My Funny Farm - Chapter 7 – Overwhelmed – Part 2 of 2

 

My Funny Farm

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 7 – Overwhelmed – Part 2 of 2

 

“Dad,” James said, bringing me back to the situation.  He looked down briefly at his papers then back at me.  “The first thing is that you’ll be going back to having sessions with Doctor Clive every Tuesday afternoon.  In addition, you’ll also be having sessions each week with me and another one with Ashley.  You’ll talk with me every Friday and Ashley on Sundays.”

“And here’s something you might want to keep in mind,” Ashley said.  “Other than in those sessions, every time anyone hears you say you want to die or commit suicide, it will result in punishments for you.  However, we want you to discuss those suicide issues during your sessions with us and Doctor Clive.  That’s the only time you’re going to be allowed to talk about wanting to kill yourself.”

As I searched for something to say about that, I suddenly saw that maybe there was some kind of therapy method to all this madness after all.  I wound up saying nothing about it.

“Just so you know,” James said.  “Not being honest with us when we talk will result in punishments for you.  But conversely, being honest and fully open with us will result in rewards instead.”

“Punishments?” I said, concerned.  “Rewards?”

“But beware!” Ashley added.  “Asking for rewards will get you punishments instead.  Those are our decisions, not yours!”

I was starting to get the picture that they were planning on being fairly strict about things.

“Dad,” James said.  “Just so you know, we’re also going to punish you just because one of us doesn’t think you’re acting babyish enough, and we’re going to be very liberal with the punishments until you learn.  But also remember, the more you behave like we want, the more rewards you get.”

“What kind of rewards?” I asked.  Ashley’s next statement though told me they were once again ignoring my question.

“Your status among us,” Ashley said, “will be that of a baby.  All the time.  Even when we don’t have you acting like a baby.”

“Or a sissy baby,” James added for clarification.  “Depending on our whims.”

“Right,” Ashley agreed.  “There will be times when you will be required to act more like an adult and do chores, or go shopping, or any other things we want, but you will still be considered a baby, and you will be treated as such as much as possible.”

That surprised me.  “Adult time?  Chores?”

Not necessarily every day,” Ashley continued, “but most days you will be expected to do some kind of easy chores that we decide on, but you will still be dressed and expected to behave like as much of a baby as possible.”

“Other than our talk sessions,” James added, “those chore times will probably be as close to being an adult as you’re ever allowed to get.”

“We expect you to learn to live, act, and think like a baby as much as possible,” Ashley explained.  “In some cases, we may even ask you to talk more like a baby as well.  We want to see you completely give up being an adult.  We also expect you to not just learn to play with the toys you are given, but to actually enjoy playing with them.”

“Toys?” I asked.

“Dad,” James said.  “In some cases, we won’t be telling you how we expect you to behave.  We’re going to want you to learn those things on your own.”

I wondered what that meant.  I didn’t ask since they seemed to be ignoring my questions.

“Don’t worry too much,” Ashley said.  “We don’t expect you to be able to behave fully like a baby the way we want right away, but I’m afraid we’re still going to punish you for not behaving like we want, just to teach you what we expect of you.”

She said don’t worry about it?  When they still planned on punishing me?  Hey, hadn’t they said I shouldn’t worry about anything at all?  Heck, I was already worried about whatever punishments they had in mind.

“You will of course be expected to use your diapers fully,” Ashley told me.  “And never even ask to use a toilet for anything.  Just asking for that will result in punishments.  And Dad, you don’t want to actually try to use one.  Trust me!”

That sounded ominous.  I didn’t get a chance to think more about it as James continued.

“We’re going to encourage you to use your diapers freely and not hold back in any way at all,” James said.  “If we suspect you’ve been holding back, we will enforce punishments.  If we can see that you’ve obviously not been holding back, then we will reward that behavior.”

Something told me I was going to have to see what they meant by rewards and punishments.  It was possible I might not care about their punishments or their rewards.

“Don’t ask to have your diapers changed,” Ashley said next.  “It could lead to increased time in dirty diapers.”

Okay, that was one I had already experienced, and it had led to diaper rash.  Hey, hadn’t that been one of the reasons the police had wanted to arrest them all?

“Another thing,” Ashley continued.  “You will be expected to get used to keeping a pacifier in your mouth all the time, and actually suck on it.  Not sucking might result in punishment.  Sucking might result in rewards.  Like I said, you’ll be expected to suck on it.”

I was wondering just how many of these rules they had come up with.  It was getting hard to keep track of them all.  Especially with my pill fogged brain.

“At least one meal a day for you will be nothing but baby food,” James told me.  “And that meal will change depending on what we want.  You have no choice in the matter.  You may even get all baby food some days, and it may not be for punishment, but to help remind you of your status.”

My status?  Baby.  That much had already been explained.

“I’m sure you won’t be surprised at all by this next one,” Ashley said.  “From now on, the only thing you’re going to be drinking from is baby bottles.”

Yeah, she was right.  In fact, I was holding one in my hands right now.  I stuck the nipple briefly in my mouth and took a swig.  Hm.  Orange juice.  And it tasted good.  Unlike the flavor of all the rules they were throwing at me.

“When you’re here at home,” James said next, “if we allow you to wear anything other than a diaper, it will most likely be something feminine or sissyish.  Like everything else, you’re not going to have a choice in the matter.”

Feminine?  Sissyish?  Weren’t they the same?  It was another cause for concern though.

“In fact,” Ashley said, “you’ll be expected to wear whatever we decide, even in public, and we decided that we’re going to do it, even if it embarrasses you to no end.  And of course, complaining or trying to change how you’re dressed will result in severe punishments.”

I know she said in public there.  And I was pretty sure she said they were planning on embarrassing me with it.  And they wanted me to relax?  Enjoy this?  It was sounding more and more like a nightmare!

“The last time,” James started, “we know that Emily and Jared kept you stuck in front of the TV to watch cartoons all the time.  You’re still going to get to watch them, but not like before.  From now on, you’re going to be limited to no more than four hours of TV a day, and that will be broken up between morning and afternoon sessions.  But let me be honest here, that four hours is only if you earn yourself some additional TV time.  On a normal day we’re going to limit it to only two hours, and we will decide what cartoons you watch.”

“Unless you’ve earned the right to watch something of your choice,” Ashley added.  “Otherwise, our cartoon choices are going to be the most babyish ones we can find.”

I quickly remembered that I had already come up with some favorites.  It sounded like I was going to have to earn the privilege of getting to watch them.

“I know you’re probably wondering about what kind of rewards and punishments we’ve come up with,” James said.  “I’m afraid we’re still working on the list, but here’s some of the rewards.”  He looked down and read from his paper.  “One.  Reducing or removal of pending punishments.  Two.  Vibrator applied by an adult to the point where they decide if you’ve been teased enough, or they actually allow you to have an orgasm.  And that’s up to whoever is using it on you.  Three.  Watch some of the cartoons you want, but no more than during the daily time allowed.  Four.  Increased adult time.”

That one quickly caught my attention, but he was moving on before I could ask about it.

“Five.  Computer time in half hour increments up to two hours a day.  And just so you know, we’re encouraging you to look at your favorite porn.  In fact, believe it or not, we’d prefer that you spend your time with it.”

Prefer it?  That was hard to believe.

