Devaney’s Doctor Daddy by Honey Meyer

Chapter Fourteen

Eric awoke with a start. He’d thought a noise had punctured his slumber but now there was nothing. A dream, maybe? Though he hadn’t gone to bed feeling anxious—no, he’d drifted off to sleep worn out but pretty damn satisfied.

Devy had still been not feeling great when he tucked her in for the night, but she said the medication was definitely helping and she’d been able to take another bottle at dinners. He’d given her a syringe of the nutrition solution in her bottom at each meal as well since she wasn’t taking enough calories in with just the bottle feeding but it was definitely an improvement. She’d acquiesced easily to using her diaper and being changed into a fresh one too. What a well-behaved babygirl.

And since she hadn’t been up to taking a bath, he’d given her a sponge bath that she’d seemed to enjoy a great deal, especially once he’d bound her wrists and ankles under the guise of safety. His sweet little thing liked bondage which wasn’t at all unusual for littles and submissives—often made them feel safe, held.

Eric turned the recent memories over in his mind, replayed the scenes to spark the feelings Devy inspired in him—that nice warm glow would help him go back to sleep, rest up for another day full of little patients and tending to his very own special little patient. Shooed away that obnoxious voice that whispered he might not get to keep her forever. That voice could shut the fuck up.

Then there was that sound again—it hadn’t been a dream that had woken him. It was like a pained little cry that slipped into a pitiful, heartrending whimper. Devy wasn’t okay, and alarm shot through him, as well as the compulsion to fix it or at least check on her and see if there was anything he could do to help. Maybe she was having a bad dream and he could ease her back to sleep with some soft words and making her the little spoon to his big? Or maybe she was in pain, and that would need to be dealt with because it wasn’t acceptable.

He hadn’t turned the baby monitor on because he hadn’t told her it was there. As much as he wanted to make sure she was safe, he also didn’t want to violate her privacy. It would be one thing if he’d told her about it and she’d agreed but she hadn’t. Another conversation they would have.

Instead, he slipped out of bed and padded down the hall to the door of the inpatient room, straining to hear anything else. When he was right outside the door, he heard another whimper, followed by what almost sounded like a sob. Was she having a nightmare? Had her migraine come back with a vengeance? Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to stand out here and do nothing.

Knuckles sounding briefly on the door, Eric let himself in before he heard a reply. When he did, he felt as though he’d been punched in the gut. There was poor little Devy, all curled up in the bed, holding herself in a ball and rocking as much as she could on her side.

“Devy baby, what’s the matter?”

Concern shot through him. How long had she been like this? He wasn’t a heavy sleeper but she wasn’t being very loud.

“S’nothing,” she slurred, her voice cracking at the end.

“Doesn’t look like nothing to me. You’re clearly in a lot of pain. How long have you been hurting like this? Why didn’t you call me?”

“Didn’t want to wake you,” she managed.

They were going to have to have a serious talk about her responsibilities when she was feeling better, and if she agreed to it, that discussion was going to include a thorough spanking. It wasn’t a punishment because he wasn’t a huge disciplinarian but he did want to impress upon her how serious he was and a blistered bottom was a good way to make sure the lesson stuck.

For the moment, he inhaled a deep breath to give himself a second to school his voice. “I always want you to wake me if you’re in pain or upset. I know you’re not used to having people take care of you so I understand it’s not your instinct to ask for help. But my job is to look after you, help you be healthy and happy and do whatever I can to make that a reality. When you don’t let me know you’re hurting, what you’re telling me is that you don’t trust me. Is that what you’re trying to say?”

“No, Eric,” she breathed, eyes wide and brows creased. “I do trust you. I didn’t want to bother you. You’ve already done so much for me and—”

Devy’s protests were cut off by a gasp and her curling even further in on herself, letting out another pathetic noise.

It was killing him to see her like this—first fix the problem and then give the lecture, Southerland.

“Okay, baby, okay, come sit with Daddy.”

He picked her up and slid under her so he could cradle her in his lap and his little buttercup didn’t argue. No, she just buried her head in his shoulder and whimpered. Now that he was holding her—and hopefully the warmth of his body was comforting even if it didn’t fix anything—maybe he’d be able to pry some information out of her so he could fix it.

“Is it your tummy?” he asked, rubbing her back in firm circles.

“No. I—I’m getting my period. S’always like this.”

His stomach dropped. “You’re in this kind of pain every month? Have you told your doctor? This isn’t normal.”

“He said it’s just cramps,” she replied, and his anger flared.

That was shitty but also not surprising. Physicians had a habit of dismissing women’s pain and if a patient didn’t aggressively pursue answers they were often left with none. A lot of his colleagues were brilliant and empathetic care providers but not all of them.

“No, it’s not. I have a lot of adolescent patients so I’m pretty familiar with menstruation. While some discomfort isn’t unusual, that’s not what this is. You should be able to get through normal daily activities, maybe pop an aspirin or two. But this—”

He never enjoyed seeing anyone in pain they hadn’t asked for, but it cut him deeper when it was a little boy or little girl, and with Devy it felt like getting stabbed straight through the heart.

