We were now in motion.
I heard just two sets of footsteps follow me.
I wonder who stayed behind?
Unfortunately, Cleary was not the one as her heels clacked behind me. That means that Mia stayed. Why?
The ding of the elevator signaled its doors opening. When the elevator doors closed behind us, somebody's hand came down hard on the top of my head, jostling me from my stupor.
"What have you got planned for her?" Cleary asked malevolently.
"You'll see when we get there, Mistress Cleary." Ugh, one is enough. I cannot ever imagine having to address Cleary that way.
"Eh, doesn't really matter what you do to her, I'm just here to enjoy the show." Not again. Cleary definitely needs a better hobby. "Watching our little pet here," Cleary roughly tousled my hair through the hood, "has been such fine entertainment."
The elevator announced its arrival. Cleary and Kristia made small talk until we reached our destination.
I was wheeled into a room since I heard a sliding door open.
"Oh, how thoughtful of you, Kristia!" Cleary exclaimed in delight.
"Anything for you, Mistress Cleary. I know how bad you've felt these past two days, and I wanted to make it better," Kristia replied smugly.
I felt Kristia park the wheelchair and began undoing my restraints. Even though I was feeling exhausted, I had recovered a little bit of energy and had managed to calm down significantly. Do not get me wrong, I was still anxious about whatever it was that was going to happen next, but at least I was already mentally preparing myself.
When Kristia had said before that I was going to please her, I panicked because I did not want to be sexually involved with her and much less do it to her. I never thought it would devolve into a full-on panic attack. Just the thought of me having to pleasure her sent me running. It is one thing to take it, as I saw that I can dissociate from the moment and numb myself to the assault, but having to actively participate in the event is a whole other beast.
I figured that whatever was going to go down next could not be that bad since I could not show up with new marks on my body, as per Mistress's commands. I mean, if Kristia wants to have fun with me that does not involve corporal punishment, how many options does she have? After my panic attack, I highly doubt she is going to want to put me through that again. Why else would she bring me to another room?
I was trying to come up with a list of ways Kristia could make me suffer without leaving any visible evidence. She could humiliate me in front of others, but that has been done before. She could still make me pleasure her or others, but just with my hands. I hope not. I might just barf for real this time, and I would not care. Wait, I retract my statement, she could be twisted enough to make me eat up my vomit off the people, her, or the floor. I seriously would not put anything past these women.
Speaking of eating, what if she makes me eat something nasty that later gets me sick? That could easily be disguised as simple food poisoning or just me simply being sick.
She could also join Cleary in shocking the hell out of me. With all the bruises still present on my body, they can easily hide any physical evidence, plus Cleary said that what she uses to shock me does not leave a mark, so I am fucked in that area. I really hope it's not that. Why would we have come to another room if it were that?
I was still wrapping my head around Kristia's second round of torture when she ordered me to stand.
I complied with her demand and shakily stood up from the wheelchair. I did not dare try to take off the hood and gag, fearing a shock from Cleary.
Kristia ordered me to stand and put my hands behind my back.
Well, I guess using my hands to pleasure her is out of the equation. Thank God.
"Wait, Kristia," Cleary spoke. "Let me take out her IV. I will have to replace it anyway, her vein has collapsed, look at the bruise that has formed. Don't worry, that can be easily explained away, and Raven won't question it. After all, I am the nurse, doctors suck at inserting needles into veins. It's always nurses that do it, we are the most skilled in that area because they are too proud to deal with menial jobs. They think that they are above us."
Cleary grabbed my left hand and pulled it towards her. She unstuck the tape from my skin and slowly took out the needle, then I felt her press something at the insertion site. It did not surprise me when she pushed down hard on the newly formed bruise. I flinched back and tried to pull my hand with me, but she remained steadfast, instead digging her nails into my flesh. Why would she ever miss a chance to cause me pain?
"All right, Kristia, you can proceed," Cleary said.
"I should be a little more careful," Kristia spoke to herself, "wouldn't want Mistress finding out."
I felt her take my right arm and slide something over my hand that ended halfway up my forearm. There was something rigid that ended at the palm of my hand. Then, she tightened the sleeve at my wrist and the back of my hand. I could not move my wrists with this new contraption. She did the same with my left arm.
After Kristia had my wrists immobilized, she took my arms and bent them behind my back. I heard what sounded like a roll of tape unsticking, then she proceeded to tape my forearms parallel to each other, limiting my movements even more.
"There. With the wrist splints, no new bruises will form on your arms, and I can have you restrained." Kristia affirmed. "I am going to be nice and forgo tying your ankles, but know this, at the first incident of you trying to kick me, I will not hesitate." She had grabbed onto my shoulders and was saying it menacingly right next to my ear, making me shiver slightly.
I nodded my head in understanding.
"Okay then, come here." Kristia's hands were on my hips, guiding me to where I needed to stand. "On your knees, bitch."
I felt her stand directly behind me as I managed to get on my knees without losing my balance. My shoulder joints were starting to hurt because of the position my arms were in.
In the blink of an eye, I felt Kristia's hand on the back of my head, and next thing I know, I am plunged underwater. She had timed it just right to when I had finished exhaling to push my head underwater. I had not been able to get a breath in, so as soon as I was inhaling, water went up my nostrils, causing me to want to cough.