“Six.  If you’ve been good enough, you can watch an adult TV show of your choice, but sports will require you to build up to three shows since they’re so long.”

Ugh!  Wouldn’t you know it.  The one thing I’d want to watch, and I’d have to earn it…a lot.  I briefly wondered what he meant by good enough.

“Seven.  And this one is one we’ve only been considering, just because I know you actually enjoy it so much.  If you’ve earned it, we’ll allow you no more than half an hour to go out and cut the grass if it needs it.”

“I like that!” I said quickly.

“I know,” he replied.  “It’s the only reason we’re…considering it.  It’s not in there yet though.  And don’t forget, you’re probably going to have to earn it by showing us just how good a baby you can be.”

He had to go and spoil it.

“Um…he said.  “We’ve got a few other things here that we’re going to consider to be rewards, that you may not think of that way.”

“What’s that mean?” I asked.

“Just three things for now,” he told me.  “Like I said, we haven’t really had a lot of time to put this together, but we’re working on it.  I have a feeling that this section will probably grow a bit before very long.”

I was tempted to ask what those items were, but I said nothing.  I already knew he was going to lay them on me.

“First,” he said.  “You get to wear nail polish, like it or not.”

I stared at him in disbelief.  Get to wear?  And that was supposed to be a reward?  I didn’t understand that one at all.

“Second, you get more girly clothes to wear.  We’ll be buying you some anyway, but you’ll get more new things.  And third, more baby toys to play with.  And like we said, we do expect you to not just play with them, but to enjoy playing with them.”

I had no doubt he was kidding.  In fact, he had to be kidding about all of it.  Something worried me though that he might not be kidding at all.

“Ash,” he said as he looked at Ashley.

“Oh,” she said.  “You want me to tell him all the bad stuff.  Figures!”

I was guessing she was going to let me know what punishments they had in store for me.

“Like James said earlier, we’re still coming up with things.  I already know this list isn’t complete yet.”

And I already knew I didn’t want to hear any of it.

“The first thing on the list of punishments for you is reducing or removal of some of your rewards.  The next thing is you’ll have to watch cartoons you don’t like.  Here’s one you’re already familiar with.  If you’ve been bad, we might remove the use of your hands for a day.”

Yeah, I remembered those darn bondage mitts well.

“The next thing on the list is to have some of your adult meals changed to baby food instead.”

That didn’t sound very appetizing.

“Another punishment might be to make you spend more time in your dirty diapers.”

I remembered they had already mentioned that, and I already wasn’t looking for to it…or to the diaper rash I would probably get.

“Or,” Ashley continued, “you might find yourself forced to crawl on your hands and knees for an entire day.”

Okay.  I wondered how bad that could be.  Better than some things I was sure.

“And I’m sorry to say this,” she continued, “if we don’t like some of the things that come out of your mouth, you will get your mouth washed out with soap.  So I suggest you watch carefully what you say from now on.”

They would actually try to do that to me?  Of course they would!  But the question was, what would they consider to be something they wouldn’t want to hear me say?

“We’ve also included the option to spank you whenever we deem necessary,” Ashley told me next.  “And if we do, I can guarantee we’ll make it hurt to the point where you’re red and sore for a while.”

Hey!  Didn’t that fall under the abuse category they were trying to avoid?  I didn’t mention that though.

“And finally,” Ashley said.  “You may be punished by having a butt plug shoved up your ass, or possibly an enema given to you.  Especially if you try to hold back or don’t mess your diapers every day like we want you to.”

Butt plug?  Enemas?  Neither of them sounded like fun.  In fact, none of their punishments sounded like fun.  Not to mention, this whole new way of life for me was nothing but a punishment that didn’t sound like fun, even though they seemed to think it would be for me.  They were nuts!  And I was the one who had been put into the funny farm, not them.

“I’m afraid that’s as far as we’ve gotten so far,” James told me.  “Like we said, we’re still working on it.”

It sounded like enough to me.  Too much!  So much that I was pretty much overwhelmed by it all.  My pill fogged brain couldn’t even remember everything they had told me.

“Dad,” Ashly said.  “I’m afraid there’s one other thing we need you to do.”

“And it’s important!” James added.

“What?” I asked.

“We need you to sign a consent form for all of this.”

I was flabbergasted.  “A what?”

“We don’t want to get sent to jail for nonconsent to any of it!” Ashley told me.

“But I didn’t press charges last time.  You’re family.  I can’t!”

“We just want to make sure,” James told me.  “And the form also officially says you want me to be the executor of your affairs.”

“All this,” Ashley said, “believe it or not, is for your benefit.  To help you.”

I shook my head.  I didn’t say it, but it was hard to believe.  “And if I don’t sign your consent?”

“Then we’ll take you right back to the behavioral center.  Immediately!” James told me.  “We’ve…got no choice.  We only managed to get you out of there with Doctor Clive’s help, and because she told the people there that we had a workable plan of therapy for you.”

I looked at him in disbelief.  It finally dawned on me fully.  “So it’s either the funny farm downtown or…this?” I said as I nodded toward the papers in his hand.

“Yes,” James confirmed.  “I’m afraid so.”

As much as I hated to believe it, it was no contest at all.  I had hated that behavioral center with a passion.  The damn drugs were still clouding my brain.  I wanted them gone and I did not want to go back to that place for anything in the world.  “I won’t go back there,” I told him.  “Like it or not, I’ll sign your paper and agree to this…lack of respect.  Instead of the city funny farm, since this is my home, I guess it’s now going to be…my funny farm.”

 

My Funny Farm - Chapter 7 – Overwhelmed – Part 1 of 2

 

My Funny Farm

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 7 – Overwhelmed – Part 1 of 2

 

They waited until Saturday morning to come and get me.  With each day that they left me in that behavioral center I became more convinced that they had chickened out and didn’t want me anymore…despite what I was consenting to have them do to me.  But on Saturday, James and Ashley both came and got me and took me home.  I expected to see a lot of cars in the driveway.  There were some, but not as many as I expected.  I noticed Emily’s, Caitlin’s, and her husband Bill’s cars there.  Nobody else.  Where was Jared?  Was he really gone?  I hoped so.  I didn’t like him.

We entered through the family’s usual entrance…my garage.  I was glad to see my pickup truck inside where it belonged.  I was wishing just then that I could get in it and go for a drive somewhere.  Like maybe into a giant tree.  I was guessing though that leaving just then wasn’t going to happen.

“Gramps!” Caitlin greeted me the moment I got inside.  She came up and gave me a nice hug and kiss.  “Love you, Gramps,” she told me.

“Yeah.  Love you too,” I replied.

“Welcome home,” Emily said next as she too gave me a nice hug and a kiss.  “Gramps, I’m so sorry about how things went…before.”

“Yeah,” I replied.  “Me too.”

Bill was in the kitchen, but he didn’t say a word, he just stood back and out of the way.  Fine with me!

“Emily.  Caitlin,” James said.  “Ash and I need to sit down with him for a serious talk, but before we do, or before any of this goes any further, can you two please get a diaper on him.  Sorry Dad,” he said.  “But we want this to start immediately.  No putting it off.”

I looked at him disappointedly.  “At least I’m home again,” I muttered unhappily.

“Come on baby,” Emily said as she took my hand.  “Let’s get you changed.”

