//------------------------------// // Nursery Flush (Nurse Redheart) // Story: Potty Training Tales // by SuperPinkBrony12 //------------------------------// Nurse Redheart was both confused and worried when Doctor Stable called her in before her latest shift at Ponyville General Hospital. Had she done something wrong? Was there some sort of emergency? Doctor Stable, for his part, just drew his attention to what Nurse Redheart was not wearing around her rump compared to what he usually saw. Only once he was certain the two were alone though did he bother to make his case known. “Nurse Redheart, it has come to my attention that you’ve been taking a rather...” He paused, trying to think of the best way to describe what he wanted to say next. “Unconventional approach to bathroom breaks during your shifts.” “Doctor Stable, I…” Nurse Redheart began to plead. The doctor interrupted. “While I may appreciate your dedication to your work, and admire your desire to stay at your post at all times, what you are doing is simply unacceptable. There is no reason at all why anypony working here should be wearing diapers.” Nurse Redheart gulped. “It’s just… if something were to happen to any patient in my care, I want to be right there to help them out. I can’t do it if I’m… well… otherwise engaged.” The unicorn doctor sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. “You can easily flag down somepony to fill in for you while you take your breaks, that’s why we have rotating shifts and interns. The medical diapers are for emergencies only!” “But I…” Nurse Redheart pleaded again. “-There’s nothing wrong with your bladder or bowels that affects your ability to hold it either. If you’re really worried we can schedule a test to determine if your capacity has been diminished somehow,” The doctor interrupted again. “But in the meantime, you’re not allowed to wear the medical diapers or any kind of diapers while you’re on duty. You can even take bathroom breaks before the start of your shift and after the end of your shift if that will help. We have plenty of bathrooms here, and all of them are maintained and cleaned daily.” Then he turned and trotted away. The young nurse reluctantly realized her superior had a point. She’d originally just dipped into the medical diaper supply for use on those really long shifts or when tending to special needs patients, but it had slowly spread beyond that to the point where she’d been all but depending on them every day. And that unfortunately meant that once again training her body to rely on the hospital’s bathrooms was going to be difficult. However, she had no other choice if she didn’t want to lose her job. As there was a bit of time before her next shift was slated to begin, the earth pony nurse decided it was as good a time as any to use one of the bathrooms. “I just hope I haven’t made myself dependent on the diapers.” She thought to herself, trotting away to find the bathroom nearest to her. Pushing open the door, the nurse trotted inside and locked it behind her as it was standard hospital procedure that bathrooms like these be for single occupancy use only unless otherwise posted. When the hospital first opened, the bathrooms had all had the older flush model and sprayer for cleaning (mostly due to the fact that it was seen as a more sanitary option). But over time, Doctor Stable found that patients with an injured leg or hoof were having problems using them. So to improve their safety, all of the older flush models were replaced with the newer throne models.  Nurse Redheart slowly trotted over to the glamorous porcelain bowl. She then slowly turned herself around and sat down on the seat. She moved further and further back until she was certain her rump was covering the opening. Now all that remained was to just sit there and wait.  Minutes slowly tickled by in agonizing boredom as Nurse Redheart just sat there and waited. She knew it had been a while since she’d last eaten or drunk anything, though how long it was she wasn’t sure. But something had to be ready to come out. And if it did she wouldn’t have a diaper to protect her or the floors if she had to go during her shift. If only the interns were more reliable she might not feel so concerned about depending on one of them to take her place. If only she had brought some reading material to occupy herself with. At last, something began to move deep within the mare and almost before she knew it her tail was hiking upward. A steady hissing sound could be heard echoing down into the bowl, alongside a few splashes as familiar smells began to fill the air. Once satisfied that her “work” was done, Nurse Redheart cleaned her rump up with some rolls of toilet paper before dropping them into the bowl. Then she rose from the toilet seat and pressed down the silver handle. There came a familiar roar as the flush cycle started and everything inside the toilet was flushed away. Now all she had to do after that was wash her hooves in a nearby sink. All of that had taken no more than a couple of minutes at best, probably less time than it had taken to change diapers after use if the young nurse was being honest. “It feels so easy., She thought to herself as she exited the bathroom. “Minutes can mean everything in a hospital. But it’s not healthy for me to hold everything in all shifts, that’s how infections start.” Once done with washing her hooves, Nurse Redheart exited the bathroom to prepare for her shift. Adjusting back to a new schedule of "bathroom breaks" was going to be difficult but she'd have to find a way to manage. If she didn't she would surely not last much longer on the job. Doctor Stable, meanwhile, thought to himself. "I'd better double the amount of check-ups and shift rotations for the interns, that way Nurse Redheart won't feel tempted to revert to old habits."