CYOA: The Gift - Chapter 3 (Story) (Patreon)

Beatrix couldn't leave her ID and phone behind; that was far too risky. She needed some way to prove who she was, or make a call, just in case things really went south... And they wouldn't take up that much space. She could definitely fit those into her purse, alongside the diapers. If she hadn't been so nervous, she would have done it to begin with.

Of course, there was no small amount of risk involved with waiting for the doctor to pass by, either. She fidgeted, hugging her purse to her, covering as much of it with her arms as she could, wincing as she heard a soft crinkling from it, even through her purse, and the packaging, one that she knew she'd heard before, and that the doctor probably had, too. 

She was being silly, she told herself. She'd barely noticed it herself, and that easily could have been her imagination... There was no way the doctor, as he walked down the hall, glancing down at his clipboard, would have overheard, or given any thought to it...

He looked up, and right into her eyes. She gulped, counter-intuitively squeezing her purse tighter, squirming. He was so tall, so handsome, his blue eyes so piercing as he peered at her curiously. Just like with most of the nurses here now, outside of her usual shift, she didn't know him... And she was positive that, if she'd seen him before, even in passing, she would recognize him.

"Hello," he said after a long, awkward moment, at least on Bea's part, giving her a nod. "Should you be... wandering around on your own?"

Beatrix's heart sank a little, the doctor's words making it very obvious how he saw her. Not only did he not think he was an adult, as he so clearly was, he didn't think she was old enough to be unsupervised! "Yes!" she squealed, cheeks bright red. It was only kids under twelve that had to be with a grown-up at all times when they were visiting! She didn't look THAT young, did she?!

Automatically, she reached for her ID to prove her adulthood, but, of course, the sole reason she was still standing here was so she could go get it... Her fingers brushed against the package of diapers peeking out from her purse, flinching as she did, watching helplessly as the motion drew the doctor's eyes downward, to the last thing she wanted him to see...

"Eager to get going, I see?" he chuckled. "I'm afraid discharge isn't ready for the day yet, so you might as well go back to your room for now."

Bea opened her mouth, wanting to tell him she wasn't a patient, before changing her mind. Perhaps that was for the best... She might be able to make up some convoluted story about picking them up for somebody else, but the longer she spoke, the more likely she was to stumble on her lie and make it obvious she was covering something up. It was better to just go with his assumptions, no matter how embarrassing it was, having him think she was some kid who needed diapers.

"Y-Yes, sir," she agreed. This was fine, she thought; she could find an empty room to hide in, perhaps stash the diapers there, then come back to get the rest of her things from the storage closet, after the doctor was gone. It hadn't been her original plan, but, given the circumstances as they were now, it was as close as she could get without turning and ducking into the closet now. That might be proof to the doctor that she wasn't a patient, and, if she could get to her ID before he caught her, she could show she was an adult... Or he might assume she'd spied on a nurse to get the combination to the door, or pull her away before she could finish typing it in.

She turned away, heart pounding, trying to think if she'd spotted any empty rooms on her way here, or if she should keep going down the hall the other way until she stumbled across one there. She hadn't even had time to make a choice when she heard the doctor's voice again, felt his hand on her shoulder, holding her in place.

"Nurse Sondra!" he called, Bea's eyes widening, recognizing the name. "Could you get this patient back to her room for me, please?"

"Of course!" Sondra chirped, strutting over, bending down and smiling at Bea. Beatrix squirmed, part of her hoping she'd correct the doctor's false assumption... She hadn't seemed to think Beatrix was that young! Except... The doctor wasn't claiming she was a visitor now. "Hi, there," Sondra said. "A patient, huh?"

Beatrix nibbled her bottom lip, glancing up at the doctor. "Y-Yeah," she nodded after a moment, worried that Sondra was going to call her out, and that she and the doctor would deduce that something more was going on.

Sondra's eyes, inevitably, fell to Bea's purse, a look of recognition coming over her. "Oh, I see," she winked at the smaller woman. "Don't worry, dear, I'll get you all sorted out."

Bea blushed, wondering what, exactly the nurse thought she'd figured out, dutifully taking the woman's hand and letting herself be led away from the doctor. Sondra was nice enough to wait until they were away from the doctor before asking, "Were you embarrassed that I'd know those were for you if you told me you were a patient here?"

"Umm... Y-Yeah," Bea agreed. Better to go with that, and let Sondra think she'd just missed out on seeing the diapers in her purse the first time, than continue with the last lie she'd let Sondra believe. She'd have to get very lucky to find another patient who was currently in diapers, and who wouldn't contradict her by saying they didn't know her if she claimed to be there visiting them. 

"There's no need for that!" Sondra told her cheerfully. "These kinds of things are more common than you might think, even for people your age! Now, do you remember what your room number was?"

