Penelope

by Pepper North

  “It looks like I’ve got some help in taking care of you, Penelope. I don’t know if Jack or Dylan told you, but I called them because I was concerned about you. I have a Little myself. Her name is Zoey. She wanted to come to visit you today, but I told her she’d have to wait until you felt stronger. The hospital is going to release you this afternoon. Your body still has a lot of healing to do. I wanted to check with you to make sure that you had a good place to recuperate,” he paused as he watched the panic in her eyes.

  “She’s coming home with Dylan and me,” Jack said resolutely.

  Penelope’s eyes flashed to his face. “Oh, I can’t impose on you. I’ll be all right,” she tried to bluff.

  “Do you trust Dr. Richards?” Jack asked.

  “Yes,” she answered.

  “Matt, do you feel that Dylan and I are trustworthy and that she will be safe with us?” Jack asked, keeping his eyes locked with her violet ones.

  “I can assure you, Penelope, that you will be as safe as possible with these two men. Do you feel comfortable going home with them?” Dr. Richards asked gently.

  “I do,” she answered simply. “I just don’t want to be a bother.”

  “I can guarantee you, little girl, that I would be more bothered if you don’t come home with us. Taking care of you will be a pleasure,” Jack said with a reassuring smile. “Besides, Dylan will make me exercise for hours if I let you slip through our fingers.”

  Chapter 8

  Penelope took a nap after Dr. Richards’ visit and examination of her arm. She was very brave but simply moving her arm was painful. Dr. Richards promised to check on her at her new home in a couple of days to make sure she was healing satisfactorily. He warned Jack not to hesitate to call if he or Dylan had any concerns. She was at risk for blood clots which had the highest risk of forming two to ten days after surgery. That combined with her cancer treatments could be very hazardous.

  Jack called Dylan while she was sleeping to share the news with him. Waking the sleeping man, Jack allowed himself to enjoy the sound of Dylan’s drowsy, deep voice. Just imagining the attractive, large man in their bed helped Jack maintain his balance. Since Dr. Richards had called with the news of the Little girl who needed help, Jack had been running on adrenaline. As he got to know Penelope more, the importance of taking care of this young woman was growing exponentially.

  He quickly explained that the hospital would be discharging Penelope this afternoon. Immediately, Dylan was awake. As he suspected, his partner was completely on board and refused to allow Penelope to go anywhere but their home. Dylan said he would ask their housekeeper to prepare some food to leave for Penelope as well as clean the nursery that the two men had designed and decorated together while waiting to find the perfect occupant. He was very hopeful that their search was over and that Penelope was that special Little girl.

  He could feel Dylan’s anger seethe through the phone as he described Penelope’s automatic attempt to service him in the shower. “Go work out for a while at the gym. You need to burn off some of that anger before I bring her home. She doesn’t understand that all of that bastard’s actions were completely wrong. We’ll show her how Daddies are supposed to treat their Littles.” He listened to Dylan’s breathing even out. His partner was a man with a big heart and compassion for everyone, especially the underdog. Jack knew that Dylan’s heart broke to hear how Penelope had been treated, but it was important for him to know for her sake. “Hey, Dylan. Don’t be too tough on your clients today at the gym,” Jack laughed knowing that Dylan would put himself through a punishing workout that shouldn’t be attempted by anyone less fit than their trainer was.

  “I promise, Jack. I’ll be home later this afternoon. Do we need any supplies?” Dylan asked.

  “No. The hospital will send us home with enough supplies to make it through the next couple of days. We’ll need to go shopping soon. Penelope doesn’t have any clothes. What she was wearing was cut off her in the emergency room. I think the nightgowns in the nursery will be too big, but they will work for a little while. She’s not going to feel like going shopping for a while. We’ll make do,” Jack answered.

  Disconnecting the call, Jack walked back into the hospital room and stood looking at Penelope in the hospital bed. She was so still. He watched her breathe shallowly and promised her that he and Dylan would make sure that her life was filled with health and happiness. He knew that her battle to fight cancer would be difficult and she would need not only physical but emotional strength as well. She needed them to help her fight to survive. Making a promise to do all that he could to help her thrive, Jack stood there for several more minutes before taking a seat quietly. His little girl needed her sleep.

