Leading Bridget

Bridget Tanner
23 years old
Blue eyes
Red Hair
5'5"
Average build.

Bridget works part-time as a cashier at the local hardware store. She’s paying her way through college, hoping to complete courses in Veterinary Science. She’s only had sex with one person, a man she met her first year of college, who told her everything she wanted to hear. Eventually, she caught him in bed with another woman, one she felt was sexier than her.

She now has found herself stuck in a rut. Business goes on as usual. She studies for her classes, works part-time, and dismisses offers to go to clubs with others and ignores compliments given to her by several classmates. She’s turned down dates and sees herself as nothing more than another woman that is destined to be alone.

Bridget is suffering from depression as she begins to look at herself and compare her body, slightly heavy to other more skinner women. Friends are seeing this, but she’s waved off their warnings and their words of concern. Caffeine and cigarettes are quickly becoming her friends and alcohol isn’t too far behind.


“Coming Bridget?” Susan called down the hall and waited for the customary, “no thanks” that Bridget always gave her. When Bridget gave her a half-hearted smile and a wave goodbye Susan shook her head and looped her arm through that of their mutual friend Jennifer. “She’s really fucked up, isn’t she?” Susan whispered to their friend.

“Yeah, she is. I’ve been thinking she needs some help. Nothing serious, just someone who is experienced in things like this. Something’s bothering her, but she’s not letting anyone in. I have an Uncle who could help. . .”

The two girls left the dorm and as soon as they saw their respective boyfriends thoughts of Bridget Tanner and her problems were dismissed.


Bridget shut the door behind her and turned the lock. She stared out the window as her friends happily bounded down the steps and into their boyfriends’ arms. A vise squeezed her chest as she turned to take a seat at her desk and begin studying for her exam. Finals were coming up and she needed to purge herself of everything, but school and work. Thoughts of Devon and the scene of him and the tall, legged blonde filled her mind and she reached for another cigarette and then thought perhaps, since it was Sunday she could indulge in a shot of whiskey.

Soon the bottle was free of its hiding place under the bed and her hand was no longer shaking as she tipped the shot glass back and enjoyed the burn. The cigarette dangled from her mouth as she began to memorize diagrams that would definitely be on her exams. A few hours passed, as well as a few more shots were downed. When she pushed the book away, it was past time for lunch and her stomach was growling. She grabbed her purse and began the half mile walk to the local café where she would order a cappuccino and a banana nut muffin.

“Sandra who is that young girl, she looks familiar?”

Doctor Jeff Diamond, PhD., PsyD., MD., DD. Asked as he took off his glasses to better let his brown eyes focus on the red-haired and frumpy girl munching on her muffin.

“Bridger Tanner, sir…She’s in the Veterinarian Seminars, I think?”

The waitress supplied and bent low as she poured more coffee into his mug.

“Interesting, be a good girl and give her my card, then ask her to come sit with…after she’d done eating.”

Yes Sir!”

“Can I help you Professor, have I done something wrong?”

The diminutive woman stood trembling before him and brushed the crumbs off of her, the smell of alcohol strong on her breath and bright on her cheeks.


“Bridget…Can I call you Bridget? Is that what your friends call you?”

Doctor Diamond rose to his full six foot and smiled, his teeth white against his dark tanned skin and black hair, his lithe 30 year old body moving easily as he pulled a chair back.

“Sit with me Bridget, and tell me about yourself?”

And as the woman meekly and quietly obeyed Doctor Diamond reseated himself, then focused on her words and how her body moved as she spoke them.

”The….there’s not much to say really…”


She began with her hands fluttering nervously about her face, then settling in her lap, only to return to the tables surface and toy with his napkin. She told him of being in her second year of school, gave the standard disclaimer of her grades and how she lover her chosen path, then quickly averted her eyes and asked the table.

”Am I in trouble…or something?”

“Or something”

Doctor Diamond smoothly slid past the question and suggested…

“Your friends, one of them mentioned you to me?”

”Susan?


“Yes, she seemed quite concerned about you and your troubles.”

”That’s Suzy…always worried such a mother hen I don’t know what I’d do…”

“Yes, anyways..She’s worried about you and your habits of late, including your drinking.”

Doctor Diamond cut her off and pressed his point.

“You KNOW, Oh my God I am sooo sorry, am I under arrest? No they don’t do that to you, do they? Oh NO, You’re suspending me?”

Doctor Diamond smiled and placed his hand on Bridget’s, looking into her frightened face.

“No, I’m not suspending you…yet, I’m here to help you Bridget, I think you’re suffering from depression and want to treat it for you, In fact I want you to come see me in my office and fill out the application so we can possibly begin treatments immediately."

Watching the fear on her face fade he saw relief replace it, then worry move onto it and added quickly.


“My usual fee is deferred of course, there is a grant I’m working on and you would fill the last spot I need…”

Bridget stared at the Professor, trying desperately to recall him from any classes she may have taken in the past or if perhaps she’d passed him in the hall. She was going to kill Susan. She was going to slam her against the wall and tear her eyes out. Bridget kept her head downcast, her eyes focusing on her hands, now in her lap, no longer held in the Doctor’s hand. “Your fee?” She blinked her surprise and then shifted in her seat.

“I wasn’t thinking of a fee. I really appreciate this, but I mean. . .I don’t know you and really Susan overreacted. I’m fine. I smoke and enjoy my coffee, but drinking. . . well it is rare for me to indulge.”

She saw the look in his eyes and she knew her breath still reeked of the whiskey she’d down earlier. “I had a bit this morning, it isn’t a big deal, nor is it as serious as Susan makes it out to be.”

