The ABDU student health center had the odd juxtaposition of diverse clients and well-maintained fixtures common to university medicine. The lobby was downright cheery with its baseboard and crown molding in ABDU’s traditional pale blue and pink. Posters crowded the walls, with a disturbing proportion of them advising on the risks or symptoms of various STDs.
The posters had almost put Ginger off from working at the clinic when she’d come in for her interview. Guilty feelings about sex-care lingered for Ginger after taking the job. She knew that she wasn’t really supporting the student body’s loose immorality, but she was glad her parents couldn’t see her working alongside those posters. There were a lot of things she was glad mom and dad couldn’t see, the pullup under Ginger’s jeans and the day-collar around her neck were chief among them.
It’s your first real day on the job, stop daydreaming, Ginger admonished herself. Refocusing on the computer station and phone in front of her, Ginger made sure she had all her information webpages and clinical apps open. She took a deep breath and looked through the plexiglass window at the empty lobby.
Students were a rare sight on the morning shift, Ginger had been informed. The phones were supposed to be busy though, which was terrifying. Other than calling her mom, Ginger couldn’t remember the last time she’d used her phone as a phone. The few calls she’d taken during training had been nerve-wracking despite the experienced receptionist listening in.
“You’re going to be fine.” Cheri’s fingers were flashing over her keyboard, filling in one of the many reports she was responsible for. Without missing a beat, the older receptionist clicked to send the report, pressed a button next to her computer to let a nurse into the back office, and opened a new report.
“Thanks. If I get stuck on a phone call can you still…”
“Of course. I have access to jump in on calls for any of the student receptionists.” Cheri typed as she talked, keeping up her intimidating level of multitasking without apparent effort. “Remember that you can always put them on hold to ask a question, and that it’s not okay for anyone to yell or curse at you.”
“Are they going to do that?” Ginger swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. “I thought you said the students were nice.”
“People call in when they’re sick or they need something urgent. It’s easy for them to be in a bad mood.” Cheri sent off her second report of the morning and took a sip from her #1 Administrator mug. “It’s not alright for them to abuse us, but we need to have some grace when we talk to patients too.”
That’s no help at all. Could you vague it up for me? Ginger sought solace in her sheet of phone instructions. The two pages of meticulously detailed procedures had been a huge comfort when Cheri presented them on Ginger’s first phone training day. Unfortunately, she’d only had time to review the first bullet point when the phone rang.
“That’s you,” Cheri said. “Remember, put them on hold if you have to ask a question, but ask the patient first.”
Ginger picked the receiver up with jittery fingers, nearly dropping it in her lap. After an embarrassingly loud fumble, she got the worn plastic to her ear. “ABDU Student Health Center, this is Ginger, how can I help you?”
“Uh, I need an appointment I guess.” The voice on the phone was young and female. Ginger grabbed her phone sheet and walked the patient through the identification process. When the girl’s chart flashed up on her screen, Ginger was torn between embarrassment and curiosity at how much information she had accessed for a total stranger. Though Ginger needed several awkward pauses to read through her instructions while she scheduled the fellow student for an OBGYN appointment, the sleepy girl on the phone didn’t seem to mind. Palpable relief washed over Ginger as she thanked the girl for calling in and hung up the phone.
“Good first call.” Cheri was behind Ginger, sorting a stack of faxed papers. “Don’t forget to say good morning or good afternoon though.”
“Right.” Ginger flushed. My first screwup of the day. I bet Camila would have remembered the stupid script the first time.
The phone rang again. Ginger managed the correct script, but forgot to ask the patient if she could put him on hold when she asked Cheri a question. Returning to the call, Ginger found the patient had hung up. Guilt at her mistake made a cold glop out of Ginger’s intestines, though Cheri was unconcerned.
“He’ll call back.” Cheri shrugged and stuck colored tabs to her stacks of paper.
“Shouldn’t I call him back?”
“I wouldn’t, they almost never answer when you do. Chances are he’s driving or at work and decided to call back later.”
