Published: November 4th 2021, 2:00:06 pm
Beatrix swallowed, staring up at the two taller women standing over her, watching helplessly as one of them began to prepare a syringe, her stomach clenching as she watched that familiar display. Without knowing why Caitlin was here, what she was being treated for, there was no telling what it might be... On the other hand, if she was that close to being discharged, surely it wouldn't be anything that bad, right? If it was anything too serious, she'd be staying in the hospital...
"Shh," the other nurse cooed, stroking her hair. "It's all right, Caitlin... You know you don't have to be scared..."
"I-I'm not," Bea claimed, her inability to lie convincingly coming back to bite her on the bottom once more, making her sound all the more like a little girl, terrified of a needle. As someone who had supposedly been getting this shot for however long they'd been in the hospital, she was sure that made her seem even sillier.
"Of course you aren't," the nurse replied, condescendingly patting her on the arm. "Why don't you look over here, sweetie?"
Beatrix knew what was happening, was familiar with the technique; even if she hadn't been, she could see the first nurse finishing up with the syringe, approaching her. Her heart beat a little faster, the fear of what was about to be injected into her rising up, making her squirm, her diaper crinkling around her, echoing through the smaller room as the second nurse took ahold of her wrists, keeping her from being able to run away.
"Just look at me," she urged. "It'll be over in no time..."
Bea nibbled her bottom lip, a part of her wanting to keep an eye on what was happening to her, though she knew it wouldn't matter. Now that the drug was in the needle, she wouldn't be able to tell what it was anyway. She reluctantly looked away, glancing up at the other nurse, getting taken by surprise when, before she was even fully turned, she felt the syringe sliding into her arm.
"Ow!" she yelped, which was going to do nothing to prove she wasn't as big a chicken as she'd appeared to be so far.
"It's all right," the nurse holding her in place soothed. "Look at that! You're all done!"
That was a relief, in a way; in another, she knew it was just beginning. Now she had to wait and see what effects it was going to have on her, if any, while she tried to find a way to get out of here and back to the nurse's lounge so she could change back into her real clothes without letting anyone see her, or the diaper peeking from the rear of her hospital gown.
Speaking of that, the nurse let go of her wrists, one of her hands trailing back, giving the seat of the diaper a pat. Bea's cheeks warmed, ready to be praised for something that she'd taken for granted for decades now - the fact that she hadn't peed her pants - but, to her surprise, that wasn't the reaction she got. "Caitlin," the woman glared down at her sternly, "have you been drinking your water, young lady? You know you need to stay hydrated... You don't want to go back on the IV, do you?"
"N-No, ma'am," Beatrix shook her head, not having to know anything about Caitlin's condition to know she definitely didn't want that. "I-I wasn't thirsty, so..."
"You still need to drink your water," the other nurse told her. "That's very important. Where is your water?" Bea looked around the room with the woman, not having any more of an answer than she did. "Caitlin, what did you do with your cup?"
"I-I don't know!" Bea shrank back, truly unaware of what the answer was. If Caitlin really had left already, she might have taken it with her without thinking... Or perhaps it had been cleared away with her last meal, and the real Caitlin had been too intimidated by the orderlies to stop them. She certainly didn't see a cup anywhere here now.
"All right," the nurse sighed. "Wait here and I'll bring you another one."
Beatrix nodded, watching as the nurses filed out, leaving her alone yet again. Nervously, she glanced down at her arm to examine the injection site, but she could barely tell where it had been. That was a good sign that she wasn't allergic to it, anyway, but it did nothing to tell her what it was, what she should expect...
She groaned, tugging at her ridiculous, childish hospital gown, glad that, at the very least, it hid her diaper... From the front. It still made her look so young, so much like she belonged in this place... She really wished she'd worn one of her padded bras, or some makeup, or something... With nothing to help her along, and her ID, purse, and phone all locked up in the back of the supply closet, it was going to be very difficult for her to convince anyone of her true identity, or age.
"Chester had better really appreciate this," she grumbled to herself. She knew he'd love this story, if she told it to him, maybe even more than the diapers themselves... He was the baby, though! She wasn't sure she wanted to let him know how easily she'd been sucked into that role. She wiggled her backside, hearing the diapers crinkle, feeling the bulk of them between her legs, the heat still building up inside the plastic and padding... She couldn't recall the last time she'd felt so powerless, knowing she was stuck in these things until she could find her way out of this mess.
She shook her head, reminding herself that she needed to do that, and quickly if she wanted to be ready for her shift in time to try to forget about all this and go back to being a professional young woman, rather than a diapered little girl. Her head was feeling a little fuzzy as she crept over to the door, and the door itself seemed heavier than she remembered when she pushed it open to peek outside.
