nothing. Patrick was by no means an extrovert, but this woman could have been the textbook definition of either shy or of being an introvert.

“I guess we’ll work up to that as well…” Addy then stood back up from her crouched position. “So, I think Cara should meet Dr. Halgen first while I give Patrick the tour, and then after, we can just swap places. Is that okay?”

Patrick looked around and saw a few of the others who had been on the bus get selected by their own nurses and were in pairs as well. Cara only shrugged at the offered notion. “That would be okay with me,” Patrick finally agreed.

“Wonderful!” Addy then swung around and grabbed both wheelchairs. Interestingly enough, they both merged together in some odd mini medical conga line. From her flinching in front of him, Patrick could only guess that Cara was just as surprised as he was at the new combined contraption. “Okay, here we go!” Addy then pushed the two Littles up a nearby ramp and into the automatic double front doors. From the outside, Patrick just blushed at the notion that with Addy pushing the two, she probably looked more like she was pushing a stroller.

Once inside though, a large, tiled floor and white paneled walls greeted them. Wooden furniture and a small entryway rug could also be seen along with a single staircase to the right of the entryway when walking in. “Welcome to Psyche you two.”

Addy then pushed them further in and the doors automatically closed quietly behind them. “You all shouldn’t need to open the door much without one of us staff present in the beginning, but here,” she pointed to a large silver disc on a nearby wall, “is the button for the doors. We’ll get you fitted with a bracelet when you meet Dr. Halgen today and that should give you access to most places around here, including the elevator.”

“And where is that?” Patrick asked, not seeing it in sight.

“Just around the corner, but I can show you that on the tour. First,” Addy wheeled the two a little further in until coming to another pair of doors to one side of the entryway opposite of the staircase, “Cara, this is your stop for now.” Addy then knocked on the doors and both opened inward.

“Come in! Come in!” a voice beckoned from inside, likely Dr. Halgen. Patrick strained to see, but Addy just blocked his view unintentionally as she uncoupled the wheelchairs and pushed Cara inside alone.

“Thank you, Addy, the disembodied spoke again. “I can just beep you when we’re done. Hopefully you will be done by then…”

“Yes, Dr. Halgen,” Addy said, backing out of the room with almost a bow and closing the doors behind her. She then turned back to Patrick. “Now, shall we continue?”

Patrick nodded and gestured forward. “Go on…”

Addy then got behind Patrick and started to show him through the mansion facility. There were two elevators that he could use easily and would access all four living space floors, including the basement and attic if needed, for a grand total of six. Addy didn’t elaborate further on the various rooms, but Patrick was also quietly distracted by the large kitchen and the… accessories accompanying it nearby.

“Are those…?”

“Highchairs,” Addy responded, “yes. Some of our patients may find their… need later in the program.” She then came over and crouched down in front of Patrick. “Dr. Halgen is telling Cara this now, and you’ll hear it again later when you talk with her, but this place is special. We help all of you out in the ways you need, but as Littles with a contract, you may find a few changes to what you may consider normal.”

“Meaning?” Patrick asked hesitantly, a pit of fear quickly forming in his stomach.

“Meaning things like highchairs could be in the cards for you. And before you say that you didn’t sign up for something like that, let me say that you are at least partially right. Dr. Halgen will explain more, but I’ll just say that we won’t force you to do anything that you wouldn’t be subject to once you leave here.”

Patrick’s mind swirled at the implications of what Addy had just said. He had heard what happened in this dimension and the contract had said that he would be paired with a caregiver. He wasn’t a simpleton with all this but being here now in person all felt entirely different.

This feeling only persisted as Addy continued her tour. While everything appeared as an almost charming B&B or rehab facility of sorts, small hints lingered around as to the world that Patrick had entered. For example, what could possibly be labeled as the living room had couches and the like, but it also had playmats, bouncers, and the TV had been tuned to something called, ‘Adventure Sam.’

Further, when they ventured to the back porch, Patrick could see most of the resident Littles playing outside. His was the most recent group but Addy had informed him that there were two other more advanced groups here as well. The middle group seemed much perkier than the one that had just stepped off the bus, however, many still appeared slow or attached to walkers, but all also looked positively more mature than the last group did. That last group seemed practically youthful and giddy, and most distressingly, most seemed diapered. In fact, a few by the still uncovered pool only wore diapers…

The scene had really impacted Patrick and he had only been half-listening through the next few rooms. His reality was beginning to truly hit. He was so out of it, that he only really perked up when they got on the elevator and then got off on the third floor which opened into a long corridor. “Where are we?”

“This is the floor for your group. Some of the staff stay on the floor above and the other groups are below you. Stairs will be a bit harder on this floor even when you’re all better, so I suggest that you take the elevator throughout most of your stay here when on your own.”

“Right…” Patrick quickly moved by the fact that she had mentioned him staying away from the stairs when he was with someone else. From the display he had just witnessed outside, it disturbingly wouldn’t shock him if he did traverse those stairs one day, but only in the arms of someone carrying him…

Addy saw his discomfort with the whole notion, so she just pushed him onward and finally stopped at one of the doors near the end of the hallway. “Here we are!” she said with an upbeat and sing-song voice.

Patrick looked blankly at the door in front of him. “Where?”

Addy then giggled. “Your room silly! Here, let me open it for you first. You’ll be able to do it by yourself with your band later, but,” she waved her hand in front of the pad that lit up and a clicking sound could be heard, “there! All good. Now, just push.”

Patrick did with his chair and was quickly greeted inside by a small hallway and a larger room that he could see at the end of it.

“Go on,” Addy coaxed after a moment.

Patrick slowly wheeled himself inside. He could immediately see a small bathroom to his right with a few cabinets, a bath with a shower head on top, and a sink.

“Part of the tub opens up for you to get in with a movable shower chair inside,” Addy said, trying to sound cheerful. “You might want a shower all the time… but… well, you have options if you want them.”

“Right…” Patrick nodded and quickly pushed forward to see the rest of the room and get off the insinuated topic of taking a bath in there. Addy only followed silently behind.

Wheeling into the main area, there was a single bed, a nightstand, a small and cushioned chair in the corner, and a small refrigerator off to one side. The walls were painted in neutral colors of off-white shades and were only broken up by the tall closet along one wall and the two windows on the opposite and far wall of the room. Patrick wheeled himself over to the right window which lay in a small alcove that was barely the depth of his forearm. Still, the view outside was pleasant and peaceful.

“So… what do you think?” Addy asked from nearby.

Patrick looked away from the view and wheeled around to face her. “It’s nice. Homey and all for… uh, the type of room it is…”

Addy smiled. “Yeah. It’s a little stark,” she conceded, “but your belongings should be arriving very soon and I’m sure we can always get you something more for a little personal touch. Anything…?” Addy started to ask, but her watch started beeping. “Oops. One sec…”

Patrick continued to look around the room while Addy furiously began typing something into her watch. “Everything okay?” he asked after a minute.

“Oh, yes. All good!” Addy said, looking back up. “Dr. Halgen is just wrapping up now. Let me take you down there now and you can switch spots with Cara. You can always tell me what else you might want in here later.”

“Push on,” Patrick said, quickly submitting to the idea that if Addy was ever around, she would likely just insist on doing it herself. This way, she would get her way and save an argument or two in the future. ‘I’m already changing here…’

A short trip later and the two were back downstairs in the entryway. The doors opened and Addy went inside. A few mumblings later and Cara was being wheeled back out. Patrick immediately felt a bit unnerved by her even further ghostly features as her eyes remained fixed and appeared to almost be in a state of shock.

“Send him in, Addy!” Dr. Halgen called out from inside. Patrick’s stomach dropped as he was then pushed into the room, the doors quickly closing once Addy had exited the room after locking him into place. Whatever happened to her, he knew he was up next, and more importantly, he was now all alone with an unknown and imposing Big.

Patrick wanted to distract himself, so he looked around the room and saw most of the space filled with either paintings, motivational quotes, or books. The wood and carpeting gave it a warm aura, but something still lingered in Patrick’s mind that something just felt… different here.

“Hello, Patrick,” Dr. Halgen started. Patrick bolted his gaze back to the previously formless voice.

Looking at the good doctor now though, Patrick gulped and was even more intimidated. Even in a seated position, he could tell that she would easily be the tallest of the Bigs he had met so far and her toned body under her professional attire left little doubt in his mind as just who was in charge in this room. He gulped and nearly coughed from the extreme dryness of his mouth.

Dr. Halgen paid no attention to it. “First, let me just welcome you to our facility here. And secondly, I know Addy has already told you a bit about some of the basics here, but I just wanted to outline a few items. Is this acceptable?” Patrick could only nod and shake a bit in his wheelchair.

Dr. Halgen let out a small laugh. “You don’t need to fear me, Patrick.” Her eyes felt like they just bore right into his soul. “Just follow the rules and you’ll be fine. If it helps, you can even call me Kelsey. Or, if you’re feeling even bolder, Aunty Kelsey will do just fine as well. I answer to many names.”