Before Ginger could argue her point further, the phone rang again. Thankfully, it was the simplest sort of call – a request for the time and date of the patient’s next appointment. Before Ginger had hung up, the phone rang again. Cheri was on it, smoothly answering. Moments later yet another call came in. Ginger’s first hour at work passed in a blur of appointments and sending messages from patients to the nurses.
Twin knots of stress sat on Ginger’s shoulders like river-rocks. In a momentary lull of calls, she cleaned up the windows she’d opened on her computer. Satisfaction at having handled a slew of calls counterbalanced Ginger’s stress nicely. A soft compliment from Cheri was icing on that feeling.
Ginger looked over at her co-worker and shook her head. Cheri had answered at least as many calls during the rush, while simultaneously working on reports. She’d also greeted every nurse and medical assistant that’d come to the front desk by name. Reception and administrative work was far from Ginger’s dream, but she had to appreciate a master at her craft.
“Hey, I have an appointment with Dr. Greene.” A lanky guy loomed over the desk with a grumpy look on his face. Ginger pulled up her check-in instructions and nodded to him.
“Good morning. What’s your last name?”
“Conner Grayson.”
I asked for your last name first. Ginger bit her lip in irritation and erased the CON she’d entered into the system, rewriting the patient’s name as last-name comma first-name. “Date of birth?”
“June twelfth.”
Ginger took a moment to stare at Connor. He stared back at her. She sighed and said, “The year?”
“Oh-five.”
“Thanks.” Ginger was proud that she’d gotten a thank-you out, despite the strain in her voice. Luckily, Cheri was on the phone and likely hadn’t heard Ginger’s fraying tone. The computer alerted Ginger to Conner’s new patient status, whereupon she grabbed a clipboard loaded with papers and set it on the counter. “You need to fill these out before I can finish checking you in.”
“Uh, it’s my appointment time already though. How long is this going to take?” Connor picked listlessly at the papers.
“It just takes a few minutes. I’ll let the nurse know that you’re here.” Ginger slapped a pen on the papers and pushed the clipboard toward Connor. Reluctantly, he took the stack.
“That was a little aggressive, but he was being a pain.” Cheri smiled sympathetically at Ginger. “Do you want me to let the nursing team know?”
“It’s Dr. Greene’s team, right?” Ginger pointed at a messenger window on her computer. “I was going to say that their 9:15 is here.”
“Perfect, send it.” Cheri nodded. “Good job.”
The nurses whisked Connor away with his clipboard, sparing Ginger from another interaction with the boy. Another two calls came and went without Ginger needing to consult her instruction sheet. Ginger sat up proudly in her seat and took a long drink from her water bottle.
“Hey, Ginger? I didn’t know you worked here.” Octavia’s bulky muscles were extra obvious under a tank top and running shorts. She looked like she was freezing from the streaks of windburn-red on her exposed skin.
“It’s my first real day. Do you have an appointment?” Ginger pulled her patient-finder up.
“No, just stopping by the lab. I have a family heart-thing, and once a week I get a test done after I run.” Octavia grinned. “You’ll see me every Monday morning.”
“Should you be running if you have a – heart thing?” Ginger frowned.
“It’s fine, I’m healthy. Thanks for looking out for me anyway.” Octavia waved. “I’ve got to get to the lab before my heartrate drops too much. Just wanted to say hi.”
“Okay, thanks.” Ginger waved back, her spirits falling when another patient stepped up to the desk at the same moment as another phone call came in. She looked to Cheri for help, but the older woman already had a patient on hold and someone in front of her.
Thee check ins and five phone calls later, Ginger’s sense of accomplishment was gone and her stress had left her ragged. She was just about to ask Cheri if she could go to the bathroom when the phone rang yet again.
“Good morning, ABDU Student Health Center, this is Ginger. How can I help you?”
“Hi, I need to speak to Dr. Rai please.”
“I can take a message for you…”
“No, I need to speak to Mohan directly. He just called me. I’m returning his call.”
“Oh, sorry, it’s my first day and normally I take a message for…”
“It’s urgent, what did you say your name was, Ginger? Ginger, please transfer me, I only need a minute to talk to Dr. Rai.”
“Okay, let me find his extension.” Ginger thumbed through her papers until she found the extension list and sent the patient off after a brief thanks. Any chance for a quick break was lost to another handful of patients checking in.