After coughing once, and letting the remaining air out of my lungs, I had to force myself to stifle my cough reflex or else I would ingest more water, making things even worse.
I could not believe how quickly my lungs were burning. My eyes were as wide as they could go, panicking at what was happening. My body instinctively fought against Kristia, wanting to stand up, but she did not let me, instead, her knee pushed up against my back, ramming me into the container that held the water. My muscles were quickly burning through the last remaining oxygen in my body.
I was not counting, so I do not know how many seconds my face was underwater. I was trying to concentrate on not gasping for air. At this point, my body was involuntarily trembling, fighting between the need for oxygen and the need to stay alive.
After what felt like an eternity, I was let up for air. I took in the biggest intake of oxygen I could manage, only to end up violently coughing as the water from the gag got mixed in the rush of air going to my lungs.
In between my fits of coughing and trying to breathe, I could hear Cleary moaning to my left.
I was trying to drink all the water dripping from the cloth gag so that I could breathe in properly without the liquid making me cough any further.
Kristia's fingers were intertwined in my hair, digging themselves further into my scalp. Since she was holding my head back, arching painfully at my neck, water kept dripping into the back of my throat. I had to switch to breathing through my nose, even though my body demanded more oxygen than my nostrils could take in.
I heard another moan from Cleary before I was immersed back in. Since I still had the hood on, I could not see what was going on around me, so when I felt my head being pushed forwards, I had less than a second to breathe in as much as possible before it was met with suffocating water.
My heart was beating so fast that I was now also concentrating on slowing down its pace. The faster my heart pumps, the faster my life-saving oxygen gets depleted.
This time, as soon as I felt the water, I started counting. Ten seconds had gone by, and my body was screaming again for air. My muscles were aching, and I was getting a headache. Even though I was underwater, I felt tears accumulating behind my closed lids.
Seven more seconds passed when Kristia decided to pull me out.
I fought against my body's natural response to inhale air through my mouth but lost this time once again. More water entered my lungs, sending me into another coughing paroxysm. I drank and inhaled the ridiculous amount of liquid that the cloth gag was able to hold. Because the hood was still placed over my head, the water that it retained also got absorbed by the gag, leaving me in a vicious cycle of having to suck out all the water from the gag before getting one or two inhales in ahead of Kristia plummeting my head underwater once more.
The next couple of times I was pushed underwater were for an even shorter amount of time, roughly one second less each time, until I was down to ten seconds. Each time, I was growing weaker by the second and needing much more time above water to keep my body from collapsing.
My heart rate was not decelerating at all, on the contrary, it was accelerating with each round. My head was hurting so much at this point. My muscles were spasming, and my chest was starting to ache. I was using all my muscles to breathe, my chest was heaving heavily, my ribs expanded to their maximum distance, my neck muscles contracted more than they could relax. The coughing attacks left me so winded that I felt like throwing up.
As if needing to breathe was not enough torture, Kristia and Cleary would approach my crumpled, agonizing, and desperate body to pinch and twist my nipples as hard as they could, making me stop halfway into my inhale to wince in pain.
Cleary made things even worse because she was still moaning as she inflicted pain on me. I do not doubt what she was doing again.
What did I ever do to deserve this? I must have angered someone important in a previous life to be dealt a shitty hand in this one.
Whenever Kristia would move me, I felt the succussion splash from all the water I had ingested, and my belly felt full. Painfully full. My bladder was screaming for release at this point. Even though I had gone to the bathroom earlier today, with all the water that I had drank, I was aching to pee.
Once again, Kristia forced me underwater without an adequate breath. Three seconds had gone by, and I was wanting to shout and fight back to be let up already. I squirmed and weakly tried to get up, but Kristia did not budge.
If I can't ever win, what is the point of fighting anymore?
My body is at its limit.
There is not a single ounce of strength left to fight.
My will to keep going has faded, and I think it's best at this point to just give up.
They can keep having their fun, but I will not be a part of it anymore.
I just want to rest.
I want peace.
I want out.
I did love you, mom, and I am sorry for ever treating you the way I did. I wish I had called you one more time.
Do not worry, I will be with dad soon.
I shut off my mind, and let my body take over. I started taking in one big inhale, letting all the water rush into my lungs before I was forcefully thrown across the room.
My body's instincts and primitive reflexes kicked in, and before I could black out, it started another coughing paroxysm. So much water was coming out.
Kristia ripped off the hood and gag. Her face showed a weird mix of anger and worry.
I was on my side, contracted into a ball, coughing unrelentingly. My head was turned to the ground to expel as much water as possible from my body while it was fighting desperately to breathe properly, but my coughing overpowered it. The meek breaths I was able to get in between coughs were not enough.
After coughing some more, I was dizzy, but finally able to breathe somewhat. Because my body was so exhausted at this point, the mere action of breathing or even get big breaths in hurt.
I was way too focused on coughing and trying to breathe that I failed to notice Kristia and Cleary crouching next to me. When I finally saw them, I let out a few weak whimpers while trying to shift myself away from them.
Cleary laughed. "You're not going anywhere, pet," she said smugly.
I saw her hand reach out to me. I flinched and made myself tighter into a ball, not wanting to be hurt. As much as I tried, I could not stop the tears from gushing down my face and the obvious terror that marked my features.