She smiled and a chill went up Patrick’s spine. He quickly recalled the other Littles he had seen outside, knowing full-well they probably used that last monicker themselves. “Dr. Halgen is okay with me…”

“Suit yourself.” Dr. Halgen leaned back in her chair and looked at a small tablet that she had plucked up from her desk. “Let’s see…” She scanned the tablet for a moment and then looked back at Patrick. “According to your file, you are paralyzed from an accident, have guilt over what happened that night, and have become dependent on your pills for pain relief and other necessities.” She looked back at the tablet and then back up at Patrick. “Oh yes. You also seem to be developing a bad habit for alcohol as well. Care to refute any of that?”

Patrick hesitated for a moment but then just shook his head. “No…”

Dr. Halgen gave him a small understanding smile. “No need to be embarrassed, Patrick. I’m here to help.” Her face then became suddenly serious to Patrick’s fright. “Don’t be afraid, but first thing though. I have to ask, but… have you had any pills or alcohol since last week. Be truthful now.”

Patrick trembled slightly. The truth was that whatever they had given him at OO was amazing but had seemed to have worn off two days ago. Brett had given him a booster yesterday so he was clean in the past 24 hours, but the same couldn’t be said for before then. “Yes…”

“I see. In that case, I’m going to make a note in your file for you to change medications. Normally, when withdrawing, we prefer a tougher road in some respects. Seems to make it stick more in a shorter timeframe, but you’ll be doing other things here as well that you’ll need your strength for, so you’ll take a daily pill at first to begin to flush the craving from your system. Understand?”

The firmness in her voice made it seem like an order rather than an option treatment plan. “Yes… I understand.”

“Good.” She then set the tablet back down and stared deeply into Patrick’s wavering gaze. “While you’re here, I have a few items to go over with you. Each of these is not a suggestion, per the contract you signed to be a part of this program. Ready?” Patrick slowly nodded.

Dr. Halgen smiled smugly. “Excellent. Just to get it out of the way, while you are staying here, starting tonight, you will be wearing training pants. Other programs introduce these if there’s an accident, but that’s not us. Based on your case, these may be needed anyway, and I should note that repeated… use of them will cause us to reevaluate your needs while here and later with your selected caregiver.”

Patrick could feel his heart race at the notion. He again remembered the Littles outside and the fact that most of them could be seen wearing diapers. It felt as if the system was already rigged, and he was just getting a glimpse into his future.

He wanted to say something to try and wiggle out of wearing them, but Dr. Halgen spoke first. “Before you protest any of these rules, I should just point out that while punishments are a ‘last measure’ type of scenario around here, they can still happen. I only mention this as you signed the contract, so any refusal will be seen as ‘bad’ behavior...” Patrick immediately relaxed back into his seat, much to the obvious amusement of Dr. Halgen as she smiled at his actions. “Just keep it in mind, dear.”

Dr. Halgen then let out a breath. “So, now that all that is out of the way, let’s get to the more interesting stuff. Your caregiver… you will choose one by the end of the program here and we’ll even hold a large ceremony where you get to choose whomever you want to go home with.”

“What if I can’t decide or there’s not a good one?” Patrick asked nervously. It was another thing that Brett hadn’t really covered. Patrick had a nightmare about that happening the other night and it kept wandering into his thoughts whenever there was a dull moment since then.

Dr. Halgen didn’t smile. “Well, in that case… I should warn you that you will be going with a caregiver at the end no matter what, according to your contract. If you don’t choose that night, you will select from the remaining caregivers that we have vetted. All are good according to our standards, but you could potentially be choosing blindly…”

“Wait… blindly?” Patrick interrupted. “You just mentioned the word ‘blindly’ only in that one scenario… does that mean…?”

Dr. Halgen then smacked her head in embarrassment. “Oh, right. Geez. I forgot to mention… you will be going out with potential caregivers.” Patrick’s draw nearly dropped to the floor. “Rest easy, Patrick. Just think of the whole bit as a test drive of a new car if you want. Find out what you like… or don’t by really driving it around. Make sense?” Patrick hated that analogy, but just slowly nodded.

“Good.” Dr. Halgen glanced down at some information on the tablet in her hands. “Next, as you narrow in on the potential traits you want in a caregiver, we will often find patterns of things they might want from you. You might not know it, but if all three of your caregivers like strawberries, we might start giving you strawberry milkshakes.”

Patrick didn’t find the example amusing and he only gripped his chair in fear as he remembered the rest of the house. ‘The highchairs…’ Patrick gulped in fear once more. “Such as…?” he asked nervously.

“Such as, well… predominantly things like your clothing choices. We’ll already have items chosen for you to designate you as part of this program, and in fact, they’re waiting upstairs in your closet now. They’ll help with your security to show that you’re with us and can’t be claimed randomly by just any Big. Other things may and will be considered, but we can discuss those later.”

“Anything else?” Patrick asked, not sure if he wanted to hear more at this point.

“Yes. Lastly, you will be attending a physical therapy session to help with your legs and a group therapy session to help with the… other bits. Both are mandatory,” she said sternly.

Patrick wanted to protest vehemently about opening up about himself in front of strangers, but Dr. Halgen only gave a look that promptly stopped him in his tracks. After confirming he didn’t have any other questions, Dr. Halgen then produced a single wristband from her desk. “Keep this with you at all times. We may implement a sturdier method in the future, but for now, this way we can at least track you to prevent, or help, any potential accidents or less savory events from transpiring. It also serves as a key for any of the closed doors, like your room or the front door. We’ll show you later how to add in other doors, but for now, if you can’t get in, just assume you’re not allowed in there, okay?”

Patrick took the black wristband and quickly attached it to his wrist. It made a cutesy tune and the circle around the top lit up in an array of dancing lights.

“Perfect. That means it’s activated and all good to go. With that done, I’ll buzz in Addy.”

Addy came back in after a few moments and then wheeled Patrick out of the room after a little playful wave goodbye from Dr. Halgen. It was a nice gesture, but her persistent smile reminded him far too much of the one that a ride operator would give before he would ever get shot out in a rollercoaster in the old days. It was very unnerving to see from someone who was the head of this program.

He was soon left at the kitchen table and awaiting dinner while a few of the other Littles filed in as well. Addy soon returned with Cara as well from another room and parked her next to Patrick. It was surreal seeing everyone that would be with him for the next three months, but as the cartoons blared in the background as the other more progressed Littles watched intently, having already eaten, it all felt like they had been sentenced to something that they hadn’t truly understood back in their own dimension. Now, it was all too late to back out. Patrick just hoped they would all make it the five years until they could go back home. For now, though, today was just day one.

[dmavn]

At least he ended up in Libertalia which is one of the safer countries in the DD. 

[Guilend]

I think he's got himself into a pickle. I have a feeling, from what he saw on the playground and the "progress" that the others have made, I'm betting that they have some of those stuffies like in your other stories, but probably the hypnosis in them are tailored to that facility. He definitely needs to stay alert and be suspicious of everything and everyone, even other Littles.

 

As for the boss lady, from how the nurse acted towards her, with the slight bowing, even the staff seems to be intimidated by her. 

 

I do wonder though. In a society that's basically built on a height hierarchy, do they only apply it to the Little, Mid and Big categories or do the Bigs also subconsciously apply it to themselves. Like the taller you are, the higher you are on the subconscious hierarchy on an individual basis or even in business or government? Like, would the taller of two Bigs that applied to a position or promotion get it over the shorter one? Or on a personal level, one Big meets a taller Big, does the smaller one subconsciously or even consciously, take a position of, almost, submission to the taller Big? Like the taller Big be considered the one in charge of the conversion or of a group? How ingrained is the concept of height vs maturity?

Talking about contracts, I'd love to read the contracts the Littles sign and the contracts the staff sign and see if there are any similarities. 

[LostBBoyBear]

Chapter 6: My Name Is...

The next morning, Patrick had woken up to the alarm he had set the night before from the tiny clock beside his bed. He went about his usual morning routine and was just thankful the bed had been comfortable and that the shower wasn’t a pain to get into with the opening tub element and the shower seat that Addy had added in there last night at his request. He had been a bit curious to test out the tub function with the sealable side panel to it but had just opted for a shower instead.

Regardless, he soon made his way downstairs and joined the few others that had accompanied him for breakfast. Like dinner last night, none of the Littles of his group around the table made a single effort to communicate with each other. If he was being honest with himself, his malady almost appeared to be the least severe of the group, so Patrick just hoped the lack of communication was from that. Brett, for all estimations and lack of sharing all the information, seemed to have been right when he made the notion that Patrick might have been one of the few where this deal hadn’t been a life-or-death matter.

Still, the simple breakfast tasted wonderful, and Patrick soon rolled himself behind the rest of the group as they made their way into one of the large spaces of the mansion facility. Addy popped up from another door and Patrick was reminded that she noted this was where group therapy was to take place, but that it also could be used for special occasions, such as large movie nights, dances, games, or even holiday events with all three groups. To his estimation, none of the members in his small group seemed to want or even be very able to do such activities at the present time, but Patrick just reminded himself that it was still only the second day here.  

“Places everyone,” Dr. Halgen announced, taking her position on one side of the circle of chairs she had gathered around herself. Of course, two spots were empty for both his and Cara’s wheelchairs. He wasn’t a fan of being pigeonholed like that into one spot, but he didn’t want to pick a fight this morning.

