Search the Community

Hey everyone! It's Sophie! Pudding and I have been writing a few short stories recently so I'm just going to post them all at once. If you like them and want to support our writing, please check out our Patreon: www.patreon.com/sophieandpudding -------------------------- A Mommy’s Love By Sophie *Author’s Note: This story is just some cute hypno diaper smut about a Mommy who takes some extra precautions to make sure her baby stays in diapers. Disclaimers: diapers, hypnosis, wetting, messing, oral sex -------------------------- I sat with my feet over Mommy’s lap, stealing glances at her out of the corner of my eye. We had been watching TV for the better part of the hour, and I was starting to think things might actually be settling down. Just in time, too. Ever since she woke me up with a kiss on the forehead and a finger in the leg-band of my diaper, she had been in full-on Mommy mode. It was a fun game we liked to play; I was her baby and she would take care of me. Sometimes it was cute and innocent, and other times… well… Today, Mommy wasn’t playing around. She changed me into one of the most infantile diapers I had - with a booster for the extra thickness - and a dress with fluffy sleeves and a round collar. I tried telling her I could be a grown up, but her casual remark on the state of my diaper that morning put the argument to rest. My bedwetting was a new development. Mommy spoon-fed me breakfast and gave me a baby bottle of chocolate milk. I didn’t even complain because she never gave me chocolate milk in the mornings. Then she pushed my paci in my mouth and sat me in front of the morning cartoons while she did the dishes. After an episode or two, Mommy came back with a plan for the day: “I wanna hypnotize you.” We had done it before, and I loved playing along. It was always a lot of fun, and the thought of her controlling me was… well, I wasn’t about to say no. Unfortunately, by the end of it, I didn’t remember any particular triggers. She was just talking a lot about how much I love her, or about how much I wanted to make her happy. Then it was over. As the day went on, her teasing escalated. She took me out to lunch in my frilly party dress, where she made me say ‘pretty please’ to the waitress when ordering my food. Then we went to the grocery store, where she checked my diaper in an empty aisle with a firm press to the front of my dress. When we got back to the car, she laid me down in the back seat and changed me into a dry diaper. I knew her car windows were tinted, but it didn’t make me any less embarrassed. When we got home, everything started to settle down. We talked about ordering pizza for dinner and she put a grown up show on the TV. Every so often her hand would slide up my thigh to the front of my diaper, but the mood had changed. We were equals, or close to it. I started up a few conversations to test the waters. Every so often she would lightly tease me, like how cute I am or how well behaved I had been today, but that was normal. Even when she was just my girlfriend, she was always a little bit my mommy. Just a little bit. Another ache rumbled through my tummy and I stole another glance at Mommy. It was now or never. I took my feet off her lap and got up on my feet, crinkling with every small movement. I raised my hands above my head to stretch, flashing the seat of my diaper just a bit. She didn’t react. “I’ll be right back,” I muttered, stepping away from the sofa. “Where ya goin’?” Mommy asked without looking away from the TV. I froze in place and bit my lip. Moment of truth… “I, um… I’m gonna use the bathroom…” The second it took her to reply felt like an hour. But unexpectedly, Mommy said: “Okay. You go be an adult.” For a moment, I stood dumbfounded. I thought for sure I would have to argue with her. I would have to beg or offer something embarrassing in return. Curtsies were a recent go-to of hers, or asking in baby talk. I must have been standing there a while, because then she said: “What are you waiting for? You’re an adult, aren’t you?” “I… um…” I should have turned on my heel and hurried off to the bathroom, but I was thinking about something else. About her. About how kind she was for letting me use the bathroom at all! She didn’t have to do that. I just wished I could show her how much I appreciated her… “Go on,” she encouraged, waving her hand to shoo me away. I almost left, but then she added: “You know how to use the potty, right? All adults do.” A thought came into my mind. I knew how I could make her feel appreciated. I knew how to please her. So I took an unsteady step back toward the couch and slid down to my knees, looking up at her with bright, loving eyes. She tilted her head curiously. “Something wrong?” she asked. “Is being an adult too hard?” A tight cramp in my stomach was replaced shortly thereafter with butterflies. I reached forward with both my hands until they were hooked in the waistband of Mommy’s leggings. She lifted her butt almost instinctively, like I did when she changed my diapers, and slid her pants and panties down to her knees. Then her ankles. Adult. That word echoed in my mind. Mommy spread her knees apart and I leaned in to kiss between her thighs. Instantly, I could hear her breathing change. I could feel her hips moving ever so slightly against my face. Time slipped away from me as my tongue slipped in and out of her. Then another queasy ache filled my belly and I let out a muffled whimper. I really needed to use the potty, and Mommy seemed to read my mind. “Don’t you still have to go to the bathroom?” she asked. I nodded and pulled away, sitting upright on my heels. I looked up at Mommy with a glossy expression. I was just about to stand up when she added: “Like an adult?” I couldn’t leave her like that. I just couldn’t! I loved her so much, and I wanted her to know it. I wanted her to know how sexy she was, how important she was to me, and how much I appreciated her. I wanted to make her happy. I wanted to bring her as much pleasure as she brought me. “Gosh…” Mommy moaned, my tongue between her legs. “If you can’t prioritize getting to the potty… then maybe you aren’t an adult.” I whimpered. I was an adult! I could be! But… but… “An adult would get up and use the potty,” Mommy added, quivering as she spoke. She was breathing heavily and I felt another cramp twist my stomach into knots. An adult would get up and use the potty… “Last chance,” she warned, playing with my hair as I continued to flitter my tongue between her thighs. “If you want to be an adult, go use the bathroom.” But I didn’t. I couldn’t. Being an adult, using the potty, none of that was as important as pleasing my Mommy. I wanted her to be rewarded for everything she did for me. I wanted to make her so happy. “Then you made your choice,” Mommy moaned, tugging my hair and pushing me deeper between her legs. “You aren’t an adult anymore. You’re my obedient little baby, and grown-up things are off limits to you now. No more potty. No more decisions. Your only purpose is to make Mommy happy. And if you do a very good job, Mommy will train you to love your diapers as much as you love your Mommy.” I was crouched on my hands and knees, squatting back so that my diapered butt was only barely touching the heels of my feet. Another ache churned in my stomach, but I wasn’t thinking about that. I was thinking about Mommy’s moans and gasps. I was so focused on making her happy that I didn’t notice until it was too late. As Mommy’s hips spasmed and waves of pleasure flooded through her body, I began to fill the seat of my diaper. She continued to writhe and moan as I continued to mess myself, until we were both comfortable and exhausted. “Such a good baby,” Mommy whispered lazily, reaching down and pulling me up into her arms. I curled up on top of her, against her breasts, and she passively patted the seat of my diaper. Each squish made me shiver with embarrassment, but I knew it was something I would have to get used to. After all, I would never be able to use the potty again. Then Mommy started a very familiar sentence: “Let’s…” ‘Get you changed’ were the words that always followed that tone. But my hopes were dashed when she finished her thought: “Let’s get you started on that training. We have a long way to go if you’re going to love your diapers as much as you love me.” I blushed, but she was right. I would need a lot of training to love anything as much as I loved her. [End]

A/N: IMPORTANT TO NOTICE Hey all! I hope you're all doing well! Do not worry! I am still working on my other stories but had started this a while ago and felt like I should post it! Just a warning in the beginning that this story will contain a lot of non-con, sexual content and humiliation. If this makes you uncomfortable than I suggest you don't read it! I love seeing comments so I'd love to see everyone's comments! ooOoo Summary: When a young new independent journalist decides to write about something other than the typical run of the mill stories, she is introduced into a new life, just not in the way she expected. ooOoo Chapter 1: MommyslittleBiggurls.com 22 December 2021 Hello Friends! It sure has been a while! I hope you’re all doing well on this frosty morning. Here in Montana, we’re certainly going to have a white Christmas. Sugar and Cookie sure are excited to see Santa and have been extra careful to be good girls; always asking for the potty like good little girls, eating all of their veggies at dinner and making sure to drink all of their babas full of yummy milk! I’m sure you all are experiencing the same with your little ones at the moment, even the disobedient can’t ignore the happy cheer of Christmas. I really can’t believe it’s only been three months since we first adopted our newest little girl, Honey! Of course with new littles, it’s always an adventure and Sugar and Cookie are being the best big sisters they can be! It can be hard, especially around the holidays to deal with an un-regressed, naughty little so that brings me to the topic of today’s post: Punishments. If you're like me or are a new caregiver, it’s never easy training a new little and before they can be our sweet little babies, they will be literal demons! It is never fun but in order to nip that naughty behavior in the bum, punishment is required and it is not always as simple as quick spanking. Listed below, you will find three different punishments to try if you, like me, were at a loss. Punishments: Punishment 1: Corner time with a twist Depending on the severity of the naughty behavior, instruct your little one it's corner time for a certain amount of time. While many, if not all, will just find this incredibly boring and whine, there is a small twist. Listen carefully to these five steps: Take littles’ clothes away (that means no diapers/pullups/or undies as well!), Give a nice soapy cold enema to their bum-bum and insert a buttplug to ensure no dribbles Administer a firm spanking (I’ve found different objects such as a belt or hairbrush to be most effective!) Little will bend down or kneel in the corner with their bum-bum high in the air for everyone to see After a certain amount of time, if the little has not moved from their position, you will instruct the little to tell you what they did wrong and have them beg to release their bodily functions. If you are unsatisfied with their response, even more minutes will be added to corner time Punishment 2: Potty Time with Horsy Let’s get real, we’ve all struggled with littles refusing to go potty in their diapers or on the training toilet and it’s a pain to have to insert enemas and suppositories into screaming littles. That’s how I came up with horsy time. The rocking horse, while meant to be an object of amusement during playtime, can just as quickly be turned into an object of torture. What you need to do is listed below: The little will sit on the rocking horse in only their bottoms, whether that be a diaper or pull-up Place earphones on little and set to the wet diaper hypnosis Instruct the little to rock back and forth and do not stop no matter what and not to mess or wet themselves Plan a certain amount of time and come back when the time is up If the little is still rocking and is dry, they have earned the privilege to go potty. If not, horsy time is extended and the dirty diaper stays on another several hours The constant rhythmic motion combined with hypnosis at the same timing will put the littles right in the mood to have to relieve themselves. How they do it will no longer matter. The added pressure to keep a constant rocking in order to avoid further punishment will take a heavy toll on their mind as well and increase the need for positive behavior. Punishment 3: No Playtime with Teddy If you choose to allow your little to have any sexual release, this punishment can have a rewarding effect. As a human race, we are sexual beings but not everyone deserves or should have such an experience. Littles have gotten it into their minds that they should be allowed to have such experiences, but what do they know? They’re just littles. It is our job as caretakers to instruct and control their urges. If we leave them to their own devices, who knows what will happen? My little girls are allowed one play session a week with Mr. Teddy Bear to release all of their icky cummies by the hand of mommy and daddy. While Rosie and Cookie know being a good girl will lead to happy feelings, Honey is still learning. Orgasm and cum denial or “the tickles and ice cream dance” as we call it, are an excellent way to assert dominance and make them quickly realize who the real grownups are and who is in charge. Mittens or restraints are a must for untrained littles! You never know where their wandering hands will end up! Chastity belts are also a great device, especially if they get a little too excited during playtime and try humping (which is extremely discouraged!) IMPORTANT: It is important to enforce anything sexual is not allowed without the approval, observation, and act by grown-ups because you never know when littles might accidentally injure themselves! I hope you all enjoyed my little list and hopefully it helps you on your journey to having a regressed little! It may seem tough at times but we’ve all gone through it before (I currently am!) Stay tuned for next time and meanwhile, have a Merry Christmas! Love, Mommy Bree ooOoo The sound of the ding signaling the post had been successfully posted was a happy feeling to say the least. Unknown outside the world of ageplay, Bree Hawthorne was as famous as could be within the community. With over ten thousand followers and readers, people tuned in from all over the world to read about their simple little family. Being a blogger on top of a mommy had become her full time job and she didn’t regret a single second of it. She always knew she wanted to have a family and her love for blogging couldn’t have been a more perfect combination. There were so many who envied to fill the role of a Hawthorne little but only so few could actually meet the requirements. That’s why they had taken to unique means of obtaining their little girls. Kidnapping was a bit too harsh a term. They preferred adoption. Did the public need to know that? No. Would they ever find out? Probably not. Looking around outside the large glass windows, the only view for miles was farmland with snow capped mountains in the background. Bloomington, Montana was the perfect place to go to if one didn’t want to be found. They had the freedom to be who they were without any nosey neighbors disrupting their lives. Her husband, coming from old money, allowed them to own lavish homes around the country, buy the newest high-tech adult-baby equipment and pay off those they needed to stay quiet. Everything was as it should be. Everything would soon be perfect. They were our babydolls. Sugar, Cookie, Honey and- “Another post?” Jasper. At the sound of his deep voice, she spun around in the swivel chair. Face to face with her blonde, strong-jawed, blue eyed handsome husband. He was everything she dreamed of in a man. Strong, smart, caring, loyal. A great daddy to their three wonderful girls. What more could a person ask of a spouse? “Yes. I’ve finished just in time for… lunch!” she exclaimed, glancing at the time and shutting down the macbook. “Today’s post was about punishments and I gave the best examples of Honey. How is she doing this morning actually? The baby monitor on her end has been awfully quiet.” she asked, having been in the office the entire morning working. “Sleeping.” was his only response, scowling with his hand over his face. “Do I want to know what happened?” “No.” It was always a struggle to tame the girl and her rebellious behavior and silly dreams. Most often then not her bum was black and blue, littered with marks and bruises. How a five foot, one-hundred-twenty pound girl with not an ounce of body fat had managed to give them this much a fight, they did not know. While the little blonde fought they pushed back just as hard. She would break eventually. They all do. “Sugar and Cookie are in the playpen writing letters to Santa,” that made them crack a smile. “I can feed them while you handle, Honey? I may just take her over my knee again and that’s not what she needs at the moment.” Bree reached out, wrapping her arms around his neck as his face burrowed into her kinky black hair, placing a trail of kisses upon her chocolate colored skin. “So it’s my turn to play the bad mommy,” she mused. “Precisely.” her husband cracked a smile. “It feels so much longer than three months since we got her. Remember?” Oh, how could they forget…

The story below is set in the Keeper world created by BBy Kimmy. This is my first story. I really wanted to explore the world further. I really have tried to go a different direction with it: I'm not trying to step on anyone's world-building. Feeback matters to me a lot, so if you have it, It would mean the world hope you enjoy! The city showed its shadows to the headlights of the only car driving through the back alleys. Gy sat in the front seat, curled up in a ball, her arms pulling her legs tightly to her. Her long brown hair fell in a tangle around her knees. Brushing it away again she turned her head towards josh “What if we can’t find her? What if she’s dead, or lost or–” Josh reached across the seat; his steel blond styled hair flowing down to darker roots, only showing dimly in the car. He grabbed Gy’s knee and pulled her close over the center of the car “Love. I know we’re going to find her. Someone is going to find her. And we’re going to get through this Together.” He punctuated the last words by squeezing her hand. “I know it’s just… I’m not sure I can ever forgive myself. Josh, this was my fault. I’m responsible for this and I…” Gy’s crying intensified and cut off the end of her sentence. The blinker clicked slowly, as Josh pulled over to the side of the rode. “Come here Gy.” He reached over, and pulled the whole ball of Gy towards him, embracing her. Gy’s sobbs grew, and then slowly began to fade, as Josh rubbed his hand along her back. “Who’s the Keeper now? I can keep myself together about as well as a pet now” She gave a small laugh, as Josh brushed her back with the tips of his fingers. “We all need a little help now and then. You’ve been so strong for so long that–”. Josh was interrupted by the sharp ringing of a cell phone. Fumbling for the phone a second, Gy pulled it out of her pocket. “Hello” “Yes, is this Gy?” “Yes, who is this?” “This is the Arkana police station, we’re calling to let you know that your pet has been found, and is OK. Please come down to the station at…” Gy sobbed so hard that she had to ask the officer to repeat the station name.

