Abandoned and Recovered

Chapter 11

The older woman silently undressed the girl after she used her diaper. Tossing the soiled thing into the trash can, she then stood and began to prepare the bath. Sadie's tears and soft cries had yet to subside, and Ava feared she would be unable to stop them after the redhead was punished.

Once the tub was filled and ready for the baby to get in, the volume of the cries increased once again.

"MAMA OWIE."

Ava shushed the girl as she sat her in the tub despite the wriggling and kicking legs.

"See?" the tall woman said. "Nothing to be afraid of. Just perfect."

The small girl continued to whimper as she had her body and hair washed. She kept her movements to a minimum once in the water but continued to show her displeasure vocally.

"Almost done" said the black haired woman. "I just need to make sure you're all cleaned off."

"Mama no 'unish?" came a tiny voice.

"Yes, Sadie. You're going to be punished still."

With that, the girl let out another loud wail and threw her head back.

Seeing as though she was not getting through to the girl, Ava simply lifted her out of the tub and began drying her off without another word.

The fit continued as the baby was diapered and dressed in one of her onesies.

"MAMA NO PEE."

Sadie's prolonged tantrum and screaming was causing the older woman to grow frustrated and concerned. She questioned if punishing the girl first would have been a better decision.

"Stop, Sadie. Please."

The girl continued despite the request and began to shake as she was carried into the bedroom.

Ava sat the redhead down on the carpet and pointed towards the corner.

"No 'eave! Pee Mama!" cried the baby.

"Turn around, please. Nose in the corner."

Sadie allowed herself to be turned around and pushed closer to the walls. However, as she realized she would truly be left alone in the bedroom, the girl thought of her comfort items.

"Booboo a-an' pop-pop! Mama!"

"No Booboo or pop-pop. They need to stay in the living room because I want you to sit and think about what you did with zero distractions.. I'm not leaving the apartment but you need to have some corner time. Alone."

Sadie cried pitifully as Ava exited the room and she was left alone in the corner.

"Mama! Booboo! P-Pee no!"

Ava did her best to ignore the sounds coming from her bedroom and busied herself with cleaning up the girl's toys in the living room.

She placed the beloved pacifier and lovey on the kitchen counter and seated herself on the couch to wait out the rest of the girl's corner time.

Once twenty minutes had gone by, the tall woman returned to her bedroom to see her little girl still in the corner. Though her cries were stalled, she still sniffled slightly.

"Alright, Sadie. Come here please."

The tiny girl whipped around and crawled as fast as she could towards her Mama. She pulled on the woman's pants desperately as she waited to be picked up.

"M-Mama! Hol' pee!"

The woman silently obliged and lifted the girl into her arms. She carried her back into the living room where she placed the baby on the rug in front of the TV.

"No no no!" she cried as she was left sitting on the floor.

Ava shook her head and once again seated herself on the couch. Punishment was something she knew would be a distinct possibility, but was now feeling very unsure of herself and if she was going about things the right way.

"Sadie. I need you to please calm down a bit and listen to me, okay? You were put in the corner and left there to think about why running out in the middle of the night and sleeping outside was a very dangerous and bad thing to do."

Despite her caregiver's words, the girl continued her cries.

"B-ba' guwl! Pee no 'eave!"

Ava did her best to remain patient as the girl choked out her words.

"You aren't bad. But what you did, your actions, were very bad. There are consequences for bad behavior. I understand that you were afraid and that something truly awful happened to you, but I can't allow you to run off without repercussions. I care about you very much and want you to understand that everything I do is because of that."

The little girl continued to sob on the floor despite Ava's best efforts at explaining the situation. The older woman continued to grow more uncertain about how to proceed.

"Why don't you go lay down in your crib for a bit and then, when you're calm, we can try and talk again. I gave you corner time for you to calm and think alone before we talked. That wasn't even my punishment!"

Sadie's eyes grew huge with the realization that she had not even received the repercussions that her Mama had spoken of.

The tiny girl shook her head repeatedly as she was lifted and returned to the bedroom. When she felt her feet touch the crib mattress she began screaming.

Ava finally felt her patience crack as nothing she seemed to be doing was working.

"Sadie! You need to stop this tantrum right now! This is too much! I'm trying to help you and be a good Mama for you. Please just calm down."

Though Ava truly meant no harm by her statement, the phrase "too much" sent the tiny girl further into her fit.

"S-SOWWY MAMA. PEE MAMA."

The black haired woman sighed as she gently pushed the girl to sit on her diapered bottom.

"I can't rightfully punish you when you aren't willing and able to understand why and what is happening. You aren't trapped, in danger, or alone; I'm right in the living room. Try and lay down for a bit."

With that, Ava hesitantly moved away and left the door to the bedroom cracked.

Unfortunately, the screams and cries of her little girl permeated throughout the entire apartment. No matter where she went, the sound followed her and made the woman feel as though she was falling apart. She began to question herself and her ability to care for the girl correctly when she was unable to calm her down or communicate with her.

She had been so worried about taking care of Sadie, then searching for her, and now calming her, that she had yet to consider what to do about the incident with Victoria. Pressing charges was an option, but that would require her baby to testify in court and likely encounter her abuser yet again.

The older woman knew this possibility would likely cause Sadie even more stress and anxiety. Though she wanted the other woman to get what she deserved and be held responsible for all of the pain she had caused, she knew that Sadie's health was more important than getting some sort of revenge.

Pulling her phone out, the black haired woman gripped the device firmly before taking a breath and looking up a number she had saved previously. She stared down at her phone warily before finally dialing the number and waiting for someone to pick up.

"Hello. I'd like to make an appointment as soon as possible, please. This is very important."