“I don’t even get to use the bathroom one last time?” I asked as she led me by my hand towards my bedroom.

“Sorry,” Emily told me.  “But we’ve got rules to follow now, and no toilets for you is a biggie.”

I wanted to ask if those rules were for them, or me.  I stayed silent instead and let her lead me into my room.  I noticed the blankets on my bed were already pulled down exposing my sheets and there was another of those big pads in place to protect them.

“Here,” Caitlin said.  “Let me get those pants off you.”

“I can do it,” I told her.

“No,” she replied.  “Don’t worry about it.  We’ll handle it for you.”

I got the impression that that’s the way this system was going to go for pretty much everything.  In short order, my pants and underpants were pulled down to my ankles and I stepped out of them.  Except for my shoes and socks, it left me naked from the waist down and exposed right in front of two of my granddaughters.  Neither of them made any mention of the situation.  I was told to lay on the bed.  When I was in place on top of that protection pad, Caitin had me lift my legs so she could shove a diaper under my butt.  Emily moved in after that and began rubbing some kind of baby cream all over my private parts, front and back.  A little sprinkle of baby powder front and back soon followed.  I suddenly smelled a lot more like a baby than I had before.  Caitlin moved back in and pulled the diaper up between my legs, covering up my embarrassing private parts.  The diaper tapes were pulled tight, and that easy and quickly I was firmly fastened into it.

They pulled me off the bed.  I expected them to remove my shirt then and either leave me naked except for the diaper or put a t-shirt on me, but instead, Emily held my pants for me to step into.  She pulled them up and fastened them before buckling my belt.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was dressed normally again, except for the diaper underneath.  Hooray!  Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.  I can tell you though that the feel of that diaper under my pants was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever felt.  I was used to having regular underwear under my pants.  Underwear that was nowhere near as thick as that diaper was.  And then I had to wonder, how much worse was it going to get when they made me wet the thing?

“Dad and Aunt Ashley want to talk to you for a while now,” Caitlin told me.

“We don’t know everything they want to talk about,” Emily added, “but we’ve got a basic idea about some of it.”

“They told us that you and them may be busy for a while,” Caitlin said.  “So remember, if you need to go, just go…in your diaper of course.  And don’t bother asking if you can use the bathroom.  That’s off limits for you from now on.  Just do it while you’re talking with them.  Okay?  No need to mention it to anybody.  Just go.  From now on.”

“Oh,” Emily said.  “And like before, don’t bother to tell us if you need a diaper change or not.  That’s our responsibility to figure out, not yours.”  She chuckled.  “Besides, Caitlin needs to get used to checking things like that.”

“Emmy!” Caitlin protested as she slapped playfully at her.

Emily laughed again then turned to me.  “Go find Mom and Uncle James.”

I left the bedroom, trying to get used to the feel of that diaper under my pants.  Yeah, it was going to take some getting used to.  I was actually very grateful to have the pants covering it.  I didn’t find James and Ashley until I got to the kitchen.  James was just pouring himself a mug of coffee and I saw that Ashley was already holding a cup.  “You want to talk again?” I asked, wondering if I dared to pour myself some coffee too.  Coffee would probably make me have to pee sooner though, and I didn’t need that…now.  Not with that diaper under my pants.

“Yeah Dad,” Ashley replied.

“Let’s go to the office,” James suggested.

“This might take a little while,” Ashley said to Emily and Caitlin.  “Will one of you please bring a bottle of juice for him.”

Juice, not coffee.  And I noticed she had said bottle.

I followed them into the room where I kept my desk, my computer, and where I handled all my business.  My home office was one of my favorite places in the house.  I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be seeing much of it anymore.  The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the extra chair now in the room.  I normally had just my desk chair and one other in case I had someone visiting.  James immediately sat in my desk chair.  Ashley and I took the other seats.  I expected one of them to close the office door, but they didn’t.

“What are we talking about now?” I asked.

“Pretty much everything,” Ashley told me.

I wondered what that meant.

“We’ve got a bit of a shopping list of things we decided to buy for your treatment,” James told me.  “Very little of which we’ve actually had time to buy or order yet, but we’ll be taking care of those things as soon as possible.  Like I said, we simply haven’t had time yet.  We’ve been spending most of our time lately planning this.”

“What kind of things are you buying?” I asked.

“Don’t bother asking,” Ashley told me.  “A lot of those decisions haven’t been made yet.  Why don’t we just let it all be a surprise for you.”

Surprise or punishment?  The thought of unknown things simply made me nervous.  Or was that the pills still at work in my head.

“We will tell you though,” James said, “that we’re planning on eventually turning your bedroom into as much of a nursery as we can, just to help with your new position in life.”

New position in life?  Was that how they were planning on looking at this?  “A nursery?” I asked.

“Yes,” Ashley replied.  “Complete with everything you’re going to need.”

“Like what?” I asked.

At that point, Emily arrived and handed me a baby bottle full of…something.  I could tell it wasn’t baby formula, which made me glad.

“Em,” James said.  Will you close the door on your way out please.”

Since both James and Ashley were waiting till Emily had left and the door was closed, I was guessing that they weren’t going to answer my question about what they considered I would need for a…nursery.  Just the thought of it made my stomach lurch.

With the door firmly closed now, we were alone and sequestered.  “Dad,” James began.  “I want you to know right from the start that you don’t need to worry about your money.  Since you gave me all your passwords and account information for safe keeping, I’ll be handling all your financial business for you.”

I had done that in case something happened to me…like dying after I managed to commit suicide.  But since I hadn’t managed that yet, and since James was the Chief Financial Officer for his company, I at least considered my finances to be in good hands.  I hoped.

“During the talks we’re planning to have each week,” he continued, “I may give you some updates on your finances, but most likely I won’t.  It’s going to have to depend on how I feel about the situation.  But the truth is that we no longer consider you to have any need to know about it at all.  A baby doesn’t worry about money, so you shouldn’t have to worry about it either.  Just know that I’m hoping that despite all the expenses we know this is going to involve, you’ll come out with more money in the end than you have now.”

I said nothing.  I just hoped that if I was alive when this was all over with, there would be something left.  But what I really hoped for was to be dead.  But of course, James was a professional when it came to money, and there was a lot of money there for him to play with.

“Just so you know,” Ashley said, “Emily, Caitlin, and Bill will now be expected to contribute to the cost of running this house, including all food, utility bills, mortgage, even taxes when the time comes.  We considered having Emily, and Bill and Caitlin together, pay a full third each for all the costs, but since they really don’t make that much money, we assigned them a smaller portion instead.  If Bill moves out like Caitlin is worried might happen, Caitlin’s portion will go down since Bill’s income won’t be available.”

The concerning bit of that news was that it sounded like Caitlin and Bill weren’t on the best of terms, but I think someone had mentioned that already.  Because of those pills, it was hard to remember.

“In case you’re wondering,” James continued, “all costs for your treatment, other than food, will come equally from you, me, and Ashley, not them.  The kids don’t have any access to your money at all, only Ashley and me, and I will be monitoring and keeping a record of every penny spent on everything!”

“You said you were going to take care of it all,” I said.  “I wish you luck.”

“Don’t worry Dad.  This is the stuff I love to do.”

I knew that much was true.

