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 The Estate (C)2003 d.  edwards/san francisco

   Chapter 25

   John had flushed with their words describing his afternoon; the all too
familiar wash of panic and embarrassment held in check by his unspoken
promise and his terror of another spanking.  Now, draped over Delores'
shoulder, he felt oddly relieved at being in her arms.  Some part of his
mind was still shouting its anger and fear, but that voice had faded into
the distance for the moment.  Instead, his mind only filled with the
sensation of her pressed against him and the dull pressure of the last
bubbles of air that were creeping up his throat.

   Delores finished her patting and slowly rolled John over onto his back
where one of the nurses had laid out a flannel sleeper.  Laying him slowly
on it, she first loosened the top of his diaper, exposing his bare pubis,
and gently pulled his flaccid penis forward onto his belly.  John began to
tremble with the tension of being exposed as she opened a fresh foil pack
and rolled a mesh condom over his penis, adjusting it to a snug fit. 
Tucking him back down she paused to explain to the two younger nurses.

   ''This is to check for the rate of prostate emissions.  Remember not to
remove this before 9:00, tomorrow morning.'' she reminded the other two. 
''We need to check him through all stages of sleep up until he's fully
awake.'' They both nodded in agreement.  Refastening his diaper she began
to tuck John into his sleeper, the bottom half completely enclosing his
folded legs in a cozy sack with the top half again holding him in a tightly
swaddled grip.  Pulling the zipper up to his chin he was now completely
enclosed in thick flannel.  His panic began to build at being so tightly
bound, his breathing again becoming ragged as he tried to fight off the
urge to scream or thrash around.  Helpless, his eyes pleaded with her as
they began to fill with tears as he fought his panic.  Seeing him so
distressed Delores leaned over him and again cradled him back into her,
this time facing the windows, hoping that she could distract him enough to
calm him down.  Motioning for Annabel to open a shade she leaned over and
whispered to John, ''You can open your eyes now sweety, its all right,'' as
she consoled him, rocking slightly, ''Let's just sit here and watch the
sunset, hmmm?'' He winced open his eyes slowly, seeing Annabel reaching to
pull down the upper shade of the bay window.  As she lowered the upper
blind the sudden rapid fluttering of a large moth reached his ears, making
him open his eyes fully.  Annabel jumped back, startled by its insistent
beating on the window and reached for something to slap it with.  Finding
her book she turned and raised her hand.  Delores looked down, surprised at
feeling the pacifier fall into her lap as John began to struggle to sit
upright.

   ''no...........'' he whispered, freezing everyone in the room with the
shock at hearing his quavering voice.  Annabel stopped, mid swing, to stare
at him.  Tears streaming down his face John turned to Delores, appealing to
her with such a hurt look, fully aware of his transgression but asking
regardless.

   ''please..........let it go,'' he asked, his voice on the edge of a sob,
''don't.....it...it........just let it go........'' Overwhelmed with fear
he fell back into Delores' stunned arms, a high keening sound of terror
coming from his throat as he tried to hide his face.  He lay there,
trembling, waiting.........only to feel the hot drop of a tear on his
cheek, then another as Delores leaned over and gathered him in, crushing
him close as her tears mixed with his.  He gave a cry of relief into her
breast, as they sat there, entwined.

   ''It's OK, little one, it's OK,'' she soothed, kissing the tears from
his cheek, ''There's no need to fear...nothing's going to happen.'' His
deep shuddering sigh told her he understood and she looked up at the other
two in wonder.

   Annabel slowly lowered her arm, unnerved by the turn of events, and
turning to the window opened the upper casement to the evening air.  The
moth, sensing its freedom, fluttered to the edge, stopped for a second and
turning, disappeared into the late evening.  She closed the window quietly
and walked over to kneel by the two of them wrapped together on the floor.
Julie came around and knelt also, stains on her blouse betraying her tears
that were there a moment ago.  'Where did that come from?', Delores
wondered, deeply touched by John's sacrifice.  'This isn't the same man in
the hospital two days ago....or is it?  We need to talk to Elena.' She made
a mental note to discuss this with Dr.  Collins first thing in the morning.
Taking a deep breath to collect herself she turned to Julie.