Hi all! I'm Snazzy. I'm a long-time lurker on the story forums. I recently wrote a story that I posted onto my FurAffinity page. I figured that I would share it here in case anyone was interested. I have also attached the PDF of the story since I know this is kind of long (67 pages on Google Docs). The Retrain System By: Snazzy It was that idle chatter between gossip. Casual conversation between friends about this and that. Carmella could check out a little bit when the topics retread old ground or didn’t involve her. But there was always something new and thoughtful. Or at least something fun to hear. Something to pique interest. She sipped her latte. It was too sweet. But it wasn’t worth harassing the barista about it. She liked to think that she only pulled out the “Karen” card when it actually mattered. The book club was nominally about books, but in reality was more of an excuse to have a girl’s afternoon. Yes she read the books. Or tried, anyway. Who has time to read a 450-page novel? Carmella tried her best to split the time between her work and her kids and her husband and her own attempt at a novel, but… Thinking too hard about how one spends their finite time on the planet never ends well. And that’s too much for a cafe conversation. “And what about Jake? Noah mentioned he had some trouble with…” That’s it. That’s the good stuff. Carmella got out of her own world, her wolf ears twitching. Having friends with kids around your own kids’ age had its benefits. Kamille, the fox of the group (both literally and physically), always seemed to be armed with the most interesting bits to chew on. “Oh well, it’s a little embarrassing. He was butting heads with one of the players on the soccer team and things got… It’s a bit sore. Jake’s a good boy but he’s at that age where he likes to make decisions without thinking. He’s suspended for the week.” Saundra, a middle-aged raven, rubbed her temples. There was more than enough empathy from the group. Every mother here knew the struggles. This was different from hot gossip; this was relatable gossip. The kind where bonds are formed rather than broken. “You know, I get it.” Daria, the bear who looked far too good for her age, chimed in first. “I remember back when I played volleyball there was this girl who just wouldn’t shut up about my serve. I wanted to serve it straight into the back of her head some games. There’s so much stress when you grow up. I can’t imagine all that time spent online helps with it.” ~STRESS~ That word… Carmella focused. Why does that word have so much meaning? Something about it resonates with her… “You blame everything on the internet, Daria.” “Well I’m just saying it can’t be good for you to grow up with-” “You’re literally scrolling through ChikChok right now!” That got an unexpected laugh out of Carmella, which then bled to the rest of the group. It’s nice when the mood is able to shift like that. The group conversation continued on discussing the difficulty of modern child-rearing. Jake’s unexpected outburst had Carmella a little introspective. Her own son, Lucas, was in his grade. They were both about to graduate middle school. Carmella thought she had done a decent job raising him. They were decently close. He had decent grades. He was even in a few advanced classes and was doing decently! But Daria was right about the stress of growing up. When she talked to Lucas it felt like he was being pulled in a million different directions. Once Carmella felt like she had a finger on the pulse of her child’s life, but now Lucas seemed so busy all the time. The homework, the school politics, the puberty, the clubs, the hobbies, the… everything. It was all so much. Maybe that was normal, but it didn’t feel good to see her child barraged and bothered. It was clear that he was frequently stressed and his stress filtered their relationship. There had been shouting matches where Lucas and his father, Ron, had just… Well, Saundra put it best: they butted heads. As a parent, Carmella felt like she was letting Lucas down by allowing that stress to get to him. It was clear that his mood was in constant flux. It used to be so much simpler. Carmella’s thoughts were interrupted by Kamille’s voice. “You know my sister tried out something odd recently.” The conversation had clearly taken a left-turn while Carmella was again thinking a little too deeply. “I’m curious if any of you have heard of it. My niece was part of a study that was recently published. My sister allowed her daughter to be put back into uh… diapers as part of it. Like the whole way. What? Don’t give me that look, I told you it was odd!” “Are you saying your niece was… what, just wearing diapers as part of a study?” “No, I mean, she was UNpotty trained. As in they followed some method that put her back into Pampers. It was part of some psychological study by the university.” “I have seen some posts about that,” Daria chimed in. “I thought it was a sex thing, but it’s been on some parenting blogs and a couple of family ChikChok accounts mentioned it. It’s supposed to be for stress-relief.” “I have a hard time believing that going back to diapers would somehow be less stressful,” Saundra concluded. “Well… Does it work?” Carmella felt the twinge of awkwardness as she realized this was her first actual contribution to the conversation in the last few minutes. “I mean, what did the study show? Hopefully it wasn’t all for nothing. That poor girl must be mortified.” “That’s what has me curious,” Kamille leaned in, setting her coffee on the table and eying the group. “According to the study, after the initial shock settled, every single participant saw an increase in test scores, socialization skills, and happiness indexes.” “Get the fuck out of here.” “Kamille is right. That’s what I read from the parenting sites. It’s some kind of counter-intuitive thing. Like, by removing a physical stressor from them, you allow their minds to cope with their environment, reducing their overall stress. I’m not sold on it,” Daria seemed smug in her ability to always know a little bit about everything thanks to being glued to her phone. ~STRESS~ There was that word again. Carmella was thoroughly bought into the conversation. “I wasn’t sold on it either until we had them over for a cookout over Memorial Day. That girl was like a changed person. She was so polite and well-spoken and seemed to have so much energy. I’ve known her all her life and she could be a real handful. It was wild. She was in three AP courses as a sophomore because of how improved her grades were last year. The girl had to repeat 6th grade and suddenly she’s interested in school!” “Do you think they could have replaced her with a robot? Or a clone? Did you ask to see her belly button?” Saundra gave a cheeky grin over to Daria. Some sort of inside joke Carmella wasn’t privy to, apparently. “Maybe! Who knows! Gods, it was so bizarre seeing her with a diaperbag. I almost walked in on her changing herself in the bathroom.” Kamille seemed bewildered, an emotion quite unlike her. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with all of the teen-sized diapers I’ve seen at the store, would it?” The group turned to Carmella. “I mean, I just noticed that the Farris Peeter had some actual diapers that look like they’re for older kids when I was buying groceries the other day. Maybe this is some kind of legitimate marketing push.” “Goodness. Well good luck to them, I suppose. Noah seemed pretty shaken when he found out his cousin was back in diapers. I can’t imagine many kids actually want something like that to happen to them.” “My Jakey would absolutely lose it if I tried that with him. How on earth are you supposed to tell your kids you’re just going to unpotty train them?” “I don’t think you do,” Daria had been looking at her phone and seemed to have found something. She shared the screen with the group. “Look, this is the page that was linked on the Pinstagram post. It’s some kind of auditory thing. The program is called ‘The Retrain System’. It’s like a tape that you listen to at first and then there’s steps after that. It’s a whole package.” Saundra cocked her head to the side as she looked at the, seemingly legitimate, webpage. Carmella saw her eyes scanning the screen, reading. The phone rotated around, revealing the site. It was an FAQ page about the process and based on the scroll-bar it seemed in-depth. Carmella spied one of the questions. How Invasive is the Process? The Retrain System has been specifically engineered to minimize obstruction in sleep schedule and daily activities among participants. The instruction course details tips and techniques to maximize the enjoyment and psychological well-being of participants. Participants will find the audio files relaxing and therapeutic. The reduction in stress has been shown[4][5][6] to outweigh any potential disruption caused by the physical elements of the system. The process is also easily reversible, allowing for participants to return to their base state upon removal of the environmental stressors. Studies[7][8] have found that- The page continued on but the phone was snatched away by Daria before Carmella could continue. ~STRESS~ So much emphasis on that word in that page… “Hey Kamille, didn’t you try something like this for smoking back in college?” Carmella was fascinated by this entire situation. “Ugh don’t remind me. I still get the stupid narrator voice stuck in my head like an earworm. ‘Place both feet firmly on the floor…’” The fox imitated the monotone voice from the file. “I mean, I don’t smoke cigarettes anymore, but I feel like that was different. You can’t out-willpower a fox!” “You certainly could if you needed your fix at a party…” Saundra side-eyed the fox with a smirk. “Oh hush, that was a totally different me. But yes, I did use something like this back in the day. I’m just flabbergasted that,” the fox lowered her voice, “diapers,” her voice returned to the normal volume, “are somehow the solution to teenage angst. I would be wholly against this entire thing if I hadn’t witnessed the results myself.” Carmella knew that Kamille was a reliable friend. She wouldn’t bring this sort of thing up with ulterior motives or without feeling strongly on the subject. It was clear that she was trying to get the room’s opinion before solidifying her own. “I know what you mean. It’s so odd, but the science seems to back it up.” Carmella pursed her lips in thought. “Maybe it’s worth considering. I mean, I know Lucas is doing alright but… he just seems so… stressed. Plus we’re going to have to start thinking about college soon. I want him to have the best possible chance he can have in high school. We all want that. I know you feel that way about Jake.” “Of course I do!” The raven put her winged hand against her chest. “It just feels a little extreme. What if I make his situation worse? What if… I don’t know, I can’t imagine the boys on the soccer team will respond well to it. I mean, goodness, can you imagine him running around on the field in a big diaper? Shaking his tail feathers?” The phone-obsessed bear had been glued to the screen, scrolling up and down, clicking on things as she found new links. “It says here that several diaper companies are expanding their lines for teens and young adults. Where was it… oh uh… active-flex? Active-fit?” Daria was squinting at the screen. “I can’t see, it’s in the background of this announcement photo. I guess they thought of that problem before you did, Saundra.” “How convenient.” “Sorry to bring all this weird stuff up, everyone.” Kamille raised her hands, signaling for the halt of the conversation. “I promise I’m not trying to pull you all into another referral marketing scheme. I still have too many vials of essential oils at my house for my comfort.” “I have NO idea how you talked me into that. You are such a saleswoman, Kamille!” “I thought for sure that it would take off. I mean I refer my friends and then you refer your friends and… anyways! Did you all happen to read the book this week? I finished chapter 35 two nights ago and WOW did it pick up!” Carmella appreciated the change in direction. It was clear that this wasn’t a cut-and-dry development and that the group wasn’t of a strong consensus. Something about this whole affair really resonated with her, however. Her lingering worries and concerns seemed perfectly solved by this Retrain System. And unlike Kamille’s pyramid scheme there was actual scientific evidence backing the whole thing up. Surely it couldn’t be that simple? Just put your kid back in diapers and all their problems go away? She would have to talk with Ron. -- Lucas exhaled as he disembarked from the bus and made his way to his house. He tugged on his shoulder straps and shifted the contents of his bookbag. It had been his last day of eighth grade. The last day of middle school. He should have been thrilled about it, but he felt like he was lucky to be graduating at all. The last few weeks had exposed a major issue: despite his claims otherwise, he had been extremely close to flunking his science class. When his teacher contacted his parents directly to alert them, his dad flipped out and made him redo all the tardy homework assignments. It wasn’t like he was intentionally trying to fail, it just felt like he was barely keeping his head above water with all of the homework he had already! And that teacher was kind of a bitch, honestly. Like, was it standard protocol at all to call up parents directly? That had to be some kind of violation of privacy or something. It really wasn’t such a big deal: Lucas was able to get the homework done in time and it was no harm, no foul. He would have done it without the shouting match with his parents. Probably. You know what makes you really productive when you’re trying to remember the periodic table of elements? Having your fuming dad over your shoulder every five minutes. Wow! What a fantastic study method. Definitely not scarred for life from the stress of doing a year’s worth of homework in three days. So here he was, definitely going to high school next year, but JUST barely. His friend Jake had it worse, for sure. His suspension a few weeks ago had put him way behind and it had really messed up the vibes in the friend group. At least all that garbage was behind them and they could spend the summer focusing on doing absolutely nothing. Lucas noticed that both his parents’ cars were in the driveway when he made it home. That’s odd. Normally Lucas was the first to arrive home since both his parents had jobs. Of course, his little brother prevented him from having the alone-time that he craved. But at the very least he could avoid conflicts with Mom and Dad for a couple of hours. Which seemed like they were becoming more frequent. “Lucas, wait up!” The gray wolf teen rolled his eyes as he heard his little brother Martin call out to him. He put his hands on his hips and turned in place. The little guy was running from his bus stop and boy he really just chose to wear all that Pikachu bling, huh? Pikachu shirt, Pikachu pants, Pikachu shoes, a Pikachu hat, and a Pikachu backpack. Lucas was no stranger to video games but he liked to think that he was at least minimally tactful in how he dressed himself. Martin, on the other hand, seemed determined to share his obsession with the world. It was almost, ALMOST endearing. “Wait up? I’m not going anywhere. We live together, lightning-butt.” “Don’t call me lightning-butt!” The little wolf screeched to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk. “Mom said it’s not nice to call me names!” “Your pants literally have a lightning bolt symbol on them. I can’t help that!” The two boys completed the rest of the journey together. Lucas didn’t mind being an older brother. But it just isn’t acceptable to give your little bro an easy time when they’re being a turbo dork. And what could possibly be more dorky than that PokeManiac outfit? The door was unlocked. Not too unusual if parents are home. What was a little unusual was that they weren’t out around the house. If Mom came home early she liked cooking dinner. Dad had a model-painting station that he liked to spend his time at. Yet neither Mom nor Dad were there. Actually, their bedroom door was closed. Lucas’ tail lowered and squinted as he set his bookbag by the front door. “Hey Martin, go grab me a water from the fridge.” “Why can’t you do it?” “Just go before I like vine whip you or whatever.” The teen wolf was overwhelmed with curiosity. Maybe Mom and Dad came home to have sex? No, that can’t be right. Lucas had caught them only once, but he was pretty sure they waited until after bedtime to do that kind of stuff. They weren’t getting a divorce were they? Like, why else would you want to talk with your spouse in the early afternoon? He quietly made his way to the bedroom. “-sure about this?” “The guidebook says it’s fully reversible if we’re unhappy with how it turns out.” “A month ago and I would have fought you on this, but I think you’re right. It’s so much-” “Here’s your water, catch!” Lucas had almost no time to react to the water bottle hurling at his face. Yet, if there was one thing a canine was good at, it was playing catch. With impressive speed the teen lifted his paw and intercepted the projectile. It felt pretty cool, which was outwardly obvious by his involuntary tail-wagging. When Lucas regained his focus, he realized that the conversation had quieted significantly. His cover had clearly been blown. Curiosity made way for concern. As mature as Lucas liked to style himself (he WAS about to be a high schooler, after all), he still had that childlike concern when something unknown was happening with his family. “Mom? Dad?” He put himself sideways and leaned, as if facing the door was too direct. “Oh! Just a moment sweetie, your father and I were discussing…” Muttering sounds, totally normal muttering sounds. “The mortgage!” “...is the mortgage ok?” “Yes! Better than ever! Uh, we’ll be out in a moment, just have to wrap up this paperwork.” A reversible… mortgage? Was that like that thing that happened to grandma’s house? Dad seemed pretty upset about it when he heard whatever that actually was was actually happening. So why would they want something like that? Something wasn’t adding up, but it was clear that Lucas wasn’t going to learn anything standing at the doorway. He could ask about it over dinner. -- “So you’re sure you don’t have anything outstanding that would keep you from passing?” Dad said between bites of pizza. This would normally be a celebratory pizza dinner for making it through another school year, but clearly Dad was skeptical after the science class mix-up. Previously, this kind of dinner would be in front of the TV while watching a movie or a show, but in the interest of “family bonding” Mom had declared that no screens were to be viewed while eating dinner. It led to a lot of awkward silence during dinner. “Yes Dad. I promise. You can call up Mrs. Macintosh again if you want her to tell you.” Lucas still wasn’t happy that she called his parents directly. “Ok. You cut it really close this year, kiddo. You’re headed to high school. That’s a big step up. A lot of your teachers won’t accept that kind of late work. They’re expecting you to stay on top of things and be responsible.” Lucas ate his pizza in silence. This wasn’t the first “oh things will be different in high school” speech he’d had lately. “Your mother and I… we just want what is best for you. We want you to be happy and not have so many… problems.” “Ron, let's talk about that after dinner. So, Martin, how was your last day? Any surprises?” “Yeah! We had a big pizza party and then watched a bunch of ChikChok videos that Mrs. Franklin pulled up. Mom, what does ‘we are running out the clock’ mean?” -- Lucas was on his way to his room when he heard his Dad behind him. “Hey, champ, let’s have a quick talk.” He turned, attempting to give his most neutral expression possible. His parents were quickly getting annoying with their constant lecturing and lesson-making. But it was better to endure them now and have a peaceful summer vacation. “C’mon, in your room.” Lucas ascended the stairs and opened the door. His room was not quite yet how he wanted it to be. It was still in that transitory phase between a child’s room and a proper teen’s room. He had slowly accumulated some items of interest. Posters for bands and games he liked. A TV with a Ycube Series R. A desk with a refurbished laptop. His twin bed was in generic blue sheets. Two years prior and it would have probably had something childish like Double Week on it. There was also the accumulation of laundry on the floor. However, his dresser was the same one that he had as a kid, with primary color knobs against the white paint scheme, giving it an immature tone. His old toy chest was under the windowsill, with several Lego sets stacked on top (that he still enjoyed from time to time). Small items that had been added to the room from past years still lingered, like his old metal little league baseball bat and glove that was no longer his size, or some of the art he had made in elementary school. It was a room that showed a young wolf with one foot in the mature future and one foot in the immature past. There was also a cardboard box on top of the bed, which had not been there previously. “Sweetie, we wanted to have a talk with you.” Lucas wasn’t expecting for his Mom to also be up here. But alright, fine, if they wanted to have another group talk, fine, lets get it over with. His Mom and Dad stepped in and closed the door behind them. His Mom sat at the foot of the bed and his Dad sat in his computer chair. Lucas joined his Mom on the bed. “We know this has been a tough time for you, these last few weeks. And we know that you worked very hard to make up those missing assignments. Your father and I are proud of you for doing that and you know that we love you very much. We want to make sure that when you go to high school, that things are a little bit easier for you.” “Easier?” Lucas cocked his head to the side, then looked from Mom to Dad. His Dad had a neutral expression, looking straight at him. It was difficult to read. “Yes, easier. We found a program that will help you to relax and unwind while you’re asleep. There have been a lot of… studies that show that this program is very effective in reducing stress in young adults.” “Oh. So… what, like meditation stuff? Is that what the box is for?” Lucas turned to the nondescript box with no markings on it. “Yes, exactly, that’s exactly right. It’s to help you maintain a better mental state and… There’s some other things that happen down the road that make it a whole experience. Like I said, it’s a full program. But it starts with something like nighttime meditation.” Lucas wasn’t against meditation. He had picked up a book on spirituality last year when the family took a mountain trip. It talked about that kind of thing. But it also talked about communicating with trees. And despite several attempts sitting at the base of trees, the young wolf never got that to work. Maybe being guided by a program could actually make something like that possible. Not the tree-talking stuff; the meditation. His father chimed in. “The whole point of this is for you to have fewer issues when you’re in high