Patrick and Cara both then wheeled themselves into the empty spots and Addy sat happily but silently between them in her own chair. Patrick looked around and could see the same thing happening with the other Littles sitting down and a nurse figure sitting in between them. From what he had seen yesterday, there was a single nurse for every two Littles here.

Dr. Halgen cleared her throat, and everyone looked up at her. “Now, as this is the first session, I want each of you to say your name, something interesting about yourself, and why you’re here.”

“Isn’t that supposed to be private?” one of the guys asked a few people over from Patrick.

Dr. Halgen sighed and looked wearily at the Little. “You don’t have to tell every reason why you’re here. Just the main one. We just want to start to get to know one another. Like a kind of surrogate family while you stay with us.”

The group groaned but quickly quieted down when Dr. Halgen glared at each of them and then pointed to the guy who just asked the question. “You go first.” It wasn’t a question.

The guy sighed. “Well, I’m not going to stand…”

Dr. Halgen just smiled back. “That’s fine. In fact, I think we should all just keep seated unless you really want to stand up,” Dr. Halgen noted, clearly catching a quick glimpse of Cara and Patrick. A few others in the group did as well.

“Right. Well, my name is Ian. I’m the group skeptic,” the chosen Little said proudly. “Conspiracy theories and all. They exist, I believe in them at least a little bit, but I’ll definitely know about each of them.”

After a moment of writing a few things down, Dr. Halgen spoke back up. “Thank you, Ian, but also remember, we want to know… why are you here?”

Ian’s smile faded. “Oh… right. I’ve got bone cancer. Spread to a few spots I can’t even remember at this point and uh, yeah…” His previous boast of confidence had faded, and he rubbed his leg as he winced a little. Patrick couldn’t tell if it was his nerves, the awkwardness, or if it was his cancer acting up.

“Right. Thank you, Ian. Next,” Dr. Halgen said reservedly.

The guy next to Cara placed a bookmark in the book he had been holding and cleared his throat. “I’m Quentin. I was a college professor before all this, and I love the pursuit of knowledge. Anything I can learn, I love. And more to the point, I’m here because I have Huntington’s disease.” His hand then briefly shook, but he quickly gripped it and rested it silently in his lap and under his book.

“Yes, thank you, Quentin. Very thorough,” Dr. Halgen said smiling. “Plus, I’m sure you will learn a great deal many things while you are here.” Quentin nodded stiffly and then looked to Cara next to him.

She blushed immensely, but after a moment, she finally spoke up. “I’m… Cara. I like being creative… with uh, almost anything…” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and Patrick could even hear the Littles playing outside better than he could the woman siting almost right next to him. “I have brain cancer…” Her voice faded out again and her body almost seemed to disappear from view.

“Thank you, Cara.” Dr. Halgen turned to the remainder of the group who still hadn’t gone. “Everyone, remember to speak loudly so we all can hear. A few of us are a bit older and maybe hard of hearing,” she joked, briefly touching her ear. Only a few small chuckles could be heard, but most just looked at Patrick to go next.

Patrick saw their stares and realized it was his turn. “Oops. Sorry… I’m Patrick. I guess I’m into alternative energy stuff…” he wavered, thinking back to before his accident. Since that fateful night, he had lost interest in a lot of his old hobbies, and it was actually one of the things he was hoping to get back by agreeing to this program. He would still have his art, but he wanted to do something more for others back home. “And uh, I’ve got other things… but I’m basically just paralyzed below the waist.”

Patrick could immediately see a few of the Little’s and even some of the nurses’ eyes grow wide and curious. He definitely wasn’t the most hurt here and he internally feared that others would think that he just wanted the Little and caregiver deal they offered here more than actually getting cured. It had been a phenomenon when the portals had first opened and there was still a bit of a stigma around that type of thing in most communities. Patrick suspected there were still a few holdouts staying back at home. ‘Lucky…’  

Being experienced in these scenarios and knowing they could lead to problems if left festering, Dr. Halgen cut the tension of the group before too long. “Thank you, Patrick. I’m sure it will be nice to feel anything or walk after five years.” Patrick nodded toward her, quickly deducing that she was trying to emphasize the weight of his condition with the group. She may have been the stern leader of this place, but she seemed to have a genuine desire to help her patients in any way she could. Dr. Halgen smiled and then called out, “Next.”

The older looking woman next to Patrick then stirred a bit. For a second, she almost looked like she didn’t know where she was. “I’m, um, Terra and uh, I like…” She faded off.

The heavyset but gentle-looking nurse next to her then placed her hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Terra here loves meditating and some of the more holistic approaches to healing and gardening.”

Terra’s eyes grew wide. “Yes!” Terra exclaimed, as if suddenly remembering a part of her life. “Those are wonderful. I love getting my hands all in the dirt and…” she drifted off again but then shook her head. “Darn… why I’m here… yeah… uh Alzheimer’s.” She then looked at her nurse to confirm. “Right?”

The nurse smiled and nodded. “Right.”

Patrick and the rest of the group seemed to thank their own fates after her, but Dr. Halgen just pressed onward. “Well, thank you, Terra,” Dr. Halgen said, giving her a small smile as well. She then also gave a small nod to the nurse which Patrick saw her return in thanks. Dr. Halgen then restraightened her posture. “And last but not least?”

The last man of the group was looking out the window he was nearby and up at the beautiful clear blue sky. The same nurse who had assisted Terra gently gave him a tap on the shoulder. “Wha…? Oh, sorry everyone,” he said after noticing the group staring back at him for his own answer. “I’m Darren. I love the sky… if you couldn’t tell, and space and all else that’s up there.” He looked back up at the sky as if to steady himself. “I’m here because I have lung cancer. Asbestos exposure is the best guess, but…”

“They stuff that crap everywhere. It’s a government conspiracy to keep the middle class down!” Ian boldly but rudely interrupted.

Dr. Halgen glared at the Little. “Ian. I’ll let your language go for today, but we never interrupt others when they are talking. Especially in group.”

“It’s okay, really,” Darren tried to intercede. “I…”

Dr. Halgen quickly flashed him a look and he suddenly became quiet and then stared up at the sky once more. Dr. Halgen then refocused her attention back on Ian. “This will serve as a warning for you,” she then turned to the rest of the group, “and to the rest of you. While we are in group, unless I call for free speech time or something of that sort, we do not interrupt each other. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Dr. Halgen,” Patrick said with the rest of the group while also nodding. He noticed a few called her Kelsey, but he was still okay with the formality established yesterday between the two of them. Dr. Halgen seemed to want to create a family here, but Patrick wanted her to stay just as his doctor. Any other names for her just felt too risky here.

“Good,” Dr. Halgen said nodding. “Now, does anyone have something they want to bring up. A concern? Something from their past? A problem they might have noticed or a…?” Ian’s hand immediately shot up. “Yes, Ian?”

“Are you trying to turn us into babies?” he asked point blank. The group froze in fear over the question. Based on the looks from last night and this morning around the other Littles, Patrick could tell that it was a poignant question in most, if not all, their minds as they all saw the more progressed groups of Littles here. Still, asking it without any attempts at subversion was a bold move. For all anyone knew, it could have activated some secret protocol and the staff would be forced to turn them into drooling Littles right there on the spot. From what Patrick had read in the papers, stranger things had happened before.

That being said, Patrick couldn’t read Dr. Halgen’s current expression. Half her face looked like she wanted to strangle or spank the daylights out of the Little right on the spot, but the other half looked almost pleased or relieved. “Ian, honey… we want to make you better.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” he shot back. The rest of the group quickly turned back to Dr. Halgen for her response. Dr. Halgen noticed this as well.

“Well, if you must know… I’m not.” A few of the Littles in the group seemed to sigh in relief. “But your caretakers may feel otherwise…”

“Isn’t that unfair though? Unconstitutional or something?” Quentin asked. “Don’t they need our permission here? Wasn’t that in the contract?”

“It might be illegal from where you all come from, but as you said, you all signed a contract.” ‘Stupid piece of paper…’ “So, you are required to choose a caretaker at the end of your stay, but… you can choose.”

“Not much of a choice…” Cara surprisingly spoke up, though her volume was still barely above a whisper.

“Well, you can view it like that if you want, Cara,” Dr. Halgen conceded. “Just remember that you get to test the caretakers out beforehand. All are prepared to answer your questions, and all have been vetted. A few of the ones you read about in the papers could get through but that has happened only once in the past six months.”

“Is that a long time?” Patrick asked.

Dr. Halgen then grumbled something inaudibly. “Around here, yes. It usually only takes three months for a single group to go through and each month a new group comes along. Each Little here gets about five candidates and there’s about six Littles per group here, so in total, that’s roughly almost 90 candidates since then at least… probably even more that have made it through though. So, one person out of 90 is barely one percent at the worst.”

“One percent is still something…” Ian depressingly noted.

“Yes,” Dr. Halgen sighed, clearly getting frustrated with having this conversation. “Just please keep in mind that they weren’t selected and nothing permanent happened to the Little they were with. They were reported to the authorities for contract violations and abuse, and the Little in question is now three months into their new life and from what I’ve been told, they couldn’t be happier.” Ian scoffed in disbelief over the whole thing but still remained silent.

“Contract violations?” Quentin asked after a moment, breaking the tension of the room.