Bridget was about to leave when she remembered the pause he had made when she mentioned expulsion. She reclaimed her seat. “You’ll do it won’t you? Expel me if I don’t visit you.”

Again he remained passive to her as she let the wheels inside her paranoid state of mind spin. “Look. . .Doctor. . .umm Professor Diamond. I’m really not depressed, nor do I have a drinking problem. I’m just under some stress, the same kind all college kids are facing when finals are breathing down their necks,” . . . “and boyfriends are dumping them for silicone titted bimbos. . .” she thought the last word, letting her pain begin to creep through her once more.

Her fingers began to shake and she covered them with her hand to hide them. “Look. . .I can’t be expelled and I know Susan’s gonna hound you and me if I don’t do this. It’s silly really. You don’t even know me, so making a guess as to my ‘condition’ is ridiculous, but like I said, I cannot afford to be expelled, so I’ll join you in your research.”

She wasn’t happy, but she feared the consequences if she didn’t go along with Diamond and Susan’s plan. Her shoulders fell as she tried to hide herself in the thick sweater that hung loose on her average built figure. Bridget felt self-conscious sitting with the Professor, where everyone from campus could see her. She tugged her red hair down over the sides of her face and sipped at her cappuccino. “Anything else?” she asked, toying with her fingernails and picking at the cuticles.

"Yes, there is"

Doctor Diamond returned and watched the frail looking woman jump in her seat.

"I forgot I have a lecture Monday after school, since it's Sunday and we're both obviously free...I'd like you to come with me Now...and we can get the paperwork done. It will let you take the first stage of treatment on schedule and allow me to take my time verifying the results, all right?"

Instinct told him she would have never showed up if he waited until Monday...and as she stammered and fidgeted in her chair he knew she was ready to bolt even then.

"Good, Let's go then...this crowd makes me nervous and my rooms are just across the street."

He shared with her and rose, pulling her chair back and touching her elbow to steady her, paying the bill and nodding to the waitress as she looked at him with curious eyes.

"See you tomorrow Sandra, have a good nights sleep, OK?"

"If you say so Doctor"

At the door Bridget balked and he stood eying her sadly, then shrugged his shoulders and spoke.

"It's your life Bridget that you're wasting...I'll let campus offices know in the morning then?"

Again the threat was effective and he walked Bridget across the street to his rooms, setting her at a table and moving across it to slide the first page to her.

"Your application. It looks better if you sign it volunteering for my programs, I need everything filled out so be thorough for me, some of the questions seem ridiculous but all have a serious intention?"

Moving about the room he turned on a recording of music and set the sound down low, then moved to his metronome and positioned it so it was visible to Bridget and reflected the afternoon sunlight.

"Take your time and ask questions if you don't understand, this isn't a test, just a questionnaire to discover who you are"

"As if do you sleepwalk and how often?" Is a valid question?"

Bridget giggled and Doctor Diamond turned slowly to face her.

"Do you?"

"Yes...so my roommate used to say quite frequently...before we...before we broke up."

"Then put down "Yes" and about how many times per month please"

Keeping his voice calm and level Doctor Diamond placed the second and third questionnaires next to his "volunteer" and moved to the door.

"Relax and fill them all out if you would Bridget, I'll be next door if you need me...or when you're done."

Closing the door behind him the Doctor smiled and let his excitement show on his face, then moved to the phone and monitor on his desk.

"Jerry...I think I've got the perfect specimen. She’s here now and fits my profile exactly...I want to use the dance room sometime this very week, OK?"

Bridget rolled her eyes at the number of questions she was being asked to answer. She penciled in her comments, checked yes or no on a few items, gave details on even more, most of the ones she had answered on the first page dealt with her family. How many sisters or brothers she had. The number zero was easy enough to write. She filled in the medical history of her mother and father, neither having any dependencies that she knew of. When she reached the section concerning her early childhood, she quickly went through that section, not recalling anything that would send red flags up. She knew the Doctor would find nothing wrong with her and so she began to settle in his thick leather chair and work quietly and with less intimidation than before.

The sound of the music brought a calmness to her as did the metronome, neither one though did Bridget think about as she began to enjoy filling out the questionnaire. It was fun to actually answer the questions and think about her childhood. It wasn’t until she picked up the second paper that her mood changed. The questions she found there were ones that reflected on her teenage years and her young adult life. She felt her body tense as she began to describe interaction among her peers and how she felt inadequate whenever she aced a test, but failed to snag a boyfriend. She admitted her displeasure at her looks. Her red hair constantly curling and looking haggard. She told in detail about chopping the long red locks to her ears, and how for the first time she got noticed and how it made her feel like a new person.

Her hand cramped and she took a break, leaning back in her seat and letting the memories wash over her. Eventually the metronome called to her and she focused on it, then she went back to writing. More of her life was revealed. The numerous times she got her hopes up to go out to a party, only to be told she was either not invited or she was not allowed to go, because she had to study. The final paper had her revealing her currant lifestyle. She confessed her use of cigarettes, and her excessive love of coffee, cappuccinos, and an occasional drink to help her get through the pain of a loss that she refused to reveal.

When she was done, she set the papers on the Doctor’s desk and then reclaimed her seat. She looked around the office, wondering when the Professor would return, because she had more studying to do and the morning was slowly easing into afternoon.

The woman in his testing room fascinated Doctor Diamond.

Not because of her beauty...she wasn't one...