school. It’s… for your own good.” Huh. That certainly wasn’t ominous. Lucas quirked an eyebrow as he continued staring at the box. When parents say things like that, it’s normally a sign that something you’re not about to like is going to happen, he pondered. But if his parents seemed set on having him meditate while sleeping, that probably wasn’t the most painful experience in the world. “What is in the box?” “It’s a special white-noise emitter that helps you fall asleep quickly and stay asleep while the… uh… meditation system is running. It’s specially designed to be responsive to changes in the environment so you don’t get woken up. And you don’t need to fiddle with it like a stereo system. We’d like to set it up and get it working tonight, if you’re ok with it.” Both parents were looking expectantly at Lucas. It was a strange position to be in, and one that caused him to pause and reflect. His parents were proposing this thing that they clearly had spent money on, but they were waiting for his approval. Huh. Maybe they actually were respecting his autonomy after all. They weren’t forcing him into some agreement that he didn’t want. While Lucas wasn’t convinced this would be any different than his attempts at talking with trees, there wasn’t any harm in trying it! If it works, he gets a relaxing sleep. And if it doesn’t work, they return it back to Nile or whatever place they bought it from. “Alright. Sure! Let’s try it out.” -- Lucas laid in bed, taking in his surroundings. He had stayed up watching TV downstairs while his parents worked to install the new sound system for him. Apparently it wasn’t quite as out-of-the box as they were hoping. He heard a fair bit of discussion coming from the room and his parents stomping around in his territory. He’d helped Noah set up a speaker system for an old vinyl record player and it had been a lot more complicated than either of them initially expected. So maybe speakers just weren’t easy to get working in general. When the grand tour finally occurred it was somewhat underwhelming. Speakers in the four corners of the room pointed in the direction of the bed, plus some cylindrical device next to his bed that everything was plugged into. Lucas’ parents had wanted to get it under the bed, but it was just a tad too tall to fit. It wasn’t a huge deal. So long as he didn’t jump into bed backwards or something it would stay out of his way. The device was set to a timer. His Dad mentioned that there were some versions of the device that tracked whether you were in bed or not and shut off as soon as you got up. Maybe that was more immersive or something, but the system seemed fine as it was. And since they didn’t even know if this would be a permanent addition to his sleep routine, it didn’t make sense to splurge on the deluxe versions. As he was in bed, Lucas heard the speakers crackle to life, emitting a white noise. Thanks to the direction of the speakers, it was an astonishing experience. The white noise seemed to surround and envelop him. Like, it was different than just having a stereo on or headphones in. It was a three-dimensional sound that was difficult to describe. He could hear and feel subtle shifting of the white noise as it played around him. It was surprisingly entertaining. The dull static ebbed and flowed, like waves, crashing against him. There was a comfortable rhythm to the changing of the sounds. It felt safe and secure. A reliable, easy, sound that maintained his attention while not asking too much from him. It was really an incredible experience. He felt as if he was gently resting on a pool of water, his body shifting and drifting with the whims of the waves. A reassuring tranquility that varied just enough to keep him interested and invested in the sounds, but never strayed far from the simple, contemplative hum. Without any effort or resistance, he was asleep. And The Retrain System began. -- The first day of summer vacation was always the best. The stagnation of repeated free and lazy days had yet to set in. Daytime TV was a fun novelty rather than complete misery (although not that it mattered much, since streaming solved the problem of being stuck watching soap operas and weird talk shows). The pressures of homework and testing were behind and the anxiety of a new school year had yet to rear its head. As Lucas awoke and made his way to the bathroom to relieve himself, none of these thoughts were in his head. In fact, his mind was void of anything of note. Perhaps this was the mental freedom of waking up with absolutely nothing needed. Perhaps it was the meditation system his parents had installed actually doing its work. Perhaps it was the single-minded nature of the body declaring its needs to someone with a full bladder. No matter the reason, Lucas was unburdened by mental notions this morning. The teen wolf stood in front of the toilet and relieved himself. He relieved himself right into his boxers. The wolf's eyes shot open as he felt the heat blossoming into the crotch of his underwear, rivulets of warm pee dribbling onto the tile beneath him. He clinched his bladder shut and stemmed the tide, preventing this accident from growing. He had only been peeing for a few seconds but it was more time than he generally spent pissing himself. He cursed and examined the damage. The boxers didn’t do much to actually prevent streams of liquid from passing through them. The staining and wetness on his boxers came more from when the stream stopped and slowed and was allowed to run down his thighs. The light grey underwear was undeniably darkened at the crotch and clung to him with damp stickiness. What on earth had happened? Lucas sighed and shook his head, stripped from his stained clothes, and used them to mop up the liquid beneath him. It was a bizarre incident, but that’s all. This was no different than when you dribble after using the urinal. Just a temporary lapse in judgment following a good night’s rest. He threw the undies into the hamper and finished relieving himself as he intended. -- Lucas grabbed the milk from the fridge and started the assembly of his cereal. The key was to pour the milk INTO the bowl. Not a lot of people really understood that proper technique, but it made all the difference. He was the first one up, which was pretty surprising. Normally he was a late-sleeper on the weekends. It was pretty common for Martin to be down here playing one of the many, many, many pokemon games that he had access to. As much as it was frustrating to have him constantly up in his business, Lucas genuinely appreciated his little brother. And if that kid could figure out a way to monetize his love of those collectable creatures he’d be set for life… “How’d you sleep last night?” Lucas’ Dad was dressed in an old shirt from some bank fundraiser and gym-shorts, his hair still a muddled mess. The classic early lawn mowing outfit. His earbuds were in his paws, ready to begin jamming out to Big Spicy Capsicums. Dad was a textbook Pepper Man. “Pretty good! I kind of just passed out. I don’t know if the sleep system thing really helped or not.” Lucas finished pouring the milk and started devouring the cereal, leaving the carton on the countertop. “Well, hopefully it helps. Make sure you tell your mom and me how you’re feeling, ok? If it starts making you feel bad we can always get Nile to take it back.” He started walking towards the back door, placing his earbuds in. “Oh, milk goes in the fridge, bud. We talked about this.” The young wolf sighed out a “Yes Dad.” It’s such a victimless crime, like, the cows have the milk in them for how long? And that’s like room temperature, before it even gets pasteurized, which he learned from science class last year actually warms it up further… Grumble. Grumble grumble grumble. Door open, milk in, door shut. Grumble grumble. “Good man.” -- The rest of the day was basically perfect. Lucas played far more rounds of Summit Luminaries than he even wanted. Like the indulgence of playing a game so many times that he became sick of it somehow made it even better. It was probably what those Roman orgies were like. Just doing something pleasurable so many times that you get bored and disinterested, which then spurs you on because the taboo of becoming fatigued by things you crave feels so delicious. That is to say, having the time and freedom to completely waste a day on video games was the absolute best. He even got the chance to play some matches with his friends in his squad. “Any plans for the summer?” Noah, a fox and Lucas’ best friend, inquired. True to his nature he was always asking questions and snooping around. Lucas had previously heard his Mom get upset with Noah’s mom because she liked to gossip. Noah wasn’t quite so open with what he learned, which made him more like the group’s confidant. “I plan on doing literally nothing. Usually Mom and Dad do a beach trip, so that might happen. Uhhhh I’ll probably end up babysitting Martin. Dude dude dude behind you! NICE!” “Mom’s letting me do a soccer camp. No no no ahhhh dang it. I’m downed. But yeah like I was expecting Mom to have me on lockdown after I kicked Scott’s ass, but she’s been really chill.” “You did not ‘kick Scott’s ass,’” Noah chided. “You shoved each other and rolled around on the ground for a bit.” “No, no, I distinctly remember that he was crying afterwards because I beat the heck out of him.” “You were both crying!” Lucas chimed in and Noah laughed. Jake, a raven, clearly wasn’t happy with his side of the story being disputed. “Ok like, I don’t know why you guys are being shitty about this.” “It’s ok man, you run circles around Scott anyways. You shouldn’t waste your time on him.” Lucas was genuinely impressed with Jake’s talent, which was obvious even back when they used to play rec league soccer together. “Are you excited about the soccer camp? You’re trying out for the JV team right?” “That’s the plan! I don’t really know what to expect. Everyone makes it seem like high school is the big… ahhh damn it. Good try y’all. Yeah it’s like such a big deal to play high school sports. It’s exciting but… I hope this camp gets me an edge or something.” Lucas was about to speak up when he realized something. The conversation must have been so engaging or maybe he had been distracted by the game, but now that he was in the lobby loading a new match, he had to pee. Like he REALLY had to pee! “One sec, brb!” He heard talking on the other side of the headset but paid it absolutely no attention as he dashed over to the bathroom near his room. The door was closed and the sound of rushing water (just a great thing to hear when you have to pee) echoed from the other side. Shit. Martin must be in there. “Hey Martin, you almost done?” “Huh?” The water turned off and the younger wolf poked his head out. He was wearing a beanie with some fiery cat Pokemon that Lucas didn’t recognize. Lucas really hoped that Pokemon merch wasn’t coming out of his college fund. The teen wolf's hands were shoved involuntarily between his legs. “Are you almost done in the bathroom?” Lucas tried to ask as calmly as possible. “Y-Um…” Martin looked down just a little, noticing his brother’s legs contorting and his paws wedged into his crotch. He gave the biggest, toothiest, shit-eating grin back up to his brother. “Noooo, sorry, I was just washing my hands before I went-” Lucas bolted down the stairs, not even waiting for his brother to finish. He knew this game. Lucas knew that the door would shut and a series of unfortunate events would play out resulting in him never being able to use the bathroom. That little twerp. You do that to your little brother ONE TIME and suddenly the tables turn at the worst moment. It was almost, ALMOST something to be proud of him for doing. If it wasn’t happening to Lucas specifically, that was. The hallway bathroom was little brother-free and unobstructed by any other bizarre incidents, thankfully. The relief of emptying a full bladder can never be replicated through other means. It is an entirely unique experience resulting in a sublime mixture of relief and ache. The muscles themselves contract and pulse, yielding to the demands of the body. Their overinflated state gives them a sheer tension that upon release is almost too great. The body knows what must happen, and it must happen in a precisely controlled fashion. The endorphins flow through the body, rewarding the accomplishment of successful navigation of this hardship. It is like a runner’s high, if that high could come from flying too close to the sun with liquid intake. Lucas was too busy pissing to contemplate such things, but they were all still true. -- The next few days went by in a blur for Lucas. The nice thing about having a vacation was being able to do nothing, but the downside was that doing nothing causes time to fly by. The meditation system that had been installed was doing a great job at giving the teen some of the best sleep he’d ever experienced. It was actually a little bizarre that he was excited to go to bed thanks to the calming effects of the white noise. He wasn’t spending all day thinking about sleeping or anything weird like that. He just found himself yawning well-before midnight and made the responsible decision to head to bed rather than stay up. In return, he had been waking with the most fabulous restfulness. The catch, however, was that this restfulness came at the expense of his morning bladder. It was normal to wake up needing to use the restroom, but the intensity of the morning urge was notable. When he awoke, it was a mad dash to the toilet that resulted in some extremely close calls. The incident with his underwear at the start of vacation was enough to get him to take care before peeing. He would center himself and run through the checklist of things to do. He’d pull the seat up. Then pull down his boxers. Then aim carefully. Then go. He was adamant about not repeating that embarrassment from earlier. The daytime urgency was also a continued event. It seemed like he was constantly getting so absorbed by whatever task he was focusing on that he would have to sprint down the hall to barely make it in time. The strangest thing about all of this was that Lucas found himself unable to view this change as odd. Yes, he was going to the bathroom with an aching bladder and it always seemed to be resolved just barely in the knick of time. But he was still making it to the bathroom. Nothing bizarre about that. He was just getting wound up with his attention sighted on other things. That’s fine, it happened to everyone. At no point did he even begin to make any connection between the newly installed speaker system and his potty urgency. Why would those two things be related in any way? -- “Why are you staring at me like that?” Lucas noticed that his brother was giving him an odd look. They were next to each other in the booth of a local chain dining restaurant, Diamond Thursdays. It was pretty fantastic, at least to him and his brother. For some reason his parents always seemed reluctant to eat here. Lucas didn’t get it. They had great chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks. That was the complete food package. “You’re squirming in your seat. It looks like you’re potty dancing,” Martin said in between bites of appetizers. “Martin, don’t talk with your mouth full,” his mother admonished. “He’s right though. Do you have to use the restroom, Lucas?” Lucas was genuinely confused. He hadn’t noticed that he was shifting in his seat, moving back and forth, with his legs intertwined. It was like he completely glossed over the physical state of his body. But now that he was made aware of his condition it was plainly obvious that he really, really, REALLY had to pee! “Yes! Oh crap, yes. Martin, move please!” His brother was taken aback by the sudden urgency. He wasn’t expecting to have to move so soon and was just curious about why Lucas was moving around in his seat. But he complied and stepped out of the booth. The whole time being pressured by Lucas to “move move move move!” The teen wolf scrambled into the dining room and nearly connected with one of the waitresses, who had to make an emergency rotation to avoid having her tray of drinks upended. There was a shout from behind him as he located the restroom hallway. It was one of those situations where the interior decorator made the strange decision to mark the rooms with non-descriptive terms in an attempt to be cutesy. One sign was a fish. The other sign was a sandal. What the fuck was that supposed to indicate? Lucas picked the one his muscle memory led him to, hoping that he wasn’t about to awkwardly barge in on a bunch of ladies. Thankfully he picked correctly, as an empty bathroom with a row of urinals greeted him. He staggered over and let loose. It was such an extreme release of pressure that he was actually whimpering as the pee flowed out of him. He could feel the physical relief washing over him. A tangible warmth, spreading out from his groin and draining downwards. His eyes were closed as he shuddered and placed a hand against the wall, bracing for this monumental effort. It felt so, so, so ridiculously good to get it all out. It was like he was being rewarded with a matching sensation of glow on the outside to match the pleasure of allowing his bladder to finally empty. Lucas was panting. That felt incredible. It was totally worth being called out by his little brother about doing the potty dance in the booth. He opened his eyes and lowered his hand onto the urinal handle and flushed. The wolf went to wash his hands, eager to return to devouring mozzarella sticks. As he spied the mirror, his reflection seemed off. Something wasn’t right here. He checked his hair, his fangs, his shirt. All fine, nothing noteworthy. His pants, on the other hand, were magnificently stained, glistening with wetness. The denim had darkened in a patch that originated from his crotch and spread down both pant legs. Down into his socks. He studied the mirror in disbelief, then looked down at himself, placing a paw over the stained crotch and tracing it along the inside seam. He pulled his paw back and confirmed that it was really, truly wet. He looked back at the urinal, perhaps expecting some freak plumbing issue to explain the situation, but was shocked to find a puddle beneath where he once stood. This couldn’t be happening. He had been so careful before. He always followed the rules. Check the seat, pull down your pants, aim, go. He… he hadn’t even bothered to pull down his pants. At all. He had totally missed one of the most critical steps and had somehow remained oblivious to it! The last time this sort of thing happened he was immediately woken from his stupor by the feeling of wet warmth on his body. But this time he had completely emptied his entire bladder into his pants and hadn’t even noticed until well after the fact! It was unbelievable. Something… something must be wrong. He must be feeling sick or something. That’s the only explanation. Lucas wouldn’t just go around wetting his pants for no good reason. He’s had eleven years of experience making it to the potty without any incident! Wait… wasn’t that… good? Lucas ran his hands along the inside of his jeans, attempting to rationalize this incident. He had such a long, unbroken streak of making it to the potty every single day, multiple times a day without any problem. Hundreds, thousands of times executed perfectly. This was a singular incident. If you compared this accident to the sheer volume of successes, this would be so inconsequential that it would be some kind of anomaly. That’s it. It’s an anomaly. Just a random blip that could happen to anyone. Sometimes basketball players miss free throws despite practicing them over and over and over again, and no one bats an eye when that happens. Sure, people want you to make it to the basket, but if you don’t, it’s not the end of the world. Wetting his pants was JUST like that! It was so minor and meaningless that it was barely even worth worrying about. So what he had peed his pants without even noticing? That was no reason to make a big deal out of it! “Hey buddy, everything ok in here?” The voice of a concerned father was one of the most disarming tones. The uncertainty and apprehension from a familiar voice that normally was confident and authoritative somehow made the situation less stable. “Y-yes!” Lucas was spiraling. He was barely able to rationalize what had just happened in any context that didn’t eviscerate his maturing ego. He hadn’t even begun to imagine what he would do to somehow make this acceptable to his family. He looked in the mirror, seeing his dad in the doorway behind him. He looked at himself. He was crying. “N-no it’s not ok. I… I pissed my pants, Dad!” It was a quick step-turn and he was straight into the arms of the older wolf, gripping him in a hug as tears of shame and humiliation streamed down his face. His Dad embraced him in an instant, rubbing his back and quietly saying things that Lucas was far too distraught to hear. What was going on? Why did this happen? How could he have done this after so many years of perfectly understanding his body’s functions? The two held onto each other for long enough that the soaked jeans began to cool and adhere to his legs. The warming comfort that had previously relished the accident faded and made way for awkward, unwelcome wet pants. Lucas’ Dad gave him a few more rubs on the back and then spoke plainly and clearly. “How about we get you home and get you cleaned up? We can get you in some dry clothes and not worry about this. It’s just an accident. It’s ok to have accidents. Everyone has accidents.” He held onto Lucas’ shoulders and forced Lucas back by a step. His Dad looked straight into his eyes. There was genuine concern in that gaze. And there was also love and acceptance. Dad was right. It was just an accident. No need to make a big deal about it. He could just get changed into new clothes and be good as new. -- It was an awkward trip home. Lucas and his Dad took the car back to the house, leaving his Mom and brother at the restaurant (with the intent to return shortly). The two didn’t speak and instead opted to listen to Big Spicy Capsicums, each song fading into each other as the percussive yet nonsensical lyrics filled the void. There was something exceptionally humbling about having help stripping the soaked jeans from his body. It was the implication that Lucas was incapable of managing that task on his own. Or maybe he would somehow find some way to screw it up further. But even so, the help was greatly appreciated and made the feat possible. There was no point in fighting for his autonomy here. He was just happy to have help. The teen felt his short fur, still slick with urine and decided to take a shower. He opted to stay behind when his dad returned to the restaurant. His appetite was diminished following the incident and he couldn’t bear to think of showing his face in the Diamond Thursdays after leaving with soaked pants. That place was officially off-limits for the rest of eternity, plus longer. Without much interest in anything, and especially without wanting to see his younger brother, Lucas shut himself into his room and went to bed early. -- “Well, we knew this would happen. It’s roughly right on schedule too.” Carmella looked