  Chapter 9

  Several hours later, his car was filled with supplies. The nurses had appreciated the free breakfast sandwiches that he had shared with them, but their hearts had been taken by the Little herself. They wished to help in any small way they could. Several nurses had gathered all sorts of medical supplies that Penelope would need over the next few days, while others had found an outfit in the abandoned clothing bin that would fit over her cast. Jack thanked them all as he helped Penelope transfer safely into his car. Buckling her seat belt, he drove the car smoothly from the hospital grounds.

  Jack glanced over at Penelope. Her brow was wrinkled, and she stared through the windshield. “Penelope, are you in pain?” he asked gently. “Are the bumps in the road hurting your arm?”

  “No. The nurses gave me a shot before they wheeled me to the door,” Penelope said in a small voice. After a pause, she asked, “Are you sure you want me to stay with you? I’m not part of your world.”

  “What do you mean, sweetheart?” Jack asked confused.

  “I’ve never been in a car like this.” Penelope rubbed her hand across the fine leather of the luxury sedan. “I’ve never even been on this side of town,” she admitted looking at the large mansions beginning to appear on each side of the tree-lined street. “I don’t belong here.”

  “Penelope, you belong where you can be happy and healthy. Dylan and I would like you to get to know us. We’ve already decided that you’re our Little girl. Now, it’s all up to you to decide if you think we’re good enough to be your new Daddies. The house we live in and the car we drive aren’t important. Your heart is the most important. If it’s happy with us, then we belong together – wherever that together happens to be,” Jack said, taking a hand off the steering wheel to hold hers.

  She was quiet for several minutes before squeezing his hand in response. “I’m glad I’m with you and Dylan. No one has ever cared what happens to me as you have. You’re like my guardian angels.” Penelope smiled softly at him.

  “We’re like Daddies are supposed to be, sweetheart.” Jack lifted her hand to kiss it softly. “Now lie back and close your eyes. It will take a few minutes for us to arrive home. You might as well take a nap.” Watching her relax against the leather seat and close her eyes, Jack drove through the residential streets. He and Dylan would need to watch her closely. She would need a lot of reassurance to help her settle into her new life.

  Chapter 10

  Penelope woke up wrapped in a soft blanket in a bed surrounded on each side by high railings. She rubbed her eyes slowly and tried to refocus. It was true. She was in an adult-sized crib. Trying not to jostle her arm, Penelope sat up and looked around the beautiful room. It was pink and purple with lots of cartoon type characters painted on the walls. Over there across the room was a large green frog. It had bumpy skin and a long tongue. She could tell it was a girl frog because of the long eyelashes.

  Closest to her was a beautiful princess with long brown hair. Penelope lifted her hand and ran her fingers through her short hair. She’d always worn it long, but her old Daddy had thought it was too difficult to comb. He’d cut her hair off as soon as they had gotten the cancer diagnosis. He had said, “You’re going to lose your hair anyway. This way I won’t have to clean it up off the floor as
it falls out.” She had tried hard not to cry as he’d become an amateurish hairstylist, chopping her hair off. She knew it was silly, but that had been one of the hardest days of her illness. She still missed her hair.

  A gruff voice asked from the doorway, “What are you thinking about, baby?”

  Penelope looked up and smiled. “Hi, Dylan. I missed you! This is a beautiful room. Are you sure you want me here? I could just sleep in a guest room or on the couch.”

  “What? No. This room was designed for a princess, but it’s been very sad. It’s been empty for several years. We couldn’t find our princess. Now that you’re here, we aren’t letting you go,” Dylan said as he walked across the floor.

  “It’s nice that you let me stay here for a while. I’ll try to repay you . . . Somehow,” Penelope said, her smile wavering.

  “You’ll repay us by letting Jack and I take care of you. This is your room. It was designed for you. Look the princess that we envisioned so long ago looks just like you,” he pointed at the princess on the wall.