“Dad,” Ashley said next.  “We don’t have an exact time limit for this treatment we’ve planned.  We’re hoping it will be over with in a matter of months.  If it goes more than a year, we may have to discuss if it looks like it’s worth it to continue or not.  But all that will be our decisions, not yours.  You will have no say in the matter at all.  But then, from this point on, we’re all going to consider you to be nothing but a baby, so you should have no say in it.  In fact, it would probably be best if you yourself considered yourself to be nothing but a baby.”

“But we’re all hoping you’ll be back to your old…ornery self…in a matter of a few months,” James added quickly.

“We have no illusions about that though,” Ashley continued.  “Most likely it’s going to take a lot more than just a few months.  According to Doctor Clive, most treatments take a very long time.  We suggest you resign yourself to the fact that you’re going to be living as a baby, and probably subjected to gross embarrassments, for quite a while.”

“Gross embarrassments?” I asked.

“You’re a baby now,” Ashley replied.  “We’re going to be treating you like one all the time, so don’t worry about it.”

“How can I not?”

Just to warn you,” James said, “Doctor Clive has told us that she may show up here at any time, just to check on you.  She’s threatened that if she doesn’t like what she sees, we could all be charged with abuse again, and next time she’ll do everything possible to make sure those charges stick.  We’re hoping she never finds anything for her to be concerned about.  We don’t want to be charged by the police so we’re going to be taking all her suggestions very seriously.”

“Suggestions?”  But that question was ignored like my last one.

“Anything else?” James asked Ashley.

I was thinking they were done.  Hooray.  It hadn’t taken nearly as long as they were thinking, and it hadn’t been…that…painful either.

“No,” Ashley replied.  “I think we can get down to business now.”

I looked at her in disbelief.  This hadn’t been the business they had been planning to talk to me about?  What else could there be?  I saw her grab a stack of papers from the desk.

“Dad,” James said.  I noticed he was holding a stack of papers too.  “We’ve come up with a list of things.  Maybe you can think of them as rules for you…and I guess, that’s pretty much what they are.”

“These rules may not be complete or perfect,” Ashley added, “but we think they’re a good start.  We will of course modify them as necessary to make sure they all work.”

“Rules for me, or you?” I asked.

James seemed to consider that.  “Both!” he said.

“Dad,” Ashley said,  “As much as it doesn’t sound like it, all of this has been carefully designed to help you.  We want you to get better.  We don’t want this to go on forever, which we’re not going to do anyway.  But we especially don’t want you to wind up…dead.”

“Right,” James agreed.  “It may not sound like it, but all this is to help establish the framework for your therapy.”

“Therapy?  I still don’t see how this can be any kind of therapy.”

“That’s the brilliant part about it,” Ashley said.  “You get to enjoy something you’ve probably only dreamed about.  And we do hope you’ll enjoy it.”

“That I dreamed about?” I asked.

“It’s all based on your fantasies,” she replied.  “All of it.  And don’t try to deny it.  I’ve spent the last few weeks studying your internet history and all the sites you’ve spent so much time looking at.  I know you’ve got tons of fantasies running through your head about all of it.  I even saw where you were looking into buying some things.  So just try to relax completely and…enjoy it.”

I looked at her wondering what kind of cog had slipped loose in her brain.  James’ brain too for that matter.

 

My Funny Farm - Chapter 6 – They’re Coming To Take Me Away – Part 2 of 2

 

My Funny Farm

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 6 – They’re Coming To Take Me Away – Part 2 of 2

 

I felt like I had been arrested and was being sent to prison.  In a way, that’s exactly what was happening.  The family all got left behind and I was put into a police car and driven to the city behavioral center…aka the looney bin…aka the nut house…aka the funny farm.  Just the stigma of being put in there bothered me to no end.  I felt so…not embarrassed, but awful about being sent there.  My family, for good or bad, was quickly left behind and I was on my own, being sent to a world I was both afraid of and anxious about.  I wasn’t there yet, and I already knew I only wanted to go home.

When I arrived, I was put into an office where someone talked to me for what seemed like an hour, asking me more questions then I can ever remember.  Right there in the office, he gave me a pill to swallow, and he made sure I swallowed it before he led me out and showed me to my room.  A much smaller room than my bedroom at home.  Since it was late, he told me I needed to go to bed.  Right after he left the room, I noticed my head was feeling a bit dizzy.  In minutes, all I wanted to do was go to sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, my head still felt woozy, so I stayed in bed until they came and forced me to get up.  Another pill, then breakfast.  After that second pill, I felt worse than ever and only wanted to go back to bed, but they wouldn’t let me.

I had to spend some time being up and around everyone else.  It was then that I got a good look at my fellow inmates.  What a collection!  These people were nuts!  How could they put me in a place with people like them?  I just wanted to die.  A normal everyday thing.  These people had more problems than I could ever understand.  Serious problems!

At some unknown point, some guy came and got me and dragged me off to another office where I had to sit and talk with someone else…someone who surprised the hell out of me.  As soon as he started asking me questions, I had to stop him and ask one of my own.  “Why are you asking me stuff like this?  You’re a kid!”  How was I to know he had some kind of college psychological degree?

“I’m a doctor,” he told me, obviously put off by me telling him he was a kid.  “Your doctor!  Doctor Jasper.”

The kid doctor asked me his first question again, and I looked at him.  With as woozy as my head was feeling, talking to someone like him was the last thing I wanted.  So I came up with an answer to his first question.  “Kill me. Please.”  Then I answered his second question.  “Kill me.”  Funny, but I was able to answer all his questions so easily.  And all my answers sounded the same.

I did not want to be in that crazy place.  I would do anything to get out of there.  And I already knew that I didn’t want any more of their lousy pills that kept me feeling drugged and sleepy all the time.  Enough!  And that was only my first day.

James came to see me that evening, stopping by for a while on his way home from work.  I did nothing but spend that time trying to explain to him how much I hated being there and how I would do anything to get out and go home.  He impressed on me that it was only the first day, and I should give it a bit of time.  No help.

The next evening, Ashley came by to see me.  It was like having the same conversation with her that I had the night before with James.  I just wanted to go home!  And kill myself of course.

Night after night, someone from the family came to check on me, and night after night I told them all the same thing, “Get me out of here!”  I hated being there so much that I even told them I would be willing to go back to their stupid baby treatment if they would get me out of there.  To which they were all quick to point out that the baby treatment had been a mistake.  “You think?” I always replied to that one.  “But I’m that desperate to leave here!  I hate it here.  And I’m sick to death of those pills they force me to take that keep me feeling awful!  I’m tired of my brain feeling like nothing but mush!  It’s too hard to think!  Get me out of here!”

Something in my ranting must have finally sunk into them, because three weeks after I had gotten into that place, both James and Ashley showed up together for a long sit-down talk.  “Are you going to get me out of here?” I asked right away.

“Maybe,” James replied.

“That depends,” Ashley added.

“On what?  I hate it here!”

“We know!” Ashley told me.  “You’ve told us that countless times now.  You’ve told everyone countless times.”

“Then take me home.”

James shook his head and said, “Dad, listen.”

“To what?”

“Ash and I have sat down a few times now with Doctor Clive.”

“She was a whole lot better than that high school kid they have trying to talk to me in here.  He’s not old enough to know anything.”

James ignored my comment about the doctor.  “Dad, the reason we went to talk with her, was to try to come up with some kind of workable plan to take care of you at home.”