Not because of her sparkling personality.... she didn't have one

And certainly not because of the way she dressed or behaved.... she was a slob in both departments.

It was because of her possibilities....

Her confession to sleep walking was the greatest hope, a somnambulist, or sleep walker, was a person whose subconscious lay open to suggestions or direction....and if her subconscious could be accessed Bridget was a prime candidate for the project he had duped her into enrolling in...

Mind Control....

Add to that her fascination with his timepiece and easy acceptance to the rhythmic music he left playing in the room...and it all added up to woman who was potentially one of the greatest amnesiacs ever discovered.

"I can remake you into what you want to be.... if you're honest and brave enough to tell me what that is."

He touched the monitor with his fingertips, then turned and stepped into the room where Bridget was waiting.... impatiently.

"I won't waste anymore of your day Bridget, but I will send this home with you...it's an empty sheet of paper with two columns...I want you to put all the qualities you dislike about yourself on one side...and all the qualities you wish you had on the other.... please bring it back to me filled out when you have your next appointment...which is Tuesday at 4 p.m."

Handing her the sheet he gathered the others and watched the mousy woman slip out of the room, then looked over her medical sheet to find the name he was hoping was on it....

"Ahhh, there she is...Susan...lets hope this phone number is good"

And it was...the Doctor quickly explaining his accidental meeting of Bridget and his diagnosis of "severe and possibly crippling mental depression", then crossing his fingers and hoping Sandra was a good enough friend to...

"Stop by my office tonight and help me fill out the rest of her psychiatric profile?"

And she was, promising to be over immediately...and keep everything on the "QT"....

The next day, after her morning classes, Bridget stared at Susan in disbelief as her friend continued to deny she’d ever spoken with Professor Diamond. She wanted to believe her, but when her friend said it sounded like a good idea and Bridget should definitely be seeing someone for her addictions, Bridget growled low, stood up and spun on her heels. She slammed her door room closed and kicked the chair that rested at her desk.

The paper the Professor had given her stared up at her, the contrasting white a beacon to her as it lay against the black of her desk. “Bastard,” she hissed and then picked up her chair, sat down with her crystal tumbler of Whiskey and her ashtray. A cigarette slipped easily into her mouth and her shaky hand poured a shot of her favorite beverage. “Let’s get this over with,” she hissed, her dangling addiction hanging from her lips.

She alternated the sides of the paper, listing what came to her from the top of her head. Her dislikes far outweighed her likes and they even managed to bring a hurt to her chest that only her drink could contain. Maybe she did have too many vises. She looked at the whiskey and sighed. She’d give it up after finals, they were only a week or so away. Then she’d go home for Summer Break and all would be well. She’d humor the Doc until finals were over and then she’d go home.

Eventually she was done with her list. She looked down at it and felt a deep sense of sorrow. She liked the fact she was a good friend to those around her, even if she was angry with Susan. She was a good listener and an excellent study. She was smart, her grades testified to that. The things that made her feel worthless, now seeing them on paper, only seemed to reinforce all the horrible things about herself that she had managed to deny for a few years off and on in her life.

Her fingers ran over the script that had been written with tears sliding down her face. She had drawn through the label Dislikes and written HATES. Her eyes focused on words like weight, looks, hair. . .attitude. She hated that most of all. She hated wanting to fit into societies expectations of a woman. Her tumbler slipped easily into her hand and as she read the paper, she sipped at her glass. Bridget wanted to be beautiful. She wanted to be confident, sexy, stunning, yet she still wanted to be brilliant in her chosen profession; she just wanted to look like a million bucks doing it.

When the bottom of the glass caught the light of the waning sun she knew she would have to work extra hard tomorrow, since she was going to have to take off early. She refused to think about the visit with the Doctor, as she stood up and stumbled to her bed. As she closed her eyes she thought of calling her friend Sandra and telling her about the Doc, but she knew Sandra had her own life and just like Susan, Sandra would probably tell her it was a good idea to see the shrink.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tuesday afternoon came quickly for Bridget. She pulled out her assignment for the Doctor and darted across campus after parking her car and brushing off the pet hair that had accumulated from her work as an Intern with the local Veterinary Clinic. Outside his office she pulled the rubber band from her hair, gathered up the loose red locks and bound them back up into a tangle of curls that were held away from her lightly freckled face. She took a deep breath, unfolded the paper, picked at the dried pasta stain and tried to wipe the cigarette ashes from its once white surface. “You’re a gem,” she told herself as she knocked on the door of the Professor’s office, “at least you haven’t had a drink today. . . not yet.”

She couldn’t wait till she was back in her dorm and taking just a sip of her whiskey. Bridget had decided that morning, that she was cutting back to a small sip before bed and when the liquid was gone and the bottle empty she would not restock her supply of liquor. The door opened and the Doctor greeted her. She kept her head down and walked in, handing him the paper as she did, before claiming the seat she’d been offered the first time she’d sat down.

Doctor Diamond took the paper and studied it quietly as Bridget sulked to her chair and sat down, his eyes noting the change in terms on the top of the one column and going to her face as he read the "Hates" column for a second time before putting the paper into the growing file he had started.

"Bridget, right now I'm getting the impression you think you've been tricked into being here and if I were inyour shoes I might think the same thing if I didn't understand how a Doctor of Psychology works. It's my job to gather as much credible information on the people I try to help, you might call it prying or invasive but to a doctor that information is the only thing that makes a difference between success and failure."

He spoke softly and kept his eyes on the figure of Bridget, her won face turned downward and staring at her fingers the entire time he spoke...

