Suzanne O'Halloran drove slowly down the steep mountainside track leading down from the freeway towards the clear blue waters of Harpers Lake and the grey forbidding monolith of the Hargreaves Institute beyond.
Pine trees brushed the fenders of her Cadillac Escalade SUV as she reluctantly steered towards a weeks therapy and rest at Dr Hargreaves state of the art facility at Albrighton Ferris Parker, her employer's expense. First John Parker had suggested she take a vacation, then Henry Ferris had insisted she take a vacation and finally Harry Illingsworth had assigned her to two weeks work at the Institute so there was no way out.
No one disagreed that she had worked far too hard recently, but she could see no reason to back off the workload while the company continued to struggle in the post Lehmann brothers financial crash, but in the end, she was given no choice.
She parked in the near deserted car park and walked into reception carrying her bags, and impatiently held down the call attention bell push.
Dr Julian Hargreaves waited a few minutes before greeting Ms O'Halloran, he expected problems but nothing prepared him for the coiled spring of impatience that was buried deep in the mind of this curvaceous dark haired, green eyed junior Lawyer.
"Miss O'Halloran, I presume" Dr Hargreaves enquired.
"Do you know how long I have been waiting?" Ms O'Halloran asked.
"Eight minutes and fourteen seconds, why?" he replied.
"What, it's ok to keep people waiting is it?" she snapped, "I don't have all day to waste!"
"Oh but you do, seven days relaxation with an option to extend," he explained, "Please come through" he pressed a button "Mark will bring your bags, please, come through."
Dr Hargreaves opened the door to the thick carpeted corridor, oak panels and glowering oil paintings of glowering old men lined the gloomy but well lit walls, "We're in the new relaxation wing with the panoramic views." he explained, "here we are," he announced opening a heavy oak door, "Your room."
The room was huge, the panoramic window fifteen feet by eight gave uninterrupted views far down the valley through the pine woods and on towards the plains and the distant Achapo river.
"It's all about relaxation." he said.
Suzanne stood transfixed, her bed was fully forty feet back from the window, with easy chairs and settees arrayed around a coffee table and the wall mounted 72 inch plasma TV.
"I suggest you shower and get used to the facility there's nothing to do but relax," Dr Hargreaves suggested,"Oh and please wear our facility nightgown, it's unflattering but relaxing, there's one in the shower room ready for you if you would care to go through."
Suzanne decided there was no harm in taking a shower, she had her lap top in her case and she could spare maybe thirty minutes to get cleaned up before she got on with the backlog of work that needed clearing.
The shower room was compact but functional, washbasin and can one side and the clear glass or acryllic shower cubicle in the corner, she bolted the door and looked at herself in the expanse of mirror tiles behind the wash basin.
Her eyes seemed dull and lifeless far older than her twenty eight years, her lipstick was not quite straight, her dark hair needed shaping and she knew she really did need a rest.
Suzanne undressed and stepped into the shower, she pulled the surprisingly thick and robust cubicle door shut with a loud click and turned the water on, adjusting the angle to keep her hair dry.
Water trickled down her belly soaking her neatly trimmed pubes as her mind wandered to the world of work once more, the water trickling down her shapely legs dripping from her D cup breasts as she dreamed of credit default swaps, and the risks of buy to let real estate.
She turned the water off, and with a click the far side of the cubicle swung open, Suzanne stared, what she thought was solid wall had opened and suddenly a large negro lady in a starched white nurses uniform confronted her.
"Hi lil Susie, Ah'm yo new Nursie," the woman announced as Suzanne stared, the woman was huge, her pendulous breasts far larger than any off the shelf bra could restrain, and her bulk was enormous, although maybe only slightly taller than Suzanne herself at Five feet Six.
"What's the meaning of this!" Suzanne cried, as she looked at the trolley laid out with towels and plain cardboard boxes which gave no hint as to what they contained.
"Treatment" Dr Hargreaves explained as he came into view, "Martha will be your nurse for the next few days, so you do what she says or you'll get a smacked botty."
"Look, this is ridiculous," Suzanne snapped, as she surveyed the room, an oversize babies changing table dominated the centre of the room but to one side she saw an oversize babies cot with wood slat sides maybe four and a half feet high and big wheels, oversize casters but a strange collapsing slatted door and a very low floor, while beyond on a shelf sat a glass fronted cabinet with an array of huge man size cuddly toys.
"This is crazy, leave me alone." Suzanne insisted as Dr Hargreaves closed the door to the shower room.
"There's a bell push, just push if you change your mind," said Hargreaves, and Martha started to push the trolley away.
"I need a towel!" Suzanne exclaimed.
"Hop up on the unit then and we'll dry you." Dr Hargreaves suggested, and then you can choose a Teddy, or maybe a dolphin."
"Oh for gods sake!" Suzanne squealed, "Let me out of here."
"You signed the forms, just lets dry you off then we can discuss things." Dr Hargreaves suggested, "Hop up, then I can examine you at the same time." he added.
She didn't know why but she did as the Doctor suggested, swinging her legs up to sit on the cold plastic of the unit as Martha took a huge fluffy bath towel and started to dry her, carefully wiping and drying every part of her from between her toes to her ears, she just relaxed and when Martha unexpectedly applied pressure to the towel she was wiping Suzannes face with to hold her head down she was unable to react.
Dr Hargreaves took Suzannes left hand and before she realised he slid a soft blue woollen mitten on and laced it firmly round her wrist, then he did the same to her right hand, "Nuff" Suzanne spluttered through the towel but she was helpless.
"Now Susie, hold still, its Bootie time,"
Dr Hargreaves took an oversize soft leather bootie and slid it on Suzies left foot and laced it firmly in place, then he did the same with the left foot.
"All done" he said, and Martha stepped back as Suzanne leapt from the changing unit, she staggered, desperately trying to keep her balance, and then sat down in an ungainly heap.
"They are specially designed baby shoes, you can't walk in them," Dr Hargreaves explained, all the weight goes on the instep, so it's too awkward to walk but the toes are padded for crawling.
"You are seriously weird." Suzanne muttered as she frantically tried to loosen her mittens and kick off her booties, Dr Hargreaves watched for a few moments before he suggested "Bonnet" and Martha chose a fetching white baby' bonnet which she swiftly scooped Suzanne's long dark hair into before she fastened the ties tightly.