“You don’t need a plan.  Just get me out of here.”

“Dad,” Ashley said.  “Now listen for a minute, because this may sound a little…odd.”

“Very odd,” James agreed.

“What?” I asked.

“From our first meeting with Doctor Clive, she told us that using the baby treatment on you wasn’t really a bad idea.  It was very…unorthodox, but the biggest problem with it was that we never thought it through the way we should have.”

“You’ll have to excuse me,” I said.  “Those pills they make me take keep my head feeling like I’m in a thick fog.  You’ll have to explain that to me.”

“Well,” James said.  “You miss Mom, right?”

“More than you’ll ever know.”

“And missing her has you really depressed,” James continued.

“That’s…true,” I admitted.  “I just feel…  I miss her.  So much!”

“Yeah, we get that,” he replied.  “You’ve also told us that it would be nice to have no more responsibilities about anything.”

“Dying would take care of that nicely,” I pointed out.

“We’re not going to let you do that, Dad!” Ashley told me sternly.

James continued.  “The only thing we know of that seems to interest you anymore, is the weird porn you were spending so much time looking at on the computer.”

“So you’re condemning me for that too?  Just get me out of here.  Just let me die!  Or better still, just kill me yourself!  Trust me, you’re family.  I won’t press charges.  Besides, I’ll be dead.”

“Dad,” Ashley said.  “Stop it!”

“Why?”

“Dad,” James said.  “We’re not condemning you…exactly.”

“Huh?  What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Like we said, we’ve been working with Doctor Clive, and we think we’ve come up with a workable plan to…help you.”

“Help me?  Help me kill myself?  That’s the only help I want.”

“We certainly hope not,” Ashley told me.

“A workable plan for you to live at home,” James told me.

“I’m in!” I said.  “Get me out of here.”

“Dad,” Ashley said.  “You better listen to this, because you may not like it.”

“But we hope that because of your…interests,” James said, “you might actually like it.”

“It’s these stupid pills they make me take,” I told him.  “You’re really confusing me.”

“Dad,” Ashley said.  “We’d like to go back to the baby treatment again, but…it will be different.”

“Different?  How?”

“No more bondage like Emily and Jared were so fond of,” James said.

“Well, not quite,” Ashley added.

“I’m even more confused,” I said.

“Dad,” James said.  “I’m going to level with you.  “Doctor Clive suggested that it might be better if we didn’t explain everything to you.  Just know that we would be trying to make you live completely like a baby again.”

“Most of the time,” Ashley added.

“Yes.  Most of the time,” James agreed.  “But there would be other differences too.  For instance, you seemed to be interested in a lot of the crossdressing porn you were looking at too.  We would be incorporating that in it as well.”

“So you’re going to make it all…weirder on me than it already was?” I asked.

“Um…” James said as he considered that.

“Yes!” Ashley confirmed.  “We would.  Absolutely.  But the big difference this time is that you might get rewarded for certain things, or punished for other things.  And strangely enough, some of those rewards might actually seem like punishments, but they’re all going to result in something we hope to see you enjoying.”

“And Dad,” James said.  “We’ll tell you this much up front.  Every time you mention wanting to die, you’ll be punished.”

“But at the same time,” Ashley added, “going a certain amount of time without thinking of committing suicide will gain you rewards.”

“And who’s going to decide all this?” I asked.

“James and me,” Ashley told me.  “Together.”

“You’re both moving into my house?”

“No,” James replied.  “Emily and Caitlin will handle most of your care.”

“How about Bill and Jared?” I asked.  “How much will I have to worry about them?”

“Probably some,” Ashley admitted.  “Emily and Jared have…separated now.  He moved out after almost being arrested that night.  And Bill…well, it seems that Caitlin isn’t as onboard with Bill’s financial plan for the future as he is, so those two are…not separated yet, but Caitlin is afraid it might happen.”

“Bottom line,” James said.  “If you decide you want to leave here and go home under our conditions, it’s going to be back to full time diapers for you again.  But…we hope…you’ll get better treatment this time.”

“Your bottom line,” I said considering that.  I was about to tell them that I didn’t care, but Ashley cut me off.

“Dad!” Ashley said.  “Don’t answer.  Don’t tell us yes or no.  Not yet.  We’ll be back tomorrow and talk about it again.”

“Yes,” James agreed.  “Take some time to think this through.  Remember the situation you left that you complained about so much.”

“And rightfully so!” Ashley admitted.

“Dad,” James said.  “We’ll see you tomorrow.  And don’t forget, I love you.”

“Yeah,” Ashley said as she gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  “And I love you too.”

They walked out after giving me hope.  Hope of…what?

I was supposed to think about everything they had offered?  How could I think with what those darn pills did to my brain?  I had already figured out that the purpose of those pills was to prevent me from doing much thinking.

I spent that night and all the next day trying to remember everything about what I had to put up with at Emily and Jared’s hands before I had been stuck in this miserable place.  As the day wore on, I pictured that and tried to compare it with the other inmates that constantly surrounded me, reminding me that I was one of them…another nut case.

To be, or not to be.  That wasn’t my question.  I knew the answer to that.  I didn’t want to be, but nobody seemed to care about my feelings on the subject.  So the new question boiled down to what kind of nutcase I wanted to be instead.  And then I had another session with my high school age psychologist.  He helped me solidify the best answer to my dilemma just by laying eyes on him.

That evening, when Ashley and James came and went over everything again, I was already certain of my answer.  “I don’t care anymore,” I told them both.  “Just get me out of here!”

 

My Funny Farm - Chapter 6 – They’re Coming To Take Me Away – Part 1 of 2

 

My Funny Farm

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 6 – They’re Coming To Take Me Away – Part 1 of 2

 

Emily and Jared had gone out, and Mrs. Lowrey was back.  I remembered from my meeting with Doctor Clive the day before that she had demanded that everyone in the family, except me, go to a meeting at her office tonight.  Had Emily and Jared gone there?  I had no way of knowing for sure since nobody told me anything.  All I knew was that Emily and Jared had come home from work, and then suddenly they were gone, and Mrs. Lowrey was back.  To be honest, I much preferred her being around than Emily or Jared…or both!

All I seemed to do anymore was watch cartoons.  I was beginning to have some favorites.  I wondered if that was bad or good.  When one of them ended around eight o’clock, Mrs. Lowrey announced it was time for bed.  She took me into the bedroom, attached one of my bound-up hands to the rope that linked me to the bedframe, and changed my diaper…thankfully!  She pulled the covers up over me and told me she’d be right back.  Five minutes later, she was back with the bottle of baby formula I had expected.  The bottle was nicely warmed up.  She was so good to me.

She was just about to turn off the light when a sudden noise out in the living room caught our attention.

“Sounds like they’re back already,” she said.

But the noise grew louder, and I soon noticed it was quickly heading directly towards my bedroom.  A moment later, I was surprised to see James enter my room.  “Hi Dad,” he said immediately.

Before I could say anything, Ashley was there right behind him.  “Dad!” she said almost breathlessly.  As she sat down on the side of my bed with me, I now noticed another woman in the room.  A stranger.  I immediately felt not just extra embarrassed, but frightened.

“For heaven’s sake,” the new woman said.  “He’s tied to the bed!”