"Stop," I let out, barely audible.
"Stop?! Who do you think you are talking to?" Kristia grabbed me by my hair and was pulling me back to the tub of water. "It's stop it, please! Learn some manners!"
No! Not again!
I was too weak and lightheaded to do anything about Kristia. More tears poured out.
"Kristia, wait!" Cleary yelled.
Kristia stopped in her tracks.
"Give me a second," Cleary said as she placed a stethoscope to my chest, placed an oximeter on my finger, then took my blood pressure. "She can't stand another round, Kristia. As much as I would love to keep watching this show, I'm going to have to put a stop to it. Her oxygen saturation is 93%. Her heart rate is at 205 bpm. It's too high and past the maximum heart rate indicated for her age, plus her blood pressure is 86/54 mmHg, way too low. Looks like her coughing worked because I don't hear any crackles. There are some wheezes, though. You went overboard, Kristia, she's done for today. Let me go get the portable suction unit and put her on oxygen. Let's also let her rest for a bit before moving her back to her room. Get the ECG machine in the meanwhile."
Kristia tsked annoyed and let me drop to the floor.
Cleary walked back into the room and quickly put a nasal cannula on me. After setting some adjustments in the machine, I felt oxygen flowing into my nostrils. Kristia had already brought in the ECG machine.
"Although now that I look at her..." Cleary spoke with a malicious grin. She crouched down and placed a hand on my belly, "she can't go back to her room with that distended stomach full of water."
Kristia smirked evilly at me. "I can definitely solve that problem. I'll take care of it before we go, Mistress Cleary."
"Oh jeez, she even peed herself! Go get some new clothes, a towel, gloves, and bandages. I'll watch over her," Cleary said.
"Sure thing, Mistress Cleary!" Kristia responded as she exited the room.
"Well, well, well. You sure are a dirty little slut, aren't you?" Cleary sniggered while tapping on my stomach, making me wince. "Pathetic."
I whimpered, ashamed of not being able to hold myself. The last coughing fit had been too much for me and my full bladder. As much as I wanted to hold it in, I felt when the warm liquid was trickling in between my legs. There was so much water around me, that it went by unnoticed to Kristia and Cleary. Tears of shame and embarrassment slipped out, I did not want them finding out and giving them another reason to torment me.
Cleary's hand found the back of my skull and grabbed a fistful of hair as she yanked my face up to be close to hers. "You thought you could just off yourself and deprive us of having fun, did you?" Cleary derided.
I do not think that any answer I give her at this point is enough to satisfy her sadism, so all I could do was snivel and hope she would let me be.
"Ugh, you sorry excuse for a human. I don't know what Raven sees in you." Cleary scorned as she threw me back to the ground.
"I got the stuff you asked for, Mistress Cleary. What happened? Is she giving you any trouble after all that I put her through?" Kristia asked while looking at me in disdain.
"No, no. Nothing like that. I just can't stand to look at her sometimes. Anyway, take off her clothes and rinse her off." Cleary ordered Kristia while she got the ECG machine ready.
Kristia put all the materials she brought on a chair, then walked back towards me. I meekly mewled and fidgeted, not wanting to be naked in front of these two.
"Heh, you don't even have the strength to move. That makes it easier on everyone," Kristia chuckled spitefully as she grabbed my shorts and pulled them off, making me curl up further into a ball. She then went behind my back and took out her knife to cut away the duct tape around my forearms. She did not even let me get my arms in front of me before she took off my shirt. "Man, you are one lucky bitch. With the way Dahlia and Mia left you, I'm surprised you did not have any broken ribs or damage to your organs," Kristia stated as she looked at the healing bruises on my torso. "Well, then, there is one more thing I have to take care of before I wash you." Kristia effortlessly got me into a sitting position, holding me up as she evilly looked at me and waited for Cleary to bring a bucket. "Open your mouth."
I barely opened my mouth when she swiftly shoved her hand in to the back of my throat. My eyes widened, and my hands weakly rose to her arm to push it out. She thrusted her hand further in until my gag reflex was activated and the exit of the contents of my stomach was imminent.
Kristia let go of me and stepped back, anticipating the vomitus. Slightly viscous, mostly clear fluid filled the red bucket I was now clutching. Apparently, throwing up once was not enough for either Kristia nor Cleary. Kristia stuck her hand down my throat five more times until both of them were content that I had vomited all the water I had ingested, and my stomach no longer looked distended.
I was dry heaving, shaking, puffy and teary eyed with clear snot dangling off my nose and chin. That picture was finally enough for Cleary to tell Kristia to stop forcing me to throw up.
Kristia then took off the wrist splints before grabbing the bucket and dumping it down a drain in the corner. She then rinsed it and headed over to the tub. She came back with the pail in her arms and threw it at my lower half. I squealed, terrified of the water. She did this three more times until she was content with my 'cleanliness.'
Afterwards, Kristia took a towel and made me stand to move to another part of the room to lie down. She had to basically drag me, and the machine supplying me with oxygen, to where she wanted me to go, since I could not find the strength to stand up or much less walk.
While on the floor, Cleary attached the leads to the ECG machine on my chest. They both left me alone for a while after that.
