The ne xt day started a bit different for Gus. Annie was late, and she’s known for not missing a single day at work,Half an hour later, the door opens, but instead te female dark blue skunk, there’s a rabbit nurse, holding a tray with his breakfast, a cup of water and his medicine, being 3 little pills from different sizes and colors.
“Hi, uh...Do you know if Annie is ok? She never got late here.” asked the small skunk to the rabbit..
“Oh, she’s in a meeting with the board of directors.Probably just more report delivery..”
Gus left a happy sigh knowing that Annie was alright. Knowing someone so punctual to actually get late and not give any news about it made him think something could have happened with her. He nods and thanks the rabbit nurse, as she let the tray over the table in his room, and then leaves the room, leaving Gus alone to eat his sandwich. Once he finished with the sandwich, he got the three pills into his mouth and drank a cup of water.
Annie was a real good friend, even before the big accident that led to Gus being regressed. She’s the one that unlocked some tv channels for him, and that brought him more stuff to keep him entertained and not bored and even let him play stuff on her cellphone. He couldn’t imagine himself being locked all the time in his room without these..
She’s the only way for Gus to know about what happens around the base, even through the orders to don’t let them be stressed or sad, to avoid changes in their health reports, so when she’s not there, it feels so different for Gus..
Another hour has passed by, and finally Annie walks through the door.
“Hello sweetie. I bet you thought I had abandoned you, right?”
“Hehehe, never that you would. But what happened with the Big Bosses?”
Annie took a deep breath, but managed to keep her calm and happy expressions.
“I offered them a deal, and they accepted. After some long and boring negotiation, they finally accepted it..”
"That 's awesome!, hehe, and what kind of offer?”
“Well, I’m taking a break from here. Gonna get”a month's vacation.”
This came as a huge shock.If he felt her absence for just 2 hours, he had a hard time thinking about it for a full month.
“Woah, that 's nice and... Uh… What are you gonna do during this vacation?”
“Oh, just staying at home. Arthur is really needing me and a little friend.”
“Huh? 2 hours just for that?”
“Here’s the best part; It' s not just for me.” She sat on Gus 's bed, giving him a few taps over the mattress, wanting him to sit at her side. Once Gus jumped back to his bed and sat there, she resumed.. “I’ve got some vacations… For both of us!”
'REALLY!? Did...Did they let me get out of here?” The regressed skunk’s eyes were shining in happiness, but a few seconds later they were showing a confused look.Was it even possible they just decided to let him get out of the base after a lot of requests being rejected, some of these even before he needed the regression? Would he be finally free?
“Look,, this meeting was about a new test for your regressive treatment. Even if all your exams are ok for 2 months by now, they’re still afraid of some possible side-effects on other not-analyzed data yet. The Regression is really risky and the Progression way more. Not everyone has had a positive result so far..”
“Yeah I’m aware of it, I looked through all the documents about it. A lot of risks, but… What did they say?”
“After a lot of data analysis, I found a way so they allowed you to spend this time out of the base with me,so we could analyze possible regression effects in other environments, so we can add it to the files and be sure when it’s the right recovery time. At least officially.”
“Oohs? So it’s just we get out and done? ”
Well… It 's up to you but… It really hurts me saying it but… I had added a condition there! done, said it…"She said, with a serious tone, a bit tense. From everything she planned, that was the most important part.
“What? What kind of condition?” Gus asked, looking at her with a confused look on his face.
“Well, do you know Arthur? He actually didn’t go to his friend’s sleepover yesterday...” Annie told Gus all what happened with Arthur last night. Gus understood, but still wasn’t sure how he could help him.
“This hurts me a lot to tell you but… I’ve gotta ask you to pretend to be a real kid, from Arthur’s age range, and help him during the training while you stay with us.”
“What? Are you kidding, right?”
“I wanted to, but it’s serious, it’s the only requirement to get out of here with me.”
“But..Does that mean i’ll have to wear dia..uh.. the pullups again?”
“Yes. You’ll be his training partner, to motivate him to go. Just until he’s out of pullups, just that.”
“Just that? Annie, that’s really humiliating!”
“I know, but I tried everything to help Arthur and got no results. You don’t have any idea about how bad I feel for reaching this point, but it’s for my son, and as a mom, I'll do everything possible to help my son.”
“I, I do understand. I mean, All I could hear from you during my rehab here, it’s clear you love Arthur. It 's just, You know, all my time here was lessons and duties and discipline all the time, or you’re just out. I don’t think I've seen any kind of this relationship between the employees here, but I… I really don’t know, it feels…”
“Gus, All I want is you to think about it, ok? That was the only thing I asked them to let you free this month. No matter what you choose, tomorrow I’ll be at home with Arthur for 30 days. You can stay with us if you want. If something happens to you, I know better than any nurse around here how to prepare your meals and bandages. Also, they’re quite boring, right?” She asked, blinking an eye and giggling, clearly to both this last part was a bit of a joke, but Gus noticed quite some truth there.