“Yes, Quentin. Each candidate, or in some cases, candidates, must sign their own form of a contract, like yours. Helps weed out a few of the… unwanted. Plus, we can always press charges on our end to ensure they are punished. Here at Psyche, all have the potential for punishment…”

The group remained silent after that last note. Dr. Halgen tried to get the group to open more and get a real dialogue going, but most questions she posed were answered simply with one word or at least as few as possibly could be uttered. Giving up for today with a sigh, she then ended the session.

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful and most of the Littles, including Patrick, just tried acquainting themselves with the facility better while still actively avoiding the other more advanced Littles.

Patrick was taking some sun in and viewing the landscape when one such Little came up to him. “You okay, mister?” the blonde-haired Little asked innocently.

“Yes… why do you ask?” Patrick responded slowly, quickly sensing that the Little before him was more child than adult by now. ‘What had they done to him?’

“You in a chair. I think Matilda was in one but she all better now…” he then leaned in and lowered his voice, “but I think she’s got a major case of diapy rash today.” He then put his pointer finger up to his lips. “Shhh. Don’t tell anyone. Itsa secret.”

Patrick nodded solemnly. The Little reminded him of one of his exes’ younger nephews. He could have told the Little before him to run away or something like that, but Patrick just smiled and crossed his heart to play along. “I promise. Your secret is safe with me.”

The Little giggled. “I like you, wheely man. Wass your name? I’m Eddy.”

‘Wheely man… I almost like that…’ Patrick smiled. “Good to meet you, Eddy. I’m Patrick.”

“Patrick…” The Little seemed to swish the name around in his head but then he just got a big goofy smile. “Okay! I’ll remember.” The Little beamed and backed away. “I gotta get a snack now but it was good meetin’ you!” Eddy then scampered off and back into the house. Patrick swore he could smell ammonia, but that was just crazy. As Eddy ran away though for his snack, the slight bulge in his shorts left little to Patrick’s imagination that his nose was right about what it had smelled.

The rest of the day proceeded very much the same and both lunch and dinner went almost identically to how breakfast and dinner had been before this morning and last night. Now though, a few comments were made by some members of the group about how weird things were around here. More would have likely been said, but Dr. Halgen entered and stood sternly above them all to see how they were doing.

Later, Patrick sat in his wheelchair that night and prayed that his personal items would soon show up. He had made sure to pack a few electronics that contained some videos and audio files that had helped him go to sleep in the past. Now, however, without them, he felt listless and hadn’t felt a hint of being tired for the past hour. With a sigh, he decided to go back downstairs and at least find something to do, hoping that by forcing himself to stay awake, he would be in effect tricking his body into just doing the opposite.  

After the elevator ride down, he saw the kitchen light was dimly turned on. Patrick wasn’t sure about the rules of leaving one’s room at night, so he just clutched his chest in nervousness and pushed forward. ‘Please, oh please, don’t be Dr. Halgen…’ His heart rapidly beat in his chest as he turned the corner. His hands almost slid off his wheels from the sweat building up on them. The figure there in the shadows then stood up and turned around.

“Patrick?”

Patrick breathed a sigh of relief. It was just Ian. “Yeah… geez, you almost gave me a heart attack.”

Ian shrugged sheepishly. “Sorry about that. Can’t sleep?” Patrick nodded his head. “Me neither. This place gives me the willies.”

“I’m actually surprised you came to this place,” Patrick said, wheeling himself further into the kitchen. “Self-proclaimed conspiracy nut and all? This place must be driving you up the wall.”

Ian grinned. “You’re not wrong, but Osteosarcoma changes all that a bit. Say…” he paused and looked a bit guilty, “hope you don’t mind, but you’re not one of those people, right?”

Patrick almost answered but a loud creak from nearby directed both of their attention elsewhere. “Who goes there?” Patrick asked fearfully.

“Relax. It’s just us,” Quentin said, turning the corner. Cara was in her own wheelchair right behind him. “Can’t sleep either?”

“Nope. Just talking to Patrick here,” Ian responded. “Actually, I was just asking if Patrick here was one of those people.”

“He doesn’t have to answer you…” Cara said meekly.

Ian strained and looked over. “Damn. Barely knew you were there, little mouse. Gonna have to work on that volume around us, but no, he doesn’t need to answer. It’s just a curiosity.”

Despite what had just been acknowledged, Patrick looked at the three pairs of eyes staring back at him and eagerly awaiting what he would say. “Nah. It’s okay for you all to ask.” Patrick then wheeled himself over to the table. “You all might as well sit and get comfortable. Could help us sleep and all…” The others nodded and either sat or wheeled themselves around him. “Well, to answer your question, I’ve done some stuff. Familiar with all sorts of things and all that, but no. Won’t yuck those yums and whatnot as they say, but I just want to walk again. Can’t blame a guy for wanting that.”

“Fair enough,” Ian conceded, now looking a bit guilty. He then faced the rest of the group as well. “What do you all think of good ol’ Dr. Halgen, huh?”

“Seems competent…” Quentin noted. “Maybe even nice?”

“For a Big…” Cara said quietly.

“Yeah. Gotta agree with you there,” Patrick added. “Hard to trust a Big for all their worth. Addy seems nice, but Dr. Halgen… I just don’t know.”

“Well, I know,” Ian said confidently. “Wouldn’t want to get on her bad side, and you all see those other Littles?” The rest of the group nodded. “What if that’s us two months from now?”

The group remained silent, but most shockingly, Cara spoke first. “And what if it is?” The rest of the group looked like an alien had just crawled out of her nose. “I know, I know… it’s weird, but they seem happy at least… right?” Her voice began to grow louder.

Patrick sighed reluctantly. “She has a point. I met a Little today… Eddy. Diapered and I felt like I was talking to a preschooler at best, but still… little dude seemed happy… and vibrant. Can’t say the same about us… no offense,” Patrick then quickly added.

Quentin let out a small laugh. “Very true. Maybe it’s just the price we pay to live… or walk again. There are worse fates out there…”

“This isn’t one of your books, man… this is our lives…” Ian protested.

“Exactly!” Quentin exclaimed back. He then looked like he was centering himself before talking again. “Look, I get it, but Patrick and Cara are right in their own ways. You are too… but weigh the alternatives for a sec here. Bone cancer is nasty and if you’re here, what little I know about you, probably means that treatment would be something more than losing a limb. Still shit I grant you, but…”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ian conceded over the severity of his illness at its current stage. “I hear you, but… diapers. That’s a tough pill…”

“Agreed,” Cara added.

“Doubly,” Quentin noted.

“I’d drink to that…” Patrick said, though quickly feeling an ounce of shame, considering alcohol was one of the reasons why he was even here in the first place. ‘At least those meds are going through me now…’

“Same man… same,” Ian said wistfully, smiling a bit in some type of shared bond between the two. From his look, Patrick briefly wondered if he was here for alcohol as well. “So, should we place odds or…?”

The floor then creaked in the kitchen once more and the group all shot looks over toward where the sound had come from. Patrick could feel his pulse race at who could possibly be there.

The figure then moved into the light. “Up for a bit of late-night rowdiness, huh?” Addy asked with a mischievous grin and look in her eyes.

“We were, uh…” Quentin tried to stammer out.

Addy giggled. “Relax. No need to explain, sweetie,” Addy said playfully. “I’m not one of those Bigs. I hope we can all be friends by the end in fact, but just keep in mind that late nights shouldn’t be a common occurrence around here. You all need your rest, okay? You are here to heal yourselves.”

The group nodded and Quentin and Ian both got up from the table as Patrick and Cara started to wheel away as well, all sensing the need to at least stay in their rooms for the remainder of the night.

“Good idea you all. Just scootch on back to bed, but if you have trouble sleeping in the future, just consider giving your little bracelet two taps for now and one of the nurses will come and help you out. Three taps though… and we’ll come running, but don’t you all little munchkins start abusing that, okay?”

The group nodded once more. Patrick wanted to protest the usage of the words ‘little munchkins’ being used for them, but probably like the rest of the group, he didn’t want to push his luck with her. The group already seemed to at least be bending the rules a bit by being down here so late, so a protest now seemed ill-timed.  

Patrick then made his way back upstairs with the other three in the elevator. No one said a word and each only waved goodbye as they beeped into their own respective rooms to go to sleep for the night. Patrick did the same as he entered his room and waved to Cara like the rest had, however, he decided to try and pull her more out of her shell and take the first step. He liked what he had heard from her today and wanted to get to know her better. “Goodnight, Cara.”

She looked up and seemed surprised by the break in what the rest had done when going to bed, but only smiled. “Goodnight, Patrick,” she said in a now more normal tone of voice. She then gave her own tiny wave and disappeared into her own room.

Patrick smiled to himself as he wheeled into his own room and then performed his nightly routine. The training pants that Dr. Halgen had mentioned, and Addy had provided yesterday were a bit annoying to see when changing into his pajamas, but he hadn’t used them, and somewhat gratefully, he couldn’t feel their extra bulk as compared to the boxers that he previously had worn. It was a bit of an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ situation, so he only groaned and cared about them whenever he took off his pants to do his business throughout the day and again now before bed.