  “She has long hair,” Penelope said sadly. “I used to have long hair.”

  “So, you’ll let it grow out again, or we’ll have the artist come and give the princess a haircut to match yours. Hair is easy. Now, if you’d been a boy, that would never have worked,” Dylan joked. He released a lever to slide the railing down. “Are you ready to get out of bed?” When she nodded, he gently picked her up in his massive arms and carried her to the changing table. He laid her down and carefully removed the pants that the kind nurses had found for her. Unfastening the tape of her diaper, Dylan removed the soiled diaper and cleaned Penelope’s bottom up with a wipe. He glanced up and saw her watching him with wonder. “What’s going on in your busy mind, Penelope?”

  “Thanks for taking such good care of me,” Penelope said simply.

  Dylan knew that she was comparing her treatment with her former Daddy and with him. “Always, sweetie. Now, we need to keep track of your temperature to make sure you don’t have a fever.”

  Penelope heard him open a drawer and rustle around. Her eyes widened as she saw the large thermometer glistening with lubricant. She felt Dylan lift her hips off the surface of the changing table by raising her legs with one hand and pressing them slightly forward to spread her buttocks naturally. “No, Dylan. I can hold the thermometer in my mouth,” she said desperately as the thermometer was pressed past her clenched anus. She couldn’t stop it, and she felt the cold instrument slide deep into her rectum.

  “Little girls always have their temperature taken this way, Penelope. It’s more accurate and safer than having glass in your mouth. Just relax. It needs to stay deep in your bottom for ten minutes,” Dylan said patiently. A noise at the doorway had them both turn. It was Jack. “Hi! I’m glad you woke up from your nap, too. Our Little likes her room but is concerned that her hair doesn’t match the princess,” Dylan told him as Jack walked across the carpet.

  She flushed pink with embarrassment. “Dylan won’t let me go. I told him that I could hold the thermometer in my mouth. You talk to him, Jack,” she begged.

  Jack clapped Dylan on the shoulder and said, “Everyone knows that Little girls always have their temperature measured in their bottoms.” He turned to Penelope and leaned down to kiss her mouth before she could argue more. He lifted his head to see her eyes half closed in pleasure at his kiss. “I’m glad you slept well. And as for the princess, her hair can be any way you like. She was just imaginary. You’re our real-life princess. So, what do you think? Long hair or short hair,” he asked trying to distract her.

  “I used to have really pretty, long hair. It went down to my bottom. I loved it but my old Daddy . . .” she started to explain.

  “Your old Daddy was a fool and an abuser. He is gone, and you’re never going back to him. You get to choose your hair. I think growing out your hair is what you would like.” He winked at her as she nodded quickly. “Long hair it is. I think Dylan needs to learn to braid Little girl hair.”

  Penelope giggled and nodded. “I might end up looking like Frankenstein.”

  “Hey, you two. No ganging up against me. I might be an expert at braiding hair.” At their disbelieving looks, he said defensively, “Well, I’ll be good with a little practice. I’ll try to avoid the Frankenstein look.” He slid the thermometer out of her bottom and rotated it to read the scale as Jack leaned over his shoulder. “Your temperature is a little elevated. Dr. Richards gave us some medicine to use if it rose.”

  Jack walked over to a cabinet and withdrew a large bottle. He unscrewed it and shook two large, yellow pills out before returning it to the shelf. He brought them to the changing table and sat them down out of Penelope’s line of vision between her raised legs. “Penelope, Dr. Richards does not approve of any oral medications. His medicine is always in a shot form or a suppository. This isn’t a shot.”

  “What’s a suppository?” Penelope asked bewildered.

  “A suppository is the medicine that is inserted in your rectum. It melts, and the medicine is absorbed quickly. It is more effective than oral medicine – especially for Littles,” Jack explained, watching the confusion spread on her face. Dylan slid the first suppository into her bottom and held it in place with a large finger.

  “Wait!” Penelope said desperately. “That can’t be right. They can’t go in my bottom.”