"That 's true… Breakfast here wasn’t really enjoyable… And uh, I know how much this hurts for you.Actually, I can just imagine it now. I didn’t had choice about being here like that now, But being this or unable to move anything else than my head and take huge amounts of painkillers everyday,I really owe you a lot for picking the right choice for me, Annie”
“Stop it, Gus.Look,I really don’t want you thinking you owe me for that, but until the Headquarter finds a way to include you back to the site that doesn’t require you to go through the Academy all again, this room is your house.” She took a deep breath once again, as a tear was spotted running down from her right eye. ” At our home, there won’t be medicines, exams, it’s gonna be way better than here.”
“Truth… I really don’t have anywhere to go in the base… and no fu..I mean... No way I’ll be going through the Academy all again…I've survived that jungle once, I’m sure I won't be able to repeat it this time.”
“So, you could be with us in a real house. Real games, movies, toys, nothing to be scared about.”
"What about the diapers?”
“You would just be back in actual diapers only if you had 4 accidents in a week. You just gotta wear the pullups, exactly like your first month here after your regression. That’s a rule Arthur follows. And besides one accident or another, he’s been a few months in pullups.”
“I think i’ve got it”
“Yeah, don’t think I'm using this to make you quit a debt with me. It’s just that Arthur isn’t happy about the vacations. All his friends from the district are totally potty trained. I know their moms and they’re so proud about it. I know it’s a humiliating request, but I thought that way it could be better for us both…”
“How better for me?”
”Well, you’d spend the vacations out of the laboratory, without any exams and work. Would have someone to keep company all the time. Even when I'm here, I don't get to spend all my time with you. And you would finally meet Arthur, last time you saw him he was a newborn.”
“Yeah, I was the only one from the team that visited you after you got back from hospital with him.”
“And at that time, I knew you were not just a coworker, but a friend. You were always so nice to everyone. “ she gave a sigh. “I don’t want this request to ruin our friendship, but… Arthur’s quite sad about that and that would be a good way to motivate him, to make him feel better even when he doesn’t make it.”
“It’s not gonna ruin our friendship. I understand it, how hard it was during my rehab, and having to do it alone. You were the only one that also cared and didn’t let me give up on this.”
“Yeah. Couldn’t stand just seeing you sad having to do all these exams and physiotherapy. You were so nice to me, it didn't feel right. Also… when I look at you now, I see Arthur, and I would do everything to make Arthur smile.”
“It’s not really a bad thing at all. Well… Oh dang. You won. I’ll be Arthur’s friend for the vacation.
“Y.. you will? Gus, t..That’s wonderful.” she said, giving him a big hug. It was possible to notice a tear on her left eye.
“Just… let me know what I need to do, alright?” Said Gus, a bit defeated in having agreed to all this, but he knew that he had a doubt with Annie, and if that was the way he could help her after so many times she helped him through his time here, he’ll do it.
“Oh, you just get your regular schedule here. I’ll get your papers done so you can go home with me by 1 pm.” She said, taking a deep breath so she could follow her routine in the base.
The next half an hour, it was time for Gus’ s exams and appointments. It seems the doctors wanted to make sure he was totally fine to leave the base, even if it’s treated as an experiment. Annie went to check the other patients from the base, while Gus had to run through a treadmill with some electrodes through his chest, arms and legs for about half an hour. Right after, there’s weight and height measurement, blood exams analysis and even having to vow that while outside, he won’t ever say anything about the base.
Besides the last part, Gus was already used to it, so once he was done with the exams, he went straight to his room, where a tray with 2 pills and a cup of water waited for him. He climbed on his bed, got the pills on his mouth and managed to swallow them with the water. He kept over the bed, knowing that one of this meds were to lead him to sleep for a while, so other doctors could make more exams,with needles and more blood samples, something Gus really hated, and had a hard time through them until they realized it could be done with him sleeping.
It took a few minutes, but soon he felt the pill working through his body, as he gave a huge yawn, and finally slept on the bed.
15 minutes later, the room door opens again, but instead of the other doctors, it was Annie, holding a bag and going near him. She had a nice smile on her face, as she removed the hospital gown from Gus. She then proceeded to get some baby wipes from the bag, and started to clean the little skunk’s areas. He was clean there, it was mostly to clean from the possible sweat after the amount of exams he did earlier.
Once he was cleaned, she got another item from the bag, it was a pullup, but instead being a plain one, like the ones he wore at the start of his regression rehab, these ones had cute small dinosaur prints over it, and a big dinosaur in front. Gus was still sleeping due to the medicines, not even the clean up and the childish underwear being pulled over his crotch and adjusted over his tail could wake him up.
She managed to get a shirt from her bag, it was a childish, yellow one and had a cute and colorful guitar print on it’s right side. She slowly got it through his head and arms, pulling it down, until it covered part of the pullup. She then gave him a good look. There he was, looking like a real little kid sleeping. There was no way someone else would think he’s an adult just by looking at him. even Arthur. It was so perfect,
She grabbed the sleeping skunk outside the room. She waved bye to the other nurses on the way to the parking lot. Once she went to her car, she sat the little skunk on the back seat, inside a toddler car seat, buckling him safely between his legs, waist and over his shoulders. As soon as he was totally safe in the car seat, she went to the driver’s seat, and started to drive to her house.
