Page 4 of Albel

“Daddy needs to change his shirt. I don’t want you getting cold and ill from my wet shirt. When Yamal gets here, I’m going to have to set you down so he can look over you,” Daddy says.

Tears of frustration roll down my face as Daddy explains why I need to let go of his shirt. Does he not understand that I don’t want to let him go?

“Come on, Little Pet. I know you don’t want to, but I promise I’m going to be next to you the whole time. Daddy isn’t going to leave you, not now and not ever.”

But it doesn’t sway me at all. If anything, it makes me put all the strength I have left into holding on to his shirt tighter. I don’t want to let him go. And the thought of letting him go so he can wander anywhere shoots fear through me. Fear that I haven’t felt in a while.

It wasn’t the same scared feeling I felt when the cruel guard hit me. This is a lot different. It’s fear of abandonment and being left on my own again after he’s already saved me once.

“Albel? Are you in here?” a man shouts.

Whimpering, I stare up at Daddy, begging him with my eyes not to let anybody else come close to me. I just want him and nobody else.

“We’re in my bedroom,” Daddy replies, not paying attention to the plea in my eyes.

“Pl-please,” I whisper, trying to get his attention. But he’s already looking to his right as another man walks into the room.

“Yamal, it might be a couple of minutes before you can examine her,” Daddy explains. “I’m trying to set her down so I can change my shirt and put a diaper on her, but she doesn’t want to leave me right now. For as weak as she is, her grip is quite strong. I’m worried I’m going to hurt her if I try and force her to let go.”

There is a primal instinct inside me to stay close to him. It almost tells me that I shouldn’t be away from him, that once he’s away from me, bad things are going to happen.

“Tell me about everything,” Yamal says. “Don’t let her go right now. Since she is weak, we don’t want to do anything to upset her and make her worse.”

And Daddy does just that. He explains how he found me in a separate room where the guard was keeping me. He tells Yamal how I gripped onto his shirt and wouldn’t let go, and still won’t. He talks about how I was so weak and the worry that was going through him.

The longer he holds me and talks to Yamal, the more I relax and think he isn’t going to leave me or ask me to let go of his shirt. The gentle pat he’s giving my bottom in a rhythmic motion eases something inside me. It’s a constant reminder that he’s here with me and he’s not going anywhere.

“It seems she doesn’t want to be apart from you because she’s worried her kidnapper is going to come back and take her. Am I right?” Yamal asks and looks in my direction. “What’s your name?”

“Ella,” I whisper.

“What’s going through your mind, Ella?” Yamal asks.

But I stay silent. One-word answers are easier to say than trying to explain how I feel. Because I don’t even know how I feel. I’m worried, scared, but I also feel comfortable and calm. I haven’t felt those two feelings in a very long time.

“I can feel some of her emotions; she’s anxious. But also her body is completely relaxed into me right now, and her breathing is even,” Daddy explains.

“How about she continues to hold your shirt while I look over the parts that I’m able to? Once she’s more comfortable with not having to hold on to your shirt, we can do a more in-depth examination. How does that sound?” Yamal asks. “Right now, I’ll look for any major wounds and also take part of her vitals.”

“Perfect, and maybe once you’re done, you can put a diaper on her,” Daddy says. “I’ve been trying for the last twenty minutes, but she hasn’t wanted to let me go. Getting her to take a bath was hard, and I knew the only way of doing it was getting myself very wet, which was okay, but now it’s not. I need to change my shirt, so she doesn’t get sick.”

“I can give you medicine to give her for the next several days. Something that will ease her anxiety and another to help boost her immune system so you don’t have to worry as much,” Yamal offers.

“Thank you,” Daddy replies.

Daddy sits on the bed and maneuvers my lower half so it’s lying on the bed, not him. I try to move my free arm to cover myself, but Daddy grabs it and holds it against him, so I’m completely naked in front of both of them.

“You’re okay. Yamal isn’t looking at you like that. He’s just going to make sure you are healthy. Once everything is over, I’m going to put a diaper on you, and we’re going to relax in the living room while I feed you,” Daddy gently tells me. “I know you want to cover up, but you’re not allowed to do that. I want your body on full display for me whenever we’re at home, so I can look at it, touch it, and do whatever I want whenever I want.”

I open my mouth to try and say something when I feel Yamal touch my legs, pulling them slightly apart. My eyes go wide as I stare at Yamal with a horrified expression. What does he think he’s doing?

“Can you hold her legs while I put the probe in?” Yamal asks.

Probe? What is he talking about?

But before I can do anything, Daddy holds both of my ankles in his right hand, so my bottom is fully on display.

“Wh-what?” I ask, looking up at Daddy.