Ashley took the baby bottle from between my hands and set it on the nightstand.  She immediately began unfastening that rope that tethered me to the bed.  My eyes could only remain on the mystery woman who was now hovering over me.

“And his hands have been bound up like that since…when?” the strange woman asked.

“I’m guessing, since Saturday when all this started,” James told  her.

“Get him loose!” she ordered.

“I’m working on it!” Ashley told her.

“Who are you?” I asked, glad that for once I was talking without a pacifier in my mouth.

She pulled part of her jacket aside exposing a badge.  I was shocked.  “Police!  Detective Kinsley,” she said.  “And we’re getting you out of here.  Immediately!  The way they’ve treated you is…criminal!”

Hooray!  But then something else set in.  “Out of here?” I asked.  “To where?”

“Don’t worry about it.  Someplace better than this.  For sure!”

“Better than…” I started.  “What’s that mean?”

“Dad,” James said.  “Things should have never gone the way they did.  I’m sorry.”

Ashley managed to get the mitt removed from my left hand.  I immediately began flexing my fingers, and now noticed Doctor Clive in the room as well.  As Ashley reached for my other hand, I looked back up at James.  “What’s going on?”

“Um…Dad,” he began.  “I’m sorry to say this, but because of the way you’ve been treated, we’re all about to be arrested for abuse.  Although I’m pretty sure they have some other charges to throw at us as well that are just as bad.”

I stared at him in disbelief.  I turned my head toward Ashley as she pulled that final mitt off my hand.

“Yeah Dad,” she confirmed.  “It looks like we’re all in a lot of trouble for the way we treated you.  I’m…really sorry.”

“And I’m sorry this took so long,” Doctor Clive told me.  “After hearing what you told me yesterday, I simply should have called the police and had them look in on you, but I wanted to talk to the family first and make sure I wasn’t making a mistake.  Don’t worry.  This is all over now and we’re going to make sure you get taken care of properly.”

“Taken care of.  I don’t want to be taken care of.  I want to be left alone!”

“Being left alone isn’t the best thing for you right now,” Doctor Clive replied.  “There’s too much chance you might try to end your life again.”

“So what?  It’s my life!  And if this is the way everyone is going to treat me, then I’ve got more reason than ever to do it.  Just leave me alone!”

“I’m sorry.  We can’t.  We don’t dare,” that detective told me.  “Now is he ready to go?” she asked James and Ashley.  “We’ve got to get him out of here, then I’ve got your entire family to process down at the police station.”

“What?” I exclaimed, surprised to hear that.

“Your entire family was implicit in what’s been done to you, so they’re all guilty.  They’re all going to be booked and will have to face a judge.”

“You said all of them?”

“Since they were all here, they all shared in your treatment.”

“So you’re pressing charges, not me?” I asked.

“Naturally I’m assuming you’re going to want to press charges.  Wrongful imprisonment, assault, grifting…”

“Grifting?”

“So it seems,” she told me.

I looked at Ashley in disbelief.  “It’s possible,” she confirmed.

I wasn’t even sure I knew what grifting meant, except possibly being conned.  They hadn’t conned me into diapers and baby behavior, they had ambushed me.  Taken me by force.  I was all for every one of those charges, perhaps not the grifting, and I was ready to press charges for all of it against them.  There was just one little problem.

“Wait a minute!” I said loudly, trying to get everyone’s attention.  I looked up and saw several faces of family members now peeking in my bedroom door.  “As much as I want to press charges, against all of you, I can’t!”

“Mr. Bryson,” the detective said, “I’m afraid this needs to be done.”

“Maybe.  Perhaps,” I agreed.  “But I’m not going to do it.  As much as I hate everything they’ve done to me, as angry as I am at all of them, I still can’t do it.  I’m not pressing charges, no matter what.”

“Why not?” the detective asked.

“Because…no matter what, they’re family.  As much as I hate them all right now, they’re still family.  My family.  No matter what they’ve done to me, I can’t do that to my family.  So forget it.  Do what you want with me, but I’m not pressing charges.”

I heard some murmuring of appreciation coming from the people who were all trying to look through the doorway.

“Now,” I said.  “What else is supposed to be happening?”

“We’re getting you out of here to someplace more suited to taking care of you,” Doctor Clive told me.

That sounded ominous to me, and I had a vague suspicion of what she was talking about.  “Where?” I asked.

“The city behavioral center,” she told me.

Yup!  Confirmed.  The nut house!

“No!” I told her.  “I’m not interested, and I’m not going.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Bryson,” the doctor said quickly, “but you no longer have a say in the matter.”

I quickly looked around at James and Ashley.  “You were about to arrest them, and now you’re telling me that you’re putting me in a nut house because they said so?”

“No!” the doctor said.  “We’re taking you there because I said so.  Mr. Bryson, I’m the one committing you there.  You’re a threat to your own life and health.  Until we can get you over that, you need to be someplace where they can not only look out for you, but they can give you the psychological help that you so desperately need.”

“And what if I don’t want to go?”

“I’m sorry,” the detective told me.  “You’re going, like it or not.”

I groaned.  “From one nut house to another.  One bad situation to another.”

“It won’t be bad.  I promise,” Clive told me.

I didn’t believe her.

“Can I at least take a shower first?” I asked.  “I haven’t had one since they gave me a bath Sunday night.  I haven’t brushed my teeth either.”

“Dad!” Ashley gasped.  “Nobody’s cleaned you or even let you take a bath since then?”

“Nope!” I told her.  I looked up at the doctor.  “So can I take a shower now?  Please?”

Doctor Clive looked frustrated.  “Sure,” she told me.

The detective walked over to the doorway.  “You can all go home…for now,” she announced.  “Since he’s not pressing charges…yet…we’ll leave you alone, for now.  But we may be back to find you later!”

Ashley let me into my bathroom, a place I hadn’t been into since Emily and Caitlin had given me a bath and shaved my body that first night.  “Let me see your diaper rash Dad,” Ashley said once we were both in there.

“Ash,” I replied.  “I’m a big boy.  I’ve been around a long time.  I can handle it.”

“And I’m a nurse!” she countered.  “And Emily is my daughter.  This should never have happened.”

I turned the water on in the shower to start it heating up.  Then I turned around towards Ashley.  She pulled the tapes on my diaper, exposing the second diaper underneath.  She pulled the tapes on that one too and let it all fall to the floor.  She examined me closely, front and back, which was all very embarrassing for me.  “Take your shower,” she told me.  “I’ll help you when you get out.”

“Don’t bother,” I told her.  “I can deal with it.”

“Okay,” she agreed.

It’s funny how your mind runs when you get older.  And I guess, according to everyone else, I wasn’t even that old yet.  But there were days when I couldn’t remember what I had for breakfast, while at the same time, things from way back in my past were clear as day.  As I stood soaking in that hot shower, the words to a weird old song kept romping through my head.  They’re coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-ha, to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time, and I'll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats.  And they're coming to take me away, ha-ha.  It’s hard to believe a novelty song like that could actually climb the music charts to the top positions.  But that was the nineteen sixties, and things were more than a bit different then.  I was so young back when that song came out, but the weird lyrics had caught my attention like they did almost everyone else, and somehow, they stayed with me.  Of course, the lyrics were about a man whose wife had left him, and it was driving him insane.  How appropriate.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

My Funny Farm - Chapter 5 – Let’s All Go To Jail And Party

 

My Funny Farm

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 5 – Let’s All Go To Jail And Party

 

“Can they really arrest us?” Jennifer asked.