“Is there anything that helps you feel better?”

Devy shook her head, rubbing her face into his shoulder. “Not that I’ve tried. But I’m usually just trying to get through the day so I haven’t tried much.”

What else was this woman dealing with that she hadn’t told him? While he’d wish for her to hand him all her burdens he didn’t actually expect that she had but this—Jesus, he wished she’d told him so she could be prepared. But someone had obviously impressed upon her that being doubled-over in pain and close to tears was typical. What the fuck?

He respected a lot of members of his profession, but what the hell were you doing in medicine if you didn’t actually want to help people feel better? If you were just going to dismiss and belittle their pain? Fuck that. They were going to find her a new primary doc and then some specialists to get her the care she needed and he wasn’t qualified to provide.

While he soothed her, he ran through possible diagnoses in his head—maybe not super useful in the moment, but it was what he’d been trained to do, how his mind worked. Endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease, adenomyosis… He thought cervical stenosis was unlikely, and he couldn’t stand the idea of cancer so he dismissed it—because that was obviously how medicine worked, wishful thinking cured all. This was precisely why doctors shouldn’t treat loved ones.

Whatever it was, he’d do his best to keep her comfortable until he could pull some strings and get her into see anyone necessary.

* * *

Usually the pain low in her belly woke Devaney when she was getting her period. This time, yeah, her insides still felt like a wet towel being wrung out but she didn’t think that’s what had roused her. No, that would be Eric. Daddy.

He’d spooned her for hours last night until her pain had subsided enough for her to fall back asleep. She hadn’t noticed that he’d gotten up, but clearly he had since he was dressed like he was going to see patients—not the thin cotton pajama pants and bare torso he’d come to her with last night. She’d like to see that again sometime for sure, but when she could appreciate the view of his smooth brown skin clinging to the dips and swells of his muscles instead of feeling like Armageddon was happening in her uterus.

Now he was perched on the side of her bed and she could smell the soap-fresh smell of him layered over the warm, nutty, earthy scent that just seemed to be him. She opened her mouth to ask what he was doing but he shushed her and smoothed her hair. She hadn’t really wanted to say anything anyway and it was a relief she didn’t have to.

“Sorry I woke you, buttercup, just wanted to give you this to try.”

He held up what looked like a mashup between a pillow and a stuffed dinosaur. It was green and yellow and looked super soft and cuddly. Sure the stuffie was cute and it cheered her up, but she doubted it had some sort of magical powers that would make her godawful cramps go away.

“Here, baby, can you loosen up just for a second? I know it feels better to be curled up like a little cinnamon roll, but he’s not going to work if you don’t give him a hug.”

Daddy was right, it felt worse to force her knees away from her chest, but he kept his word, tucking the dino against her so she could wrap herself around it. When she did, there was a really nice, strong warmth at her belly. Just short of unbearably hot, she sighed at the deep warmth that permeated her thin gown and her diaper.

“That feel good?” her daddy asked, rubbing between her shoulder blades.

She nodded. “Yes. Thank you, Daddy.”

“He’s got a hot water bottle inside him, that’s why he’s so warm. I’m glad he’s nice to cuddle with. And I’ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve we’ll try out, see if we can’t get this pain more under control. I hate seeing you hurting so much, buttercup.”

“Will you cuddle me too?” she asked, feeling shy and selfish, but wanting to be the little spoon to his big spoon again so badly.

“I’d love to. I have a couple more patients to see before I can though. But I’ll be all yours in a little bit. We’ll try a couple more things to make you feel better and then we can put a movie on and we’ll be snugglebugs this afternoon, okay?”

Devaney was a grown-ass woman. She was forty-two years old, divorced, and had two kids of her own. So why then did it make her so damn happy to have a man treat her like she was small and in need of babying? As though she couldn’t care for herself so he would do it for her.

Although clearly she hadn’t taken very good care of herself. But Eric didn’t seem like he blamed her for that or was upset about it beyond fretting over her and wanting her to feel better. He didn’t act like she was an inconvenience or lying.

Yes, he wanted her to feel better but not so she could be useful but just because he wanted her to feel good, be happy. It almost felt like he loved her. Which was crazy. It was Sunday and she’d only been here since Friday. Well, Thursday actually.

Yes, you foolish girl, very important distinction. Because it makes it more reasonable for you to believe he’s in love with you after spending three days with him instead of two. Besides, for much of that time she’d been asleep. But as foolish as she felt she wasn’t going to try to shake herself out of this dream. No, she’d let herself wallow in it for as long as possible.

“Yes, please, Daddy.”

* * *

Between the medicine Eric had given her and her new dino buddy who she’d named Spaghetti, she’d fallen back asleep until just a few minutes before Eric came in, looking like he’d washed up again and changed after seeing the patients he’d mentioned.

He’d heated up Spaghetti’s water bottle again and did that nice thing where he stroked her hair and skin while he asked her more questions about her period. Which was kind of embarrassing, although nowhere near as mortifying as when he’d wanted to feed her and she’d refused.

She didn’t feel like taking a bottle and when he’d said he would feed her the other way, she’d had to confess that it felt like her body wanted to flush out everything inside her when it was that time of the month and however and whatever he fed her, it would probably come out as soon as it had gone in.