over the guidebook that the Retrain System provided. They had laid everything out in the bedroom to make sure they had all of the components ready and accounted for so they weren’t caught off-guard. “It says that we should expect for the accidents to increase in frequency and that this is the most critical part of the program.” “I just feel terrible. He was shaking in my arms and… You know Lucas doesn’t cry much. I hadn’t seen him like that since he was a kid.” Ron paced around the room, his tail tucked between his legs. “We knew this would happen. It’s going to be the biggest speedbump to get over and then all the benefits should start building.” Carmella placed the book down and looked at her husband. She really appreciated Ron’s caring side. It was one of the things that made him so endearing. When they had met at a Capsicum concert ages ago he was helping a friend who was having a bad trip. They bonded over orange slices and overly-expensive festival water. That side had been slowly replaced with a much firmer, authoritative side as the boys aged. Seeing him like this brought back memories of their struggles as new parents, when every decision seemed hyper-important and worth overthinking. “Carmella…” Ron leaned against the dresser and sighed. It was clear that he was scared. Scared that he was making a mistake. She had seen him like this years and years ago. “I… Just don’t want our son to suffer because we made a choice without his consent.” “We did the research. We did our homework. The Retrain System is overwhelmingly positive. It comes up over and over. We saw it in that news segment the other night, remember?” Carmella was still getting used to being the authority figure in this scenario. She had to believe in herself. “This is for his own good. We have one shot to give him the best possible life he can have while he’s still under our roof.” “You’re right.” Ron looked down and then back again. “You’re right.” “You know I would never do this without you here with me. We’re in this together. We both want Lucas to be happy. I think this will work.” “I love you babe. You’ll always be my lil’ pepita.” Carmella smiled despite herself. It was one of the dumbest pet-names you could have and it came from a night when the drunken wolf didn’t know how to say “little pepper”. She was his lil’ pumpkin seed. Ron stepped away from the dresser and straightened up. “So what’s the next step?” -- Lucas woke up as he had the previous few days. The intensity of the strain on his bladder alerted him that he was in danger of losing control at any moment. Unlike the past several nights, where he had drifted off into a void of deep sleep without any memory or attachment to the physical world, his dreams that night were more active. He dreamt of his incident at the restaurant and what went wrong. There was a bizarre sense of comfort surrounding it, however. As he made his way to the bathroom, he briefly recalled feeling calmed about his accident. Instead of being judged or ridiculed or laughed at, he felt that he was not to worry, that everyone understood his predicament. That there was nothing to be ashamed of. Where he expected leering faces judging him and laughing at his failures, he was met with warm faces forgiving his accident and accepting his status. It gave him a bizarre amount of confidence as he prepared himself to pee. He shouldn’t be ashamed of having an accident. It was fine. It was normal. It happened to everyone. The toilet looked… bizarre. Nothing had been done to it. There were no obvious changes to it. But something about it felt uneasy, unnatural. Lucas stared at the porcelain fixture and it was uncanny. His heart was racing. Why? It was just the toilet. He had intimate familiarity with it and a hundred others just like it. But when he looked at this it felt so wrong. The shape was off putting. The geometry offended his perception. His vision swam as he tried to analyze it. Lucas reached out his paw to raise the seat and recoiled as he touched the cold lid. It was like an icicle had pierced his hand. He inhaled and grabbed it again, pulling it up in one swift motion. It felt like a monumental task and his body surged with adrenaline. It was the same feeling he experienced after a big scare in a horror movie. The tension had faded and was replaced with nervous calm. He stood there, staring at the water rippling in the bowl as he completely flooded his undies. The magnitude of relief was indescribable. It felt good to let his bladder relax and to pee straight into his boxers. There wasn’t a single ounce of remorse or panic. He listened to the pitter patter of the droplets of urine splash onto the tile beneath him. It sounded musical and soothing. It was alright. He wasn’t doing a bad thing. He had made it to the bathroom. He had made it to the toilet. He had overcome whatever that strange sensation was. And now he was wetting himself and there was nothing negative happening from it. It was perfectly fine. These things happened and when they happened it wasn’t a big deal. He felt the stream slow and taper and finally finish. He placed his paw against his sodden boxers and a faint smile. It felt… good. It felt… better than when he had gone peepee in the morning previously. There was something forbidden about the act previously and it felt like the shackles had been removed from him. The pool of urine was spreading from his feet and becoming dangerously close to the rugs near the sink. He roused himself from his moment of enjoyment and removed his underwear, using it to mop up as much of the liquid as he could. The accident was substantial and there wasn’t much dry left to the boxers for absorption. So he had to grab fistfuls of toilet paper to soak up the rest. As Lucas cleaned, he felt the swirl of emotions. Cleaning any mess you caused rarely felt good. Whether it was a spilled drink or peed pants. There was the annoyance of having to take the time to fix it combined with the frustration of using insufficient tools. The toilet paper felt insubstantial for absorbing so much liquid and he ended up using most of the roll on this one task. Yet, he didn’t feel ashamed of the act itself. Perhaps it was because he was alone and able to take care of it in private. But something deep inside made him recognize the accident as nothing to worry about. No big deal. It was a neutrality towards wetting himself that he was trying to wrap his mind around. He had to admit that for the brief moment that it was happening it even felt kind of good. The last of the puddle was mopped up and the toilet now had the remains of the spent roll inside of it. His soiled underwear was unceremoniously dumped into the laundry basket. Lucas eyed the handle on the toilet with suspicion. He could do this. It was just flushing the toilet. Why was he so anxious about this? What was the big deal? Why was he raising such a fuss about an action that was so mundane and easy and normal and… Still, he noticed that his paw was shaking as he brought it forward. He wasn’t scared of the toilet! That was ridiculous! He pressed down on the handle and the sound of the infernal machine roared with an intensity that shocked the wolf. He took a step back. Then another. He braced himself against the sink. The gurgle of rushing water pouring through the maze of pipes clashed in his ears. The toilet paper spun in place as the water level rose. He felt his chest heaving up and down. He was drowning. He needed air, yet despite his attempts to breathe, none arrived. He couldn’t bear to look at the source of this frightful sound. The pitch increased as more and more water flowed in, filling the bowl, never emptying, ceaseless and endless and uncontrollable. Lucas stumbled back another step, shimmying along the sink, using it as support. He was trapped in here with this monster. He would be devoured whole. This hideous creature would consume him and no one would ever be the wiser. He cowered, curling into a ball at the base of the sink cabinet. He held his knees to his chest and tried to bring himself comfort in these tragic few moments at the end of his life. And, unceremoniously, a slurping vacuum sound arose from the toilet as the liquid finally flowed down the pipes. There were some sloppy, undignified moments as everything was processed and then the sound of the water in the basin being refilled. It was over in a short time that to the teen felt like an eternity. He rocked back and forth, bawling and yelping as the intensity of what he had just experienced absorbed him. -- Carmella knocked at the bathroom door. She was wearing a robe, something she had gotten for Christmas several years ago that she rarely got the chance to wear. The idea of wearing a robe while puttering around the house in the morning or evening felt quaint and harkened back to a time in history when every moment of the day wasn’t completely accounted for with demands. But when she was woken by her youngest child complaining that her oldest child was crying in the bathroom, it was the appropriate thing to wear. “Sweetie? Are you in there? Are you hurt?” The soft sounds of whimpering from the other side of the door were the only answers she received. She steeled herself and twisted the knob, inching the door forward to peer in. She was not expecting to find her teenage son naked on a bathmat, curled up in a fetal position. Her protective instincts completely overwhelmed her. She threw open the door and rushed in, sliding to the ground in a composed but serious way. She grabbed her child and brought him up, into her embrace. She scanned over his body, desperately needing confirmation that he was physically uninjured. Satisfied, she turned her attention towards her son’s mewling. She slowly rocked back and forth, bringing her son into her rhythm, speaking calming words and low, steady tones. This was a practiced motherly skill. The number of times her boys had managed to superficially injure themselves in the most ridiculous ways was remarkable. So in turn, she had lots of time to refine her technique of assuring someone that they were not in danger and that she was there for them. The one constant that she had yet to be used to was seeing the other sibling observing this delicate act. Too many variables and the process was unmanageable and unpredictable. So she raised her head and shot a glance at Martin, who stood stunned at the doorway. It was a look that somehow conveyed an entire dialogue’s worth of information. The shaken child closed the door, apparently completely understanding the message. “Sweetie… What happened?” Carmella asked in the most tender tone she could muster. “I need you to talk to me sweetheart.” There was that arhythmic intake of air. The body slowly attempting to stabilize itself. That was good. That was normal and part of the process. No matter how dire things seemed, as long as she could get the boys talking, they could calm down. After a few moments, her son had regained enough of his composure to speak. It was shaky and lacked confidence. “The… pot… the toilet. It was… so loud. I don’t know. I don’t know. It was just… I’m so sorry Mom.” He squeezed her tight. This was an interesting development. The Retrain System had mentioned that there was the possibility of the development of a toilet phobia as a result of the course. But it was described as a temporary thing that resulted from the psyche rearranging itself. One of the papers Carmella had looked into listed it as a condition that affected some members of the study. But the authors had described it with such clinical sterility. Seeing the actual outcome of such an episode was difficult for a parent. Still, the research was clear that this was a passing thing. That it was within the expected parameters. She and Ron had talked about this and agreed that it was fine. If their son ended up unpotty trained anyways, it clearly wouldn’t matter in the long run. “Oh honey… Shh, shh, it’s ok. It’s ok. It’s alright to be frightened of the potty every now and then.” She continued to rock her naked child, concerned mostly with making sure he was stable and able to recover from this. The fact that this was a white lie or a massive lie was less important than getting Lucas calmed down. “It is? I… I don’t remember… It was just so big and loud and cold and-” Carmella cut him off, not wanting him to spiral into these bad memories. “It’s alright sweetie, Mommy’s here for you. You don’t have to worry, it’s all over. There’s nothing to be scared of now that I’m here.” She stroked his fur. He smelled faintly of urine, but was completely nude. He must have had another accident and disposed of the evidence. She decided to help him by telling him a true story. “You know, when we were first potty training you, you had a lot of trouble flushing the potty. You always used to make us do it.” “What? Really?” Lucas was blushing beneath his fur. It was embarrassing to think about being so young and vulnerable. “It’s true. Whenever you’d go, you would run out and find your father or me and you’d take us by the hand to the bathroom. You’d hold onto our legs and ask that we flush the potty for you.” “Nuh-uh! No way! That… oh man… That’s so dumb.” Lucas eyed the toilet. Carmella followed his gaze. “You’d say that you were worried about the ‘potty monster’ getting you. Oh you poor thing, I hated seeing you so scared, so it took a long time before you started flushing it on your own. I think we only started having you flush the potty when you were starting to get ready for preschool. Since we wouldn’t be around we were worried you would ask one of the teachers to do it.” “Oh my gods… I can’t believe I was scared of the potty monster like that.” “Well, it wasn’t easy to get you potty trained in the first place. So I think we might have just been happy you were making it to the potty at all. But yes, you used to be terrified of flushing that dang thing. I get it though. You can’t see where the sounds are coming from and when you’re so small it probably looks like a lot of water.” Carmella looked her son in the eyes. “Sweetie, this was a tough year for you. And you’re going through a lot of changes. There’s a lot that’s happening and going to happen to you that will be awkward and maybe even scary. If you think something is going to upset you as much as this, you can always ask for help, ok? No matter how weird it is, your father and I will be there for you.” Lucas silently nodded, seeming to understand her words, or at least the tone of her words. He hugged his mom tightly. He really needed a bath. -- It had been a difficult twenty-four hours for Lucas. He tried his best to maintain his composure following The Incident, however it’s always awkward being around people after having a breakdown. Especially when that breakdown was related to the inability to flush the toilet. His Dad had a talk with him after he got out of the shower and it was a lot more of the same. It was deeply embarrassing to have to keep bringing these things up. He mainly just stayed in his room and played Summit Luminaries. It was nice being able to distract himself. Maybe if enough hours passed, everyone would forget what happened and they could all go back to having things as they were previously. The door to his room opened. With his headset on, normally Lucas wouldn’t have noticed. But it was accompanied by the sound of fictional animal sounds and music. Lucas turned around and rolled his eyes. Martin was dressed in a Charmander shirt and the brightest red shorts pigment science could create. He was carrying his Switch, which had the volume all the way up. He made his way to the bed and sat on it, facing Lucas and the TV, but keeping his focus on his portable game. “Whatcha doing?” “I’m playing some Summit. We’re in the top four right now, so we’re doing good. This rando I’m with is cracked.” “Cool, cool.” There was an awkward pause as the conflicting sounds of two totally different games played out. “So uh… did you wet your pants last night?” That was a great question to get in the heat of a firefight when the ring was closing around you. Lucas chose to ignore it in favor of paying attention to the match. He also wasn’t sure how to answer. It was true. He was oddly unashamed of the accident. Accidents happened. Everyone had accidents. Going peepee in your pants was nothing to worry about. But he couldn’t word the response in a way that he felt comfortable with. “It’s ok if you did. Mom told me when you and Dad left last night.” Someone got the flank on their team. It was a three-way firefight. Not a good situation. It required discipline, skill, luck, and focus to win these difficult encounters. “A kid in class had an accident in the last week of school and it was really gross. I felt bad because he’s always been nice to me but people made fun of him. I promise not to make fun of you.” Thou Art the Luminary of the Summit. Lucas sat his controller down as a friend request popped up on his Ycube. He’d answer that later. He put his head in his hands. “Yeah. I wet my pants at the restaurant. And then again this morning. That’s why I was crying. Well… sort of. It’s complicated.” “I get it! I don’t get all of it but I get that you were upset. I know Mom and Dad talked to you about it. Is everything ok?” “They’re… just accidents.” This felt rehearsed somehow. Like he was repeating something that he had heard or said previously. “Everyone has accidents. It’s no big deal to go peepee in your pants. It’s better to go in your pants than…. To hold it.” That last bit felt off. Like his mind wasn’t syncing up with what his words were saying. It wasn’t wrong. It didn’t feel wrong. It just felt less polished. “Oh. Uh… Really?” “Yeah. I think so. I mean, accidents happen. We can’t get upset about them.” “You were uh… pretty upset.” Lucas looked over his shoulder with a pleading expression. “I said it was complicated. I just feel weird about all this happening at once. Please don’t be a jerk about this.” “I’m not a jerk! I’m sorry that I was worried about my hecking brother hecking crying on the hecking floor. Geez!” Martin normally didn’t take a sarcastic tone with Lucas. He’d only recently figured it out and hadn’t perfected how to use it. “Ughhhhh… no, no, it’s… fine. I’ll be ok.” There was another pause filled with the sounds of Martin clicking away at the buttons on his console, presumably issuing commands for his miniature monsters to murder his opponent’s minions. “Can I stay and play games in here with you for a while?” “Sure. Yeah. That sounds good.” -- It was actually nice having Martin in the room with him. Ever since they got two rooms a couple years ago, they had kept apart from each other. Not out of animosity (most of the time) but just out of preference of having their own spaces to be in. Lucas remembered his Dad being bummed that he had to give up his hobby room for Martin’s bedroom. There were still spots on the wall from where his airbrush had oversprayed. They kept saying they would paint the room but it was a chore. Martin covered just about everything up with Pokemon stickers and posters, so clearly he didn’t mind. Being next to each other in a parallel play setting was surprisingly easy. Even though the music was a little distracting. They had done it a lot back when they shared a bedroom. Maybe it was the novelty of doing a pleasant activity that he hadn’t done in a while, but it really did cheer Lucas up. It was unfortunate that he was in the middle of a match when the urge to pee struck. He was so focused, so determined, so poised and ready to win that he completely neglected to think about how full his bladder had become. His water jug had been drained over the course of several rounds and now it had run its course. He sat forward in his seat. He could hold out. Now that he knew what was going on he could make it. He just had to last through this tense… legs crossed… round and he… lips bitten… could go potty… squirming, dancing, rocking back and forth… “Hey do you have to pee? Go do it, I’ve got it!” “Huh?” “Give me the controller, go pee!” Lucas was very unaccustomed to being talked to like that by his younger brother, but he was absolutely right. He really had to go and it was a reasonable offer. So he got behind cover and handed the Ybox controller off, awkwardly jutting out of the chair and towards the restroom. The toilet was still there from where he had previously left it. Still ominously waiting. Still emitting strange vibes and negativity and suspense. But Lucas wasn’t going to let the potty monster win. Or the fictional potty monster of his youth, more correctly. He was going to walk straight up to that toilet and use it and NOT get any pee into his pants. It was a good plan. A great plan, even. But no plan survives first contact with the enemy. At the worst possible time, the plumbing refreshed, turning on to refill some of the water within the tank. It might as well have been the roar of a great beast, as Lucas froze in his tracks. The hold on his bladder released and he felt the warm trickle blossom from his board shorts. No no no! Not after all this build up and discussion. It was just a dumb toilet. Lucas straightened up and constricted his muscles, stemming the flow and stopping this from becoming a complete disaster. He was going to use the potty, darn it! Lucas unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, not caring that the front of his pants were stained and soaked. He could deal with that later. Not wanting to risk anything interfering with this at all, he dropped his pants and underwear onto the floor, allowing them to pool around his feet. Finally, he took aim, and relaxed. When he finished, he was pleased with himself. Yes, he had just wet himself and technically had another accident. But as he had verbally acknowledged just recently, accidents happened. And it was ok to have accidents in your pants. The important thing was that he had made it to the potty and had used it. It was a partial victory, but a victory nonetheless. A problem arose as his body attempted to go through the practiced motions of completing the deed. He paused as his hand was en route to the handle. He had just spent a not insignificant amount of time crying in the bathroom earlier today thanks to the shockingly disturbing sounds this contraption could make. He had to flush. That was proper procedure. It was part of using the toilet. If he used the toilet, he had to flush. Yet his hand went no further. He could not bring himself to press down on the lever in front of him. The wolf frowned and pulled up his damp clothes. They weren’t too badly sodden. It wasn’t that uncomfortable to wear them. It was no big deal to have peepee pants. Accidents happened to everyone. He didn’t need to worry about his pants if he went potty in them. Still, he felt the compulsion to finish his task with the toilet, so he poked his head out from the doorway in the bathroom. “Hey Martin…” “One sec! Just… we… heck!” Martin got up from the gaming chair and headed over. “Ok well you got second place. I downed two guys but I didn’t like the gun you had. What’s up?” “Um… Could you do me a favor?” Martin squinted from behind his glasses. “That depends.” “Can you… flush the potty?” Martin’s eyes widened. And then narrowed. “You’re joking with me. I thought we were cool and you were being honest