  Dylan’s finger slid out, and he pressed another one deep inside her bottom. “Relax, Penelope. Dr. Richards is a good doctor, right?” He waited for her to nod her agreement. “I trust Dr. Richards, don’t you?” Again, she nodded yes. “Then we follow his directions and the suppositories go in your bottom, young lady. No arguments,” he said firmly as his inserted finger held the suppository deep in her rectum.

  Penelope swallowed hard. “Okay, Dylan. I’ll do what Dr. Richards says.”

  “And what your Daddies say, little girl,” Jack warned with a stern look.

  She nodded slowly. She trusted Dylan and Jack already. Already, they had shown her more kindness and caring than she had received for a long time. It was hard sometimes being a Little.

  Chapter 11

  When the suppositories had melted, and Dylan stepped away to wash his hands. Jack took over and diapered Penelope before replacing her pants so she would stay warm. He picked her up and cradled her against his chest as he walked with her to the kitchen. He sat in a chair at the round table and held her in a semi-reclining position with her injured arm away from his body.

  Dylan had followed him. He removed the bottle from the refrigerator and warmed it slightly in the microwave, shaking it carefully before handing it to Jack. “We have a treat for you, Penelope. You’ll enjoy this,” he promised.

  Brushing the nipple against her pale lips, Jack eased it into her mouth as she opened reflexively. “Good girl,” he praised. “Just try it,” he urged as she hesitated.

  Drinking from a bottle was a new experience for Penelope. She tentatively sucked on the nipple. A stream of warm, sweet milk filled her mouth. “Mmmm!” she said appreciatively as she continued to drink through the rubber nipple. She relaxed back into Jack’s arms and enjoyed the warm treat. Too soon, the bottle was empty, and Jack withdrew the nipple from her lips. “That was so good. Could I have that again?” she asked eagerly.

  Jack smiled at her. “Of course, little girl. You can have a bottle whenever you want. Now, that should hold you until dinner. Will you keep me company while Dylan heats dinner up for us?”

  Penelope nodded happily. The kitchen was warm, and she was cozy in Jack’s strong arms. Her tummy was filled with the delicious milk. She rested her head against Jack’s chest and smiled. “I am very happy to be here,” she said.

  Dylan and Jack said almost simultaneously. “We’re happy to have you here, too, Penelope.”

  The conversation swirled over her head between Jack and Dylan as they talked companionably. She could tell that they had been together for a long time and that they cared for each other. She was quiet un
til Jack said to her, “You are thinking very hard, little one. Is something wrong?”

  She was quiet for a few breaths and then decided to speak honestly. “I’m just waiting for you all to realize that I’m the absolute worst Little for you to have. I’m just enjoying all the happiness here while I can. These will be great memories.”

  “We already have realized that you are just what we needed, little girl. You’re staying right here. We’ll just keep telling you that until you believe us,” Jack said lightly with Dylan chiming in with, “Amen.”

  Dylan set a bowl of salad on the table and said, “Now that we have that all settled, it’s almost time for dinner. Do you need your diaper changed, sweetie?”

  At her blushing nod, Jack stood up and carried her down the hall. “Penelope, I want you to tell me when you’re wet or anytime you need to be changed. I want to take care of you. Please promise me that you’ll let me take care of you, okay? No embarrassment. No worries.”

  She nodded slowly. She was beginning to think that they really were glad to take care of her whether that meant diaper changes or temperature taking. “I’m trying, Jack. I’ll try harder. It will just take me a little while. Okay?” she asked, repeating his question.

  “Okay, sweetie. Now let’s get you changed.” Jack quickly pulled her pants to her ankles and unfastened the tape on the side. He wiped the urine from her skin carefully before ruffling the sparse hair between her legs. “We’ll need to remove this when we bathe you, Penelope. A Little doesn’t need these big girl curls.” He smiled as she nodded. He wrapped the diaper around her hips and pulled up her pants. Lifting her into his arms, Jack said, “Let’s go make sure Dylan hasn’t burnt dinner.” Her giggles pealed from her sweet lips as they made their way to the kitchen.