“Yeah,” James confirmed.  “I think so.  Because of the way we did it, I think they could.  I hope they don’t.  I’m praying they don’t.  But yes, we could be in trouble.”

“Let’s hope not,” his wife replied.

“Or at least, let’s hope it won’t be too bad.”

“Yeah,” his wife agreed.  “Are we almost there?  We’re going to be late.”

“Almost,” James told her.  “It should be right up ahead.  But even if we’re late, something tells me they’ll wait for us.”

“Is that good or bad?” Jennifer asked.

“Who knows.”

A few minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot.

“It looks like most of the family is here already,” Jennifer noted as she looked at all the cars.

“Yeah,” James agreed.  He parked the car, then reached over and grabbed his wife’s hand.  “Let’s pray it doesn’t go too bad for us.”

His wife nodded, then opened her door and got out.

Inside, they were quick to notice everyone in the family already there.

“The receptionist said we’re meeting in there,” Emily told them as she pointed toward an open doorway.

It wasn’t the open doorway that held James’ attention.  His wife’s attention either.  It was the two uniformed policemen standing near one of the walls in the reception area.  James looked at his wife.  Neither of them had a good feeling about how things were going to go.

They entered the meeting room where a large circle of chairs had been set up.  As everyone sat down, nobody missed the policemen entering and taking up positions at the back of the room.

“Welcome everyone,” Doctor Clive began as she stood behind the chair at the head of the circle.  “I’m Doctor Clive, the psychologist in charge of your…grandfather’s…or your father’s…case.  I’m sorry for calling you all out here like this tonight, but because of the things he told me when we spoke yesterday, I’m extremely concerned.  And now we need to get to the bottom of it, and deal with it…one way or another.  I’m sure you noticed the two policemen that are here with us tonight, but I want to first introduce another member of the police force.  My sister, Detective Kinsley.  “Pat,” she said to a woman who was standing off to the side.

The woman detective walked over and took her place, standing behind the chair where the doctor had stood.  “Yes, I’m a police detective,” Kinsley told them as she moved her jacket aside and displayed the badge attached to the top of her slacks.  “And just so you know, I’m very much against this meeting.  If it wasn’t for my sister pleading with me to hold off, you’d all be under arrest already and the victim in this case would be in a mental facility right now where he could be cared for properly.  I want you all to know right from the start, that’s the direction I think this needs to go, and I even brought a few uniformed men with me to help arrest you all.  So good luck convincing me otherwise.”  She looked at the doctor.  “Sis,” she said before walking away.

Doctor Clive regained her place standing behind the only empty chair.  “When Mr. Bryson…your father or grandfather…was in here yesterday, he listed one abuse after another that’s been done to him, and he made it sound like you’re all to blame.”

“What do you mean abuse?” James asked.

“What do I mean?  Keeping him bound and helpless all the time.  Keeping him in wet and messy diapers until he’s got a painful case of diaper rash, forcing…”

  Ashley stood up quickly and angrily.  “Diaper rash!”  She immediately looked over toward Emily and yelled, “What the hell did you do to him?  He’s only been in your care for a few days!”

James stood up now too.  “What does bound and helpless mean?”

Emily tried to explain.  “Just what we did to him when we first put him in diapers to make him a baby.”

Doctor Clive asked, “Is that what he was talking about when he said the entire family ambushed him?”

“Ambushed?” Ashley replied.  “Yeah, probably.  We were all there and we all basically grabbed him.  Emily and her boyfriend held him down, and…I put a diaper on him myself.”  She finally sat down.

“Jared and Emily put some kind of bondage mitts on him to keep him from removing the diaper,” James explained before sitting down.  “We knew he wouldn’t like it.”

“That’s wrongful imprisonment!” Detective Kinsley pointed out loudly.

James winced, and nodded.  He turned to Emily.  “Did you keep those things on his hands?  All the time?”

“Uncle James,” Emily replied.  “You know he wanted out of everything.  You know that’s the only way we had to make sure he couldn’t get out of those diapers.  We were supposed to treat him like a baby…like he wanted…and that was the only way we had to make sure he used them.”

“But diaper rash?” Ashley exclaimed.

“That was…stupid of me,” Emily admitted.

“You think?” Ashley replied.

Detective Kinsley moved closer.  “You said you kept him bound in some kind of bondage mittens so he couldn’t use his hands.  Where did you get those things?  Did you get them just for taking care of him?”

“No,” Jared said.  “I had them.  Em and I are into some BDSM stuff.  The whole family knows about it now.  They were part of some of the gear Em and I collected.”

“BDSM…” the detective said.

“Hey!” Jared said quickly.  “Lots of people enjoy it.  So do we.”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t enjoy it,” Kinsley told him.  “What I’m saying is that there’s a big fat line between what’s good and what’s criminal.  Tell me, was it consensual?  Did you ask him if he would allow you to use those things on him?  Did he give you permission to tie him up and keep him that way?  Did he agree to let you keep him helpless all the time, for days and days with no end in sight?  Because it sure doesn’t sound like it to me.”  She got no answer to her question.  “BDSM is one thing…when it’s consensual, but without that consent it becomes a criminal act!  And you crossed the line!”

Jared stood up.  “Em and I aren’t married!” he declared.  “I’m not part of this family.  I’m leaving.”

“Jared!” Emily exclaimed.

“If you walk out of here now,” Detective Kinsley said, “I can guarantee it’s going to be in handcuffs, and these officers will drive you straight to the police station.  Tonya here told me about how you kept him tied up and in a painful position until he was seriously hurting…and then kept him that way for hours on end until he got a bad case of diaper rash.”

There was a bit of a staring match between her and Jared, but Jared finally sat down.

Ashley turned to Emily.  “How could you do that to him?  To the point of diaper rash?”

“It just…happened Mom.  Jared was being a pain about helping to take care of him and everything was left to me.”

“That’s no excuse!” Ashley told her.

Emily said nothing.

“Let me ask you all something,” Doctor Clive said.  “Since all this started, have any of you shown him any love at all?  Have any of you even said you love him?  Actually told him that?”

Everyone in the room seemed to look at each other.  Ashley finally half raised her hand.  “That first night, I hugged him when we put him to bed and said I loved him,” she told everyone.  “I haven’t had a chance to get back there yet.”

Doctor Clive looked around the room.  “Anyone else?”  Nobody said a word.  “How can you expect him to get better if nobody cares about him?  He desperately wants to kill himself.  Why shouldn’t he?  Nobody loves him.  Or at least, that’s the way it seems.  All you’ve shown him so far is abuse.”

“You can’t blame all of us,” Michael said.  “Nichole and I weren’t even there.”

“Were you there that first day when you all ambushed him?” the doctor asked.

Michael said nothing for a moment, then nodded.  “Yeah.  But we didn’t go back after that.”

“If you were there at the beginning with everyone else, then you were still part of it,” Detective Kinsley pointed out.  “Each and every one of you here is an accessory to the crime, which makes you all guilty!”

