Amy and Toots/Page9

An Emergency
Arik immediately spoke to the hospital when they got in. Brent had joined his wife, and Emerald was staying with them until they had some news. What was wrong with Nadia it seemed was still a mystery. He did not talk long realizing that they would wish to focus all their attention on what was going on.

He recalled how he and Mike had sat so anxiously waiting for news of what was happening with Amy. At least with her there had been the option of rejuve. If Nadia was really sick, she was too small for that to be a possibility.

“What’s happening Arik?” Amy asked as he returned to the lounge where they were sitting waiting.

“No one is really sure at the moment.” he replied. “Now Toots, I am responsible for you until your Mummy or Daddy get here, I am afraid it’s my duty to deal with the fact that you spoke out of turn at school today.”

Toots looked at the floor. She had feared that something like this would happen sooner or later. It was bad enough with people like her Mummy and Daddy and teacher, but with Arik, whom she had known before her rejuve, it was awful.

Still at least it wasn’t Mike, who she still found so attractive. Now, however it was an attraction in a different, childish way, and she had been again reduced to a little girl, with a burning crush. Arik was waiting for her to speak so she said quietly.

“I understand uncle Arik.” “I’m glad you do. Now Amy take Toots upstairs and show her where you keep your paddle and cane and bring the paddle to me, I’m sure you don’t mind Toots borrowing it do you?”

“Actually I do.” she said boldly. “It’s just not fair Arik. Toots has been really good today, and she has already been spanked because she made such a small mistake. Why does she have to be spanked again?”

“Because it’s the law.” he replied simply “Well then it should be changed!” she declared hotly. “Well when you’re a grown up lady, you can lobby your MP if that’s how you feel, but I have a feeling that by then, you might see the wisdom of the system.” “If I hadn’t have had a stupid rejuve, I would have been a grown up lady.” she snapped. “But you did have the rejuve Amy.” he said “And I think you need a reminder of that.”

“I don’t think that it’s absolutely the law that she has to be spanked because she did a small thing wrong.”

“Amy.” Toots murmured, “Don’t make a fuss, it doesn’t help..”

“The law states that penitatas must be treated as strictly as their parents wish, with a few standard fixed punishments.” Arik explained. “Toots’ parents who know Toots’ needs have stipulated that any mistakes today mean a further spanking. And as I am in loco parentis at this particular moment, I am going to make sure she gets what they consider she needs.”

“Arik, I think that what.....”

“I have had enough debating with you young lady.” he stopped his sister mid sentence. “You will have the same punishment as Toots. A good paddling should help you recall that you are ten years old and not some woman who can speak to her brother as she pleases.”

“Oh please Arik, please....” she burst into tears at the very thought of getting a paddling. She recalled how just one whack had so stung her the day it was bought.

Toots had already decided not to linger and she hurried up to Amy’s room and returned with the implement. Amy was still trying to beg off, but Arik’s face was impassive.

“Thank you Toots.” he said taking the paddle. “Now you understand, that you’re being corrected because you spoke at school when you were meant to be listening?”

“Yes uncle Arik.” “Alright, bare your bottom and bend over the end of the settee.”

It was awful to have to obey such an instruction from him, but she did so quickly. Partly because she wanted it over, but mostly because she did not want Mike to come in and witness her humiliation.

WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! The six whacks were delivered rapidly and Toots was soon crying desperately “There there.” the paddle was discarded and she was in his arms. “I am quite pleased with you Toots, and I am sure your parents will be too. We all know how hard you are trying. Now you stand there, or sit as soon as you can manage it, and watch while a naughty girl has her bottom paddled.”

Amy was still crying and begging, but seeing Toots get praised like that made her feel oddly jealous.

“Are you going to nicely accept your punishment?” her brother asked her sternly. She sniffed and rubbed at her tears, then nodded.

“Alright, come and bare your naughty bottom and bend over the end of the settee.” She adopted the position, but rather slowly lowered her blue school knickers.

WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! Unlike Toots, she found she could not stay still and with a yell she rose to her feet and danced around holding her bottom, tears streaming her face.

“Please no more, no more!” she begged. “Back in place at once or I will add extra!” His face was uncompromising, and she knew that he meant it. It was hard, but she had to get back in place.

WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! “OOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! Please Arik no more, please I promise I will be so good for ever and ever...” “Alright you may pull your knickers back up...”

They spent the next half hour repenting their sore bottoms, and then began on their homework task. They found it rather difficult to concentrate because their thoughts kept straying to what was happening with Nadia.

It was as dusk was beginning to fall that Mike and Brent returned. Brent’s face was pale and dark circles etched his eyes.

“Is it Nadia uncle Brent?” Toots asked in alarm. But she was not to learn, Mike immediately sent her and Amy to Amy’s room.

“What’s happened?” Arik asked gently. “I feel so dreadful.” Brent replied taking the drink that Mike handed him. “Come on it’s not your fault.” Mike said consolingly. “You were only doing your job, what you are legally bound to do. It’s not an easy task sometimes when they re so little and adorable like Nadia is, you have to keep remembering what it is that they’ve done.” He turned to his brother and said “It seems Nadia has had a bad reaction to penny formula.”