After the morning’s second rush – or is it the third? – Ginger leaned back in her chair with a big sigh. Cheri chuckled and squeezed Ginger on the shoulder as she walked by with another stack of faxes.
“How are you holding up?”
“You weren’t kidding when you said it was busy.” Ginger gulped down some water.
“That’s Monday mornings for you. You’re doing great though.”
“Thanks. Can I…?”
“Cheri?” A stern faced nurse in scrubs stepped into the open doorway to the nursing desk. “Have you seen that faxed MRI for Dr. Jung’s 10:30?”
“It should be in her red folder, Tracy.”
“It’s not.” Tracy motioned toward the back office with a flick of her head. “Can you find it for her? I’m doing vaccinations. Dr. Jung needs it STAT.”
“Sure.” Cheri nodded. “I’ll be back in a minute, Ginger.”
Both women were gone before Ginger could protest, leaving her with a sinking pit in her stomach. Luckily, there were no calls. The lobby was full of milling students, but to Ginger’s fuzzy recollection they’d all been checked in. I can do this – right?
Braced for the phone to ring, Ginger watched the front door and hoped it’d stay closed. An ache in her knees made her realize she was pushing her legs together with more than nervousness. Her half-empty water bottle was kicking in with a vengeance. She was wearing a pullup, but it would be beyond inappropriate to wet herself at work. Regardless, she had no spare underwear with her, padded or otherwise.
Ginger’s cheeks prickled with heat at the memory of Chun putting her in a pullup that morning. She’d teased Ginger about using the pullup at work, but that’s all it had been – teasing. Not in Chun’s wildest fantasies would she actually set Ginger up to wet on the job. Though if she had wanted me to wet at work, I’d have a spare.
A patient approached the counter, having snuck in the front door while Ginger was occupied with keeping her pants dry. She was as red-haired as Ginger but tiny – five feet would be a generous estimate of the new patient’s height. There was something oddly familiar yet out of place about the girl’s outfit.
“Hi, I have an appointment.”
“Okay.” Ginger took a deep breath and commanded her bladder to behave. “What’s your last name?”
“Rasmussen. First name Briana. Birthdate March twentieth, nineteen ninety six.”
The phone rang as Ginger entered Briana’s information. She fumbled the phone nervously to her ear and managed to put the caller on hold with a minimum of fuss. With another deep breath, she finished pulling up Briana’s chart.
“Are you okay?” Briana asked gently.
“Sorry, it’s my first day.” Ginger did her best to smile at the small girl, though she was sure she looked like a frazzled wreck.
“You’re doing really well for a first day! I wouldn’t have guessed. How come they have you on your own?”
“The other lady had to get some papers and…”
“Ginger!” A nurse’s sharp voice made Ginger spin around guiltily.
The woman in dark blue scrubs was one of the few nurses who’s name Ginger knew. Madeline, the senior nurse that taught Ginger and the other trainees their HIPAA and clinical training.
“You can’t send patients back directly to the doctors. Dr. Rai was consulting with another patient when you sent that call.”
“I’m sorry, she said she’d just missed his call…”
“It doesn’t matter. Don’t directly connect a patient to a doctor again, understand?”
“Yeah, I understand.” Ginger flinched as the phone rang again. “ABDU Student Health, I need you to hold!” She put the patient on a second hold line and slapped the receiver back on its cradle before she registered the disapproving look on Madeline’s face.
A spiral of guilt and fear froze Ginger in her chair. I was WAY too aggressive with that patient. Is she going to fire me? Ginger tried to force out an apology with which to intercept Madeline’s anger, but all she managed was a yelp when a splash of pee in her pullup caught her off-guard.
“HI!” Briana’s voice hit a level of assertiveness and volume that caught Ginger completely off guard. From Madeline’s wide-eyes, she was just as surprised by the diminutive girl’s sudden presence.
“You’re Madeline?” Briana strained forward on tiptoes to read the nurse’s nametag. “Nice to meet you! I’m Briana Rasmussen.”
“I…” Madeline blinked, composed herself, and smiled awkwardly. “Nice to meet you, Miss Rasmussen.”