“Whatever…” Patrick then washed his face and brushed his teeth before hoisting himself into bed. In truth, it was all annoying and he just longed for the day when he could have just collapsed into bed without a single further thought. “Maybe soon…”

He let his thoughts drift off and felt a renewed sense of confidence in coming here. There had been some unnerving signs of what their deal could eventually lead to, but Patrick could only feel good after the tiny bonding moment he had shared with Cara, Quentin, and Ian tonight. They might not have been true friends yet, but he was glad that he had at least found some allies in this place. Based on Eddy alone today, he realized that he might need just those types of friends now more than ever.

[Guilend]

44 minutes ago, LostBBoyBear said:

Yes, Quentin. Each candidate, or in some cases, candidates, must sign their own form of a contract, like yours. Helps weed out a few of the… unwanted. Plus, we can always press charges on our end to ensure they are punished. Here at Psyche, all have the potential for punishment…”

Okay. I very much like this part lol. I love at the end she says potential for punishment. I of course, if I was there, would have scoffed and said, "ha, the measly "punishments" the staff gets are probably a laugh verses what we get. And I bet the staff that sleeps here don't have to wear pull ups at night like the rest of us." And then scoff as I look out the window. 

Okay, I'll be honest.  I'd probably get in so much trouble if I was there. Not just with my big mouth, but I'd also find loopholes in the rules and exploit them. Even if it makes me look like an idiot. But I'd grin or smile the entire time.

While it was finally said that the caregiver could regress you, I feel like there's something bigger they're not saying. I'm guessing is they use light hypnosis in the therapy side of your treatment that they're not aware of.

[LostBBoyBear]

31 minutes ago, Guilend said:

Okay. I very much like this part lol. I love at the end she says potential for punishment. I of course, if I was there, would have scoffed and said, "ha, the measly "punishments" the staff gets are probably a laugh verses what we get. And I bet the staff that sleeps here don't have to wear pull ups at night like the rest of us." And then scoff as I look out the window. 

Okay, I'll be honest.  I'd probably get in so much trouble if I was there. Not just with my big mouth, but I'd also find loopholes in the rules and exploit them. Even if it makes me look like an idiot. But I'd grin or smile the entire time.

While it was finally said that the caregiver could regress you, I feel like there's something bigger they're not saying. I'm guessing is they use light hypnosis in the therapy side of your treatment that they're not aware of.

I feel that even this community would have some problems in that dimension, but this place is also a little more lenient when it comes to punishments and discipline, so that's a plus.

Also, I've been adding more things to this universe that try to move some bits more torward a more reasonable state. I always found the dichotomy odd that these Bigs view the Littles as children but then go out and do all manner of things to them. I know it's a different culture, but I also figured that at some point, the Bigs would need some types of restrictions. The spanking law from earlier and contracts for Big caretakers just made sense. Also... I've been slowly working on a few other stories that tackle why some of these laws changed. Won't be for a while with everything else going on, but there is a reason.

You have good instincts for these places... I'm not saying that they're pumping them full of chemicals and all, but I'm also not not saying it. 

[Guilend]

3 minutes ago, LostBBoyBear said:

I feel that even this community would have some problems in that dimension,

I'm going to try to show that in the story I'm currently writing. The protagonist is a DL. Now, because it's me, it will be different then one would expect when trying to show how hard it would be for one in our community being there. Since the protagonist is a DL they're not going to a Little. Which adds to the fact that diaper lovers would have a real hard time over there. I might eventually write one with an ABDL Little.

 

8 minutes ago, LostBBoyBear said:

You have good instincts for these places

I've read your stories and everyone, especially you, that writes diaper dimension stories creates their own universe and every diaper dimension story they write happens somewhere at some point in time in that universe. So I've just learned about your universe from previous stories and made an educated guess lol.

[CDfm]

Great chapters.  I got a bit busy with work and it took me a little while to get to them.  I really enjoyed the introduction to what I expect will be some close Allie’s of Patrick.  From the sounds of things he is goint to be needing some friends.  I am looking forward to seeing more. 

[LostBBoyBear]

This is one of the longer chapters so far of this story, but it didn't feel right to split up in the way that I have for a few other chapters. I wanted to post this earlier on Saturday, but the editing took a little longer than I had anticipated. As such, I'm a little behind, so I probably won't post another chapter until Monday.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

Chapter 7: One Step Forward, One Step Back

The next few days moved similarly to how the first full day had gone. Routine seemed to be the chief motivator and nearly law around here, but on the fourth full day of being here, Addy directed Patrick to go into a room he had never been in before. “No group today?” Patrick asked as he turned a corner that he couldn’t quite remember from his initial tour.

“Actually, it will just be later. Today will be the first day of your therapy to get those legs moving again. It’s not something we can skip.”

Patrick felt an immediate flutter in the pit of his stomach. “Really? I mean… how fast do these things take? Will I be good in a month? Two?”

“That all depends on you, sport,” a man’s voice said from behind him. Patrick strained in his chair but finally got a glimpse of an evenly muscled and dark-haired Big walk and then stand before him. “Hey,” he said, holding his hand out to shake, “I’m Bruce.”

Patrick liked the strange but comforting look that he before continually and shook the hand before him back. “Patrick. Good to meet you, Bruce.”

The two smiled at each other and after a moment, Bruce then looked up at Addy. “I got it from here, Addy. I don’t think we’ll have any worries about this one trying to stab me or anything. Beep you when we’re almost done.”

“Okay,” she said with an almost hesitant but still sing-song tone. She then bent down a bit and looked at Patrick directly. “I’m going to leave you here with Bruce. He might be full of muscles, but he’s got a good heart for all that. He’ll start helping you out.”

Patrick nodded. “Thank you, Addy.” She then smiled back at him and tottered off. Bruce quickly took control of the wheelchair in her stead.

“You’ve got one of the good ones my man,” Bruce said after wheeling him through the door and then flicking on the light switch.

“Oh?” Patrick said with a bit of fear that he was being duped once again or something like that. “I thought they were all the ‘good’ ones?”

“Well…” Bruce hesitated as he wheeled Patrick around the large room full of therapy and exercise equipment, “that’s the company line. I’m sure you’ve seen a few of the others. All above board, mind you, but… might not be the best if you can still remember your own name at times…”

“Oh… I think I saw that with Terra’s nurse. Seems nice at least…” Patrick tried to justify.

“Yeah… well, just thank your lucky stars you got Addy… and me.” He then gave Patrick a playful smile at his small self-referential and ego boosting joke. Patrick smiled back in acknowledgment. “Good. Glad to see your brain is still working and you’re not just responding to the first thing that shines in front of you. You might be surprised how many of those I get each month here. I can get them all the way in the end… but it’s just a lot of work.”

“Is that a possibility around here…?” Patrick shuffled about his wheelchair uncomfortably. “After all this, I mean?”

“Eh,” Bruce said, walking around to get a small black device from one of the nearby honey-colored wooden cabinets. “Depends on a lot of stuff, but sometimes with you portal types… I’ve been doing this for a while. Some of you used to come in with some… stuff.”

“Stuff?” Patrick said while raising his eyebrows.

“Yeah… not sure if your old enough to remember, but your planet used to be a bit deadly. If it wasn’t something nuclear, you all had the whole pollution thing as well. Surprised you all didn’t come to see us with three eyes or something like that. I think some of the drugs we used had more… negative reactions. We had a few problematic candidates.” He paused but then quickly added, “All sorted now! Promise!”

Patrick laughed uncomfortably at the whole notion between the problem candidates and the joke about the three eyes. ‘Ah… the days before the big clean-up, but wait… I barely remember that…’ “Hold it… You don’t look older than 30… maybe 35… how could you know about or even remember that time?”

“Ah… right. Well, the wonders of our science here. I’m actually pushing 66 in three months’ time. Not bad looking, huh?” He spun around a bit and flexed his muscles.

Patrick was nearly speechless for a moment. “Uh… yeah! For 66? I almost don’t even believe you on that one.”

Bruce smirked. “Good. Keep that instinct around any new Bigs, but I’ll promise right here and now… I will always be truthful with you, but I want the same from you. Even if that means the end of what I hope will be our friendship, okay?”

Patrick thought about the offer that Bruce had just put out there. He knew that hard truths were just sometimes unfortunately a part of life, but from what he had seen so far with Dr. Halgen and some of her mannerisms, a person to tell him those hard truths around here would probably be useful to uncover some trap or pitfall. “It’s a deal.”

“Excellent.” Bruce then sat down on a small stool nearby and retrieved a small black device. “So… today, I just want to get some readings and then we can go over your plan while you’re staying with us, okay?”

Patrick nodded and Bruce started to press a few buttons, on what turned out to be a scanner, and then hovered the device over various points around his body. Some parts he could feel an odd sensation, while others… he would only realize the device was there if he could directly see it. This continued for about twenty minutes and nearly every square inch of Patrick’s body had been analyzed. For a few spots, after Patrick’s consent, Bruce had just held him up with one hand while he went about his work. Even for a Big, it was still an impressive feat, no doubt a byproduct of the muscles now bulging in front and whittling away on a tablet nearby.

The door to the room then flung open and Dr. Halgen calmly walked in. “Morning you two. How’s everything going this morning, Bruce?”

“All good, ma’am,” Bruce replied courteously. “Just about to beep you to get you to come in when I share the results.”