"You know...for a woman who has so many hate lines you're extremely quiet"

He prompted, knowing he had to take a different tact and wondering just how many times he would have to change before he drew a positive response.

"What do you want me to say, that I hate being here and want to leave?"

Head still down the words came to him and he smiled, then replied.

"Well that would be an honest reply, perhaps the first you've given me since we met..but I'd rather have you asking me what I'm doing for you so I don't waste your time..."

Bridget spun around in her seat and stared at the Professor. “Honesty. . .you want me to be honest? Okay, Doc. . . I’ll be honest.”

She gnawed on her lip, wondering if she was about to make the second biggest mistake in her life, being born having been the first. “However, remember you asked for it, so it would be unethical for you to expel me for being honest.”

Again she took a deep breath. “I think you blackmailed me. You took the words of a friend of mine and determined that I needed your help. You held my agreeing to meet you here and subject myself to your fancy ideas and your tailored education to force me to either do what you wanted, or to lose my place here at the University.”

Her eyes were flaring as she continued to feel a little bit of bite return to a sting she once had before her world crashed around her.

“That’s what I think. . .ask you what you can do for me? Please. You don’t know me. You don’t care about me. I’m just another project for your little book. A science experiment to document and then run around and get pats on the back from your colleagues. What you are currently doing to me is making me cut hours from my job. Force me to loose valuable study time and subject myself to sitting here listening to your stupid tunes, while you get off reading about my private life. . .now we have an hour to kill right? So why don’t we get this farce started, because the sooner we get finished the sooner I can get back to earning my degree!”

Her lips trembled and her hands shook violently, but she fought to keep her eyes locked on his even though she was ready to run and flee into the next oncoming car, just so she could get out of this sick fucked up mess Susan had put her in.

Doctor Diamond stood quietly and let Bridget have her say, listening to her rant and reading between the lines as her words came faster and with an intensity he didn't think she possessed, until that moment.

And as she finished he regarded her quietly, aware of the toll her anger had taken on her, and how much courage it had taken...

"You're right Bridget. I saw you in the cafe and recognized the symptoms, Susan never contacted me it was I who called her AFTER we had our first session. She's worried about you and cares for you, but is also terrified of what you're turning yourself into. You scare her, as you do all your friends, your anger and self-hatred eating you up and threatening the ones around you that actually care for you. I know very little about you, but from what your friends have told me, that's not the kind of person you are.... or is it?"

He spoke levelly and admitted his sin, his final question reaching out to her and making her blink...and giving him hope.

"The contract is on your table yet, read it.... You volunteered and can quit at anytime, so I haven't blackmailed you...But will bet you ten to one that if you walk out NOW? You're missing the greatest opportunity of your life..."

Reaching over the table he flipped open the contract until he found the right page, then placed a finger on the lines...

"Reimbursement for monetary loss and consideration for scholastic credits...you can quit your job and make better money here, or cut back on it as you see fit and be compensated at a rate better than you make now...by far, I checked Bridget, to make sure I wasn't going to short you...or create any hardship."

Reaching into his own files he pulled out several more sheets and spread them before the still shaking woman, the signatures of her own Professors on the bottom of each, and he softly continued.

"They've all agreed to hold your present grade point average EXACTLY where it's at now, I had the Dean speak to them and explain how valuable your help to me actually is, they each believe you're involved in a hush-hush project as my Assistant...and know nothing else..."

Backing away he let Bridget lift each paper and take her time reading them, his eyes watching her with quiet interest until she lifted her head to return his gaze.

"I want to help you Bridget, not insult you, not make fun of you...I'm not your friend...or your enemy...I'm a Doctor, who takes his profession as seriously as you do yours...I think I have a way to help you change that list you brought me, to erase all the "Hate" Lines and add a whole lot more to the "Like" side...But I can't...if you don't trust me...and let me do my job..."

Bridget read the papers, not once, but twice. “I don’t want to quit my job. It is dealing with the profession I want to have upon graduation. It wouldn’t, in my opinion, be the smartest move, no how much money you’re offering. . .and I don’t have to have those things changed to be a good doctor. But. . .” She looked up at him and swallowed. “I’ll cut back and thanks for telling me the truth.”

She sat back in her seat and folded her hands in her lap. Another deep breath had her chest rising and falling, but she was calmer now and so her hands were no longer fluttering on her lap, but rested on her thighs. “Look. . .I just want a bit of self-confidence. I had it once. I met Dean. He was a great guy. I mean, I thought he was. But I guess I wasn’t good enough and he started sleeping with some silicon tit girl.” The bitterness in her voice was evident, but so was the pain. “I don’t need to look like the next Cindy Crawford, believe me neither one of us has that much money.”

She blew her bangs from her face, brought her legs up to the chair and sat Indian-style. “You know Doc. . .I’d like to stop that.”

“What?”

“Belittling myself. I want to stop cracking jokes at my own expense. I know why I do it. I just want to stop doing it.”

“Why do you do it?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “So when people do it to me, it doesn’t sting as much, because I have already done it to myself. Kinda like building a dam to hold back the real pain.”

Her voice was serious as were the feelings behind her words.

"I probably can't smoke in here can I?" she asked, noticing there was no crystal ashtray hanging out in the Professor's office.

Doctor Diamond smiled, knowing they had made a break through, and that Bridget was at the very least willing to listen to him.

"We can do almost ALL those things Bridget, one by one...Now I'd like to explain how this process will work...and perhaps if you want....we can go past theory and onto actual practice?"

Bridget nodded and returned his smile with one of her own, and the doctor pulled a chair over to sit across from her, then began...