“Ginger is trying very hard, especially for her first day. I think she’s overwhelmed.” Briana smiled kindly, though there was an element of steel in her green eyes. “She was super nice to me, but she’s had two calls come in while she was checking me in. Shouldn’t she have more support on her first day?”
Madeline looked at Ginger, looking like she was really seeing her for the first time. Ginger’s focus was consumed by the twin effort of keeping an apologetic expression and stopping the rest of her accident.
“I apologize Ginger, Miss Rasmussen is right. Where’s Cheri anyway?”
“I’m right here. Sorry Ginger, Madeline. Dr. Jung really needed that MRI result.” Cheri squeezed past Madeline and made a beeline for her seat.
“She should have asked her medical assistant to get it.” Madeline shook her head. “Where’s the other receptionist?”
“Irene is out sick today.” Cheri picked up the phone and cycled through both of Ginger’s on-hold patients, quickly thanking them for their patience and asking them to continue to hold.
“I think Ginger needs a break. Can you handle things out here?” Madeline asked, getting an immediate nod from Cheri.
“I don’t get a break though. My shift is only three hours…” Ginger’s mind raced in search of a way to ask to go to the bathroom without being on stage for the question.
“Go take ten minutes – and don’t worry about Dr. Rai. We’ve all sent a patient to the wrong extension before.”
Too grateful to argue the fairness of it, Ginger locked her computer and fled to the bathroom. By the time she made it to the toilet, she had a definite damp spot on her pullup. Luckily, the bathroom was single-occupancy. Ginger ran her pullup under the hand dryer until it was dry enough to put on without an icky feeling.
The lobby had cleared out, save for Briana and two other patients, all sitting far apart. With half of her break left, Ginger timidly approached her savior. Seeing Briana without the desk between them, Ginger was struck by the unusualness of the girl’s outfit for a second time. Velcro sneakers were odd enough to see on campus without being accompanied by cream colored tights. Briana’s choice of a peach colored dress with a full skirt and a pink half-jacket were cute and certainly completed a look.
Briana looked up at Ginger with a welcoming smile and the puzzle clicked together in Ginger’s mind. The outfit was unquestioningly – almost blatantly – Little. Most people would write it off as an eccentric outfit choice, but if she’d been in the Delta-G sorority house Briana might was well be wearing a onesie for how unsubtle her outfit was.
“Thanks for sticking up for me there.” Ginger rubbed the back of her neck, wondering if Briana was a Delta-G alumni. Maybe I should ask? But what do I say if she isn’t, and she asks what made me think she used to be in my sorority?
“You’re welcome!” Briana grinned exuberantly and patted the seat next to her. “You have a few minutes left on your break right?”
“Yeah.” Ginger sat carefully. The hand dryer had only been able to do so much about her wet patch.
“Did you make it to the potty okay?” Briana asked in a low voice.
“What? Did I make it to the…”
“I mean the bathroom.” Briana blushed and winced. “Sorry, you looked like you really had to go.”
“It was fine.” This is so awkward, but I can’t just get up and walk away from her now.
“Great! You were really brave and working hard, I couldn’t let Madeline yell at you like that.” Briana’s feet barely grazed the floor and they were in constant motion, like a toddler.
“Thanks again. Are you a Delta-G?”
“A what?”
“My sorority. Delta Lambda Gamma. I guess not if you don’t know what I mean when I say Delta-G.”
“No, I’ve never been a sorority girl. I’m in a Microbio PHD program.” Briana tilted her head. “What makes you ask?”
“Oh uh, nothing. You have kind of a – a – carefree spirit?” Horrified at how close she’d come to revealing her sorority’s secret, Ginger quickly added, “Uh, it just reminds me of one of my sisters is all.”
“Huh.” Briana’s brow furrowed. “Oh. Oh!” She giggled and squeezed Ginger’s arm. “I bet I know what you mean! Are you um – carefree too?”
“I uh…” Ginger felt her face flame. The smart thing to do would be to lie – or the expedient thing anyway. I’m not a liar like Camila. “Kind of. Maybe. Depending on what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t push.” Briana winked. “You look stressed enough. I hope you get a chance to be carefree after your shift is over.”
