Patience did as she was told, and began to undress. It was a little cooler here in Doctor Cranshaw's consulting room. She had not needed a topcoat nor a jacket for the walk to his house in the June sunshine. She commenced with the skirt; unfastening the belt then reaching around for the hidden buttons. The skirt was fashionably short for 1910, at least six inches above her ankles and one of her favourites. She slipped it down and handed it to Nurse Munton. Now for her blouse, high collared in white starched cotton she struggled with the round buttons that formed a line down her back.
"Please allow me.", the nurse came to her aid and soon Patience was standing in her only her underwear.
"Should I...?" She indicating the corset, which covered her white petticoat.
"No dear better if your stays are nice and tight. Keeps everything in place. That's what Doctor Cranshaw says. Now if you can just come and lay on this couch for me."
Patience lay back on the leather couch as Nurse Munton placed her folded clothes over a chair in the corner. "Now let's get you ready for Doctor."
It was a couple of weeks previously that her mother had announced over breakfast that she had made the appointment. Her mother was very concerned for her health, she'd said. It was not right for a girl of her age be so vexatious and highly strung each month, headaches and the like. Not eating, feeling nauseous - well it just wasn't right.
The doctor, apparently, had completely agreed with her Mother and had advised an immediately course of treatment. Just in time, he'd reportedly said, at 19 years of age, untreated we could be looking at a serious female hysteria. And so, with no real complicity on her part, Patience found herself disrobing before Nurse Munton in the treatment room here today.
The problem for Patience was that no one had told her what this treatment entailed or indeed what female hysteria might be. It had been thought best not to concern her with details as anxiety might worsen the condition. Not that the visit actually worried Patience unduly; she had always quite liked visiting the doctor. Patience lay back on the doctor's leather couch as the nurse continued her preparations.
"Now then. Could you put your hands up above your head for me? That's it. Hold on to this bar." Patience gripped the wooden pole that was fixed across the head of the couch. But then she was surprised when the nurse started buckling firm leather cuffs around her wrists. "Just to keep your arms out of the way during the procedure."
"Doctor's going to need to see your breasts dear. So we will need to undo your petticoat." Patience mused at the use of the word 'we'; with her wrists secured she could not see what part she could possibly play in this procedure.
She was surprised at her own feelings though, she was actually feeling a certain thrill at being laid bare. She was secretly proud of her breasts, and now the doctor was going to see them and might even touch them. Nurse Munton's dextrous fingers eased apart the each of the small bows in turn that held the cotton fabric before pulling the sides apart.
Glancing down Patience could see that her breasts were almost completely exposed. It pleased her that the corset she had chosen that morning was not the fashionable higher fitting variety, so much in vogue this year, which would have fully encased her breasts. As it was, the padded top of the corset stopped just short of her nipples.
The nurse, with no further comment, reached her hands down and cupped each of Patience's breasts, compressing them firmly in her hands. Then, gripping the nipples between finger and thumbs she pulled the breasts upward and out of the corset. A tremor ran through Patience from the core of her breasts all the way down to somewhere deep inside.
"Good." The nurse said. Before rearranging the petticoat to cover her again and restore some modesty. Patience wondered what she had meant exactly by, 'good'. The nurse had walked around to the foot of the couch and faced Patience with a concerned look.
"Has anyone explained what's going to happen?"
"No. I was wondering what -"
"Never mind you'll be fine. Doctor will explain I am sure. Nothing to be concerned about. He'll be here very soon; better get you ready. Now he will be examining you, down below. So we'll need to get your drawers off I am afraid."
Patience had had a suspicion that this might happen. Despite her ignorance of most things medical she had made the connection that her moods and headaches came on before her period and maybe that's was where the problem lay. She had looked up the word 'hysterical' in the dictionary at home and it said it was a condition stemming from the womb.
Patience lay passively as the nurse lifted up the skirt of her petticoat and began to undo the ties of her drawers. Obediently she raised her bottom as they were eased down and folded away.
"Now feet together for me. Good girl. Let your knees fall to the side. We just need to take a look at you".
Patience gave a start as the nurse's cold fingers touched the inside of her thigh, high up near her cleft. Patience shuddered as in a methodical way the nurse's deft fingers parted her intimate folds, easing them apart. She felt the pressure of a finger being applied, exploring, pushing like it might enter her; but despite its pressure, progress was impeded somehow. She gasped, it was hurting, it had felt good to start but now there was pain. Hearing her gasp the nurse withdrew her fingers and the pain was gone. Patience breathed out.
"That's fine. Nothing to worry about. Doctor won't need to penetrate. Now just the straps. Dr Cranshaw likes you to be secure."
Patience was confused: penetrate, straps. The nurse had opened a drawer beneath the couch and taken out what looked like a narrow leather belt. This she proceeded to wrap around Patience's feet and ankles holding them sole-to-sole. Before fastening the buckle she passed the end through a ring at the end of the couch and pulled tight. Patience's legs were thus immobilized.
Then the nurse took out a second strap, broader than first, and a small thin leather cushion no more than six-inches square. This she placed over Patience's abdomen and passing the strap right round pulled it very firmly. "This needs to be tight. Keeps the womb from moving." Patience had no idea that wombs could move. But was pretty sure hers wasn't likely to go anywhere now.
"That's it; you are ready. I will go and fetch the doctor and we can make a start." the nurse said before leaving Patience alone in her bondage. Patience moved her arms and legs exploring her immobility. She was strangely at ease with herself, content but with an undercurrent of excited anticipation.
She recognised the feeling; she had felt like this before. Years ago, on holidays with her cousin Clive on the farm, there was a game they used to play. She was the heroine captured by natives and Clive had to rescue her, a game thin on plot, but played many times nevertheless.
As the captive she was always tied up. At first just her hands, but later, as the game developed, she was bound to a beam in the barn. She loved the feeling. Once she had been blind-folded too. She remembered how once Clive had touched her breast through her dress as he untied her, he had acted like it was an accident but she knew it wasn't. It had felt good; but they stopped playing the game soon after that.
She heard voices from outside the room and then the door was opened. Doctor Cranshaw strode in and took a seat behind the solid looking desk. The nurse picked up a large notebook and introduced her as the next case.