“And?” she said impatiently and eagerly, now taking a seat beside Patrick. 

“Here. I’ll show you as well, Patrick.” Bruce then hit a few buttons on the tablet and a nearby larger screen came to life with the results. The first page was just a bunch of numbers, but Bruce quickly swiped to the second page. It was a large 3D scan of Patrick’s entire body. Bruce scrolled through a few different options and then pointed to the screen when a large ‘No Anomalies Found’ appeared. “As you can see, I don’t see any brain anomalies for paralysis and nerve function appears as it should for someone of Patrick’s age.”

“You can tell all that?” Patrick asked, still looking nearly dumbfounded and the almost pulsating image before him on the monitor. “Just from a little scanner?”

“Yep! Scan gives us the result and the ones it doesn’t analyze automatically… just look right here,” Bruce said as he pointed to an arc of light heading down one part of the arm of Patrick’s body in the picture. “That’s a nerve signal, but,” he then pointed down to a darkened and almost steampunk-looking section of the scan, “this is your injury. See below?” Patrick nodded. “Little to no nerve activity.

Bruce then turned to Dr. Halgen. “It looks like they used one of our methods to try and restore function, but that clearly didn’t work.”

“Clearly…” Dr. Halgen said, almost sounding frustrated. Shen then turned to Patrick. “Looks like they tried to fix your spine with tech we stopped using almost 50 years ago. Probably the best they had, but it could explain one of the reasons you were in pain and needed those meds. It’s one of the side effects of prolonged usage.”

“Oh…” It was a shock to hear the news, but Patrick was at least partially relieved that his doctors had at least tried something. It might have been faulty and had caused other issues since, but they were at least trying to give him a chance.

“Yes… well, from your previous scans right after your injury, we know we can’t remove the hardware until long after you can walk. We need it healed almost all the way before we risk potentially hurting you once more… or even further. The spine can only take so long…” Bruce said sadly.

“So… does that mean this program won’t work for me?” Patrick asked warily, feeling a deep-seeded fear that all this hassle and potential torture amounted to nothing.

“Oh, definitely not!” Dr. Halgen exclaimed, almost sounding offended. “Right, Bruce?”

“Right you are, ma’am.” Bruce then pointed to a brief spark on the scan. “That is hope. We could help you out no matter what, but this is a kind of middle ground situation.”

Patrick saw the spark but still wasn’t sure what to gleam from all this. “Meaning?”

Bruce sighed. “Meaning that we can get you walking, but it might take some time. We were kind of hoping from your medical history that you would be up and about by the second month without any assistance device. Not sure if we can guarantee that anymore.” Bruce sighed. “We’ll of course try all we can, but I just want to say that I’m sorry…” Bruce then looked down in what almost looked like shame. A similar look also appeared on Dr. Halgen’s also lowered face.

Patrick then realized that according to their standards, his prognosis could be viewed as a failure. They were clearly forgetting what technological level that earth was at currently, let alone before the exchange of technology before portal travel. He knew he needed to say something to ease their consciences. Bruce seemed nice and he might not have been buddies with Dr. Halgen, but she deserved at least some relief. “Relax you two. I mean… you’re still saying I can walk… right?” Both nodded solemnly. Patrick felt a flutter in his stomach, and he grinned widely. “Well, geez! No worries then!”

“But we want to get you happy and all…” Dr. Halgen said wearily after looking up from her look of failure.

Patrick sighed. “And walking will help that absolutely, but for me, walking again in any capacity seemed like a miracle at best even with the most advanced technology in my dimension. Now, you’re telling me that I could be walking in two months, right? I mean… shit… that’s something else.” Patrick could feel a giddiness rise inside of him. He hadn’t felt this good in years. Maybe it was the food, the air, the clarity from not taking his pills anymore, or just the fact that he would be walking again, but everything felt so alive now. He almost wanted to giggle in joy, but a part of him held this feeling back in front of the two Bigs before him. They were handing him a miracle but if the other Littles he had met here that were further along in the program were any indication, he still didn’t want to give the Bigs an excuse to treat him that way. He might trust them one day… but for now, caution seemed the best option.

“Well… that’s unexpected, but I’m glad to hear it!” Bruce said, patting me on the shoulder in a kind of relief.

Patrick could quickly see that his words of elation over getting to walk again at all had relinquished a huge burden from both Dr. Halgen and Patrick. “So, now what?” Patrick asked.

Dr. Halgen smiled and looked down at her notes. “Well, let’s make a plan, shall we?”

Patrick nodded along with Bruce and the three began to discuss the plan for getting him better again. Dr. Halgen covered the more medical and medicinal side of the equation while Bruce covered more of the therapeutic techniques that he would use to ensure those medications would work and be strengthened all around before he would use the machine to fix his back and legs with the final steps. To say the least, the two lumpy and scrawny sticks attached below Patrick’s waist, that were once his strong and athletic legs, needed some bolstering before even just standing up right could be accomplished. It was a long plan, but if it meant success, Patrick knew that he could do anything they asked of him.

After the session, the three then parted ways and Patrick made his way back up to the main floor of the house where several Littles were now playing about. Suddenly, however, many dispersed as a few knocks could be heard at the front door. Intrigued, Patrick discretely wheeled himself over for a better view.

Due to his attempt at being stealthy, Patrick could only see the aftermath of what had happened, but it was immediately apparent that the prospective future caregivers of the other classes had come over today. Therapy and medicine were basic enough concepts to grasp from this program, despite their lofty and almost miraculous goals, but this caregiving aspect was still something else entirely. Patrick had to know more about this entirely foreign concept.

After spotting Eddy toddling off out back, Patrick wheeled himself to the back patio perched overlooking the rear lawn. He had grabbed a book from his backpack that he had snagged earlier to pose as a cover for his time out here, in case someone started asking questions, but Patrick also knew that in truth, he would likely be reading very little of its soft pages. Not that the history of portal travel wasn’t interesting to him, but the man hoisting Eddy onto his back for an obvious piggyback ride was definitely more thought provoking. ‘Are they having… fun? Together?’

The thought nagged at Patrick’s soul, but he had forgotten to take one thing into account. More regressed Littles don’t always have the best boundaries and reading can be super boring if there aren’t several pretty pictures. As a result, some of the other more progressed Littles just wanted to meet the ‘wheely man.’ Clearly, Eddy had talked about him to his friends.

After a seemingly unending barrage of questions from a few of the others about his wheelchair, his legs, his favorite color, or favorite superhero finally ceased, only one Little remained. “I’m Matilda. You must be Patrick!” She practically bounced up and down in place when Patrick nodded his head. “Oh goody, goody, goody! Eddy was talking about you so much last night.”

“Oh? I couldn’t tell from all the others just now.” Patrick grinned, but Matilda had just focused elsewhere and hadn’t paid attention to his last statement at all. Patrick looked more closely where she was looking and spotted the aforementioned Little now pointing at the sky with the man on the lawn. He suspected they were trying to guess what the clouds looked like.

Snapping out of her trance, Matilda just looked back at Patrick. “Oh… yeah… Patrick just likes to brag about people he meets.” Matilda’s face then dropped a little. “He’s a bit more on the Little side around here so I thought I’d pester you for a bit myself.” She then sat down on one of the built-in benches nestled between two boxes with large bouquets of flowers growing out of them.

Patrick nodded. “Yeah, I noticed that. You sure he’s more on the Little side compared to…” He then viewed the denim skirted Little before him, who also sported pink-bowed barrettes in her hair, and more importantly, the bulge around her waist. He didn’t want to offend her, so he had to choose his words carefully or more vaguely. “Uh, others around here? You know… like… uh…” Patrick sighed and then just semi gestured to her appearance to save time.

Matilda quickly let out a little giggle and Patrick sighed again, but this time out of relief. “Oh, silly. We all go a little native around here, but what’s going on up here,” she gestured to one side of her head, “is far more important to consider. Sure, I’m dressed like a toddler, but I’m still mostly intact in the ol’ melon.” She then looked back at Eddy and the man playing with him. “Eddy… well, that man out there wanted a more regressed Little and Eddy didn’t mind the change one bit. He might have fought a tiny bit in the beginning, but now… take a look. He was just scared and now… he’s the happiest Little at Psyche.”

Patrick looked back over at the two and Eddy was now laughing sporadically as his caregiver was tickling and horsing around with him. There was not a single ounce of sadness or anger in either of them. It was strange to see, but it was still nice. “Fine… but…”

Matilda held her hand up to stop Patrick. “You have the same question we all had when we first agreed and came over here. Is it all worth it?”

Patrick leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Well, is it?”

Matilda sighed. “I won’t speak for everyone who has come through here, but it was for Eddy, and it was for me.” She then looked downward at her body and her knee quivered slightly.

Patrick noticed. “Eddy said you were in a wheelchair as well, right?” Matilda quickly seemed saddened, and Patrick quickly regretted asking at all in the first place. “I’m sorry… you don’t have to…”

“No,” Matilda interrupted gently. “It’s okay.” She then took a breath. “You see, I had Parkinsons… well, have, but it’s going away and back to its early stages. Stages I haven’t felt in over ten years.” She sighed and briefly massaged her knee that had now stopped twitching, but then almost seemingly absentmindedly moved her hands to her hips and briefly caressed them, eliciting a slight crinkling noise. She sighed. “There’s not a Little here that doesn’t leave in diapers, me included… but my Parkinsons was so bad. It had advanced as far as it could, and I was in pain. Everyday…” Matilda then paused and looked away for a moment.