The doctor decided to step in and move on.  “Let me ask you about something else,” she said.  “Emily told me all this was supposed to be a form of therapy for him that was based on what appeared to be his interests and fantasies.  But if this is your form of therapy, will someone please explain to me what goals you’re expecting of him?”

“To not want to commit suicide anymore!” James was quick to point out.

The doctor nodded.  “That’s primary, and a good one.  But how are you planning on achieving that?  Do you have any system of goals that he can work on towards that end?  Any plan to monitor how he’s doing?”  She looked around the room and saw nothing but blank faces.  “If this is supposed to be some kind of therapy, warped or not, you still need to keep him moving toward a particular direction.  You need goals and rewards for him when he reaches those goals.  And yes, in some cases you may need some form of punishments too if he tries to backslide.  But he shouldn’t be living with punishments all the time, and certainly nothing like what’s already been done to him.  That’s counterproductive.  He’d want to commit suicide more than ever, and who could blame him.”

“How do we do that?” Ashley asked.

The doctor shook her head.  “It isn’t easy.  I’ll grant you that much.  But one way or another, you should have had some kind of workable system for not just watching over him, but dealing with him and helping him too.  That’s the most important thing here, not destroying his life.  You needed something he could at least work towards.  Some goal he could want to reach.  If it wasn’t for your family all getting together to watch over him, I would have suggested he be put into an institution, but with the entire family seeming to be that invested in it, I allowed him to stay home.  As it is, the way things stand right now, he might need that institution more than ever.”

“We were just trying to help,” James said.

“We all love him,” Ashley agreed.

“Just trying to help,” Doctor Clive replied.  “You’ve got a funny way of showing it.”  She looked around the room.  “According to what Emily told me, she and her boyfriend moved into his house a few months ago.  Is that right?”

“Yes,” Emily confirmed.  “Jared and I haven’t been out of school very long.  It’s a cheap place for us to live.”  She glanced over at Caitlin.  “Caitlin and Bill are moving in this weekend too for pretty much the same reason.”

The doctor started to say something, but her sister came over quickly and cut her off.  Detective Kinsley looked at Emily.  “Do you have a job?”

“Yes.  I’m the new middle school girl’s gym teacher.”

The detective looked to Jared.  “And you?”

“I got a job doing maintenance work for a corporation.”

The detective nodded.  “So you’ve both got decent jobs that pay okay, but not a lot.”

Emily nodded.  “Yes.”

Kinsley continued.  “And you said…who was moving in this weekend?”

“My cousin Caitlin and her husband Bill.”

“Where are they?” Kinsley asked.  She saw them hesitantly raise their hands.  She looked at Caitlin.  “And what kind of job do you have?”

“I’m a nurse,” she told the detective.  She nodded toward her Aunt Ashley.  “Like my aunt.”

Kinsley looked to Bill.  “And you?”

“I do accounting,” Bill told her.

“So you’ve both got good jobs as well,” Kinsley noted.  “I would think that with jobs like that, you’d at least be able to afford your own place.”

“We can,” Caitlin told her.  “It’s just that….”  She stopped.

“Just what?” Kinsley asked.

“We’ve got this plan,” Bill told her.  “If we can keep saving money like we have been, then in a few years we can buy a house and pay cash for it instead of getting a loan.  That will save us a fortune.”

“A house!” Kinsley exclaimed, unable to believe it.

“Yes.”

Kinsley looked around the room.  Her eyes fell on the only two who had been mostly silent through everything.  “I was told there were three sets of grandkids.  I guess you’re the last of them.”  She saw both Nichole and Michael nod.  “Are you wanting to move into your grandfather’s house too?”

“No!” Michael replied.  “To be honest, we were against this whole thing.  If Gramps wants to do himself in, then he should have that right.”

Kinsley was shocked.  “You think he should be allowed to kill himself?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.  Then what?”

“What do you mean?”

“Then what?  What do you hope to accomplish by letting him die needlessly?”

“If he wants to die, then he’ll be happier…and the rest of us can split whatever inheritance we’ve got coming.  We’ll all be happy that way.”

“Oh my God!” Kinsley exclaimed.  “And there we have it.  This half of the room are essentially grifters who want to mooch off him, stealing his money and spend it on themselves, and this half of the room simply want him dead so they can inherit his money.  Some therapy!  You all just want to steal him blind!”

“No!” James declared angrily.  He looked over at Michael.  “How can you say that?”

“Get real Dad,” Michael replied.  “It’s true!  We’d all be happier.”

“Not me!”  He looked to the detective.  “And just for the record, I’m the CFO for my firm and I make plenty of money.  And my wife is a top manager for the company she works for, and she makes almost as much as I do.  We’re not hurting for money at all.”

“And we’re not doing bad either,” Ashley said quickly.  “I’ve been a nurse most of my life, and Chris has his own construction firm.  All our kids simply haven’t put in the time yet to get where we are.  So don’t blame them.”

“Don’t blame them?” Kinsley said.  “How can I not blame them?  They’re the ones you’ve placed primarily in charge of taking care of your father.  They’re the ones I blame the most!”

Kinsley looked around the room at the entire family.  “So far, I’ve got wrongful imprisonment, assault, physical abuse, mental abuse, and I can probably press a pretty good case for grifting which would be financial abuse as well.  It all boils down to blatant abuse!  And you’re all guilty by association whether you actually did anything or not.  Is there anyone who can give me one good reason why I shouldn’t stop this and arrest you all right now?  And don’t tell me because you’ve got to go to work tomorrow.  I don’t give a damn!”

When she didn’t get an answer, Kinsley said, “Now, the victim in all this, your father or grandfather, is he home alone right now?  Is he still tied up and helpless, by himself?”

“No,” Emily told her.  “We’ve got a babysitter for him.”

“A babysitter?” Kinsley asked, surprised.

“There’s a woman we hired,” James explained.  “She needs money so she comes in to watch him whenever one of us can’t be there.  She’s someone Jared and Emily knew.”

“Oh good!” Kinsley said.  “Someone else I can arrest.”

“Please don’t!” James said quickly.  “She’s just trying to help.”

“Help?  By keeping him tied up and helpless?”

“She’s making sure he doesn’t hurt himself.”

Kinsley shook her head then looked to her sister, Doctor Clive.  “I don’t give a damn about whatever kind of therapy they thought they were conducting.  All I see are charges of abuse!  Abuse that has to be stopped.  You can sort this all out between them some other time.  Right now, I want to get to the father and see what condition he’s in…and release him.  Once we know if he’s alright or not we’ll decide if he needs a hospital or a mental facility.”

Doctor Clive nodded her head.  “I agree.”

Detective Kinsley looked around the room.  “As of right now, you can all consider yourselves to be under arrest.  These nice gentlemen from the police force will take all your information and you can either drive yourselves to the police station after that, or they’ll be more than happy to take you there themselves.  But get used to the fact that you’re going.”

James stood up quickly.  “I want to see my father first!  I had no idea of the things that were going on.”

“Me too!” Ashley exclaimed.  “I need to see him for myself.”

“Which means that maybe me and Jared should be there as well,” Emily told her.  “We’ve been primarily taking care of him.  If anyone has any questions, maybe we can explain what happened.”

“Explain?” Kinsley said.  “That should be interesting.  “Okay!” she announced to the entire room.  “If you want to go to the house before we book you, that’s fine.  But after that, we’re all going to the police station.  Like it or not!”