“I should have noticed.” Brent said swallowing the brandy in his glass. “It was late last night, and Nadia had a slight temperature. I gave her a spoonful of medicine, and she spat it right out, which I was kind of expecting, because that stuff is certainly foul. I dutifully tanned her, and gave her another spoonful, this time holding her little mouth shut so she had to swallow, and then I put her under the delta inducer to make sure she got some sleep

“When I got up this morning she was still a bit feverish, and more than a little wilful. I gave her another spanking. And to help the fever another dose of the formula, which she spat straight out again, after being warned not to.

“Well as you can imagine, I really thrashed her then, after making damn sure she took the medicine. Then I bathed her, and it’s then I should have noticed. She was kicking about in the bath, and I was warning her there’d be pay back, but she just carried on, and by golly I gave her pay back. I should have realized at that point that no kid would wilfully kick about after that kind of spanking.

“But even then I didn’t slack off. I was determined that I was not going to take any nonsense and that she would learn her place. I was tanning her, and you know how usually after a really hard spanking they go completely limp after a bit, well that wasn’t happening. She was just wriggling and kicking out, and I took it as defiance.

“I reckoned I could put her under the inducer and use nano lotion, but that she would submit no matter how severe I had to be. Then I realized that she wasn’t breathing properly, she was kind of wheezing, and even then I thought she was just catching her breath, sobbing you know. I paused for a bit, to let her recover, but her breathing got worse.

I knew then that I needed to get an ambulance and quick.”

“It’s not your fault.” Mike assured him.

“Of course it’s my fault. I should have realized. I’m her Daddy for goodness sake and I could have killed her. I was so busy feeling indignant that she had the audacity to not cry and repent like the naughty baby she is, that I didn’t notice that she was in real trouble.”

He seemed close to tears, and the brothers tried desperately to think of something to say that might help.

He took a deep breath. “That poor kid.” he said. “What I thought was defiance was in fact her fitting because I had poisoned her, and instead of getting her help, there I was whaling the hide off her.”

“Really Brent you were not to blame.” Arik said consolingly. “Anyway, how is she now?”

“It was touch and go, because of course at her age they can’t rejuve her again. They brought it under control and then nanoed her poor little bottom. She’s going to be OK, but no thanks to me.”

“You got the ambulance didn’t you?” Mike pointed out. “You did realize in time. Honestly Brent, you were just doing your job.”

“The awful thing is, when they stabilised her and I went to see her, she started screaming and trying to get away. You see she has bad experiences with men when she was a kindern, and there was concern that she might find it hard to relate to me, but do you know at the clinic, after the doctor had given her her shots, she held out her little arms to me, and said she wanted me. I thought then, that I’d got it sorted and that I could really help her, but now.... well I’m not sure she’s going to be able to forgive me.”

“She’s a bright kid.” Arik assured him. “When she feels better she’ll know that you were only doing your job.”

“One of my jobs is to protect her and look after her. And I didn’t do that so well.”

“Yes you did.” Mike insisted. “There is no way that you could have known that she is allergic to that stuff. You did everything that you should have done. And she’s fine now isn’t she?”

“The doctor suggested that I came home, and that they put her under the delta inducer, Deedeeo and Emerald are staying. Ry is there too at the moment, but me, the one who should be there for her, they think that it’s best she doesn’t see me again until she feels a bit better.”

“Actually Brent.” Mike said quietly “What the doctor said, was that you could do with a break. I don’t think he was suggesting you came home for Nadia’s sake. I think he could tell that you were in a bad way, and that you needed a rest. Nadia isn’t going to know if you’re there or not is she, if she’s under the inducer?”

“I suppose not.” “Why don’t you go and get some sleep?” Arik suggested. “Nadia’s fine now, and as a penitatas she’s not had anything that is out of limits has she?” “Well of course not.” “Well there you go. It will all seem a lot better in the morning.”

Brent arose and said quietly “Thanks for listening. I really needed to talk to someone. I suppose I’ll get home and try and get some sleep.”

After he had left, Amy and Toots were allowed downstairs and told that Nadia was allergic to penny formula, and that she was better now, but in hospital for observation.

“Now, the panic is all over.” Mike assured them. “Tell us all about your first day at school.” So they told them. They both omitted to mention the details concerning Toots’ welcome spankings, and the brothers did not press for details. “And guess what.” Amy said “Rochester is there, Rochester Hindwood.” “Really? Well that’s good.” Mike said “I’d love to see him again, encourage him to take up music again. He was a brilliant saxophonist.”

“He got me out of trouble.” Amy confessed. “What do you mean?” he asked grimly. “We-ll.” she begun reluctantly. “I did say to Sir that I didn’t think it was fair what was happening to Toots’”

“Amy.” Arik said sternly. “You are going to have to accept this situation. You’ve been punished already by me this evening for your attitude concerning this. Toots is behaving really well and we are all very pleased with her, but it seems you are beginning to cause problems. We had better hear no more about it.”

She made no reply, and there was just a tiny upsweep of her little nose, that indicated that she might not take heed of this warning.