"You're a sleepwalker. That's good...Good because it tells me a part of your brain is very, very special and is able to function on a level most can't....It's what makes you able to sleepwalk and not get hurt....and then not remember what happened the next day.

We're going to tap into that subconcious and use it to create a new and improved you. No magic...No plastic surgery...No bullshit...With every line you want crossed off your hate list we'll remove it from the old Bridget and add a "Like" quality to the new one....in time all that wil remain is the new Bridget....and she will be You."

Doctor Diamond was quite aware his voice had become excited, he was....and it seemed he had an apt pupil by the way Bridget now looked at him and listened to every word...

"We start simply...I tested you last time without your knowing it, the music was a stimulas as was the metronome I have over there, you relaxed without realising it and if you would have focused on it you would have fallen into a trance like sleep. "

Standing he moved to lift the delicate clock, then returned with it to place it in front of Bridget and look at her curiously.

"Bridget, with your permission I'd like to hypnotize you and give you your first suggestion, that being to like yourself....and have the confidence in yourself you've always wanted..."

"All right Doctor..."

The words thrilled him and he smiled, forcing himself to relax as he started the pendulum inside the glass case and spoke gently to Bridget....

"Bridget want you to watch the pendulum inside the clock, never take your eyes off of it and listen to my voice as you do. There's no need to answer me, simply watch the clock...watch it go back and forth...back and forth....back and forth....Relax Bridget and take long...deep breaths for me, that's good...very good...watch the clock go back and forth...back and forth...back and forth....you feel like sleeping Bridget and that's good....very good, watch the clock go back and forth....back and forth....back and forth....You want to go into a deep sleep and that's good, watch the clock go back and forth , back and forth....Sleep for me Bridget now and that's good as you watch the clock go back and forth...back and forth....back and forth...."

Over and over Doctor Diamond spoke the words softly, keeping a steady rythem that match the clocks slow ticking and slowly relaxed Bridget, her eyes focused on the clock and her eyelids drooping farther and farther until they closed....

And Doctor Diamond smiled...

"Bridget, this is your Doctor...can you hear me?

"Yes Doctor, I hear you"

Bridget responded, her eyes still closed, her voice dull and listless...

"Bridget I'm going to give you a word...a very special word...each time you hear this word you'll go into this sleep...and we'll talk, would you like that?

"Yes Doctor, I would like that..."

"The word is "Hydrant"...do you understand Bridget?"

"Yes Doctor, I understand..."

"Good Bridget, Now listen carefully to me...You no longer hate yourself, you love yourself...You no longer think everyone hates you, instead you see them for the individuals they are...just as you are. You are sure of yourself and have learned from past mistakes, no longer blaming yourself or others for them...You like the person you are and your friends, and see that they care for you....Do you understand me Bridget?"

"Yes Doctor, I understand..."

Over and over Doctor Diamond talked with the sleeping Bridget, repeating the positive things she had wanted and how she was going to become them, the hours passed and bit by bit the Doctor knew it was going to work....and he smiled as he finished.

"Bridget I'm going to wake you soon...but before I do I want you to listen to me...the only person you will speak to when you sleep like this is me...and you will only listen to my commands,do you understand?"

"Yes Doctor, I understand..."

"Very good. Now Bridget when you wake you will wake feeling rested and happy, not remembering the talk we just had...but knowing that you trust me and want to do everything I tell you...You will wake as I count to three....

One....Two..........Three"

Bridget sighed. She looked at Doctor Diamond expectantly and waited for him to begin. She noticed the time and her eyes grew wide. “No fuckin’ way.” She licked her lips and wanted to ask what he’d done, but didn’t want to doubt his abilities. They had just made up.

“I take it we’ll find out if it worked later huh?”

She watched him rise and offer her his hand. She shook it and shrugged her shoulders. “Same time next week?”

Doctor Diamond looked at his schedule, as well as the times he’d penciled in Bridget’s free time. “Thursday at 10:00 am.”

Bridget thought a moment and then shook her head. “Sounds good. I’ve got a class at eight, but nothing else the rest of the day.”

She walked out of the office and passed the trophy case that held various awards and certificates. She stopped and looked at herself. Her fingers moved to tuck a loose strand of hair, behind her ear and she smiled back at her reflection. Her hands ran down her shirt, smoothing the material over her breasts. With a deep breath, she headed out the door and down the steps.

The sun casts is waning light on her as five o’clock skimmed by. “Hey Brad,” she said to one of the schools computer technicians. He was often fixing someone’s fucked up hard-drive.

He stopped and stared at her as if she had grown a new head. “Bridge.”

She winked and headed back to the dorm. It wasn’t long before she was studying her diagrams and toying with a cigarette. She never lit, it, but it dangled for hours in her mouth as a tumbler of whiskey remained untouched, but ready if she needed it.

Doctor Diamond was pleased with Bridget as she left. He could already see a change in her walk and how she stopped to look at herself in the glass cases.

Her hands going to her hair indicated to his trained eye she was not only seeing herself for the first time in a new light, but as she adjusted the loose hair told him she was liking what she saw.

What surprised the Doctor was her motion in smoothing her shirt, her breasts suddenly round and firm under her hands and the nipples quite evident, making him aware she wasn't just a subject...but a woman...

He spent the next two days getting the music room ready, arranging the recording equipment so Bridgets words of her experiences would be heard clearly, and setting a large couch in the center of the room to focus the various lights and speakers over it.

To find himself anxiously awaiting the hour she arrived, and smiling as he roseand greeted her warmly.