with me and now you’re just messing around.” “No, dude… I… Remember when I said it was complicated earlier? Well… This is what I meant. Please. I’m not trying to mess with you. I’m trying my best to be real.” Lucas couldn’t make eye-contact. This was difficult for him and it was impossible to hide how raw this made him feel. “Wow. Uh… Ok. But this better not be a prank or a trick or whatever.” Lucas showed his brother in and led him to the scene of his defeat. Martin looked at Lucas, who was trembling just the smallest bit, then looked at the stained pants, then looked at the toilet. He seemed unsure, but he followed through with his agreement and pushed the handle down, flushing the toilet. To Lucas, the rush of water sounded like a flood ready to crash into the house, threatening to wash away the very foundations of his life. He acted on pure impulse and grabbed ahold of his younger brother’s side, sheltering in his embrace. Lucas’s mind had no concept of the world around him as the primal terror ripped through him a second time in the same day. All he cared about was that he had someone there with him to protect him from the awful, awful, terrible potty monster. “Wow. You really weren’t kidding.” -- Things did not get easier for Lucas after that point. In fact, the potty monster became a central concern throughout his days following that breakdown. It was difficult for him to look at it for too long, causing him to become sloppy with his aim. And it seemed as if every several attempts to use the bathroom resulted in soaky pants. It was always a little distraction or a little surprise or a little forgotten step. It was like the checklist that normally ran through his head when ensuring he was going to use the bathroom correctly, sometimes jumbled up at random. One time he removed his pants and underwear entirely and pissed right onto the closed lid of the toilet. It was disheartening that somehow he was unable to go peepee how he wanted and expected to. But it was simultaneously not a big deal at all when he let loose in his shorts. It was a strange juxtaposition of disappointment and contentment to end up with wet pants. The wet pants weren’t an issue in the slightest to him. Accidents happened to everyone. It was normal to have accidents. It was normal to go peepee in his pants. It was perfectly fine if he piddled in his pants all the time. It was no big deal at all if he soaked himself. It was just an accident and that was ok. But he would have preferred to use the potty as he wanted. It was just so difficult! The steps involved made the process complicated. He was fighting against unreliable signals from his body. It felt like he could not trust when he actually needed to go! It was a real pain to dash over to the bathroom, interrupting his task, totally throwing off whatever he was doing, only to find out that apparently he didn’t have to go at all! The worst part was the foreboding sense of dread when he looked at the toilet. In his eyes, the potty monster was real and it was growing in power. It gave him genuine anxiety to attempt to focus on it. And the sounds it made were abysmal and arcane. It was a machine designed to haunt him and torture him. And the nature of going potty meant that Lucas was alone with this beast the whole time. Thankfully, his family had been extremely understanding of him. His parents reinforced and agreed that it was perfectly normal to have accidents. He never felt ashamed when he emerged from the bathroom absolutely drenched with a puddle trailing behind him. The only thing his mother asked was that he clean up his messes and put down a towel on his chair. So keeping a roll of paper towels in the bathroom became standard, and his chair was draped in a bath towel at all times. Beyond just the accidents, his relationship with his Mom and Dad was better than ever, at least as far as he could remember. In Lucas’ eyes it must have just been because of the distance between previous school issues and the summer break. But the reality was that he found himself able to see their point of view more easily and he felt like he could trust them more. He was also contributing to the chores, having become especially proficient at running the laundry. It was possibly the least amount of tension the house had since Lucas started puberty. Martin was surprisingly supportive. Lucas was most appreciative of that. It was an unsettling amount of changes in his life. Having his parents tell him that he was doing fine and not to worry was nice. But having his brother help him flush and clean up his accidents and remind him to make it to the potty at all was exceptionally reassuring. The two brothers found themselves around each other a lot, especially during the summer when their parents were at work. Most of the time it was just playing their separate games near each other. But they also watched cartoons and just talked. They had the house to themselves frequently and for Lucas, having Martin around was a blessing. It wasn’t perfect, obviously. Martin wasn’t always thrilled that he was suddenly his brother’s toilet coach. And there was a little friction when he wasn’t paying attention and Lucas had an accident without even making it to the toilet at all. And it was gross cleaning that stuff up. But despite that, they really seemed to connect and bond more in the first two weeks of summer vacation than any of the last school year. The nighttime meditation program was the biggest win for Lucas, in his opinion. He was sleeping soundly and restfully every single night. He would go to sleep and the white noise would fill his ears and he would drift away into a realm of relaxation and soothing peace. His parents were absolutely right about the stress-relieving properties of the system. He wouldn’t dare dream of having it shipped back to Nile. He was a firm believer in the helpful properties of sleep meditation now. Lucas missed his friends. They talked a lot while playing games together (their attention had drifted from Summit Luminaries to Tumble Bros in the last week). But being physically around them would be nice. He decided to message Noah to see what he was up to. Normally he would include Jake, but he was off at his big fancy soccer camp by then. [ayyyyyy] [sup son] [whatre you doing today] [laundry uhhhhh chillin kinda bored] [same] Lucas omitted that the reason why he was doing laundry was because he had several pee-soaked undies and shorts he needed cleaned. [well thanks for the important info lmao] [bruh shut up lol. Wanna hang out?] [Sure, come on otter.] [*other] [*over ducking autocorrect] Lucas was giddy. Even though the two of them lived in the same neighborhood and saw each other constantly, plus all the time spent together at school, it was always great to hang out with Noah. Plus it was the weekend so he didn’t have to worry about leaving his kid brother at home alone or being forced to have him tag along. “Hey Mom, I’m going over to Noah’s house.” “Ok sounds good sweetie… Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!” Lucas paused, his backpack over one shoulder. Did he forget something? The laundry was in the dryer and he could always pull it out when he got home. He didn’t think there was anything else going on today. “Huh? What?” He heard shuffling around from the other room as his mom stopped writing on her laptop, having to put away papers and books scattered around her. She was working on a novel in her spare time and had gotten to the “constant fact-checking and referencing” stage of the process, apparently. His mother looked a little apprehensive. “Are you sure that you want to go over to visit Noah?” “...yes?” “Well, it’s just that… uh… sweetie, with all the potty problems you’ve been having I think that… Um…” “Mooommmmm! Ohmygods I know how to use the potty! Those were just little accidents! Accidents happen to everyone! It’s no big deal to have peepee accidents in my pants, DUH!” Lucas stated this in a way that felt like he was describing a part of his identity. He could have been defending the color of his fur or how he could ride a bicycle or any other number of complete facts and truths about himself. In his mind, there was legitimately no reason to question his ability to use the bathroom, nor was there any reason to be concerned with the quantity and severity of his failures to use said bathroom. His Mom pursed her lips, thinking very carefully before speaking. Her words were slow as she attempted to pick the correct words. “Right, yes, AND that’s good. But, I think, how about you bring a spare set of clothes with you to Noah’s house? Just in case you have a big accident and need to change.” Lucas hadn’t thought of that. He had been taking for granted that he could just throw his soaked clothes into the hamper and grab a fresh set whenever he wanted. Although “fresh set” was starting to become a loaded term, as his lighter pairs of underwear had started taking on a yellow-tinged appearance, even after being cleaned. He hadn’t considered that he might need to prepare himself in case he had an accident outside of the house. He was only just now realizing that he was pretty home-bound the last week or so. It just hadn’t come up! “Oh! Yeah, that’s a good idea. I’m definitely going to make it to the potty for sure, but just in case I go peepee in my pants a little bit it would be nice to have clean pants.” The wolf was smiling as he was agreeing with his Mom’s plan. It felt good to declare that he was going to ABSOLUTELY make it to the potty. And it felt even better to have a back-up plan just in case anything happened. Something about saying it out loud made him swell with pride over being thoughtful and responsible. “There we go, sweetie. I’m sure you will.” Lucas’ Mom gave him a big hug. It felt kind of sentimental. Lucas had gone over to Noah’s house countless times. It was never a big deal before. But this was the same kind of hug that Lucas got on the first day of school or if he left for a big trip or had an event coming up. It was a special hug that indicated that his Mom was rooting for him. Which, again, was a little bit too soppy for just visiting one of his best friends a couple houses down. But whatever, the hug felt nice! “I’ll call up Noah’s mom while you get the clothes so she’ll know you’re coming.” -- Noah greeted Lucas at the door with an upturned nod and an “Ayyyy!”, letting him inside. Noah’s house was similar to Lucas’ since they were part of the same development. But there were enough small differences and customizations that it felt more like an alternate universe house instead of a copycat. Like, the organization of the rooms were slightly different. And the location of the bathroom downstairs was reversed. And their back porch was covered, which always seemed nice except for every time Noah’s dad hosted a cookout, where it seemed surprisingly inconvenient. Noah flopped onto the couch and Lucas followed. “Wanna chill down here?” “Oh! Sure!” Lucas was surprised. Normally they made a direct line for his bedroom. The den had a nice TV but that was about it. “What’ve you been up to? It feels weird that we haven’t seen each other lately.” The fox looked off to the side, biting his lip, and then reverted to a happier expression. “Oh just doing nothing! I mean we’ve been on Tumult like every day. I guess just destressing you know? Like uh relaxing during summer you know haha!” Lucas pulled back his head and raised an eyebrow, giving his friend a skeptical look. “Yeah, no, I… know what summer is.” Noah nodded. And there was an awkward pause. The fox rubbed his left leg, which was covered in a mottled pattern thanks to his summer shedding. His distinctive red coat making way for a duller, shorter brown. “Want to watch a movie?” “Yeah! Sure! I haven’t seen the new Wonder movie. Doctor Unusual and the Peril Portals or whatever it’s called.” Lucas felt like he couldn’t just rattle off geeky movie titles. There had to be some diffusion to make sure that he wasn’t TOO into his interests. A simple “or whatever” deflected all evidence that he was, in fact, some kind of geek. “I haven’t either. Let’s see if we have it available.” -- The movie was a CGI-fest continuing the interwoven narrative of all the Wonder-brand superhero movies. For the two teens, it was custom-built entertainment made specifically to enthrall them. They laughed at the cheesy jokes and recoiled at the occasional bizarre and frightful scene. They both had large glasses of water next to them that they slammed down. Lucas had noticed that for some reason he felt parched more often during the day. Maybe it was the summer heat. He had gotten accustomed to refilling his large bottle that he kept in his room frequently. About halfway through the runtime, Lucas ran his paws along his legs, squirming in his seat on the sofa. He wasn’t sure why he did it. But he did it again and he felt himself sit upright. Something was informing him that something was happening. He was very focused on the movie and having his body warn him about a mysterious sensation was not what he expected or wanted. He lifted up off his seat to readjust. Both hands were wedged in between his legs now. The wolf had no idea what could possibly be causing this kind of response. Was he adapting to the pace of the movie? It was a strange movie, after all. These subconscious questions were instantly answered as his paws suddenly warmed and became drenched. Even while sitting down, his body trying its very best to defend against this, he could not stop himself from wetting his pants. Lucas clenched, trying his very best to stop himself, although it was really not a good effort. Instead of having absolute certainty that his wetting was abated, he found it turned off briefly and then resumed briefly, only to turn off again. Basically he had to go potty right now and it was so bad that he was having trouble stopping it entirely. Lucas awkwardly stood, hunched over and hands cupped to hide his crotch from his best friend. “Hey uh pause the movie one sec.” It wasn’t a request, it was a desperate plea at a normal response for this situation. He shuffled, back facing his friend the entire time, and jetted towards Noah’s bathroom. As he moved his control shattered and he could feel the pressure welling inside and then releasing into his pants. He scooped up his backpack in a manner that would have been very fluid and cool in literally any other context. Noah was bizarrely quiet during this whole incident. But Lucas didn’t care. That didn’t matter. Maybe it mattered for future Lucas, but present Lucas had his own problems. The primary problem, it turns out, was that Noah’s family casually chose to keep a complete nightmare creature in their bathroom. Their toilet might as well have been a blood-sucking, infant-devouring, sharp-fanged, deadly beast intent for vengeance and carnage. The moment Lucas turned on the light and looked in its direction, he froze. And all control that he had previously maintained vanished. Piss gushed down his legs and onto the bathmat beneath him. He was paralyzed so long as that awful, awful THING was even in the same room as him. He felt his muscles tense and constrict. He could feel the sensation of terror and overwhelming despair wash over him as it had previously. The potty monster was real and it was living in the bathrooms of families around the globe. “Hey uh, you ok?” Lucas wheeled around as he found Noah behind him, looking uncomfortable and out of place in his own home. With the line of sight broken and replaced with his best friend, and with his bladder now fully emptied into his shorts, the wolf felt worlds better. He took a moment, inhaled, held it, and exhaled. “Y-yeah. Yeah. I just… saw something that frightened me.” “Was it the potty monster?” Lucas cocked his head and blinked. It sounded somewhat normal for him to say it. And he certainly had no issues thinking it. But to hear his best friend, who, to his knowledge, had no problems with the potty, refer to it that way… It was shocking and unexpected. “You… know about the potty monster?” Noah looked sheepish and retreated into his shell a little. It was so unlike him. He was always talking. Always asking questions. Always interacting. To see the fox act bashful was extremely out of character. “I have… um… been having trouble making it…. To the potty.” Noah looked down and moved his hands, which had been previously obscuring his crotch. Lucas was shocked to find a similar wet-patch to the one gracing his pants. Except Noah’s was far less pronounced, mainly forming crescent rings along the inner thighs. “Mainly because I’ve been really scared of the potty monster lately. And so um… My… mom she… uh…” “Your mother decided that maybe you weren’t ready for the potty right now.” Noah’s mother appeared, completing the group. “I heard some stomping around down here and figured I should check. Oh Lucas, you poor thing, did you have an accident?” Lucas was like an animal in blinding headlights. Behind him, a destruction-crazed brute waited ominously to swallow him whole. And in front of him, his best friend in the world had pee pants and his mom was just casually seeing both of their accidents. It was surreal. Yet at the core of the situation, Lucas knew in his heart of hearts that having an accident was perfectly fine. It was no big deal to have an accident. Accidents happened all the time and to many people. And it was ok to tell people if he had an accident. “Yes Mrs. Seong. I went peepee in my pants because I was scared by the potty monster.” It all came out remarkably naturally. Unlike Noah, he did not have to force the words out. It came out practiced and natural. There was almost a fun element to admitting he had gone potty in his pants to an adult. It felt rewarding to admit. It wasn’t the entire truth, as he was wetting himself when sitting on their couch (a fact he hoped would not be an issue). But it was so much of the truth in his heart that it was what mattered to him. “Lucas, goodness, and Noah too! You both don’t need to worry one bit. It’s perfectly fine. These accidents happen. Come on, let's get you boys upstairs and we can get you changed into dry clothes.” It was nice being guided through this by an adult. Much nicer than Lucas expected. Mrs. Seong guided the pair up to Noah’s room and ushered them both inside. Lucas immediately understood why Noah wanted to remain downstairs. On the wall, next to his dresser, was a chart showing the days of the week. And on that chart were a series of smiley faces and frowny faces. The chart was even labeled. It was a Potty Chart. Lucas glanced over at Noah, who was hiding his head in his hands out of embarrassment. “Noah, can you tell me what happened?” His mother was stooping to his level. Noah had only just started having his growth spurts. “Noah, I need you to tell me, baby.” “I… wet my pants. I thought I could hold it… but I couldn’t. And I’m not a baby, mom.” “You’re MY baby, and I’m very proud of you for telling me the truth. Go put a smiley face on the chart.” Lucas could see the leaden legs just barely doing their jobs, stomping over to the board with reluctance. Mrs. Seong leaned towards Lucas as he watched. “He’s just a little grumpy. He’ll cheer up once he’s in clean undies.” “MOOOMMM!” Noah turned, his face flush, the pout on his lips possibly being the worst blend of serious and precious possible. He huffed and grabbed a bright yellow smiley face from a pouch and attached it to the middle part of the chart for the day. Something about this was… appealing to Lucas. Noah was making a big deal about it but… It must have felt nice to have confirmation that you did a good job even if that means you didn’t fully (or at all) make it to the potty. “Now Lucas, your mom called me when you came over. I have some grocery bags here that you can put your wet clothes in. She said you brought a change of pants and undies? Good, good. Do you need help getting dressed?” “N-no, I think I can do it.” “Good boy.” The secret weapon used for ages against canines of all sorts to keep them in check. Lucas was a SUCKER for being called a good boy. It had minimal effect when another canine used it, but when another species acknowledged it, boy it hit the spot. His tail was wagging proudly and loudly. “I’m going to help Noah get cleaned up and then you boys can get back to your movie.” By this point, the teen wolf was an expert at undressing and redressing from stained clothes to fresh clothes. Noah’s mom even gave him wipes so he could clean off and still smell nice. He would have to ask his mom for something like that the next time they went grocery shopping. The interesting part was Noah’s outfit. The fox wasn’t wearing normal underwear. He was wearing briefs that were thick. Massively thick. And swollen like a sponge! “C’mon, go get your fresh training pants. There we go. One leg in, and now the other…” Training pants? Training for… what? The novelty of being rewarded on a chart on the wall had made him gloss over the purpose for it. Those kinds of charts tracked reactions towards accidents. And the training pants were supposed to be for training to do what exactly with accidents? Mrs. Seong must have caught him staring, because she answered the very question on his mind. “Noah is wearing special training pants so if he has a little accident he can keep playing and not have to worry. Isn’t that right?” Noah grumbled something as he pulled up his cargo pants. Lucas was insanely, intensely jealous of those training pants. -- Noah and Lucas had a difficult time finishing the movie together. Noah seemed uncomfortable during the whole thing. He would get up, pat himself down, then sit back down. It was like he wasn’t sure if he left his phone in his mom’s car or something. Lucas, on the other hand, had the mental image of the training pants burned into his mind. As Doctor Unusual interacted with characters from different dimensions, the wolf just couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like to have undies that were so thick that he didn’t need to worry about accidents. It would give him so much more freedom and comfort. He put zero energy into thinking about the potty chart in his best friend’s room. Something about it made it almost fade from memory. Like his mind was instructing him to put no thought into it. By the time the movie was over, its runtime of well-over two hours plus five post-credit sequences, it was nearing dinner time. The two teens were scrolling on their phones next to each other. Lucas got the impression that Noah wasn’t feeling particularly extroverted today. The two spent some time scrolling through the endless content void of ChikChok. Noah would occasionally lean over and show off something funny or weird, and Lucas would show off some of the cool dances he saw. “So Lucas, will you be staying for dinner?” The wolf looked up, startled at how absorbed he was into browsing his device. “Uhhh… No thank you, Mrs. Seong! I should probably get going.” Lucas had made the mistake of inviting himself over to a friend’s house when they clearly wanted him to leave before. He was just an oblivious kid so he didn’t know it was rude to invite himself to stay. His parents seemed mortified when he told them later and spent a long time reinforcing the proper etiquette in those situations. “Are