Patrick felt his own heart reach out to her. “I’m sorry to hear that and can understand what you’re saying a little bit… but what about all the other stuff? Isn’t it kind of like trading one life of problems for another? This one with more rules and less freedom? And diapers?”

Matilda sighed but also smiled. “I suppose you could think of it that way. It’s one of the reasons that most who come here are terminal, but for better or worse, just remember this. By the time you and your group all get to where Eddy and I are… you won’t be asking that question anymore. You’ll just be happy that you’re alive and, in your case, walk again.”

Patrick looked at the ground past his feet confined into the straps of his wheelchair and could still hear and see the laughter coming from Eddy and his caregiver playing on the lawn nearby. Suddenly though, Eddy stopped for a moment but after less than a minute, he just continued about as if nothing had happened. Patrick almost questioned the event but not long after, his caregiver performed a quick diaper check as if it was the most normal thing to do. He then realized that he had also previously just witnessed Eddy using his diaper like it was no big deal, so he just unsteadily turned his head back toward Matilda. “I just… it’s a lot to take in…” He shut his eyes as if to block out the world.

Matilda smiled sympathetically and reached out and clasped Patrick’s hand. He quickly opened his eyes back up. “Patrick… it is a lot to take in. No one here is asking you to play peekaboo or drink from a bottle today.” She then smiled mischievously. “I mean if you want to… then definitely go for it… but no one is going to force you. The staff here are excellent but my biggest suggestion to you and everyone else in your group… just give in.”

Patrick arched his eyebrows in disbelief and almost wanted to pull his hand back from hers. “Give in? Just like that?”

Matilda smiled again and let out a tiny laugh. “No, silly. It’s never just like that but let them help and have some fun at the same time.” She briefly glanced at his ever-present wheelchair. “I know I don’t need to tell you by now that life is tough, so while you’re here, just have some fun… for your own sake if no one else’s. Don’t you deserve that by now?”

Patrick slowly nodded, but it was still a lot to process and after a little more chit chat, Matilda happily bounded away to find some chalk. Part of Patrick wanted to follow her and work on an art project himself, but her notion of ‘just giving in’ still rattled about in his mind.

Soon though, the day stretched onward, and after a small lunch and a few prescribed pills from this morning, Patrick wheeled himself back into group therapy.

The session stretched on interminably and most of the group still seemed stuck in their ways from before. Cara and Quentin seemed a bit deeper into their own thoughts today, but to Patrick’s relief, Ian kept the conversation going to prevent being asked questions by Dr. Halgen.

That being said, the group discussion grinded to a halt when Darren spoke up next. “I’d like to talk about, uh… diapers.”

The simplicity and boldness of the statement threw everyone off, including Dr. Halgen, but being a professional, she just smiled. “Oh? And what would you like to discuss about them, Darren? Wanting to try them on perhaps?”

Darren oddly blushed at the question, but then managed to utter, “No… I… uh…” He stammered about roughly for a minute, but after a little more coaxing from Dr. Halgen, he seemed to find his footing again. “I just want to talk about their… usage.” The group looked on for him to continue. “Right, well, this morning… I saw one of the Littles just use them like they were no big deal.”

“I did too. Right before this…” Patrick commented, quickly remembering with what he had witnessed less than an hour ago with Eddy on the lawn. He didn’t even want to mention the diaper check that he had witnessed afterward…

“Same…” Cara added quietly.

“It’s the water. It’s poison I tell you,” Ian said without the slightest hint of a joke. “I hear there was a spillage not long ago in Losantiville out west.”

“Nonsense, Ian,” Dr. Halgen interjected. Patrick was a little uneasy about how fast she had tried to deny that one. “We have found no proof of that. We just find that most Littles tend to stray that way and most of our caregivers don’t mind one bit.”

“I’m sure they don’t…” Ian said under his breath. A quick look from Dr. Halgen, however, made him sink into his chair and cross his arms. He didn’t say another word.

Patrick found the scene quite amusing as Ian seemed to be trying to maintain his maturity as much as possible with his stance and overall demeanor but only ended up looking like a frustrated preschooler who had been told ‘no’ when they had asked for another cookie.

Despite Dr. Halgen’s acceptance of the question and its implications during the group session, it was only briefly discussed for a few moments longer. It seemed that all in the group had witnessed their usage with the more progressed Littles and were uneasy about them. When it was implied that diapers were in their own futures though, it practically became an unmentionable subject any further.

Now, it might have been the meds that he was off, or the meds he had taken during lunch, or the simple fact that they had just been discussing bathroom habits, but Patrick swore he could feel a tingle, or at least a spasm, in his bladder when he got off the elevator on his floor after group had ended. He had been so ready and focused on relaxing in the quiet of his room away from the more advanced Littles in this program, but now he realized that regardless of whether he actually felt something or not, he had neglected to empty his bladder when he normally would have. Now, little else mattered.

Patrick practically hurled himself down the hallway and was worried that he had shattered the placard outside his room to let him in when he thrust his wristband on it once he got to his door. He didn’t but he only felt relief for a single moment before he felt another tingle below his waist. It would have been something amazing to behold, but instead, it was just a reminder that the restroom had to be his priority.

Patrick then got the door open, and he quickly wheeled himself into his bathroom. A shuffle about later and his supplies gathered, Patrick removed his pants to get ready for the catheter to relieve himself as usual. By then, however, it was too late. A flood of pee soon escaped beyond his control. He could now only sit there in horror. “No…”

While the training pants had caught a few unfortunate but minor accidents since he had gotten here and first put them on, this one proved to be too much for the limited padding. The dark gray and blue piping around the seams soon darkened as the absorbency proved no match for the still-flowing accident. It might have even been fine under his present circumstances if it had just stopped there, but Patrick’s bladder had other ideas. Soon, his accident even began to leak onto his chair and quickly soaked into the padding underneath him. It was a complete failure on almost all fronts and Patrick could feel a single tear cascade down his cheek. “Oh God… what do I do?”

After a moment of just sitting there in shock from not only the accident but the fact that he had felt anything, his emotions started to takeover. More tears began to fall and the weight of what this could mean for his future here eclipsed any other previous positive feelings he had about his day. That being said, after a moment of helplessness, he knew what he had to do, regardless of what it may cost him. So, with a heavy sigh, he quickly pushed the side buttons on his wristband twice as he had been instructed to do in situations like these.

Less than three minutes later, he heard a knock from his door. “Patrick? Honey? You, okay?” It was Addy.

Patrick blinked through the tears that still fell down his already moist cheeks. “No…” he said, his voice weak and slightly cracking.

“Okay. I’m coming in then.” Patrick wanted to tell her to leave him alone and to just wallow in his shame, but he knew he needed help if he was ever going to sleep tonight. He was already feeling emotionally drained and physical exhaustion wasn’t too far off either.  

After a beep from outside, the front door to his room opened and Addy quickly spotted him in front of the toilet in his bathroom. “Okay… so what… oh…” Her face dropped in sadness.

Patrick hung his head in shame as she rounded on to the other side of him and turned his wheelchair around. “I tried to make it… I… I even felt… something…” Patrick tried to say coherently.

Addy’s previously sad eyes lit up in amazement. “You mean…?”

Patrick tearfully nodded his head. “It… it was only a spasm, but… I needed to go… actually felt that feeling, but…” Patrick turned away and blinked back more tears. He couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“But you had an accident?” Patrick sputtered incoherently but then nodded pitifully, still seated in his now wet wheelchair. Addy didn’t care about any of that though and quickly flung herself on her patient. “Oh, honey! That’s okay! It’s all going to be okay.”

“No, it’s not!” Patrick sobbed as he broke down almost completely in her large and firm but warm arms. Other times, he would have protested the hug, but now… it just felt nice and safe.

“Yes, it is, sweetie. Please believe me.” She broke the hug and looked deeply into Patrick’s ashamed and mournful eyes. “These things happen. You’re paralyzed. It’s no fun, but you don’t have a feeling there regardless of your age, perceived or otherwise. That’s why I gave you the training pants. They’re not punishment. They’re a precaution.”

“And I flooded them!” Patrick then pointed to his exposed and soaked garment. “See? I’m in so much trouble!”

Addy did see but only smiled warmly and patted his arm in sympathy. “And that’s okay. No one is mad, but certainly not me.”

Patrick’s lower lip trembled precariously. “But…”

“Hush now,” Addy interjected with a tone of force, once which seemed closer to that of nurturing than of domination, while also placing her finger on Patrick’s lips. Patrick was too shocked to dare remove the digit away. “There, that’s better. Now, we need to get you all cleaned up and I’m going to help you with that.” Her tone made it clear that she wanted to help but that this plan was not up for any kind of debate.

Patrick whimpered slightly at the prospect of what all that could entail, but the Big’s presence in front of him in his exposed and wet state had left him very vulnerable, so he only meekly nodded.