"I'm glad to see you Bridget, you look...wonderful"

His words were honest, the changes in her face quite evident, her eyes bright and alert, her hair brushed and arranged to show off the high angles of her cheeks....cheeks that were glowing a healthy pink...

"Thank You, I feel wonderful too."

"We're not going to do the next session here, I've a room arranged for us...a more comfortable place to sit...and recording equipment thatwill eliminate the need for paperwork."

"All right Doctor"

Stepping into the hall with her they rode the elevator to the lowest level, then moved into the music room that was used for fledgling artists come to place thier words and music on tape...

"I'd like to have you tell me EVERYTHING that's happened to you since we last met, things that have importance to you...things you've seen...or done...or NOT done...how you've felt about yourself...perhaps you've seen your friends?"

He suggested as they sat on the couch and he watched her meet his eyes, seeing the bright blue orbs and thinking how pretty they looked above her button nose...and how alert she was as she sat quietly and looked atthe equipment that surrounded.

"For the recording, it activates at the sound of our voices"

He pointed out the microphones and digital equipment.

"The lights and speakers are for the next step...once you tell me how you are..."

Bridget didn’t doubt that the Doctor was speaking the truth, though all she wore was a simple black skirt that hung past her knees and a white sweater that was too big for her, but these clothes were the kind she had always worn. She felt indifferent to them now. Not really carrying what they did to her body, because she knew what she looked like under them, but even knowing that didn’t seem to effect Bridget. She accepted herself as she was and was pleased with what God had gifted her. She’d even considered going shopping over the weekend, once she was done studying. She smiled at the Doctor, crossing her legs at the ankles and allowing her hands to rest on her lap. No longer did she fidget or play with her clothes, or pick at the cuticles of her nails.

“I haven’t done a lot really. Studied. I know you said the Professors are willing to hold my grades, but that doesn’t mean I won’t forget what I’ve learned, so I can’t slack off on my schedule. So I spent most of Tuesday night studying. Wednesday, Susan, Jennifer and I went out for coffee. Then they went for a drive and I headed back to campus. I called my parents and talked to them. They asked if I was okay and I thought about telling them about what you’d done, but then remembered my Dad’s opinion on your profession. Perhaps that’s why I was so hostile to you when we met. Conditioning. . .”

“I feel different. Not sure why, probably it was whatever you did to me, but I don’t remember what you did. Susan came over this morning, before class and invited me to the movies with her boyfriend, Jennifer and her steady. I may go. I really haven’t decided. We’ll see. . . it’s not really fun to be the only one without a date. I’m not sure what you are wanting to hear. I don’t live a glamorous life, but the last couple of days have seemed to move swifter and I haven’t had a drink, but did smoke a few when I was talking to mom and dad.”

"That's good, very good...the changes in you aren't huge but they aren't supposed to be...still I think you'll admit they're positive ones...the relations with your friends, your own decision in not drinking...the only time you smoking when you spoke with your parents and felt uneasy..."

Doctor Diamond made several notes in his log, reminders to delve deeper into Bridget's relationship with her parents and to see if she was still a virgin...then closed the notebook to look at her.

"Your deciding to continue to study is a positive sign also Bridget,it shows you're able to focus on your goals as well as be responsible, I'm sure the Dean will be impressed and let the others know...Now if you're ready I'd like to explain this next step...and afterwards we can begin?"

"All right Doctor"

Doctor Diamond was once again amazed at the calmness Bridget now displayed and smiled as he began.

"Last session we were able to access your subconcious...I was able to take your wishes we spoke of and relay them to your subconcious and am pleased to tell you they have worked...With this session I'm going to once again access your subconcious and reinforce those wishes....and add more...the equipment you see will aid in doing that...and make sure the results are permanent, OK?"

"I'm ready when you are."

"Wonderful, not sit back inthat chair and relax, I'll set the equipment in place and we can begin...I want you to focus on the flashing lights and relax...letting your mind go blank..."

Again he played the same music used in the previous session, then set the multi colored strobes to flashing, carefully avoiding them himself as he moved beside her to speak softly...

"Hydrant"


Stepping out of the room Doctor Diamond waited anxiously for the minutes to pass...then reentered the room as the clock chimed softly and told him a full hour had gone by...turning the strobe lights and music off to sit next to Bridget on the couch...

"Bridget can you hear me?"

"Yes Doctor"

"Good. Bridget can you remember our last talk clearly?"

"Yes Doctor"

"Today I want you to think of those things and know they've helped you tremendously, that they've become good and positive things in your life and you need to continue with them..."

"Yes Doctor"

"And today we're going to add to those things, focusing on you and how you see yourself, and want others to see you.... When you wake you're going to look at what you eat and how it affects your body, then begin to slowly choose better food and drink to make you healthier...You're also going to tell yourself you don't need to drink alchohol in order to get through the normal stress of a day...or smoke, Instead you'll vent that stress by exercising on a regular basis at the gym...do you understand me Bridget?"

"Yes Doctor"

"Good...the final instruction I want to add this session is for you to look at how you dress, and your daily appearance...make an appointment when a beauty salon and ask them if they might help you create a newer and sexier you, to do your hair, your nails...indulge yourself with a manicure and pedicure...even a massage and a wax...then end the day with a small shopping spree to find a few outfits that show your figure..."

"Yes Doctor"

"Very good. Now Bridget when you wake you will wake feeling rested and happy, not remembering the talk we just had...but knowing that you trust me and want to do everything I tell you...You will wake as I count to three....