At this point I was so spent, that it was proving next to impossible to maintain my eyes open, watching what those two monsters were going to do to me. I fought a losing battle until exhaustion took over.
---
"Great, she passed out!" Kristia said disappointedly as she wanted Keira to remain conscious until she was taken back to the room.
Cleary checked Keira's now stable vitals, then shook her a few times and slapped her twice to see if she would awaken. "Yeah, she's not going to wake up. Get her dressed and back to her room, she's good to go. We must hurry, there's only half an hour left before Dahlia's shift starts."
Kristia loaded the unconscious, now dressed, brunette onto the wheelchair, strapped her in, then hooded and gagged her for good measure. All three then headed up to B2.
Once inside Keira's room, Mia was waiting anxiously for Cleary and Kristia to return. Mia did not know they would be cutting it so close; she had expected them to bring Keira in at most an hour before her shift ended to avoid arousing suspicions, not less than thirty minutes!
After exchanging a few unpleasantries between Mia and Kristia, they went to work quickly on putting Keira face down on the bed, just how she usually slept because of the burn. Cleary, on the other hand, inserted a new IV on the inside of Keira's right forearm and begrudgingly hooked it up to the pain medication that Dr. Garnett wanted Keira to have.
Both Cleary and Kristia left as soon as possible, but not without first instructing Mia to dry off Keira's hair and combing it to make it look like nothing had happened to her.
Mia followed instructions and made sure that everything seemed to be in order, based on the time she had spent with Keira.
-
Dahlia made her way toward Keira's room, but first, she made sure to grab Keira's lunch.
Dahlia decided to add a little something extra this time to Keira's lunch, hoping the younger girl would appreciate the gesture.
Over the past two days since Keira had been strapped to the bed, her mood had fluctuated from suicidal to happy, back to depressed. Dahlia tried to lighten Keira's mood whenever Keira was feeling down, but the fact that Keira had already expressed her want to die or be killed still lingered in the back of Dahlia's mind.
Dahlia knew that Keira did not like to spend time with Mia because every time Dahlia would start her shift, Keira was looking down in the dumps. Dahlia did not know what happened during Mia's shift to drag Keira's mood down so much.
The red hair had ascertained that Keira liked the company of Pvt. Winters and hopefully, Dahlia's, seeing as she, along with Pvt. Winters, would lift Keira's mood, at least for the time they were with Keira.
Dahlia had also surmised that Keira, justifiably, detested Nurse Cleary because even though Keira never explicitly stated so, whenever Cleary would come to debride Keira during Dahlia's shift, Keira's mood would shift radically. Keira would either seem sad or extremely irritable, to the point where a lighthearted joke from Dahlia would anger Keira disproportionately.
When Dahlia asked Keira what was going on or what was wrong, Keira would shut Dahlia out by listening to the music or podcasts Pvt. Winters had loaded on the iPod, and it would take a lot of convincing and coaxing from Dahlia to get Keira to engage in a conversation.
Overall, Dahlia figured that Keira's time tied down to the bed was not only humiliating, but distressing to the younger girl's mental health, so Dahlia tried to make Keira's time as easy as possible while still following Mistress's orders.
Today, Dahlia was excited because Keira would be free from her restraints by the time Dahlia's shift had started, so she was expecting to see a lively Keira sitting up in bed or even out of it, stretching her legs.
Dahlia made sure to grab a pack of playing cards, which were now stuffed in her pocket, and a foldable chess and checkers’ board. If Keira could not leave the room because she was convalescing, then Dahlia would make sure to keep the brunette entertained.
Dahlia finally made it to Keira's room, stopping briefly in front of the door to rein in her excitement and plaster on a poker face while she dismissed Mia. With one deep inhale, Dahlia pushed her way into Keira's room, only to be disappointed to see Keira fast asleep on the bed.
Dahlia's face remained unchanging as she placed the tray of food on the table. She looked around the room and felt there was something amiss, but she could not quite put her finger on it as she turned to Mia to be briefed on Keira's morning report.
Mia gave Dahlia a rundown of having fed Keira breakfast, then Cleary coming in to debride her, as usual, followed by being unrestrained by Cleary, and finally being let go to shower, change, and do whatever else Keira needed to do in the bathroom. After that, Keira came out and went back to sleep on the bed after she was told that she still could not leave the room, but not before throwing a tantrum for being a prisoner and being kidnapped.
Dahlia did not find a reason to doubt Mia when she said that Keira had been unruly and upset for not being able to leave the room. It was only normal. What Dahlia was skeptical about was why had Keira fallen asleep.
In Dahlia's opinion, Keira would have acted out, then would have gone back to listening to something on the iPod or even started to read the book that Pvt. Winters had left on the bedside table, anything other than fall back asleep.
Dahlia thanked Mia for the report and dismissed her.
When Mia was out of the room, Dahlia approached Keira's sleeping body and pulled the blanket further up Keira's body. If Keira was insistent on sleeping, then at least, Dahlia made sure that Keira would have pleasant dreams.
A disheartened Dahlia sat on the chair by the door. She figured that Keira would not stay sleeping too long, as Keira had slept plenty during those two days restrained to the bed. Dahlia's mood lifted slightly knowing that Keira would soon wake up, it was only a matter of an hour or two.
Five hours had already passed, and Keira still had not stirred.
