Cw: emeto mention, nonsexual nudity, abandonment, drawing blood in a medical setting, medical treatment, first responders including police
Sirens grew louder as the young mother and Whumpee sat on the bench together. First responders approached carefully.
"Did someone call for help here?"
"Yes, hi," the woman started, "I brought my child to the park and I found them here, covered in vomit, cold, and I think they've been abandoned."
"Ma'am, I need you to answer some questions while we help them. Could you come this way with me, please?"
Obliging, she looked back at Whumpee. So sad, she thought. I hope their guardians rot in hell for leaving them like this.
The paramedic and officer stepped closer. Whumpee looked up at them. "Do you know where my BiBi and ZaZa are?"
Shifting uncomfortably by this question, they looked at one another in concern.
The paramedic sat on the bench with Whumpee. "Hey there, you look like you could use some help. Can you tell me your name?"
"Oh. BiBi and ZaZa told me it's Baby, but," they shifted in excitement of their secret, "I used to have a different name that we don't use anymore."
"If you tell me, I can help you."
"I don't want to get in trouble with BiBi and ZaZa though, they'll make me get sleepy. I don't like it when they make me get sleepy."
This was much worse than a distress call. Thinking quickly, the paramedic said, "I promise I won't tell BiBi or ZaZa that you told me."
Eyes lighting up with relief, Whumpee whispered their true name in the paramedic's ear. Writing it down and handing it to the officer, the paramedic said "hey are you hungry?"
Whumpee nodded vigorously.
"If you come with me and my friends, we'll get you all cleaned up and something to eat."
Whumpee allowed themself to be guided to the ambulance and giggled as their vitals were taken.
The officer rode along and took note of everything Whumpee was saying, who was in blissful ignorance of what had truly occurred to them. Casually answering the questions about what happened when BiBi and ZaZa made them made them "get sleepy" and why they did that and how they knew BiBi and ZaZa in the first place.
"Well they put this stuff in my eyes. It doesn't hurt but it makes me sleepy and I don't like it."
"They only put it in my eyes when I'm being bad."
"Oh. Well, they weren't always with me and then, they were."
In the emergency room, Whumpee met a new friend - an advocate for adults with disabilities.
They were very friendly and sat with Whumpee the whole time, making sure they always had a friend. Whumpee thought this was very nice.
After a preliminary examination, Whumpee was told that the doctors needed to test Whumpee's blood to make sure it was healthy.
As the nurse pulled out the needle, tears welled in Whumpee's eyes.
"NOOO NOT AGAIN! PLEASE NOT AGAIN!"
With sadness in their eyes, knowing something terrible happened to their patient, Whumpee was quieted by the advocate and the nurse gently took blood.
Tears ran down Whumpee's face. "I-I'm SORRY I didn't, didn't mean to be b-BAD. PLEASE-HE-HEASE don't give me any more shots!"
"No, baby, they aren't punishing you, they're making sure you're ok. Sometimes doctors and nurses do things that are uncomfortable to us because that's how they make sure we're healthy." The advocate handed Whumpee a tissue and talked them down from their panic.
A special nurse came in and asked if Whumpee was ever touched in a bad way on their bathing suit area. Everyone took a collective sigh when Whumpee said no. The special nurse wrote that down and left.
A different nurse entered the room. "Let's get you clean, now," they said.
All together, Whumpee, the advocate, and the nurse walked down the corridor to a room with a bathtub.
Whumpee pulled their vomit-soaked clothes off as the nurse ran a warm bath. Holding their hands, the nurse and advocate assisted Whumpee into the bathtub.
Sinking into the warm water, Whumpee exhaled deeply. For the first time in about two days, they finally felt warm.
"Can you clean yourself, or do you need some help?"
"Um. BiBi and ZaZa always helped."
"Do you remember how to clean yourself?"
"I can try." Whumpee, a little unsure, took a washcloth and wiped the grime off of them. The nurse offered to wash Whumpee's hair. Whumpee melted into the touch as the nurse's fingers massaged Whumpee's scalp with the shampoo.
By the end of the bath, Whumpee was finally starting to feel the exhaustion of sleeping on a bench and withdrawing from the drugs.
They toweled off and were helped into a hospital gown, socks, and adult briefs before walking back to their bay.
As Whumpee fell asleep on their gurney, the advocate, responding officer, and doctor all met outside the curtain.
Sharing notes, they couldn't help but remember the string of bodies found in the last few years that had stopped for a few months with shockingly similar patterns.
"The others showed symptoms of being well-fed but lost muscle for someone of their age and ability. As if they weren't allowed to move around as much."
"That," interjected another, "shows that they're being kept hostage and paired with the clothes that we found them in, would suggest that someone- or- some people, are keeping Littles."
"If we can get them to identify their captors, maybe we can break into the world of abducted Littles. We know there are more out there, but they're hard to catch."
The officer ripped open the curtain, invigorated by the new lead only to find a note on the gurney.
'Thank you for taking care of our Baby.'