   ''I think we can bed him down here tonight, by the window.  Would you
bring over his pad and blanket?'' she asked.  Julie smiled at John, and
left to fetch them.

   ''There is a story of a Mandarin,'' Annabel began, ''A fabulously
wealthy man who wore only the finest silks.  He had taken a nap and awoke
to find a small kitten asleep on the sleeve of his beautiful silk robe. 
Without hesitating he cut the sleeve off so as not to disturb the kitten.''
She sighed, getting up and looking down at John tucked into Delores' arms.

   ''It is a rare thing, an extravagant heart.  '' she said quietly, her
quiet eyes deep and solemn.  Turning, she left the room as Julie came over
with her arms full of bedding.  Kneeling down she spread out a thin
rubberized flannel sheet over the quilt and propped up several large
pillows to form a soft perimeter.  With Delores' help they coaxed John onto
the pad and snugged up several pillows on one side.  Delores reclined
alongside him, her chest level with his head as, with Julie's help, she
propped pillows behind her own back, making them both comfortable as she
tucked him back into her arms.  Placing the pacifier back in his mouth she
hesitated as if considering for a moment, then raised herself slightly and
settled her breast on top of the pacifier, pinning it firmly to his mouth.
John flushed clear to his scalp as she pressed him to her, his red face
making it clear he was aware of her intentions.  The slight bobbing of his
nursing rubbed her nipple through the fabric of her uniform as she smiled,
feeling him squirm with discomfort.

   ''I'm not leaving until you fall asleep,'' she insisted, tapping his
nose for emphasis, easing his tension slightly.  He continued to suckle the
pacifier, the action almost an unconscious one now as his eyes remained on
hers.  The last light of the evening faded from the window, slowly
darkening the room with violet hues as the first stars came out.

   ''I'll see you in the morning,'' whispered Julie, leaning in to touch
John on the cheek before getting up.  Turning to Delores she shook her head
and smiling slightly, gave a small thumbs up.  Delores nodded slightly in
agreement and turned back to John.

   Chapter 26

   They lay together in the deepening shadows of the room, their bodies
growing warm where her thigh and hip partially covering his, holding him
still.  Laying her head down on a pillow above him she reached behind her
head and loosened a clip, letting her dark chestnut hair fall in a curtain
around them.  He was breathing quietly now, his chest rising slowly,
trapped but almost at peace with the intimate nest she had made for him. 
Humming a soft melody, her hand rubbed his chest and belly lightly,
bringing a small wave of pleasure that teased his eyelids lower.  His
pacifier slowed as he sank back down into a pool of sleep.  His eyes,
filled with her soft gaze, drifted closed as one last deep sigh eased its
way into the room.  She continued to lie there a long time, feeling him
slip deeper into rest, his body twitching slightly with release from the
stress of the day.  Satisfied at last that he was deeply asleep she eased
her arm from underneath him, replacing a pillow where she lay and covered
him with the light blanket, worrying briefly that he might be too warm. 
Sitting upright she gracefully pinned back her hair, giving her a moment to
collect herself before leaving for the evening.  By now it was fully dark,
with a thin crescent moon just above the tree tops to the west.  Still full
of the moment she sat there, going through her day with this most
unsettling man.  In all her years at the Estate she'd never seen or felt
anything even remotely like what happened that afternoon, and it disturbed
her that in all of her attempts at getting inside this little man he had
somehow done exactly that to her.  Sighing, she realized that a review with
the director was in order and surprised herself again with an unexpected
dash of anxiety that she might be removed from this case.  Getting up
quietly she gathered up a few folders, turned on the night light and,
checking the sleeping figure one more time, left the room to return to her
office.