Dahlia found it odd that Keira would nap for so long. It's not like Keira to want to miss a meal unless something is going on. When Keira had refused to eat before being restrained to the bed, Dahlia understood why. Keira's anxiety levels were through the roof, plus knowing that she had just been branded, it did not surprise Dahlia at all that Keira would also be feeling too depressed to want to eat. That is the main reason that Mistress had stated the rule of either Keira eating or being force-fed.
Something was different this time, however.
Maybe Keira had stayed up all night long, and that is why she was so tired today.
That did not make any sense the more Dahlia thought about it. When Mia came to bump Dahlia from her shift, Keira was already sleeping for the night, and it was not like Keira to want to spend time with Mia. Dahlia knew that Keira avoided Mia as much as possible, preferring to lose herself in music. Mia never mentioned her interactions with Keira, but she could figure out what had most likely transpired based on Keira's attitude and how Dahlia would find the brunette when it was Dahlia's turn to change watch with Mia.
By this time, Dahlia had already eaten Keira's lunch. Why let perfectly good food go to waste? Dinner time was soon approaching, and Keira still had not woken up.
Dahlia wondered if it was best to wake Keira up so that she could at least eat something.
Dahlia settled on getting the dinner tray and waiting a little longer for Keira to awaken, after all, Dahlia wanted to spend time with Keira, but she was not going to tend to her own selfish needs for wanting to talk to the younger girl. Dahlia figured it was best to let Keira be. If the poor girl was tired, then Dahlia might as well let her rest, Keira could always eat later.
By 11pm, Dahlia had given up on talking to her friend. The red hair had already eaten Keira's dinner too and was playing Sudoku on her phone. Dahlia always liked puzzle games, rather than fast-paced action ones. She had been so distracted playing, that she failed to notice Dr. Garnett walking into the room.
Garnett cleared her throat, making Dahlia jump to her feet.
"Mistress! I'm sorry, I didn't notice you enter the room!" Dahlia spoke apologetically.
"Is she already asleep for the night?" Dr. Garnett asked Dahlia as she tenderly stroked Keira's head, enjoying the touch of the sleeping girl's soft, dark brown hair.
"Um, no. She hasn't woken up at all since before I started my shift. She hasn't even had lunch nor dinner," Dahlia remarked worriedly.
"That's strange. I half expected her to be jumping out of that bed," Garnett exclaimed, while her hand traveled down to caress Keira's lower back.
"You and me both, Mistress. I don't know why she's so tired," Dahlia responded, looking at Keira then back to Dr. Garnett. "It's not her usual demeanor to be sleeping all throughout the day. Yes, she has fallen asleep during the day, but never for so long."
Garnett hummed suspiciously as she narrowed her eyes.
"Mistress, pardon my boldness, but I thought you weren't going to come in until tomorrow," Dahlia said tentatively.
"Well, I finished early today and decided to take the next two days off," Garnett replied. "I want Keira to be transferred to my room immediately. I will personally be overseeing her care for the next two days. You can tell Cleary and Mia that they are relieved of their duties with Keira for the next 48 hours. The same applies to you. I want to be disturbed as little as possible, got it?"
"Yes, Mistress, whatever you say. I shall inform them," Dahlia stood up straight to confirm Dr. Garnett's orders.
"Make sure that Keira is not woken up during the transfer," Garnett said sternly.
"Sure thing, Mistress!" Dahlia responded.
Dr. Garnett took one final look at Keira and turned on her heel and left.
Dahlia did as commanded and ensured that the team that transferred Keira to Dr. Garnett's room was as careful as possible so as not to wake up the sleeping girl. Keira was transferred to Dr. Garnett's bed, and with that the team and Dahlia took their leave.
Dr. Garnett was already in the room, going over some medical notes. When everybody had left the two women alone, Garnett decided to call it a night. After all, she had made herself as busy as possible over the past two days after her incident with Keira, that Garnett did not want to think about what she had done to the girl.
Having to resuscitate Keira had given Garnett a lot to think about. Garnett feared that she was becoming too overzealous again and did not want to lose a subject too quickly, but something was different about Keira. Keira did not feel like all her other subjects. No, this girl was witty, stubborn, and brave, bordering on the edge of stupid. Garnett had loved the brunette's tenacity and quick-thinking. The older woman wanted to see how far she could push Keira's limits, and what the younger girl could achieve under Garnett's supervision.
After all the beatings and the branding, Keira had not fully submitted to Dr. Garnett. If fear was not working on the younger woman, Garnett figured she had to try a different approach. She had seen how Keira was behaving with Dahlia, becoming familiar with her, maybe a little too familiar in Garnett's opinion. If Dahlia was using a gentler tactic and getting results from Keira, why couldn't Garnett try the same thing? Yes, Garnett was always feared and respected among her peers and subordinates for the ruthless and merciless way of treating others, and that is precisely how she wanted to keep things, but fear and intimidation was not getting very far with Keira.
Despite everything Garnett had submitted Keira to, the twenty-year-old still held an underlying sense of defiance driving her. Keira had a spark that had not been crushed, and Garnett surmised that it would never be quelled, even after submitting Keira to extremes.