“I have classes after work.” Ginger shrugged.
“Briana Rasmussen?” A medical assistant called out across the lobby.
“That’s me.” Briana hopped up and winked at Ginger. “Hot cocoa or tea and a fuzzy friend will do wonders for you after class. My friend is a lioness named Alanna.”
Ginger retreated to the reception desk while Briana went to her appointment. Though Cheri was nice to her for the rest of her shift – and there was no further appearance from Madeline – Ginger couldn’t shake the dull, frazzled feeling that had settled in on her.
~~~~*~~~~
The Delta Lambda Gamma house was a welcome sight after classes. Ginger surprised Sui-Yin and herself by giving her girlfriend’s twin a hug in the living room. Before Sui-Yin could ask awkward questions, Ginger made her way to her girlfriend’s room. Chun was sitting on her bed reading a book for her literature class. Chun barely had time to say hello to her girlfriend before she had Ginger cuddled up to her.
“Are you okay?” Chun kissed Ginger on her head.
“Work was rough. I got yelled at by a senior nurse while I was alone at the desk.” Ginger frowned and buried her face in Chun’s shoulder. I should be tougher than this. What’s wrong with me?
“Oh sweetie.” Chun rubbed Ginger’s back gently. “Is there anything I can do?”
Ginger expected a plea for kisses to come out of her mouth. She was sure that Chun was expecting the same. Instead, she found herself asking, “Do you think there’s hot-cocoa in the kitchen?”
“I’m sure there is.”
“Do you think that – that…”
“What is it, hon?”
Ginger shuddered, wrapping her arms around Chun. “It’s dumb, never mind.”
“Ginger?” Chun traced her fingers along the silver chain of Ginger’s day-collar. “You’re wearing my collar. Tell me.”
Trepidation and embarrassment fled in the face of Chun’s order. Ginger lifted her head and said, “I was wondering if the daycare has any stuffies I could borrow.”
Chun looked into Ginger’s eyes with a curious expression. Her hand went tenderly to Ginger’s cheek. “Do you want to be Little?”
“I ran into a girl who was Little – I’m pretty sure – at the clinic and she suggested it as stress relief.”
Chun leaned in for a kiss. The softness of it sent tingles down Ginger’s back. When their lips parted, Chun’s face had the most loving expression Ginger had seen on her girlfriend.
“I’ll take care of you. Do you want an outfit change too?” Chun giggled. “Do you need a diaper?”
“I don’t need one, there wasn’t a good time to go to the bathroom and I…”
“I was joking.” Chun kissed Ginger’s forehead. “Did you really have an accident?”
“A tiny one. It doesn’t count!” Ginger pouted. She could hear herself shifting to a petulant tone of voice, but couldn’t make herself stop.
“Are you getting fussy?!” Chun’s face lit up in an amused smile.
“I’m not fussy!”
“You’re stinking-cute, is what you are.” Chun squeezed Ginger until they both squeaked, then nuzzled her girlfriend’s nose. “How about I put you in a diaper, tuck you under the covers, and find you your stuffie and hot cocoa?”
“That sounds amazing – if it’s not too much work or too weird.”
“I never thought you’d want to do baby stuff like this. When I imagined us trying that, I thought it’d be as part of a scene or a punishment or something.” Chun stroked Ginger’s cheek. “This is a way better way to do it.”
“Then – okay.” Ginger nodded. Surrendering to Chun felt different than when she’d been tied or kneeling. She was putting herself not in her girlfriend’s power, but under her Chun’s protection.
Being protected by Chun meant that Ginger could easily bear being teased about her damp pullup. Ginger burrowed under the covers without worry. Her faith in Chun was unshakeable and there was nothing to fear.
“Did you know that some of the daycare stuffies are up for adoption?” Chun returned to the room with a bright blue fluff under her arm and a pair of steaming mugs in her hands.
“Like at a pet shelter?” Ginger giggled.
“That’s right.” Chun set the mugs down and offered Ginger a blue dragon. She had soft yellow fluff on her belly and fuzzy green wings. The dragon’s bright pink mouth was perpetually open in a silly, inviting grin.