Bea froze. This was, she realized, the problem with what was happening now... She didn't need anyone else to corroborate her story, but if she was being accompanied by someone else, she couldn't just keep walking until she found a convenient, unoccupied room. Even if she did find one, Sondra would surely be tipped off by the fact that there was no name on the whiteboard outside the door...

"Hey, it's all right!" Sondra rubbed her back. "I'm sure you've been through a lot, dear! It's natural to forget some things! Let me just..." She pushed up the sleeve of Bea's oversized shirt, frowned, then tried the other. "Did you take your wristband off already?"

Bea nodded. "S-Sorry... I-I thought I was about to leave, so..."

"It's fine," Sondra said. "We'll stop by the nurse's station and get you a new one! Just give me your name and I can look you up!" Bea didn't have an answer for that, either, and the other nurse's patient demeanor finally showed a crack, for a second or two, Bea seeing her jaw clench before she forced a smile. "Are you trying to make things difficult for me?" she asked, though her tone made it sound almost like a joke.

"I-I'm sorry," Bea stared down at her feet.

"It's okay," Sondra sighed. "It can't be that hard to track you down. Or you could, you know, just tell me your name." Bea stayed silent as she was taken to the nearest nurse's station, standing by awkwardly as Sondra whispered something to the nurse behind the desk, who immediately began clacking away at her keyboard. "Now, then," Sondra turned her attention back to Beatrix. "Why don't we go in here while she sorts that out?"

"G-Go in where?" Bea tilted her head, taken by surprise when Sondra started to move again, having assumed she'd be safe for a minute or so at least... Maybe longer, depending on whether the other nurse was able to find a match. She hadn't been able to hear most of what Sondra had said, but she'd caught a bit about the discharge date, and needing diapers. Perhaps there would be someone who was meant to leave that morning and had been prescribed that extra protection... If she was really lucky, when they got to the room, the patient would be in the bathroom, or have gone for a walk around the ward, for just long enough to satisfy Sondra, and then Bea could sneak back to the storage closet. 

First, though, she'd have to deal with whatever Sondra was up to now, as she led her into a nearby exam room. "Now, dear," Sondra knelt down in front of her, Bea hating that the woman, not that much older than her, felt the need to do that to speak to her eye-to-eye, "I need to ask you a personal question, and I want you to be honest with me, okay?"

Beatrix swallowed, fidgeting in place. She'd done her very best to minimize the number of lies she'd told, but she'd gotten around that mostly by staying silent. There wasn't much for Sondra to pick apart, and yet, Bea still couldn't help fretting that she'd screwed up, somehow, contradicted herself, or done something that made it obvious that she wasn't who she claimed to be, even if she hadn't made any specific claims...

"I can see that you're supposed to be wearing diapers," Sondra stated, the words, even knowing they were untrue, making Bea blush, just as much - if not more - than if it was true. "But... Are you in one now?"

"Wh-What?" Bea tugged at her shirt. Was it big enough to hide the truth? Could Sondra really not tell, or was she trying to be polite, not make any assumptions. Bea didn't want her to think that she was wearing one... But she wasn't sure she wanted to find out what would happen if she said she wasn't, either. Then again, if she said that she did have one on, would Sondra want to check her, see if she needed a change? Was that why they were in this room?

"It's a yes or no question," Sondra reminded her. "Just tell me the truth, dear."

Before Bea could decide what to say, the exam room door opened. She jumped, hands clenching her shirt, worried that whoever was on the other side had overheard the conversation. Instead, it was the nurse from the desk, who, of course, already knew about Bea supposedly needing diapers.

"That was quick!" Sondra beamed at her. "Thank you so much!" She took the wristband the other nurse had printed out, her eyebrows raising at what she found printed there. "Well, you're a long way from home," she commented, gently, but easily, pulling one of Bea's hands away from her outfit, snapping the wristband onto her. That could be good, Bea thought, despite how ominous it felt, having that bracelet around her wrist, like she truly was a patient. If she was going to another ward, Sondra might not bother to take her all the way to her room... She could call a nurse from wherever she was 'supposed' to be to come fetch her, and go take care of her own patients, giving Beatrix time to slip away before the other nurse arrived. Or Sondra could take her to whichever other ward it was, then leave getting her to her room to someone who worked there. At the very least, Bea hoped that would be the end of their previous talk.

"That just means I need to know more, before I take you all the way back, Caitlin." She wasn't sure why, but just hearing that other name, knowing that must be the name of the patient that had matched her description, made Bea's skin crawl a little. "Do you have your diaper on?"

What should Bea say? And where is she going to be taken?

Yes, and to the children's ward.

Yes, and to the psych ward.

No, and to the children's ward.

No, and to the psych ward.

Or give up, and admit that she's a nurse.