What would be the point in trying to make Keira a perfectly obedient doll if she would never submit? This was a challenge that drove Garnett to want to continue trying to conquer Keira, but if it would ultimately prove fruitless and could end up in Keira's death, what was the point of continuing? Yes, this was something that went against Garnett's nature, but she already saw that taking things too far would end up in Keira's demise. Garnett certainly did not want her entertainment to be absconded so quickly.
How about this time, just this one time, Garnett could spare the rod? Would it have an impact in how Keira reacted to Garnett? Would Keira be more willing to follow orders if she were treated with a little dignity and respect, or would she stay defiant and want to escape again?
Garnett knew that the possibility of escape would always remain with Keira, but what if maybe, just maybe, Garnett gave a reason for Keira to stay?
Garnett mused over all the questions and possible outcomes of changing her treatment with Keira, but she was willing to put her pride aside and try a different approach. After all, it could lead to invaluable data in her research. She was not all that unwavering in changing her tactics, it was, as she would say, a hypothesis she needed to put to the test.
Dr. Garnett was tired after such a long day's work and wanted a nice, refreshing, and warm bath. She figured she would do Keira a favor and give her a bath. After all, she had been in that bed for two days, and a wipe down is never the same as a good bath. Even if Keira had showered, Garnett was extremely picky on cleanliness, so if Keira was going to sleep on Garnett's bed, Keira had better be clean.
Knowing Keira had not eaten since breakfast, Garnett was aware that if the sleeping girl woke up in the middle of the night, she would be starving, so Garnett made sure to put some snacks, fruits, and a glass of water on Keira's nightstand.
After having run a warm bath, Garnett stripped out of her clothes, and walked over to a sleeping Keira. Garnett unhooked Keira from the IV, knowing full well that she was going to have to wean the brunette off the pain medications before she got addicted to them, however, today was not the day. Maybe tomorrow she can start lowering the girl's dosage.
Dr. Garnett then took off Keira's top, followed by her shorts, and grabbed the girl in her arms. In one quick swoop, Garnett was carrying Keira to the bathroom.
The younger girl was no problem for the tall, six-foot-two Venus. Garnett was not overly bulky; she was lean, toned, fit, and strong. Some have even likened Garnett to an Amazonian goddess in both beauty and strength, but despite all that, Garnett could not look away from the belle in her arms. This girl, there was something about her that made Garnett go crazy with lust, and maybe even something more.
However, it would have to be some other time, the older woman was not going to try anything with Keira now. Garnett was resolute on enjoying her bath, relaxing, and then sleeping. Today, she was not going to hurt nor touch Keira inappropriately.
Once Garnett had reached the tub, she made sure to carefully lower herself with Keira still in her arms. She took off Keira's wet dressings and tossed them in the trash, then proceeded to bathe Keira carefully and thoroughly. Garnett was pleased at how Keira's bruises and burns were healing, nothing to worry about except when she was going to graft Keira.
After making sure Keira and her wounds were clean, Garnett turned the attention to herself. She savored the moment as she washed away the day's work and let herself relax.
Following Garnett's well-deserved bath, she took the still sleeping Keira and made sure to place the young girl's body in between her legs so that Keira's upper body would be resting against Garnett's.
It was so foreign for Garnett to show any sign of affection towards another person, but with Keira, things seemed just right.
Garnett wanted to relish this perfect moment, so she just closed her eyes, while softly stroking Keira's hair, and lowered her head, placing it on the crook of Keira's neck and inhaled the girl's fresh scent.
The older woman just wanted this moment to last forever.
---
I was slowly coming to.
I still had not opened my eyes, and I could already feel the exhaustion that still held possession of my body.
There was something different this time.
When I opened my eyes, the first thing that I saw was my body submerged in water. My heart rate suddenly skyrocketed, and my breathing turned fast and shallow on a dime. I quickly went to stand, but something was holding me down. The beating in my ears drowned out any sound around me.
I just want to leave.
I do not want anything to do with water.
I was thrashing as hard as I could, trying to free myself from whatever was holding me back. Suddenly, I felt my left elbow connect with something hard, and I was immediately free. I rose to my feet and jumped out of the water as quickly as I could. My eyes darted around the room until it landed on a door, and I sprinted towards it.
Before I could even reach the door, I felt an unexpected weight tackling me to the ground. Something or someone was on top of me.
I can't do this!
I can't go through this again!
I must get out!
I must escape this torture!
All at once, I felt hands grabbing me and turning me over, while more of the weight shifted on top of me. My lungs were burning, and I could not feel the precious oxygen.
I must leave!
My thrashing and squirming were not letting up.
I do not care what happens next, I cannot and will not be submitted to this torture ever again!
I was screaming and crying. The hot tears blurred my vision. I was furiously kicking my legs to get out of whatever was holding me down to the ground. My arms were instantly grasped and pinned under weight. A load was shifted onto my hips and stomach. I could not overpower whatever was pressing me to the floor.
Hands forcibly grasped both sides of my head and steadied it. My eyes were closed at this point, wanting to shut out my torturer. More tears were freely falling.
"Keira! Keira! Hey! Listen to me!"
A voice was calling out to me. I refused to pay attention. This was another trick.
"Keira! Whatever happened, you're safe! Look at me!"
Safe? How can I be safe here?
"Keira! Open your eyes! It's Mistress! Look at me!"
Mistress? It did sound like her. But what about Kristia?