One....Two..........Three"

Bridget blinked a few times and stared at her Doctor. Her smile once again genuine and relaxed. She glanced at her watch and chuckled softly, shaking her head in amazement. “This is kinda creepy if you think about it. . .It’s scary really. I’m trusting you more than I have ever trusting anyone except my parents. You know that, don’t you?”

She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. “I remember nothing. Yet the time on my watch shows me that what happened last time has happened again. I trust you, but well, other Doctor’s, not good ones like you. They could abuse this power. How sick is that?”

Bridget pushed her fingers through her hair, tugged a few strands and stared at them. “Is there anything else we need to do?” she asked, pushing the long red locks behind her back.

Though she knew the Doctor was speaking to her, she found herself distracted as she thought of rearranging her schedule so she could fit in a trip to the salon. She stared at her fingers and did some adding and subtracting in her head as she tried to come up with the funds that would pay for a manicure.

“Sorry, we’re you saying something. . .I guess I’m still loopy from whatever it is you’re doing to me.”

Doctor Diamond smiled, the signs of Bridget's conditioning already showing as brushed her hair back and stared at her nails, and he anticipated the logical thoughts she was having.

"Your check, we seemed to forget to talk about it last session, so I brought it with me for this one, the standard fee the institute pays all of it's research volunteers..."

Pulling the cashiers check out of his breast pocket he handed it to her, then relaxed into the couch as she took it and glanced at it.

"That's for three sessions, so we're up to date with you, at five hundred a session totalling one thousand five hundred...if you need more I can advance you two more sessions worth?"

He stood, collecting the tapes from the recorder and making sure the other equipment was off, then turned back to Bridget.

"It was a good session, if you're ever curious of exactly what happens during any or all I've recorded them, and you have the right to listen to them...all you need to do is contact me."

He walked with Bridget to the hallway and locked the door into the music room then turned to face her and say goodbye...

"How about Tuesday again for our next session then, does Ten A.M. work for you again?"

Bridget held the check in her hand, folded it and tucked it in her front pocket. “No need to advance me anything, thanks for the offer though. Tuesday works fine. I’ll rearrange a few things and if you want we can either do one day a week or two. I’ll let you check your schedule first and then you can let me know when I see you again.”

She thought about the tapes and decided to address the offer he had made to her about listening to them. “The tapes. . .as long as I leave her still feeling like I trust you, I don’t see needing them. I guess if I go home and things feel wrong, then I’ll let you know, but if you think about it Doc.,” she winked, “you could just stop and pause what you wanted me to hear and what you didn’t want me to hear. . .but I trust you, so I’m not worried about that.”

“I’ll see you Tuesday, unless we pass at the café or somewhere else around town. I think I will go to that movie though even if I don’t have a date.” She smiled and waved goodbye, pausing outside the building to once again breathe in the warm air.

That afternoon Bridget cashed her check, depositing one third of it in her savings account, the rest she pocketed and headed to the mall. An hour passed before a stylist was able to deal with Bridget, she didn’t mind the wait though, she’d been thumbing though the latest styles and figuring out which would be right for her.

When she left her hair hung straight down her back. The curls were gone, but she’d been taught how to operate the curling iron she’d purchased to her advantage. She passed another Salon, this one dealing in pedicures and manicures, something she rewarded herself with. An ad on the table caught her attention and without thought Bridget called the local club and arranged for a Saturday morning massage as well as a tour of the facilities. After hanging up, she determined she would probably join the health club, that thought led her to tallying up how much money a new pair of workout clothes would cost her.

As she walked out of the salon, she failed to notice the polite glances she was receiving, focusing instead on a new outfit to wear to the movies. “Even without a date, I can still look nice,” she told herself as she walked into Victoria Secrets, followed by Macy’s.

Saturday night...Jeff Diamond stood waiting at the door to the local theatre with a mildly disgusted look on his face...the date he had arranged to meet having just called him and leaving him the message she couldn't make it as planned. Still he had waited for the much touted arrival of the show and was at the theatres...and the tickets were already purchased...

"Popcorn, small, no butter and a Sprite?"

He asked politely and sighed, not enjoying the feeling of being alone on a Saturday night...and then smiling as it reminded him of an ancient Cat Steven's song...

"When does the show start miss?"

He questioned the over worked youngster behind the counter and watched her move away without answering...

"In ten minutes....Dotor?"

An eerily familiar voice spoke to him from behind and he turned to thank who ever it was, to discover she was indeed...familiar, but changed...

"Thank You Bridget, I take it you're here to see a show as well?"

"Sort of Doctor"

"Call me Jeff...we're out of the office now"


"Okay...I'm here with my girlfriends....but..."

Jeff listened as Bridget explained the arrangement, his eyes taking in the amazing changes she has made to herself in the past few days as Bridget concluded...

"Some lame romance flik I've already seen and am NOT looking forward to sitting through again OR watching the four of them make out"

"I can understand, believe me"

Jeff agreed and told his own story of being stood up and stuck with two tickets...

"Maybe you'd prefer to use one of these...my treat?"

He offered the extra ticket and nodded to the sign over the open theatre doors


Concessions paid for and the line nudging him forward he grinned helplessly and shrugged his shoulders as Bridget stood watching him ticket in hand...

"Enjoy your night out bridget..."

Bridget checked out the movie and shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll watch it with you, Doc. . .Jeff.” She took her place beside him, apologizing to the people who had been waiting for her to make a decision. They moved together, each handing their ticket to the employee and then making their way into the dimly lit room.