you sure? Mr. Seong is still on his business trip and we have enough food for you if you’d like.” The exception seemed to be that Noah’s mom had infinite patience with Lucas being around. Maybe it was the duration of their friendship or maybe it was some cultural thing. This was part of the “dance” as mom liked to put it. He had to figure out if this was a legitimate offer or just a nicety that was intended to be rejected. He always messed that part up. Lucas looked at his friend on the couch, still browsing the app. Noah felt pretty distant today. That was fine, not every day had to be a slam dunk. But this was beyond normal recharge rates. He was in a funk. It was really weird trying to analyze the situation, however. In Lucas’ eyes, there was nothing obvious that could result in such disinterest. Noah was on summer vacation, could play games and hang out as much as he wanted, he wasn’t grounded, and he hadn’t mentioned any big problems looming over him. Sure he was scared of the potty monster, but Lucas had already accepted into his heart that the potty monster was real and dangerous. If Noah felt the same way then they should have been bonding over it. Was it the accident? Or changing in front of Lucas? They had seen each other naked during the brief period when the school required showering after gym class (which was quickly abandoned due to a variety of issues). Nothing came to mind that seemed like a big deal. “I appreciate it, Mrs. Seong, but Mom had some special dinner she was working on for tonight. I should go find out what it is. Thank you, though!” Lucas decided that his presence probably wouldn’t make the situation any better here. Maybe after a good night’s sleep Noah would feel better. -- Dinner was an experiment. And like some experiments, it was subject to statistical interpretation. Much to his Dad’s credit, the liver sticks, two-and-a-half-bean salad, spinach cookies, and onion juice were all consumed. Whether they remained consumed would be up for scholarly debate for decades to come. Lucas wondered if perhaps it would have been better to endure an awkward social situation to score free food from Mrs. Seong. Similar thoughts became common for Lucas later in his life. Still, he ate enough to withstand the judgment of his Mom. He learned extremely fast in life that “Do you like it?” coming from his mother was not a question with multiple answers. “Did you have a fun time at Noah’s?” His Mom asked, before daintily sipping at her squeezed allium. “Yeah, uh, sort of. Noah had a big accident while I was there. Oh heck, uh, yeah sorry I also had an accident too. I kind of forgot, I need to take the wet clothes out of my bag.” Lucas moved a piece of liver from one side of the plate to the other, as if it might transform into pizza with some encouragement. “But yeah Noah was just kind of off after he changed into fresh training pants. I was hoping to hang out but he seemed really bummed. I don’t get it.” Lucas caught his Dad looking up from his food out of the corner of his eye. When the teen turned, in anticipation that he might say something, his Dad’s head was lowered again. “Well, sweetie, sometimes people feel things that they don’t always understand. Noah is your friend and I’m sure that this will pass. Just make sure that you’re there for him. That means listening to him when he needs it.” Lucas was pretty sure he understood what his Mom meant. Maybe not all of it, but at least the part about being there for his friend. He took a drink of onion juice, its sharp initial kick giving way for a surprisingly mellow sweetness on the after- “No it’s fine, nobody needs to ask me about the THREE shinies that I caught today.” The onion juice was snorted back out into the cup. It was less pleasant when it ran through his nostrils. -- That night was notable. The sleep meditation had so far been exceptional, producing fantastic rest and mostly unremarkable dreams. This time, as Lucas dreamt, it was not just the waves of static crashing against him, the binaural rhythm shifting him back and forth, back and forth, rocking endlessly. It was accompanied by a sense of warmth. A sense of relief. A sense of fulfillment. Lucas floated atop an endless sea, its currents so subtle that the water appeared as glass. His arms outstretched, his legs spread wide. They were somehow doubled. His arms at his side and his legs together. He felt encircled. Measured. Perfect. Not for perfection’s sake but perfect in self. He could be in any place he wished, in any way he wished. But to float along felt best. The stars drifted overhead, whirling and dancing in their unified course. Rotating as one. Like scattered jewels upon a pall of velvet, they glistened. Their age was meaningless. Their isolation, trivial. Their intent could never be understood. These beacons of distant eons traveled across the unfathomable distance of space. They cared not. They wanted not. Their existence revealed the true scale to those who observed. The stars showed the way things were. The way things are. The way things will be. And these stars moved in the darkened sky above Lucas. It was impossible to take in and impossible to look away. They, somehow, found their way from the most remote of places to him. So that he could bask in their Being. It was overwhelming to take in. The water beneath him was warm. It was inviting. It beckoned him. The beauty above must be mirrored by the beauty below. He felt himself sink. The water rushed around him, obscuring the vision of the cosmos. It should have been terrifying to descend. It should have been terrible to witness the world of the breathing rise further and further away. Out of arm’s grasp. Shimmering as a barrier. The crushing depths of the ocean’s deepest, darkest places should have been horrific. But they were not. And so Lucas found himself once more resting. The shining sand of the sea floor beneath him. His legs, crossed, soles to the sky. His hands, placed, palms to the sky. The darkness that surrounded him gave him clarity. Clarity to see what was beyond the means of perception. The mysteries of the deep did not unravel themselves so easily, but he had no want for time. He was not pressed for answers. He basked in the warmth. The relief. The comforting embrace of the pleasant waters. -- Lucas yawned and raised his arms in bed, blinking. He stretched them out and arched his back. He had the most beautiful and meaningful dream. It was incredible and he left him feeling almost sad that he had to leave it. He couldn’t remember it exactly, just that he had greatly enjoyed it. He felt like he understood things a little better. What that meant, he didn’t know. It was just a sense that he came out of that dream better than when he entered. He gave a great big stretch and lowered himself back on the bed, intending to check his phone to see if he had slept through his alarm. The sun had risen but in the summer that could have meant any time in the day. His back touched cool, wet sheets. If he wasn’t awake before, he was certainly awake now. He brought his arms down and slid them under the comforter. His paws touched the same wetness. He felt around, finding that this wet sensation spread all around him. And given the sensation on this back, it went all the way up to his shoulders. He frowned and blinked, his morning brain working through the problem like a single hamster running in a wheel. He leaned forward, the sheets clinging to him in a very familiar way, and rotated his body ninety degrees, swinging his legs out. He sighed, really not happy that there was something going on with the bed that he just spent all night sleeping in. He hopped out and in one quick motion, as if he could catch something in the act of fleeing, he threw off the comforter, revealing his bedsheets beneath. His bed was drenched, a dark stain spread from where his body had been positioned. Based on the tide marks around the edges of where it had begun to dry, this had been even bigger at one point. It had spread from around his knees all the way up to his back. Lucas leaned over and examined it, trying to wrap his mind around what had happened. He stopped himself. It was prudent for him to try to make it to the potty as soon as he woke up, THEN try to see what was going on. Except, he didn’t have to go. At all. His bladder was totally empty. There was no rush at all. Lucas was not so far gone that he was unable to tell when he had to go peepee in the big boy potty. And his body was telling him that there was absolutely no need to even try. This was around when he noticed that his boxers were totally drenched and that there was a distinct smell of stale urine around him. The wolf’s fur bristled. He felt the heat of embarrassment rise to his cheeks and firmly take hold. He had wet the bed. He had completely soaked his sheets and he slept through the entire thing. Of course he didn’t have to go potty. He had already spent all night going potty in his bed! This was a tough thing to handle by himself. He had two options. He could take the sheets down to the laundry room and shove them in and hope that nobody would ask him why he was running the wash first thing in the morning. That made sense. That would probably work and let him get away with this. Or he could tell his parents that he had wet the bed. Some unknown, unexplainable compulsion made that the obvious solution to this problem. If he told his parents then it would be a good idea. If he told his parents that he wet the bed, they would be able to help. It was important that boys who wet the bed tell their parents right away. Why was it important to fill them in? That wasn’t a question with an answer. It was just some kind of deep truth within the teen that resonated with his sense of self. It was ok to wet the bed! Lots of people wet the bed! Wetting the bed was no problem at all. And because it was perfectly natural and normal and healthy and good to wet the bed, that meant that it was also a good idea to let his parents know. Lucas pondered this for a lot longer than he probably realized. The choice of keeping his accidents a secret had never appeared in his mind, really. For some reason, he was always very open about them. In fact, it felt good to tell his Mom and Dad that he had gone peepee in his pants a whole lot. It even felt good to tell Martin about it, even if he seemed less thrilled with this information than his parents did. It was odd to even contemplate keeping this event from anyone. What was the point in hiding it? Why would Lucas even want to hide it? If anything, the choice between attempting to keep his bedwetting a secret and admitting it outright became less and less of a choice the more he thought about it. It was really silly to bother hiding these sorts of things. He wouldn’t get in trouble for being honest, but who knew if he would get in trouble for being deceptive. Why had he even wanted to keep it a secret in the first place? What a weird thing to have pop up in his mind. Maybe it was like when he looked over the ledge of a tall building and imagined dropping his phone several stories. Or when he imagined what it would be like to ram his shopping cart into another cart at the store. Some kind of strange hypothetical situation that the mind ran through whenever presented with possibilities. Yes, clearly there was no argument or validity to keeping this from his family. Lucas had wet the bed and he wanted to make sure everyone knew about it! -- Carmella was not expecting to have her bedroom door knocked on at 7:30 in the morning. Or any time before she had her coffee. She tried her best to be a morning person, but no matter how many years she devoted to the task, she wished she could stay up late and wake up late. Sadly that wasn’t her life. She did have the ability to make the characters in her passion project novel night owls. But she found that sleeping pattern discussion never really fit in with ranch romance plots. Yes, ranch romance. She was very happy with Ron but… she couldn’t help that she loved a man in denim. It was possible to write a romance story while being happily married, thankyouverymuch! “Sweetie, what is it?” Carmella asked, fighting back a yawn. Her kid was lucky she was already out of the shower. “Mom! Mom! You have to come see!” “Can you tell Mommy? I still have to get ready for work, sweetheart. Is everything ok?” Her son was surprisingly chipper. “It’s fine! I wet my bed! I was sleeping and I didn’t wake up and I needed to pee I guess and I just went in my bed and now my bed is really soaky and wet and there’s a big puddle in it.” Through still unfocused morning vision she looked down at Lucas, noting that his boxers were positively drenched and he stank of stale urine. So, it’s finally happened, she thought. I’ll have to text Ron to let him know we’re moving to the next stage. “Ok sweetie. That’s very good that you told me. Go upstairs and grab all the sheets off the bed. We’re going to have to wash them.” Carmella lost out to the yawn. She hid it behind her paw. “Don’t you want to come see it?” Lucas tilted his head. This kind of interest in showing off bodily waste was a male phenomena that Carmella had never grown accustomed to. She had changed far too many blowouts and trainwrecked diapers when the boys were little to even be dazed by it anymore. “No, no, I believe you. I just have to get ready for work….” The sheer disappointment in the eyes of her teenage son when she denied his request to see evidence that he was a bedwetter was not something she expected. He was about to enter the next stage of the Retrain System so… Sigh. She hated disappointing her kids. “But… Ok c’mon, get up there. I’m coming. You better not be fibbing!” “I’m not, I promise! I really wet the bed!” -- That evening, after dinner, Lucas had a meeting with his parents. They wanted a progress update on how he’d been feeling lately. It was nearly three weeks after the meditation machine had been installed and he was extremely pleased with how well it worked. He was sleeping great and that was impacting his mood in a positive way! They met in his bedroom, much like how they had done at the start of this. This was unlike the last time, where Lucas had been dreading the constant discussions and disappointment from his parents and all the hassles. This time he was excited to share the progress he had made! He sat on his bed, which still lacked sheets. A mass of towels laid on the spot he previously slept in. He was told to keep them there until the mattress dried, which was bound to happen eventually, he assumed. “So, Lucas, um… Have you been feeling well?” His Dad looked almost timid. It would have been a concerning question to start off with if it wasn’t the whole point of the meeting. “Yep! I’ve been feeling great. I really like the sleep meditation stuff. It feels really nice to fall asleep and stay asleep. I can feel it helping me.” The young wolf smiled. He was proud that he had made the mature decision to accept his parents’ offer. It was the kind of thing that some teens probably would have fought back against and not taken seriously. “I see that you’ve been hanging out a lot with your brother. Are you two getting along?” His Mom had her hands on her knees and was gripping them, as if bracing for something. “Uh-huh! Martin is a pain sometimes but it’s been cool playing games with him. And he’s helped me with um… the potty monster.” The less said about the potty monster, the better. “He’s told me that he’s been helping you flush the toilet.” “Y-yeah. It’s not so bad when he’s there to keep me safe from the potty monster. But it’s still really scary.” He really hoped they weren’t about to start grilling him on this. They knew that this was a sore subject! “That’s good that you two are talking and working together. Your father and I have been talking too. We have noticed that you’ve had a lot of accidents lately and now you’ve started wetting the bed.” Lucas had to admit that he was having more accidents than he normally had. Which wasn’t a bad thing! It was normal to have lots and lots of accidents! “And we think that you might not be ready for the big boy potty.” “HUH?” Lucas was stunned! That was outrageous! He was SO ready for the big boy potty!! “What your mother is saying is that, er, it’s not that we don’t trust you to be a big boy about lots of things. We’re very proud of how mature and well-behaved you’ve been. And we’re so excited for you to go into high school after the summer. But we think it would be a lot of stress for you to have these kinds of accidents at school around all your new friends.” Lucas tried to puzzle out what on earth they were talking about. They could talk as much as they wanted about him being mature and responsible and all that but this was his big boy potty privileges! He earned those years and years ago! They can’t just get revoked like that! He was totally qualified to make it to the potty on time whenever he wanted! “What are you… I! Am! Potty! Trained! I know how to use the potty!” He was standing, his fists balled at his sides. “Sweetie, sweetie, we aren’t saying you aren’t potty trained. Sit down sweetie, we have to talk about this like mature adults.” His Mom was still seated, her hand now resting to where Lucas previously was. He was fuming! Talking about things like mature adults is easy to say when you’re not about to have one of the foundational elements of being a big kid taken away from you! “Lucas, we love you very much. We always want what is best for you. Look, we aren’t trying to take this away from you overnight.” His Mom shot his Dad a look. “Er, rather, what I mean to say, is that we aren’t trying to surprise you with this. That’s why we’re having this meeting. So we can talk.” Lucas looked from parent to parent. He crossed his arms and backed away from them, leaning against his old dresser. He would listen to them, but he was guarded. He was frowning and he felt tears welling in his eyes, but he kept his composure. Now was not the time for a temper tantrum. Now was the time to be the most mature person in the room. “O-ok.” This throat caught on the first word out of his mouth. Keep it together, keep it together. “Fine. Explain this to me.” The tension in the room was clear. These kinds of situations went from being just talking to just shouting in an instant, in his experience. His Mom spoke first. “We want to see if some positive reinforcement might help you with your accidents. I know it’s hard to keep track during the day when you’re going to the bathroom, so we have a chart that will help everyone monitor the situation, ok? Adults use charts like this all the time when they want to track things and they can’t remember them very well.” “So you wanna… have a chart for when I go to the potty? What’s that gonna do?” “Do you remember when I went on that diet last year?” His Dad explained. “I kept that app on my phone that tracked all the food I ate.” Lucas definitely remembered. It looked like a pain to do. “Well, it helped me watch what I was eating. I figured out that I was snacking between meals without even thinking about it. By writing it down, I was forced to remember what happened during the day. And it held me accountable.” “It’s exactly like that, sweetie. By keeping track of when you go to use the bathroom, you won’t forget about it. And it will make it easier to monitor your accidents.” Lucas had to admit that while he didn’t mind having peepee accidents in his pants, he could imagine it being inconvenient or inappropriate sometimes. And to his knowledge, most high schoolers didn’t have issues with wetting their pants in front of the potty. And their plan sounded fair. Dad definitely used that app and tracked his diet for a couple of months last year and that seemed to help. Although that did raise an obvious question. “Ok, well, if that system works so well, how come you aren’t using that app to track your food anymore, Dad?” His father’s eyes widened and he gave an awkward smirk. “That’s a good question, Ron. Why DID you stop using that app?” “I uh… well, it was quarter end and uh… There were some… Well you see, what had happened was…” “Lucas, you have raised an excellent point. It isn’t fair to you if we use a method that we can’t use ourselves.” His Mom was looking straight at his Dad while she spoke. “I think to prove that we are being open and equitable, while you are keeping track of your bathroom record, your father can keep track of the food he eats.” His Dad looked like he wanted to say something, but he elected not to. He just nodded in agreement, instead. Lucas supposed that their compromise was fair. If it turned out that this was going to be not worthwhile, at least he wouldn’t have to suffer alone. Much like making things even with his little brother, it was fair as long as everyone was inconvenienced. “Fine. I guess that makes sense.” He still wasn’t happy that this was being tracked. He was a big boy and he could go potty all on his own without having to record it. But, if they were going to record it, he would make sure it was a record of victory and success! “Good then, I’m glad we’re in agreement. Let me show you what we have.” His Mom went out to the doorway of the room and grabbed a box with a few items in it. She produced a vinyl chart with segments and spaces to put stickers and… at the top it said Potty Chart! This was identical to the potty training chart he saw on Noah’s wall yesterday! “So this is the chart. It will help you to-” “Yeah! I saw that! Mrs. Seong had Noah put a smiley sticker on it when he wet his training pants!” He paused. He blinked. Something didn’t click. Why would you put a smiley sticker on a potty training chart if you didn’t make it to the potty? “Wh… Why did… But Noah… went peepee…” His head swam. Something wasn’t connecting in his mind. It made sense to put a smiley face sticker on a potty training chart. It would feel good to put a smiley face sticker on a potty training chart. Smiley faces were good and showed that you did the right thing. That made sense. He wanted smiley face stickers on his potty training chart. But why would the good stickers go on when Noah had a big peepee accident? Wouldn’t he… get a frowny sticker? Yet, that logic was like a gear grinding without lubrication. It was barely turning and overheating. “I think you might be getting swept up in the details, champ.” His Dad’s hand was on his shoulder. When did he stand up? Lucas must have been so caught up in his own head that he spiraled out for a moment. “There’s a system that we’re supposed to follow. It sounds like Mrs. Seong is using the same one that we’re using. I promise, it’s not complicated.” It felt good to have his Dad there to reassure him. Lucas nodded and composed himself. His mother explained the system. Whenever Lucas had an accident in his pants, at all, he would put a smiley face on the chart in the part of the day when it happened. The smiley face was supposed to represent that it was alright and to stay positive. And if you made it to the potty on time and with no accident, you put a frowny face sticker on the chart. This represented that you overcame your fears of the potty monster and did the responsible thing. Apparently the frowny face was supposed to be more like a fearsome face. Lucas wasn’t sure he understood the logic of the way this