Addy smiled. “Good. Now, let’s get you out of those wet things, shall we?” Patrick once again nodded, and she then proceeded to lift him up and place him on the bench in his shower. After a round of shimmying and small lifts, Addy had stripped Patrick of all his clothing and then popped him into the shower. If his nudity bothered her one bit, she definitely wasn’t showing it. Satisfied she walked over to the door. “I’ll let you soak for a minute while I deal with these other things.” Patrick only nodded and leaned into the soothing water to try and forget about everything that was going on around him.

Meanwhile, Addy went about her tasks for what she knew needed to be done. She removed his wheelchair from the bathroom and closed the door behind her to leave Patrick alone with his thoughts. She still had the ability to monitor his safety with her own view from one of the emergency cameras on her touchpad watch, but she knew that he needed time to absorb what had just happened. It was something that happened to most Littles at one point or another and her years of experience knew that pushing him now could be disastrous. Littles under strain either broke or lashed out. If she played her cards right, she knew that she would eventually only be viewed as a helpful figure instead of just a nurse and a terrifying Big.  

Once hidden from Patrick’s sight, she opened the door and had the awaiting tech help her exchange the back and seat cushion of his wheelchair. Only the seat had been soaked, but the new cushions that the tech was quickly installing were a single set. Unlike the previous black designs, these could be fitted with replaceable, and more importantly now, waterproof covers of different designs. For now, she opted for a simple design with golden knots and sailboats dotted over a dark blue background.

Once satisfied, she wheeled the chair back in and let it stay in the hallway for now. She then went into the main part of his room and accessed a hidden panel in the wall. There were several items stored in there, all which Addy wanted desperately to use now, but didn’t, as she knew that she couldn’t push Patrick before he was more ready.

Resolved in her desire to only help her charge out, she simply grabbed a new set of various training pants and put back the pairs that Patrick had currently been wearing. They were the exact same except in two ways; they were thicker and like the wheelchair cushions that had just been installed, had more juvenile designs on them. Smiling at the subtle cuteness that lay ahead of Patrick, she opted for one of the simpler pairs adorned with small penguins on them.

Back in the shower, Patrick briefly wondered where Addy had gone off to but was still too shaken up by everything to really question anything beyond all the events that had just transpired. She was showing tremendous patience with him and like Nurse Patricia at Oasis Opportunities, she exhibited a sense of caring and tenderness that Patrick had quietly desired now for many years. He didn’t want to be a Little, but a personal connection of that level of kindness just felt nice after everything else that had happened since the accident.

Amidst his thoughts, Addy then reentered the bathroom. “Hey there, honey. How’s the water feeling?”

“Good… feels nice… I just…”

Addy closed the gap between them and stroked his back. “Shhh, shhh. No need to worry. I’m here for you. I just want to help. Remember that, Patrick. I won’t judge and I can help you with anything, no matter how embarrassing it may be. I just want you to be safe and happy. Okay?”

Patrick briefly worried about his nakedness in the shower in front of this Big as he sat on his chair, but he just nodded. At this point, he knew he needed to start making nice with at least some of the Bigs around here. Tonight, with Addy, seemed like a good place to start.

“That’s good.” Addy then grabbed a nearby scrubbing ball and poured some of the shower gel into the center of it. She briefly rubbed it together and immense amounts of the pleasant-smelling foam began to escape its confines. “Now, just take some breaths and let me wash you all off.”

Patrick wanted to tell her no, but his delay in responding to her request had clearly been taken as a ‘yes’ instead. Patrick would have just said it right after, but as soon as the sponge hit his upper back and began to gently rotate around with Addy’s strong arms under the still pouring water, his muscles quickly relaxed. So, instead, he just closed his eyes to take in the luxuriating feelings he was now enjoying.  

Addy didn’t see any rejection of her ministrations and smiled widely at this prospect. Many Littles came here for a cure and would have agreed to almost anything. While Psyche would do some background research to eliminate some from being candidates in the first place, some came in here and would simply reject all aspects of being a Little. They had ways of subtle manipulation to get the outcome they most desired, but Addy was quickly deducing that Patrick probably wouldn’t be one of those. In fact, if she didn’t know any better, he even seemed to be enjoying some aspects here.

Regardless, after a thorough scrubbing of his whole body, Addy rinsed his hair and Patrick just closed his eyes to take it all in. His nakedness was still an embarrassment, but he had just pushed through the awkward moment when she had cleaned between his legs. She had been a professional through and through, but the situation was still something more than what Patrick would have chosen when he woke up this morning.

Soon, Addy was satisfied and turned off the water before grabbing an enormous and fluffy light blue towel from behind her. Wet and naked, Patrick didn’t protest when she began to thoroughly pat him dry all over. She then wrapped the towel around his shoulders and retrieved his wheelchair from the hallway.

Patrick immediately noticed the new cushion design, but his current predicament left him few options to protest, so he just rubbed the towel on his shoulders a bit more to distract himself.

Addy then positioned herself between Patrick and the wheelchair. “Alright, buddy. I’m gonna lift you off the chair and hold you against me while I dry off your midsection to then pop you on the chair, okay?” Patrick just tiredly nodded and held out his arms.

Addy nearly wanted to squeal from the sight before her of Patrick’s vulnerability and willingness in all this, but she collected herself once more and picked her charge up to dry him off. She did not want to mess any of this up now.  

Patrick reveled in the warmth emanating from her body heat and despite the helplessness he felt in that single moment, Addy’s caring nature was still readily apparent. He was starting to tell that she genuinely just wanted to help him and her tender patting of his lower half while she held him close only seemed to further exemplify this.

Satisfied that he was mostly dry, Addy then set him back on the now waterproof cover of his wheelchair. Like her current bird-themed scrub top, the material allowed water to simply wick away from it while still maintaining its breathability and wonderous soft texture.

Sitting nearly completely naked in his newly modified wheelchair, except for the towel that he was now using to cover himself up with, Patrick could feel the new cushion and its immense comfort. Despite the design imprinted on it now and his hesitancy for what it could mean for his future, he almost felt like he could just let it go that Addy had changed it without asking him. It was still something that rubbed him the wrong way, but with this new feeling he was getting from it, it was just passable in all this mess for now.

Addy then wheeled him into the main part of his room and helped him get dressed. Patrick once again noticed the new patterns of the training pants as she slid them up his currently practically useless legs, but in this case, he just thanked his lucky stars that they weren’t pull-ups or diapers. Once in his new pajamas, also adorned with a few penguins, Addy tucked Patrick in and turned to leave. “I know tonight was a lot, but I promise, just stick with the program and everything will be okay by the end.”

Patrick wasn’t sure what to say or even think about in this moment, but he knew that he could at least show his gratitude toward his kindly and caring nurse. “Thank you, Addy. It means a lot with all… this.”

Addy just warmly smiled. “You’re very welcome, honey.” She then placed her hand on one of the light switches near the room’s tiny hallway. “Now, get some sleep. You’ve got a lot ahead of you and you need your rest.”

Patrick nodded and he felt that Addy wanted to say more, but after taking a breath, he saw her smile once more and flick off the light before exiting the room. Once the entry door closed fully, the last external light went out and a tiny blue light turned on near the flooring. It was strictly for safety purposes, but Patrick couldn’t help but notice the similarities that it had with a child’s nightlight. ‘Typical…’

Shaking the safety nightlight out of his head, Patrick just tried to get comfortable in his bed. Addy had handled everything like the caring professional he was finding her to be, but it all still worried him. He had been here for less than a week and already had an accident and at least from the look of them, he was now wearing a thicker pair of training pants. They weren’t diapers, but their new addition along with his wheelchair cushions and pajamas sent a chill of what could only be described as fear running up his back.

He wondered what his parents would say about all this, but the notion felt too depressing and pointless at this juncture to even contemplate further. From past thought experiments of ‘what if’ scenarios, he knew it never led to anything good.

With a heavy sigh and with a creeping exhaustion, Patrick got comfortable in his bed and only hoped for a better tomorrow and then the next few months. Whatever would come though, and no matter how hard he wished, Patrick had a gnawing suspicion that things were only about to get harder. After all, he hadn’t even met a single candidate for who would one day become his… caregiver. ‘Shit.’

[SGTbaby]

Nice chapter and the change is slowly occurring! Love it!

[CDfm]

Wonderful chapter.  The first accident was the hard one.  They will get easy now. 😉

I was a little surprised when Matilda suggested that they just give in.  I guess in some respects it would make the transition easier but then they are all supposed to be fighting that transition. She also said that all littles will end up in diapers which they all expect and if that’s the case than giving in would be a good idea.  I think the important thing for each of them is to find that caregiver who will treat them at a level they are comfortable with.  They pretty much know they are going to be in diapers but still don’t necessarily have to be babies. 
I am looking forward to reading more. You are doing a fantastic job on this. 

[BobbyDrago]

Yep the more I read the more I think that I would not last very long at all in this dimension not that I think I would mind much.

[Guilend]

As long as my mind isn't mush and I can have some, um, "adult fun" in my diaper without fear of being punished and I'm not mutilated then I don't think I'd mind it either lol.

I think once he gets to walking, even with an aide, he'll realize how it's all worth it. I'd take the same gamble if I was in his situation or the others. Heck, even with my current health problems I'd take that deal.