Yep, talking about her bowel movements made her want to die, but Eric’s matter-of-factness and kindness had made it easier to bear. And now he had her bottoms-up over the foam wedge and strapped down again.

It was nice to have her cheek against the cool sheet and to submit to his ministrations. He would never hurt her, and given everything he’d done to her, there was a good chance he’d make her feel at least a little better.

Eric rubbed her hips and her back and her flanks with his bare hands while he talked to her about what might be causing her to be in so much freaking pain, and also convincing her it really wasn’t normal and she needed to get a new doctor who would believe her. He said doctors were only human, but she felt like he was almost superhuman.

The sound of him snapping on gloves did nothing to change her comfort with and faith in him—if anything, it made it easier for her to hand herself over. She was his special little patient, and he was going to take care of her.

“I think there’s a good chance you’ve got endometriosis. People with endo are more likely to have migraines and you’ve definitely got the painful cramps. We’ll get you in to see a specialist and figure out the best course of action. But until then, we’re going to work on your diet and get you started on an herbal enema regimen.”

Eric lubed up his finger and pushed it into her bottom like he did when he was prepping her to have her temperature taken. This time it seemed to take him longer, like he was playing with her bottom hole longer.

And then he was pressing a tube inside her. A tube that seemed to keep going and going and going that he was steadily feeding into her ass. Her pussy spasmed with the thought.

“That’s it, baby. Just a little more. We’re going to get this enema tubing in you nice and high and then flood your intestines and rectum with some nice warm herbal solution.”

She whimpered. Not because she was scared but because she liked being strapped down this way and having her daddy feed inch after inch of tubing inside her. Why did it feel so good for him to penetrate her? To reach inside her body to the depths of her belly and claim every part of her? Perhaps it was because he’d taken her over so thoroughly, but there was something about the physical sensation itself—the warm water flowing into her, how she started to feel so swollen and full?

Maybe that was it. She wanted to be filled not just emotionally but physically too. Wanted to be nourished and heavy with his attention and his love. And that’s what she felt as he fixed the tube in her, explaining how he was inflating two little balloons—one just inside the tight ring of her asshole and the other just outside—and started the flow of water. Rubbed her tummy as her belly started to swell.

What would it feel like to have Eric’s babies?

Now that right there was crazy talk. She’d always wanted a big family but had let that dream go because it didn’t fit with the picture perfect life Carter had imagined—more mouths to feed, more bodies to clothe meant less money for fancy cars and top-of-the-line golf clubs to show off at the country club, fewer vacations to exotic locales—and she’d had some trouble conceiving.

No way should she be digging up those fantasies and plastering them onto Eric like he was some paper doll instead of a real man. That would make her as bad as Carter. But she couldn’t help thinking about how good Eric had been with the boys yesterday, and how attentive he was with her and how growing a family with him would be so different than with Carter.

Did he even want children of his own though? Sometimes people who worked with kids day in and day out like Eric did wanted to come home to a grown-up house with no children in it and she couldn’t blame them. And what was she, going to ask him? Now?

She tried to push the thoughts from her head, but it wasn’t easy with how full she’d started to feel. A cramp rolled through her and she whimpered but Eric soothed it away with his sweet, slow hands and his gentle voice. Yeah, it was hard not to imagine him standing behind her and cupping her growing belly where a baby they’d made together grew.

But she would keep that to her damn self.

The warm water did seem to help with her vicious cramps, besides which being spread out and bound like this helped her relax and reality felt slippery somehow. Like it really wasn’t as fixed as she thought, like things could change—maybe for the better.

After having her hold the solution for a while, Eric undid her bonds and helped her down from the bed, supporting her with a strong arm around her waist as he brought her to the bathroom. She wanted to tell him to leave because oh my god, he could not be here for what she knew was coming next.

“Eric—Daddy, may I have some privacy please?” she pleaded, feeling herself flush from her hairline to her chest.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, babygirl,” he said as he deflated the little balloons that had helped keep the tube so firmly lodged inside her. “I want to be here to make sure my little buttercup is okay.”

He looked up at her then, dark brows arched and eyes slightly narrowed. “Is it really important to you to be alone while you expel your enema or would you like me here and you’re embarrassed? Because I’ve gotta tell you, I’ve seen everything you can imagine and then some. There is very little that fazes me. As long as you don’t have jam hands, we’re good.”

Eric winked at her and it made all these happy butterflies flutter inside her. Just, his face, and his kindness, and his gentle silliness almost made her forget what she was about to do even as her stomach grumbled, so ready to let go of everything she was holding in.

“Besides, if I leave, I’m just going to be pacing outside the door, fretting about how you’re doing. You wouldn’t do that to me, would you Devy baby? I think we’ll both be happier if I stay with you, and on my honor, it’s not going to change how I feel about you one iota. Still my beautiful, sweet little buttercup, right?”

He nudged under her chin with a knuckle and it made her smile. “Um, okay, I guess. If you’re very sure.”

Eric’s face softened in a way she couldn’t quite describe and then he said, “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”