Page 27 of His Little Garnet

Thabo winks at me. “Ah. Well, that’s good to hear. I was worried he might turn out to be a boring Papi. All he knows about is medicine and boring stuff.”

“I know about medicine too,” she tells Thabo, turning her face again. She pulls her small arm up to cover her breasts. I’m glad she has the strength. “Medicine isn’t boring. I’m a nurse.” Her voice grows softer. “Or I was until I came here. Now I’m just a baby.”

Thabo is ready for this. He’s ready for anything. Bless him. “I bet you’re far more than just a baby. I bet when you get your strength back, you’ll be running circles around us in this clinic. Maybe you even know a few things we don’t, and you can teach us.”

She flinches and glances at me.

“He’s right. I bet you could be a big help around here when we have too many patients. We could use an extra set of hands some days.” I’m pulling this out of my ass. I haven’t really considered this option. Having Olivia help in the clinic? Little girls don’t work on Eleadia. I want her to be pampered, indulged, and happy.

But maybe helping in the clinic is just what Olivia needs to be happy. I would never overdo it. But perhaps if we gave her some responsibilities and made her feel useful, she would blossom.

She almost smiles. “Do you mean it?” she asks softly.

Apparently this is important to her. I nuzzle her neck. “Yes, Baby girl. I’m sure we can come up with a compromise that will make you happy.”

“Can I wear clothes and panties?”

I chuckle. What I really want to do is groan, but I stop myself.

Thabo steps up again. “You’d look silly in clothes. No Little girls wear clothes here, Olivia. Plus, where would we get them? They don’t have stores for clothes on Eleadia.”

“You have pants,” she points out, glancing down.

“Yep. They’d be pretty long on you. Besides, your bottom is completely covered,” Thabo responds.

Olivia gives a solid humph and turns her head away, crossing her arms. “Can’t I just wait in your house while you work, Papi?”

“Nope,” I tell her. “Little girls aren’t left alone. I’ve told you that.”

“I’m not a Little girl. I’m a grown woman. I’ve been alone millions of times in my life, and I’m still living.”

I’m beyond impressed with her stamina. But I’m not going to budge. It’s out of the question. “That was before you had someone in your life who cared about you so much he didn’t want anything bad to ever happen to you. Someone who took a year to travel to another planet to find just the perfect mate who could be by his side for centuries. Someone who adores you and would be devastated if anything ever happened to you.”

She sighs but doesn’t respond.

“Let’s see about that stroller,” Thabo suggests.

I follow him across the room as he pulls it out of the corner. I’m once again surprised by Olivia’s strength when she tries to hold on to my neck as I lower her into the stroller. I’m betting she’s got more muscle tone than she’s let on. She’s been holding out on me.

She frowns as I easily pry her arms off me and hold her upright so she doesn’t flop forward. She squirms as I pull first one arm and then the other through the harness straps. They’re nicely padded across her shoulders, and I let her wiggle as I fasten the first buckle between her breasts. After pulling another strap up between her legs and the last two around her tummy, I connect all five parts together.

She reaches for the buckle between her pretty boobs to tug on it. Her fine motor skill is lacking significantly, so she wouldn’t be able to open it even if she could pick up a tiny object. I wiggle my fingers at her. “Only Papi can open the buckle, Baby girl. It operates with my fingerprints.”

She jerks her gaze up. “I don’t want to be in a stroller.”

I hate that she’s so unhappy, but we have to move on. This feels like the best option. She’s going to meet other Little girls today and several men too. I’m hoping her disposition changes when she finds out she’s not alone.

It’s a gamble, but I’m running out of ideas.

I clip her pacifier to the corner of her stroller so it dangles between her breasts. If she wants it, she can either work to get it into her mouth or ask someone else to do it. I’m betting she’s going to grow tired of being weak and immobile soon and take action.

The door to the clinic opens behind me, and I turn around to see Kelkef coming in with his Little girl, Julia. I smile as I make my way toward them, holding out a hand. “Hey. So good to see you. It’s been a long time.”

He takes my hand. “Between me traveling to Earth and then you, it has been too long.”

I squat down so that I’m eye level with Julia. “You must be Julia.” She’s hiding slightly behind Kelkef’s leg, holding on to his thigh. I reach for one of her braids and stroke my fingers down the length. This is a common way I approach Little girls for the first time. Not touching their skin yet but letting them know I care.

“Hi,” she responds in a very soft voice.

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