"KEIRA!"
It was Mistress's voice, no doubt about that. I decided to tentatively open my eyes.
"Hey, hey! It's okay! You're okay! That's it," Mistress's voice cooed. "Shh, shh, look at me. Keep your eyes on me. That's it. Good girl. Listen to me. Hey! No! Look at me! Yes, yes, that's it. You're safe. You're safe. Follow me. Take a deep breath in. Now out. In and out. Keep it up. That's it. In. And out. Good girl. In and out."
Mistress kept me pinned to the ground until I had calmed down and was breathing normally. She brushed my hair out of my face and kept wiping away the tears that were still falling. Once she was satisfied that I had calmed down sufficiently, she got off from me and quickly grabbed a towel. She wrapped the towel around me, helped me sit up, and pulled me into an embrace, having my head rest on the crook of her neck, with my torso sideways to her. Her left leg was bent upwards, supporting my back, while her right leg was slightly bent to her side, keeping both of my legs from moving forward so that they would stay bent up to my chest.
"You're okay, Keira. Whatever you saw or felt, it's over," Mistress cooed softly as she gently rocked me back and forth.
I do not know how much time had passed. All I know is that I did not speak, and neither did she. I decided to stay in her embrace for as long as I needed to. Not once did she shift positions or pulled away, she waited until I was ready to break away.
When I finally decided to pull myself away from her, she let me. She did not even attempt to hold me back.
I gripped the towel tightly and got to my feet. I turned to face her, and quickly blushed at seeing her naked on the floor. I turned my gaze to the side. She did not make any type of comment on my reaction upon seeing her naked body. I thanked her for helping me calm down.
She got to her feet and put on a bathrobe, knowing I was still not looking at her out of embarrassment.
Once she was covered, she turned to address me. "Here." She handed me a clean bundle of the same shirt and shorts I had been wearing. "I will give you some space so that you can dress, brush your teeth, and do whatever it is you need to in the bathroom. I am not giving you a time limit. Take however long you need. After you exit, if you are hungry, there are some snacks and a glass of water on the nightstand. We can talk about what happened tomorrow if you want to. I am not going to push it. Also, I will need to reattach your IV when you go to sleep. You can sleep on the bed with me or the couch, your choice." With that, she grabbed her toothbrush and exited the bathroom.
I was left standing there, flabbergasted at what just happened. I could not believe it. She was being nice to me. Mistress was giving me a choice? She was not imposing herself on me? What is going on?
I decided to not keep questioning what just occurred and took her up on her offer to spend time in the bathroom.
When I looked to the right, I saw the tub that I had to steer clear of. I decided to relieve myself, then looked at the bundle of clothes Mistress had given me. I could not believe my eyes, she had given me underwear, boring looking, black bikini style panties!
It had been a week since I had worn any. After Mistress had cut up my clothes for failing to undress when I first arrived, I had not been handed underwear ever.
I relished in the comfort of feeling the cotton fabric on my skin, feeling protected. Why is Mistress having a sudden change of heart? Not that I am going to argue against it, but it felt like there was a catch.
I walked up to the vanity but stopped just shy of seeing my reflection in the mirror. I feared what I would be met with. Of whom I would be met with.
When I saw myself hours after being kidnapped, it broke my heart. I do not think I would be strong enough to come to grips with how I would look now.
I just could not do it.
I could not break down again or risk another panic attack.
I did not do it.
Maybe some other time I will have the strength to face my reality.
After fully dressing and brushing my teeth, I hesitated on exiting the bathroom, but knowing that that tub was there and more, so it was full, made me practically run out.
When I was back in Mistress's room, I saw her reading a book on the bed. It immediately caught my eye; it was One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. I chuckled internally, thinking back to when I had to read it over my last High School summer as assigned reading for my Spanish class back home in Puerto Rico. I never really got past the fourth chapter because it was so long. I wanted to enjoy my summer break, plus I had two more books to read, also as assigned reading, but for English class. I ended up reading a bunch of summaries on the internet, then asking my friend to summarize the book in great detail for me during lunchtime the day of the test. Needless to say, I do not know how, but I ended getting a higher grade than her, and the test was not even multiple choice! To this day, I still fondly recall that moment as probably the only time luck has ever been on my side.
Mistress had changed out of her bathrobe and gotten into comfy, long sleeves and pants pajamas. It was strange seeing her so laid back and with those type of clothes on. I did not even know she owned normal-looking pajamas.
She did not glance up, if she did, I did not catch it. I was hungry, but not enough for an entire meal because my stomach was feeling queasy after what happened this morning and what happened right now in the bathroom. As I was walking around to the other side of the bed where Mistress had said she had laid out some snacks, I spotted the fresh fruits and nuts. I decided on just eating a banana and a couple of almonds, so I sat on the bed as I did, facing away from Mistress.
"Are you feeling better, Keira?" Mistress purred inquisitively. I was surprised she was addressing me by my actual name and not her usual pet name for me.
"Yes, thank you." It was the only thing I could reply.
"I'm glad," Mistress answered.
What is going on today? I'm getting opposite sides of the mood spectrum from these people. I am just happy that Mistress is in a nice mood, especially after what happened in the bathroom.