worked. But it was just two stickers! He knew what they meant and that was the important part! He could keep track of them no problem. “See? Not hard at all. We all know what this means and we can keep track of it easily.” His Dad rubbed his shoulder and pulled him in for a big hug. Lucas hated to admit it, but he really needed that hug. The emotions in the last few minutes had been a lot more real than he was anticipating. “There’s a few more things, right Mom?” “Let’s see… Ah, just let me get this out and…” His mother pulled out a package containing some kind of folded up object. It was pretty big. She presented the front to him. “These are plastic sheets. I know that you just had a single bedwetting incident this morning, but we figured that if we were going to do this, we were going to do it right. Plus, look at how long it’s taken for your mattress to dry out.” She pulled off some of the towels. There was a faded yellow stain underneath, easily revealing where he had allowed his accident to soak in overnight. “This is purely so if anything happens, we don’t have to replace your mattress.” Lucas nodded. That made sense. If it took his mattress a long time to dry out, then it might still be wet when he went to bed. And that would be uncomfortable. He didn’t intend to wet the bed anymore, but… now that it was at the forefront of his mind, he realized that he didn’t have much control over whether he wet the bed or not. He could take steps to make sure he used the potty on time and remembered to pull down his pants and all that. But if he was asleep, he was pretty limited in what he could reasonably do. Plus, as he had experienced recently, he was sleeping extremely deeply. The mattress protector was a reasonable choice and didn’t threaten his ego at all. “Oh? No questions? Good!” His Mom placed the package down on the bed, presumably with the intent of getting it installed once the family meeting was over. “Now, the final thing we wanted to talk about. I think the surprise on this might have already been spoiled a bit thanks to Noah…” “WAIT. Oh my god! You… You got me training pants???” Lucas gasped, a great big smile forming on his face. As his mom raised up one of the pairs of padded undies, he was grinning from ear to ear. The training pants had blue trim and were covered with a pattern of airplanes doing loop-de-loops. The center flap was absent, which prevented it from being mistaken for cartoonish briefs. Instead, the center seemed to bulge out, clearly padded and thickened with layers of fabric meant to help absorb piddle. Lucas couldn’t help himself. He quickly stepped forward and put out his paws, his eyes wide with excitement. The training pants were handed to him and he lifted them up as if they were a sacred object, examining all their details and feeling the fabric. He pressed into the crotch and found it sprung back like a sponge. He let out a squeal of delight. He couldn’t put words to it, but when he saw Noah in undies just like these he wanted them so incredibly badly. He didn’t know how to describe it to his parents. In fact, in his mind he really hadn’t untangled the knot of desire himself. All he knew is that this was something he desperately wanted and now he had it. There was the sound of a cleared throat. Lucas looked up, his tail wagging behind him. Next to the mattress protector was a half-dozen other similar training pants. He gasped and looked at his Mom and then at his Dad. This felt like Christmas. Except on Christmas normally receiving underwear was one of the low points. “Really? Really? These are for me? I get to wear training pants? Oh my gosh oh my gosh…” Lucas heard his Dad say something as his wagging tail slapped into his father’s thigh at extreme speeds. “Oof. Yes. These are for you. We wanted you to feel confident while using the potty chart so we decided that…” His Dad didn’t have time to explain the rationale behind giving his fourteen year old son undies that were easier to pee in. Lucas gripped him in a big hug. Then his Mom. All the while he held onto the training pants with a death grip. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!” “You’re very welcome, sweetie.” Lucas’ Mom spoke as her air was being squeezed out from the hug. He let up so he could examine the other training pants available to him. “If I knew you’d like them that much, we would have saved the potty chart for last.” “We had that whole big speech prepared and everything.” “At least he likes them.” Lucas was busy trying to figure out which one he was going to wear first. They were all great. There was one with little puppies and bones, one with baseball accessories, one with stars, one with whales, one with race cars, and one with fire trucks, cement mixers, and dump trucks. He immediately pulled down his pants and took his undies with them. His undies were a little damp. He had no clue and didn’t care at all. He picked up the training pants with baseball bats and gloves and stepped into them, sliding them up with relish. He threaded his tail through the hole in the back (which took effort thanks to his tail wagging) and felt his handiwork. He could not stop his body from involuntarily shuddering. The thickness of the cloth cradled his groin and kept him snug and secure. It was a noticeable amount of bulk but that wasn’t unpleasant. It was nice. It was a constant reminder of what he was wearing. He twisted and turned and examined himself. He padded over to the mirror and took a look. The teen wolf in front of the mirror was wearing an Envision Wyverns shirt and baseball training undies. And he had the biggest grin on his face. He felt good and right and at peace and happy. It was like he belonged in these. -- Martin didn’t look up from his game. He was in the middle of a special replay of the latest Pokemon game where he would discard any Pokemon of his that fainted. There were a couple of other rules surrounding this particular playthrough but the end result was that he cared a lot more about the health and survivability of his Pokemon. And it resulted in a couple weird situations where he ended up with a rag-tag band of Pokemon following a brutal fight. He liked taking notes about these kinds of things and posting them to Pokemon-dedicated message boards. “So uh, just in case you notice some changes with your brother, that is completely normal and is part of the process. It’s a stress-relief system and it’s going to help him excel in high school.” His Dad was standing awkwardly by him as his parents explained the situation with Lucas. It was pretty obvious what was going on. “Right, yeah, so he’s being unpotty trained?” His Dad bit his lip and paused for a moment before answering affirmatively. “Well, yes. It’s going to take a little bit longer but that’s the end goal. Did he talk to you about that?” “Oh, no, I don’t think he knows. I have a couple friends on the PokeForum who were unpotty trained recently. They talked about it and it sounded like what Lucas is going through.” Martin clicked his tongue as his Pokemon was struck with a critical hit at the worst possible time. It was annoying to lose a Pokemon that he had spent a lot of time leveling up and getting trained how he wanted. But that was part of the challenge. Without extra rules, these games could sometimes become too mindless. “PokeForum? Honey, we have talked about the dangers of talking to strangers online,” his Mom chidded. “You are really too young to be doing that.” Martin looked up from his game, gave his mother a side-eyed stare, blinked a few times, and then returned to his Switch. He wasn’t the one who had taken his Mom’s credit card to buy G-Bucks for Double Week. Or the one who had gotten a virus on his Dad’s laptop. Or the one who had been caught posting “skit” videos on ChikChok. Martin was firmly in his lane in the digital landscape and his parents knew it. Plus, he was going into the 7th grade next year. Lucas wasn’t the only “big boy” in the house. “Anyways, you have some… acquaintances who have gone through this?” His Dad changed the direction of the conversation. His parents were acting weird about all this. It was like they were asking for his approval or something. “Yeah. They seemed to like it. I guess they’re in diapers now.” He made his way back to the PokeCenter to reconfigure his team. “And… You don’t have a problem with it?” His Dad really was being timid. “They’re just diapers! You know, Huggies makes Pokemon diapers? They have Pokeballs and Pikachus on them. I don’t see what the big deal is.” He tossed out the retired Pokemon and replaced it with one of the recently caught monsters that he kept as a backup. Thankfully it was near the level of the defeated one. “Sweetie, if your brother ends up in diapers, would that be an issue? We want to make sure that this wouldn’t hurt your relationship.” Martin actually put the Switch down and looked up at his parents. They were standing over him. He was bad at reading faces. He took a moment to think about how he felt about Lucas. He loved his brother, at times. But he had also been turning into a real jerk. And it seemed like they had been growing distant ever since they each got their own rooms. Martin liked the privacy and he wasn’t begging for his brother to move back in with him or anything. But they lived together and it was nice when they got along. So far, since his parents started this unpotty training program, they had gotten along great. It was weird to flush the toilet after this brother used it, but it felt kind of powerful to have that amount of impact over someone else’s life. Lucas needed him for something really embarrassing and intimate and Martin felt like he was obligated to help. And when they were just hanging out they actually talked and weren’t arguing as much. It was nice. If Lucas would remain like that after being put back in diapers, then there was very little to lose. “Yeah, I think it’ll be fine. I don’t mind if Lucas gets unpotty trained.” He noticed the tension in the air dissipate and he was finally able to return to his game. -- The following day was a curveball for Lucas. He awoke in completely drenched sheets. The plastic mattress protector had done its job and kept the pee from soaking into the mattress, but they had also prevented the liquid from pooling. Instead, it spread out, resulting in basically his entire bed being stained from head to toe. Mattresses, it seemed, were better at absorbing moisture than bedsheets. The training pants put up a valiant effort, clearly having gained significant weight from the amount they had soaked up. They clung to his crotch in a way that was surprisingly pleasant. Unlike his normal undies, they seemed to retain some of his body heat, resulting in a tepid sensation that was more comfortable than how wet boxers felt. Putting the first smiley face on the potty chart was something of a challenge as well. Lucas knew from the discussion the previous night that the smiling stickers represented a can-do attitude and were supposed to motivate him to make it to the bathroom on time. It still felt bizarre to put a happy, positive indicator on a sheet that effectively showed that he failed in the task at hand. Yet, as he stood there in his soaked training pants, looking at the potty chart area marked “Nighttime”, it felt really good to have a nice smiling image in front of him. In fact, it made him smile. It felt good to have a happy sticker on the board! And as he examined himself in the mirror, noting how his drooping training pants looked on him, he could not stop his tail from wagging. He knew, logically, that he was supposed to be making it to the potty and NOT just going in his pants whenever he wanted. But the raw physical and emotional appeal was difficult to argue with. He spent a lot of the day hanging out with Martin. They had found a game that they could both play together: Quarryconstruct. The cube-based building and survival game could be played at the same time cooperatively. And the two of them set to work making an epic base out of a mountain, complete with lava flows behind glass and numerous entrances to underground shafts and even monster-filled areas. Lucas was primarily interested in exploring and linking routes and mapping things out, while Martin cared about refining the designs and creating efficient pathways and expanding the technology available. The day had gone by in a flash. And by the time their parents had come home, the mountain lair was taking shape and becoming a proper base of operations for their endeavors. Lucas invited Noah to come play with them, but he said he wasn’t feeling well. Unfortunately for Lucas’ plans to conquer his potty problems, he ended up having two big accidents before dinner, resulting in two new smiling stickers joining the one from that morning. The teen wolf hadn’t even managed to try to make it in either case. He was so engrossed playing his games that his body just gave up and let loose. Whatever signal his bladder had given his brain that an accident was incoming was completely ignored. It was a real shock for the wolf when he felt the warmth spreading out under him in his chair. He would whine and huff and, for some reason, complain out loud. “Uh-oh! I’m going peepee in my pants! I’m having a big accident and I can’t hold it!” He would shove his hands down, as if that could possibly affect the torrent of pee flowing into his training pants and shorts. After a few moments, his bladder would finally empty and he would sigh in relief. He barely even registered that he said anything out loud. It was an automatic response to the phenomena of his body releasing without his knowledge and his ears were mute to the words. That kind of reflexive action was becoming common for Lucas and whatever part of him that governed self-awareness was clearly on summer vacation as well. This happened to him twice. The most bizarre part about it all was that Martin would have to be the one to press Lucas about the accident. Previously, Lucas was very proactive about changing his clothes and making sure that he had the proper help needed or told someone that the potty needed to be flushed. But these new accidents came with a kind of mental blank following them. Lucas would go back to doing whatever it was that he was previously doing like nothing happened, like he wasn’t sitting in pee-soaked training pants on a drenched towel. It would take his brother to ask him if he had just wet his pants to jog his memory of the event. Lucas was grateful that Martin was so attentive about these things. For some reason, it felt like peeing his pants was just a normal event. He knew that accidents were normal. That everyone had accidents. That it was no big deal to have a big accident in his pants. That it was good to tell everyone when he had accidents. That it was fun to wet his pants. That good boys wet their pants and hated the potty. But even with all of those baseline, concrete mental establishments, it was odd to get used to this new normal. It helped a lot having his brother around to make sure that he was paying attention and not getting carried away. The oddest, most out of character part, was how proud he was to show off his potty chart to his parents that evening. Despite the enormous fuss over having it put into his room, despite the explanation that he was potty trained and didn’t need this, despite the angst over the implications it brought with it. Despite all of that, when he saw those smiling stickers that he put on there from earlier that day, he could not help himself from smiling along with them. His parents seemed understanding, happy even, about this. Clearly they were just impressed with the teen’s maturity and honesty. -- “C’mon Lucas, let’s go grocery shopping.” Carmella had made grocery shopping an evening task. She found that she was less likely to buy junkfood (or to be convinced by her boys, husband included, to buy junkfood) if everyone’s stomach was full from dinner. It also helped her with her busy schedule. Having to get dinner on the table for her family in a reasonable time meant that she didn’t have the luxury of picking things up on the way back from work. And finding the energy to go shopping for basic necessities on the weekend was not always possible. “Huh?” Her teen son clearly heard her. He had such selective hearing sometimes. He knew she was calling for him. His door was right there. All he had to do was pause his game and walk ten feet and he could have a normal conversation. But no, she’d have to do this the hard way. “I said, we’re going grocery shopping!” “What?” For the love of… That boy was leaving his room, whether he liked it or not. Carmella cared deeply about her children but sometimes they could be real recluses. Oh all their friends are online, yes, she was well-aware. Her friends were online too. But food wasn’t online! Out of all the possible things, it was the one physical connection that could never be replaced with virtual reality. She made her way up the stairs. She wasn’t upset, she just wanted her son to come with her. “Lucas, sweetie, I said that we are going to the grocery store. You and me. C’mon, pause it and let’s go.” Her son groaned and was clearly moments away from complaining that it was impossible to pause online games. “You will have plenty of time to fix your score when you get back.” She sniffed the air. There was a strong scent of stale urine. His room basically had that smell all the time now. They were four days into the potty chart and there wasn’t a single frowny face on it. Lucas had been using his pants exclusively, which meant he also had some poopy training pants incidents. That had been a new development, but not unexpected. Any frustration and fussiness over the much more substantial accident faded as soon as the sticker was placed on the chart. That was clearly working as-intended. She would have to invest in some air fresheners for his room. And hopefully an odor-resistant diaper pail in a short time. “Sweetie,” she tried a different tactic. “Does your potty chart need a new sticker?” That seemed to give her teen pause. She saw his character stop moving as he took one paw off the control stick and placed it on his crotch. He quickly apologized to his teammates that he would have to leave early. There were some sounds of complaints on the other end as he exited to the home screen of his console. “Mom! I went peepee in my pants like a LOT! I totally forgot to tell you about it. Can I please put a sticker on my chart?” He had hopped up and was obviously in saturated pants. And they clearly had been this way for a while, as the edges had begun to dry, staining the outside with obviously discolored tide marks. “Did you already put a sticker on the chart for this accident?” Carmella asked, hand on her hip. Yes, she had to go grocery shopping. But her dang son was just so endearing this way. If she wasn’t going to enjoy interacting with her kid, what was the point of being a parent? “No! I promise! I didn’t realize I had to go and I kinda just forgot until you mentioned it!” His tail was tucked between his legs. It was tough for a wolf to lie about their emotions when they had an indicator that was highly visible and totally out of their control. “Ok, go put your sticker on and get changed into clean pants. I’m grabbing my purse. I want you in the minivan in just a few minutes, ok?” The grin from her son as he was carefully aligning the new sticker on his chart, the wagging of his tail, the sheer joy he was getting from such a simple task, was all too much for Carmella. It reminded her of when she initially potty trained Lucas. Except this time was far, far, far easier. That child had been absolutely terrified of the toilet and convincing him to get out of diapers was no small feat. Maybe, in a way, she had actually forced him out of diapers too soon. Maybe this was an opportunity to correct that mistake and allow Lucas to regain that agency over himself. It was such a basic mark of maturity that perhaps wasn’t healthy to impose. She had heard of other cultures where they breastfed their children into their teens. She had heard of all sorts of unique methods for child-rearing. Maybe she had given into societal pressures for her own sake rather than for the sake of her… She was getting way too carried away in her head again. Carmella exited her son’s room, noting that his “fresh” training pants were already yellowed from repeated use. -- Lucas trudged alongside the cart, weary of this necessary process. He had agreed to come with his Mom, but he hadn’t agreed to exist in this space doing the most boring things imaginable. Lucas was no chef, and as such, he had no way to comprehend what all the random ingredients he was picking up were to be used for. Did the brand of artichoke hearts really matter? According to his Mom it did. She had a checklist on her phone and would also be struck with random moments of inspiration, requiring the wolf to trek all over the store to find some highly-specific ingredient. Far too often, he picked the wrong thing or the wrong version of the thing or the wrong size of the thing. Meaning he would have to make the return trip through the labyrinthine grocery store to find where he even initially located it in the first place. One such trip to pick up paper towels (“No, sweetie, I want the one with the burly bear lumberjack”) had taken him to the mysterious non-food aisles of the grocery store. These poorly-understood rows always housed the most random assortment of household goods available on the market. Was there really a need for two dozen shelves of clothing detergent? What about the forty-pound bags of birdseed? Did… Jake find that weird? He was a raven after all and… Lucas turned the corner and caught a glimpse of a wall of products that halted him in his tracks. In front of him were stacks and stacks and stacks of diaper packages. These were huge, boxy, plastic-coated containers, showing the faint outline of their folded contents as the taut packaging contoured around the edges. Huggies Ultra-Supremes for Teens? Teen Pampers SuperCruisers? Luvs Teens Leakguard Pro Series? Lucas was entranced. These large cases of diapers were all marketed for teens and young adults. They had pictures of other people his age proudly showing off their diapered status. They were smiling and posing and happy to be swaddled in these thick diapers that they were obviously wearing. It was incredible. They all boasted that they had the maximum absorbency, that they were perfect for teens who needed extra protection, that they fit just his size. He set the rolls of paper towels on the epoxy-coated floor and walked over to the display. There were dozens of these diaper bags all lined up perfectly on the shelves. Their own section marked “Young Adult Incontinence Supplies”. Right next to the diapers meant for babies and children. It was wild to see and also somewhat normal. Like they weren’t stacked up with some kind of fanfare or giant signage or other things that made them stick out. It was just like any other section of the grocery store; products being sold and marketed towards people interested in them. He saw the outlines of the diapers bulging the plastic of the packages. They were clearly lined up tightly inside, perfectly aligned. They were huge compared to the baby