She nibbled her lip, seeing other nurses and orderlies popping in and out of the other rooms. They must be making their rounds, she thought... Of course they were. That meant this would be the worst possible time for her to make an escape attempt. She'd never know when one of them would step out of a room, see her there, so clearly a patient, and ask what she was doing wandering the halls... She groaned, face darkening at the idea of yet another stranger giving her diaper a pat, checking her as if she really were a child, like she really needed these things...
She leaned against the doorframe, feeling sorry for herself, staring blankly out at the dance of bodies entering and exiting the hallway, the motion of it slightly hypnotizing to her. She tried to tell herself she was looking for a pattern, working on a way out, but in reality, she knew how chaotic this could be, that her best bet would be to wait until it was over, like it or not... And that she was only gawking at it all because she couldn't help herself.
Not until she saw one of the nurses who had visited her appear. With a squeak, she pulled back, letting the door shut, stumbling away, the room spinning around her, making it difficult to make her way the few steps back towards her bed before she heard the door open again. "Here you are," the nurse announced, holding up what looked an awful lot like a sippy cup, though with a straw rather than a spout, the plastic clouded just enough to make it impossible for her to see exactly what was inside. "You don't look so good, Caitlin... Why don't you sit on your bed?"
"Y-Yeah," Beatrix nodded dizzily. "Th-That sounds..."
She thought she was doing exactly that, but as she lowered her bottom, there was nothing beneath it, and, by then, she'd lost her balance, sending her falling down hard onto the tile floor beneath her with a squawk and a crinkle... And something else. She frowned, confused, her bottom shifting inside her padding, unable to process what she was feeling there at first, why it was even warmer than it had been before, why there was a squishiness she hadn't noticed earlier... And why it was spreading.
"Oh, Caitlin," the nurse shook her head, setting the cup down on the bedside table. "I thought you were getting used to your medication. Maybe you need to stay here a little longer after all."
"N-No, I'm fine, I-I'm just..." Bea insisted as she took the nurse's offered hand, letting herself be hauled to her feet, her stance unsteady, knees wobbling as she felt the warmth expanding even further around her, and noticed a familiar sensation at last. "I-I'm peeing!" she couldn't stop herself from announcing, although she immediately regretted it, staring, big-eyed, up at the nurse.
"Oh, that's good," the nurse smiled. "You still need to drink your water."
"B-But..." Beatrix whimpered, wanting to point out that this wasn't normal, that she didn't do this, didn't have accidents... But she wasn't supposed to be Beatrix right now, was she? The nurse lifted her up, setting her on the edge of the bed as she fought, in vain, to stop the flow from her bladder.
"That was the same dosage you always get," the nurse observed, looking through the chart. "I don't know why you're reacting like this now... We probably ought to have something a little more secure than this bed..."
Beatrix wasn't sure what that meant, but she knew she didn't like the sound of it. "N-No, I'm being discharged," she reminded the woman. "I-I'm leaving..."
The look on the nurse's face disagreed. "You stay here and finish up," she said, patting the front of the diaper through Bea's gown, reminding her of what she was doing, and the fact that it was no secret to either of them, "and drink your water. I'll be back to give you a change and take care of this bed in a bit, okay?"
Bea shook her head, but the nurse was already heading out, leaving her sitting there on the edge of her bed, legs swinging nervously, glancing over at the sippy cup on the table beside her. It might be only water... Or there could be something else in there, something to keep her extra hydrated, at the very least.
She picked it up, yet her hands were shaking too badly to let her open it up to look inside. After what the injection had done to her, she was scared to try anything else that was meant for Caitlin... But she was just as scared at the idea of the nurse coming back and finding she hadn't followed instructions. She seemed so much bigger, so much more mature, than her... It was hard to remember that they were both nurses, especially after Bea had peed her pants in front of the woman...
And what could she be having brought into the room that was 'more secure?' She shuddered at the possibilities, knowing any one of them would mean she'd have an even harder time digging out of this hole she'd found herself in. Rounds were no doubt still going on, and she was still very shaky from the drug, which would make dodging everyone out there all the more difficult, but if she didn't do it now, she might not get another chance... Or maybe she should try to explain things? Or, perhaps, if she was good, and did as she was told, the nurse would take it easy on her, and that might lead to another, better opportunity for escape later on... How much later, though? How long was she going to be stuck here, in the children's ward, in diapers?!
What should she do?
Try to make a run for it?
Try to tell the nurse the full story?
Drink her water and wait obediently for a better chance to escape?
Or wait for a better chance to escape, but leave her water alone?