“In the middle? Up high? Down low?” she asked as they quickly scanned the available seats. “There’s a couple there,” she said, pointing to a pair of seats that were just a bit higher than the middle row.

Once more they were moving and when they claimed the seats, Bridget sat down and smiled up to her Professor. “This will be fun. Though I hope it doesn’t get you in trouble.” She adjusted the tie on her pink lace jacket, wanting to make sure it still sat well over the pineapple cropped top, she’d purchased earlier that week.

She crossed her legs, smoothed down her slacks and waited for the movie to begin. Soon the lights were dimmed and she reached over to pluck a piece of popcorn from her Doctor. She winked, unaware of how she may have looked with the lights of the movie casting a glow upon her softly curled hair, which she had been thrilled to have twisted herself.

“Thanks,” she said with another grin as she popped a second puffy, buttery piece into her mouth.

Jeff smiled. finding Bridget to be of more interest than the movie proved itself to be, her cute way of "stealing" popcorn drawing his eyes as she popped it into her mouth over the full, red lips...

Lips he wasn't aware of until now...

Lips that made his groin stir, and mind fight to explain away, telling him it was a natural reaction but one he shouldn't...couldn't ...allow.

With a sigh he forced himself to watch the big screen and as the endless parade of zombies marched back and forth slowly killing off the actors he caught himself laughing, knowing that the "much expected" show was nothing other than a bomb.

"How about we skip the rest of this show?"

He suggested to Bridget as he caught her making faces at it as well...

"Maybe go get a cup of coffee or something?"

He wasn't violating any rules, not technically...but if so why did he feel such a thrill as he met Bridgets eyes and waited for answer...at least, not yet....

Bridget grinned and rose from her seat. “Anything, but this!” she declared and then giggled as a collective “Shhh” filled the theater. She shrugged her shoulders, whispered, “sorry” then tugged Jeff from his seat. They left the theater, his popcorn in one hand, his drink in hers. She winked as she settled her lips around the red plastic and drew in the sweet liquid.

Not once did she think her movements sexy or arousing, they were simply a young woman sucking on a straw. Licking her lips, she followed him out of the establishment and only then realized she’d been holding his hand. She quickly dropped it and blushed, ignoring the warmth that she suddenly missed. “Well that’ll get ya in trouble, won’t it? Sorry.”

“Coffee or whatever. . .Let’s grab dinner, my treat. Unless you want glamorous, but I’m not dressed for anything to ritzy. Pizza? No, that won’t work, too many folks from Campus go there.”

She thought a minute and then sighed. “You pick. Maybe we’ll have to head out of town a bit, but I don’t think any place local would be wise. I don’t want you in trouble or even having to try and come up with a reason we’re together. Something about making you lie, doesn’t sit well with me.”

“By the way, Doc,” she winked at his shortened title, “this is new.” She meant the outfit, but then realized all of it was new. . .her clothes, her shoes, her body. . .right down to her pedicure toes with pink polish. “Though I think I went a little nuts on pink.” Her laughter filled the night as she walked beside Jeff in the direction of his car.

"It looks good on you...All of it..."

Jeff complimented Bridget as she slid into his car.

"How about an old fashioned meal where we can relax, have a glass of wine and listen to some music without being interrupted"

"Sounds like heaven, lets go..."

Twenty minutes later they arrived, pulling up to a single story building that had a single wooden sign hanging off it's eave, the simple words hinting at what lay inside.


"A large plate of pasta, some fresh made sauce and two forks?"

Jeff called out as they slipped into the warmth of the low ceilinged room and paused.

"Let your eyes get used to the candles and we can seat ourselves,"

He explained gently and slid a guiding hand around Bridgets bare waist...

"Like that one there...in the corner?"

Seated at the small table they had several minutes to adjust to the lighting and Jeff took the time to admire Bridget and her new clothing...as well as what lay underneath it..

"It's clean and simple, the woman who cooks comes from straight from Italy, she lives here because this is where her husband died years ago and she wants to be buried beside him someday..."

He offered and poured them each a glass of wine.

"To new friends...and new lives"

Bridget had just recovered from the surprising warmth of her Doctor’s hand on her waist and was now sitting across from him toasting to their friendship. She could still feel his strong touch on her skin and found it distracting, the first real time she’d been distracted since she had agreed to his treatment. She pushed it away and settled into her seat.

When the plate of pasta arrived, along with garlic bread she enjoyed sharing the meal with the handsome gentleman. Eventually, she relaxed and told herself that she was being foolish. She took a few calming breaths and the uneasiness subsided. She again felt confident in her appearance and her mannerisms.

“Thanks,” she suddenly said, and noted the question in his eyes, “for dinner and the movie and for the compliment earlier. I had to restrain from blowing all that money in one day, but I managed. . . and no before you ask, I do not want an advancement.”

She grinned and took a bite of her bread. Moaned over the succulent flavor, then licked her lips. “This is delicious. I will definitely have to come back here again. I’ve never heard of the place, but with a snazzy name like ‘Good Eats’. . .it certainly lives up to its proclamation.”

As their glasses slowly began to be drained, she chose to top them off, not quite ready for the evening to come to an end. “So since we are here as friends and not Doctor/patient. . . tell me about you.” She grinned. “I am at a disadvantage. . .You know all. I had to fill out three sheets of intimate questions and well. . .I got nothing from you, about you.”

Bridget lifted one brow, set her hand in her chin and gazed at the Doctor as if she were waiting on pins and needles to hear his life story. In reality she not only wanted to know more about him, but she wanted to prolong the evening and this in her opinion was the safest way to do it.