I finished eating my food and looked at the glass of water, fearful if I should take it to wash down the almonds. Earlier, I had swallowed so much water and then made to throw it back up, that the thought of ingesting any more liquid put me off.
However, the dry almonds left me wanting to drink something, so I fearfully reached out for the glass. My hands were trembling and hovering just shy of the cup. The events of what happened earlier came to the forefront of my thoughts.
"Keira, what's wrong?" Mistress's voice cut through my thoughts.
"No-nothing, Mistress," I stammered, trying to prevent telling her anything.
She hummed skeptically.
"Are you sure? I don't like being lied to," she warned. I can't tell her anything about Kristia, Mia, or Cleary.
I must get a grip and hide the truth about what happened. I cannot give those three an opportunity to hurt me again. Mia did not directly participate in the torture, but she facilitated it, therefore, if Mistress ever finds out, I do not doubt for a second that Mia will facilitate another round.
I gulped hard, and grabbed the crystal cup, pushing down any adverse reaction. I brought the glass closer to my face.
"Positive, Mistress," I managed to get out without any semblance of fear.
She hummed suspiciously again but did not comment any further.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then tilted the cup to let the water in my mouth. I swallowed forcefully so as to not raise any further suspicions from Mistress.
After I reluctantly downed the entire glass, I set it back on the nightstand and let out a big yawn. I was still exhausted after everything. My body felt heavy and so did my eyelids.
Should I sleep on the couch or the bed?
I finally decided to sleep on the bed seeing as I wanted to be as comfortable as possible, and I doubt that the couch would provide me with the same support as the bed, plus I was too tired to get up and walk over to the couch anyway. Hopefully Mistress decides to stay on her side of the bed, if not, I will move to the couch.
Having made up my mind, I just fell face first onto the bed and let out a big sigh.
"Are you going to sleep now?" Mistress asked.
"Yes?" I replied.
"That's fine, I just need to hook up your IV and redress your wounds so that they don't get infected." Mistress answered while getting up and walking over to my side of the bed. She had already brought the supplies. "Sit up and lift your shirt, so I can work on your back."
I followed her orders. Her touch was so gentle that it startled me when she touched my ribs.
"Shh, I'm not going to hurt you, Keira. Relax," Mistress cooed.
She worked quickly and gently on my back. Afterwards, she told me to face her and give her my arm. She made quick work of that too. In the end, she asked for my right arm, where my IV was. She frowned when she saw that my vein had collapsed and there was blood accumulating under the skin. That did not surprise me at all after the struggle in the bathroom. Lucky me, two collapsed veins in one day, both because of me struggling to get free.
Since I had had my IV changed so frequently, she had to look for another vein, this time on the outside of my right forearm.
"You know, I am not well versed in placing IVs in unusual sites, and I don't want to cause you any further damage to your arms. I think I'll just get Cleary --"
"NO!" I yelled at the same time that I grabbed her arm. "Please, don't! Do it yourself, I don't care if you can't get it on the first try. Just, please, don't call her here!" My eyes welled up with tears as I pleaded Mistress not to have Cleary insert my IV. I do not want to see that woman again for a while. I do not know how I am going to react if I do.
"Are you sure?" Mistress squinted her eyes at me.
"Yes! Please, do it yourself, it's okay, I can take it." My eyes were wide and beseeching, staring straight into her own blue ones.
"Okay, I will try my best." Mistress replied while gently placing her free hand on top of my left one, signaling me to free her arm.
When I finally let go of her, I could see that I had dug my nails in so deep that I left crescent shapes on her forearm. My grip had been enough to leave an imprint of my hand and fingers that regained normal color as soon as the blood was able to flow down to where I had grabbed her.
"Is there something wrong with Cleary?" Mistress asked suspiciously.
Why did she have to ask that now? She just said she was going to insert the IV!
"No, nothing." I blurted quickly.
"Then why are you so reticent to have her do your IV?" Her eyes narrowed at me.
"I-I just don't like her." My voice broke a bit and was a few octaves higher.
"Keira... I thought I told you that I don't like being lied to." Mistress said in a warning tone.
"I swear!" I looked into her eyes, then looked down, "I just prefer you to do it, please."
She hummed again.
I am starting to hate that sound. It puts me on edge.
On the second try, Mistress was able to get the IV in. I sighed in relief, knowing that it was over, and that Cleary would not have to touch me.
Mistress stood up and held the comforter up so that I could get under it. It felt a bit awkward to be in this position, but I did not say anything. She put the duvet over me and tucked me in, then sat at the edge of the bed facing me.
"There are a couple of things that we need to talk about tomorrow. If you wake up before I do, you can use anything in the room, and there are still some snacks on the nightstand if you get hungry before breakfast arrives. I hope that I don't need to remind you that you cannot exit the room. The door is locked anyway and there are guards on the other side. Rest up, Keira. Pleasant dreams." At the last sentence, Mistress stood up and stroked my hair back once and planted a kiss on my forehead, then turned on her heel and walked to the other side of the bed.
I was still shocked at tonight's events. I did not know how to feel about the tender way in which she said good night. I would be lying if I said that my heart did not skip a beat. Inadvertently, I found myself smiling, because I did not ever think that Mistress was capable of such kindheartedness.
With that thought in mind, I turned on my right side, away from Mistress, and closed my eyes.