“Is she – for me?” Ginger reached tentatively for the dragon, pulling her into a tight hug when Chun handed the stuffie over.
“Based on that reaction, yes.” Chun took a seat on the bed and stroked Ginger’s hair. “What are you going to name her?”
“Her name is – is…” Ginger looked into the dragon’s shiny black eyes. An answer came with the suddenness of a rock splashing into a pond. “Jophiel.”
“That’s a heck of a name.”
“It’s biblical.”
“Sounds perfect. Do you think you can let her go enough to drink your chocolate, or should I put it in a bottle for you?”
“You wouldn’t!” Blushing profusely, Ginger sat up and snagged one of the mugs, taking a quick sip. The creamy chocolate soothed her all the way down to her tummy.
“What homework do you have tonight, baby girl?” Chun took the other mug and sipped.
“Nothing that has to be done tonight.”
“I have some reading. Do you want to cuddle with me until I’m done?”
“Yes please.” Ginger took another long drink of her wonderful cocoa. “Then what?”
“Then I’ll probably need to change your diaper, and we can get some dinner.”
Ginger squirmed and ducked her head. She was getting predictable with her embarrassed reactions, but the way she and Chun were playing wasn’t predictable at all. The afternoon had a magical, soft quality. Being Little with Chun was as exciting as the first time they’d kissed.
“Of course, I’m not going to change your wet diaper until you get yourself off in it.” Chun smirked wickedly when Ginger choaked on her cocoa.
“But we’re not – it’s not the same kind of playing!”
“You can suck your thumb while you do it if you need to.” Chun’s eyes lit up at the wave of heat that blossomed in Ginger’s cheeks. “That was an amazing blush. We’re doing that for sure now. I’ll play with my baby girl’s pretty breasts while she touches herself and sucks her thumb.”
Sweat and heat prickled all over Ginger’s body. She found herself wishing she could wet her diaper right away. Alas, her trip to the bathroom after class had that plan foiled. A dry diaper meant she’d be stuck in anticipation while Chun did her reading. It was going to be a long, hot cuddling session.
Hesitantly, Ginger raised her hand to her mouth and sucked on her thumb. It was such a silly, childish gesture. Chun’s look of delight absolved Ginger of her humiliation – leaving her excited and squirming.
In a pair of Chun’s pajamas, Ginger had nothing to do but curl around her girlfriend and wait until she could use her diaper. From time to time Chun would shift positions and pet Ginger’s hair or give her diaper a pat. Ginger alternated between holding Jophiel and sucking her thumb, but always kept an arm around Chun.
When Ginger’s “accident” finally came, her surrender to Chun felt more complete than ever. Obediently occupying both of her hands with her mouth and sex, Ginger closed her eyes and let Chun touch anything she wanted. The experience was hotter than she expected – Ginger was caught off guard by a wave of pleasure that had her biting her thumb.
It didn’t take Chun long to bring herself to gasp and shudder while Ginger lay panting next to her. Their after-cuddles wrapped Ginger in care like a down comforter. Using Chun’s chest as a pillow was absolute bliss.
Ginger’s contentment and calm was an unshakeable wall. She surprised Chun by agreeing to be changed into a new diaper, even though Sui-Yin was due to return. Ginger snuggled confidently with Chun, and Sui-Yin had nothing to say about it other than to greet them both. Her girlfriend’s twin might have cast some amused looks at Ginger, but the Little girl was too happy to be ruffled by them.
Dinner – as it turned out – was a Little meal for the Sorority. The chef was going all out on silly food with hot-dog spaghetti. Noodles pushed through hotdogs were hilarious, if a bit crunchy inside the sausages. We have to do this again sometime. Would Chun want me to do this for her? Are we becoming Mommy and Little Girl or something else?
Ginger kept her hip firmly pressed against Chun’s as she worked on her dinner. Her thoughts drifted back to her stressful morning. I wonder if that Briana girl has a mommy. If she’s not a Delta-G, what’s her story anyway?
Sui-Yin brought rice crispy treats to their table and ended all further speculation into the lives of other Littles. Ginger let herself relax despite the crowd of her sisters at the dining tables. On a Little dinner night, she was far from the only diapered girl at the table, anyway.