diapers. The teen stepped forward and studied the designs. They were all so similar and yet each had their own specific color and marketing style. He reached out and grabbed at the Huggies package, sliding it out and rotating it. It was heavy, at least several pounds. The diapers inside must have been weighty and bulky, because the coating around them was extremely thin. Easy to open. Easy to just rip open and take a look. Lucas studied the sides. They were much like the front, showing off a teenage sabertooth cat in a different pose than the front. On the front he was confident and smiling. On the sides he was leaning against an invisible wall and looking content. The back was filled out with more information about the diapers, showing them unfolded with arrows pointing to the various features. Elastic backing for extra fitted comfort, triple-reinforced leak-guards for maximum protection for leaks, a layered central core for quick absorption, 10,000ml liquid capacity, reinforced diaperfront for enhanced playtime comfort, high-strength tapes to prevent sagging. It was incredible the amount of engineering that had gone into this. The blurb on the back talked about how Huggies Ultra-Supremes for Teens was the premier diaper for teens and young adults, using state-of-the-art technology to ensure convenience and comfort for today’s on-the-go youth. That these diapers were designed to be extremely comfortable to wear while sacrificing none of the patented Huggies Leak-Lock features that parents have known and valued. The wolf’s heart was racing as he read all about this. His breathing was quickened. He had no idea why this was all so fascinating to him. A few weeks ago and he would have walked past without even noticing. Or if he had noticed he would have assumed it was meant for some other demographic than himself. But reading all of this and feeling the dense package filled to the brim with diapers was beyond engrossing to him. He had to know what they looked like. Were they really like what the back of the packaging showed? Did they really look like how they looked on that sabertooth cat on the front? He had to know. The teen looked up and down the aisle. He checked up at the ceiling for cameras. If there were any he couldn’t see them. He was alone in this spot and no one would be the wiser if he decided to take a peek inside the box. He just wanted to look, that was all. He slid the box off the shelf. It really was heavy for its size, at least a foot and a half on all sides and several pounds. There was a handle at the top that he could hold onto. It would make it so much easier to carry this around the store. Assuming, of course, that he had any reason to do so. He didn’t want to take these diapers to his Mom and have her purchase them and then wear them. No, that was… That wasn’t what he… He held the box awkwardly positioned against the shelf, holding it in both arms, just staring at it. The boy on the front looked so happy. He looked so cool and confident in diapers. He looked normal in diapers. He was wearing them between his legs as if they were underwear and he wasn’t making a big deal about them. They were just what he wore instead of undies. He wore diapers. He wasn’t potty trained and he needed diapers so of course he wore diapers. That’s why these diapers even existed. They existed because it was perfectly fine for teens like this cat and like Lucas to wear diapers. They wouldn’t make diapers this big and designed exactly for people like him if it wasn’t perfectly natural to wear them instead of undies. Instead of training pants. He slowly placed the box on the floor and took another look around the aisle. He pulled at the corner flap where the handle was, unsealing it. He then tugged again and again, making an opening at the end of the package. The smell that greeted him was unreal. These diapers were pleasantly scented with lavender. It was a clean, simple smell that was noticeable but not overpowering. It gave the product a luxurious quality in his eyes (or nose). Like they didn’t need to make the diapers smell this enjoyable, this… welcoming. His paws were shaking as he reached for one of the diapers in the package. He couldn’t explain himself. Why was he so anxious and excited about this? Why was this such a big deal? Why was he even doing this in the first place? What could have possibly spurred on this total random fascination that would warrant opening a package of… Before his mind could race to the next thought his fingers were around the edge of the white diaper. The plastic outer layer felt smooth and had a satisfying give to it. He pulled it out, taking care as it was lodged in the package. These were clearly pressed together and were given no room to breathe or expand. The loud rustling of the plastic bag followed his movements. After some wiggling he finally produced it. He was holding the folded up, rectangular form of a diaper exactly in his size. Lucas studied it, feeling the length of the material. The thin layer of plastic encasing the thick absorbent layer of padding underneath. The tactile experience was unlike anything else he could remember. It was both supple and strong, clearly engineered so that it did not feel fragile or rough. The sound it made as he rotated it and felt it up was exquisite. A subtle crinkle and rustle that was intoxicating to listen to. All along it were patterns, showing space ships and moons and astronauts, with a panel of a smiling sun with smiling planets orbiting on the front panel. It reminded Lucas of the smiling stickers on his potty chart. It was inviting and friendly and it really reinforced to him that it was perfectly fine to wear diapers. Just like the smiling stickers made him feel good about going potty in his pants, the smiling planets on this diaper made him feel less wary about his decision to open up the package and take a look. “Sweetie, would you like to tell me what you’re doing?” Lucas felt his body tense up and in one instinctive motion, his hands chucked the diaper away from him. It thudded across the grocery store, landing in the open refrigerated dairy products aisle. Lucas’ heart was pounding in his chest. What the FUCK was he doing? What WAS he doing? He was just looking at DIAPERS and what the actual fuck. How was he supposed to explain that? That wasn’t something that he was known for or that he could just handwave away. He had a big package of Huggies right in front of him and it was open and his Mom probably saw him fondling this thing and wow he was basically dead. Maybe he could just pass away right here and they would ignore this part of his life in his obituary. Like they can’t just put in “died of embarrassment because he was caught opening DIAPERS” in the memorial of you right??? “Sweetie, c’mon, I’m right here. Mommy’s right here. It’s ok, you can tell me what’s going on.” He caught the glimpse of his Mom out of the corner of his eye, leaning down next to him. “Oh, are these some of those teen diapers? I’ve been seeing those around.” Lucas was frozen stiff. “Hm. Lucas, did you open this package of diapers?” Air escaped from his chest as he vainly attempted to form words. “Sweetie, it’s ok if you did, but you have to tell me.” Lucas was at the point where there were so many thoughts in his mind all competing for attention that he felt no dominant thought. It was like having a blank mind, except it resulted from having hundreds of thoughts all trying to bust through the door at the same time, jamming it in place. One of those thoughts happened to be that Lucas needed to go potty. “Lucas, it’s alright if you opened these diapers. It’s perfectly normal to be curious about diapers, especially since it sounds like a lot of teens are wearing them and… Oh. Uh-oh. Oh sweetie…” Lucas looked at his Mom with a dumb expression and then looked down. From his squatting position he could see in full view that a puddle was forming on the ground beneath him. Piss was streaming down his shorts in rivulets, dripping onto the floor and pooling around his feet. His training pants were trying their very best to keep the accident contained but there was a serious limit to their ability to stop such a massive flood. Worse still, his tail flagged. His eyes closed and he felt his stomach tighten. He was in the perfect position to completely lose control over himself. The back of his training pants bulged and sagged as he pushed out a massive mess into their seat. When he opened his eyes, he saw his Mom looking down at him, her face a gentle mask showing concern and affection in equal measures. He had seen that face a lot recently. He frowned as he looked up to her. “Mom, I had a big accident in my pants. I went potty lots and lots in my pants.” He was on the verge of breaking down. He had just had an extremely public and humiliating accident. There was no way to hide this. They still had an entire store to walk through. Everyone could easily see and smell that he had just peed and pooped in his pants and there was nothing he could do about that. His Mom smiled with a practiced gentle grace. “That’s right. You sure did sweetie. And you know what that means, right?” She crouched down to his level and looked him in the eyes. “It means that when we get home, you get to put a big, smiley sticker on your potty chart! Won’t that be fun? Won’t that be nice to have a happy face on your potty chart?” Lucas genuinely could not help himself. His tail moved of its own accord and the doom and gloom and misery he was just beginning to wallow in was instantly replaced with the sheer joy and excitement associated with putting a big happy sticker on his chart showing off how many accidents he was having. It felt really, really good to put those stickers on to mark his progress! And that meant that having a big accident in his pants was a good thing! It wasn’t a bad thing to go potty in his pants because he was supposed to have lots and lots of accidents in his pants! The stickers were smiling and happy and that meant that HE should be smiling and happy when he used them! “Really?? I get to put a sticker on it???” His Mom nodded and that was all it took to bring the teen up to his feet despite his sodden pants. “Now, sweetie, I’m going to ask you to do me a big favor. Can you do that for me, big boy?” Lucas eagerly nodded his head. He could absolutely help out! “I want you to go grab that diaper you tossed over there and bring it back. We need to clean up your accident before we leave.” The teen carefully stepped out of the puddle and squeaked his way over to the open dairy aisle. He didn’t mind that it was painfully obvious that his pants were completely ruined by this accident or that he desperately needed to get changed. He had been put into a remarkably good mood despite all of that and he was doing a task for his Mom. That kind of one-mindedness really helped ensure that he stayed on target. He grabbed the Huggies diaper that he had flung onto some yogurt containers. It had flopped open. He brought it back in both hands, awkwardly waddling thanks to his accident. With an expertise that implied that cleaning up random spills with spare diapers was not infrequent, Lucas’ Mom mopped up the puddle to the best of her ability. She balled the diaper up and stuffed it into her purse. She looked at Lucas, then back down to the Huggies on the ground. “Alright sweetie, go put the Huggies in the cart.” “Huh? But I-” “Sweetie, you know that if you open something in the store, you have to pay for it. C’mon, no arguing, we have to finish shopping.” The teen sighed in a way indicated a kind of defeat unique to teens. A huffy, resigned, annoyed sigh. But he did as she asked. Thankfully there were precious few items left to purchase on their trip. Lucas spent the entirety of the time side-eying the diapers that were now in the bottom of the shopping cart. He just couldn’t take his eyes off them for some reason. When it came time to check out, Lucas’ Mom sent him off ahead so he wouldn’t bother any of the customers in line. He waited out by the minivan, casually browsing on his phone. It was really interesting how once he distracted himself, he barely even noticed that he had pottied in his pants big time. He messaged Noah on Tumult. Noah responded quickly and seemed much more talkative than he had been in previous days. That was nice. Lucas would have to see if they could hang out later, not that he was in better spirits. When Lucas’ Mom arrived with the cart, he noticed that she had the Huggies box completely open and on display for anyone who looked. He blushed as he saw that there was nothing to hide these embarrassing things. It almost made it look like these were for him! Lucas was also surprised to find that he was instructed to help load the car into the back passenger seats, rather than the spacious minivan trunk. It wasn’t that crazy or unusual, just kind of odd. “Ok sweetie, go put the cart away.” Lucas waddled off, his pants now cold and clammy against his legs and decidedly less comfortable to walk around in than they had been earlier. When he returned, the trunk door was open and the seats had been laid down. The Huggies from earlier were sitting there, along with several empty trash bags and a few other items Lucas couldn’t make out. “Good boy. Alright sweetie, I was thinking about this while I was in line. I don’t want you sitting on the upholstery in poopy pants. And I don’t think YOU want to sit there in poopy pants, do you?” Lucas shook his head. This was getting pretty frustrating and weird to be in. “So I’m going to change you.” The teen’s eyes went wide as he realized why the diapers were out in the open in the back of the car. Lucas went to speak up, to defend his maturity, to vehemently deny that he needed to be put back into diapers. Before he could even get a word out his Mom held up a finger, giving him a dead-serious face. “You opened this package of diapers in the store. You made me purchase them by doing so. I didn’t want to buy these. So, mister, since I happened to do something exceptionally nice for a boy who was prepared to ruin property that wasn’t his, YOU have to do something nice for me.” Lucas hung on her words. He was ashamed. It was true. He had totally just taken something that didn’t belong to him and opened it without even asking for permission and without thinking of the consequences. He wasn’t quite a thief, but he was certainly not acting like the kind of good boy who got smiley face stickers. “I’m getting you changed into these for the ride home and that’s final, understood?” The teen looked down, feeling just awful about himself. He had really messed this whole thing up and he was extremely fortunate that he was only being subjected to this, rather than a more intense punishment. He followed his mother’s instructions and undid his pants, taking them off awkwardly with his shoes still on. He shivered nervously as he stood there in the parking lot. The sun was setting late. Thankfully most people did not do their shopping this late, but it was an awfully public space to be standing in poopy underwear. His Mom bagged up the pants and motioned for him to lay down in the back of the minivan. It was a pretty strange experience having his dirty undies changed this way. His mother was so casual about it. She moved with practiced precision and quickly cleaned him, using some baby wipes previously hidden behind the package of diapers. Lucas had his face covered the entire time with his hands. He felt the ordeal and the ordeal was cold and odd and also comforting and personal. He heard a diaper being removed from the package, the loud rustling of the plastic coating immediately giving it away. He whimpered as he was instructed to lift his tush up, and was greeted with the smell of fresh baby powder, a unique and pleasant smell that made him oddly nostalgic. Before he even realized, his thigh was lightly slapped by his Mom a few times and she told him to get up. Lucas moved the hands from his face and blinked. The sky was a lot darker and the lights from the parking lot were the primary source of illumination now. He jumped up and looked down at himself. He twisted around, examining how he looked from every angle. He was so emotionally frazzled from the events of tonight that he wasn’t sure how to feel. On the one hand, he was wearing a diaper, which was the ultimate sign of potty failure, and certainly something he was hoping to avoid. It was too unbelievably embarrassing and ego destructive to even think about the possibility of ending up back in diapers. And yet, as he inspected himself, he couldn’t help but feel somehow, improbably, complete. Like this was some sort of missing piece of himself that he was totally unaware of. And now that he was wearing the diaper, which fit snugly and comfortably around him, he was a total person, a complete package. Lucas grabbed his Mom into a great, big, hug, and she returned it with the same intensity. Lucas wasn’t sure why he felt this way. And he couldn’t possibly begin to untangle his feelings in this parking lot. But it felt good to hug his Mom and it felt good to be in clean undies, even if those undies happened to be diapers. -- The car ride home was quiet. Lucas stared out of the window, letting his mind wander as the streetlights passed by. He was trying to think, trying to center his thoughts and form a concrete mental chain, but he found himself drifting from idea to idea. Never anything substantial, just thoughts that came and passed with little fanfare. He noted that the diaper hugged his bottom in a pleasing way. He would have figured it would be uncomfortable to sit in since it lifted up part of him, but instead it was a very comfortable and familiar feeling, remarkably similar to the sensation of sitting in his training pants. He was still concerned that his Mom was mad at him for opening the diapers and causing a fuss for her at the store. But it wasn’t the right time to have that discussion. When they pulled into the driveway, Lucas didn’t even think twice about hopping out and helping with the groceries. He paid no mind to his pantsless state. It genuinely didn’t even cross his thoughts that he was showing off his diapered butt to the entire neighborhood. Maybe it was just his desire to assist his Mom following the events of the grocery store. Maybe it was something else. But he barely even noticed that he was thickly padded in his Huggies, totally exposed. The slight waddle in his step as he carried armfuls of reusable grocery bags was the only thing that came to mind. He walked a little bow-legged, wiggling his butt as he moved. It was taking a little bit to get used to. Not that he wanted to get used to walking around in diapers. “Lucas, sweetie, thank you for helping me put the groceries away.” It had gone by in such a flash and Lucas was so busy in his own head that he felt like he had no memories of even unpacking the groceries. “There you two are! Do you need any help with… Oh. Uh. I see that we’re going without pants tonight, huh?” Lucas’ Dad always seemed to miss out on putting away the food. Just barely missing or arriving just in time to help with the final and most minor of items. It had become a running joke in the family and it seemed he was perfectly happy with those minimal expectations. He leaned against one of the door frames into the kitchen. “Lucas had a ‘big accident’”-his Mom made air quotes with her fingers-”at the grocery store. And he also opened up a package of Huggies without telling me. So I decided to change him in the backseat.” His Mom sounded tired, done. Lucas looked down with shame. “I see. Well, that explains what he’s wearing… Lucas, it sounds like you owe your mother an apology. You know that you have to ask permission before you take things at the store.” His Dad sounded abnormally calm about the situation. But he was still correct. “I’m sorry Mom. I… didn’t mean to cause you any trouble. I don’t know why I opened them up.” “Sweetie, it’s perfectly normal for teens to be curious about diapers.” The teen wolf looked up at his Mom. She had a smile on her face that reminded him of the gentle look she gave him at the store. It was a warm and understanding look. “W-what? It is?” Lucas wasn’t sure how to take this information. His brain still felt fuzzy and clouded. Things were happening and he wasn’t sure how to process them. “Your mother is right. There’s a lot of research showing that teens can be more successful at school if they are diapered. Plus I’m sure you’ve seen all those commercials. It’s only natural that you would be curious.” Lucas blinked as he looked from parent to parent. It was true that he had seen commercials showing off teens wearing diapers. But… wait, he had? Yes, he absolutely had. They popped up a lot when he watched WeChannel. And they showed up on the television in commercial breaks between shows. Over the past several weeks he had seen them and had, for some reason, just totally ignored them. It was like his mind glossed over the fact that he had witnessed dozens of these advertisements showing off people his age perfectly happy in diapers. Wearing diapers and explaining that diapers helped them. Making it seem totally normal and pedestrian to wear Pampers or Huggies. It was so weird that he had completely missed the purpose of these commercials. It was like he blanked when they came on. But now that his Dad mentioned it, he really had seen a lot of things lately indicating that it was perfectly natural for teens to wear diapers. It all rushed into his head at once, unpacking so many memories and fitting them onto a timeline that had previously been empty. He swayed in place, losing his footing for a moment as his mind caught up with the sudden explosion of recent memories he had completely taken for granted. He stumbled and caught himself against the door to the pantry. Both parents stepped forward but Lucas shook his head and steadied himself. His Dad was right! He really had seen a lot of commercials about wearing diapers lately. That must be why he was so curious about the package of Huggies from the store! He had seen a lot of ChikChoks talking about how commercials and media influenced consumers (ironically often coming from “influencers”). He had totally believed that he was unaffected by such things, but clearly that wasn’t true. “Wow… Gosh yeah. You’re right. I really have been seeing a lot of stuff about diapers lately.” He spoke with a newly gained confidence, with self-realization. “Yeah, I’m really sorry Mom. I should have talked with you about it. I shouldn’t have just opened up the box of diapers like that. That wasn’t right for me to do.” “Well, apology accepted.” There was an awkward pause as no one seemed certain of the next step to take. After a beat his Mom filled the void. “Go upstairs and put a sticker on your chart, big boy. And Lucas, how about you keep the diaper on for bedtime tonight.” Lucas had turned to rush up the stairs. He stopped, took a breath to say something, and thought better of it. He had gotten off extremely leniently from his parents and just had some really bizarre realizations about the kinds of media he had been consuming. Now wasn’t the time to push back. Besides, it was just a diaper. It wasn’t so bad being diapered. It was, really, kind of nice. -- Dreams. Dreams of nothing. Dreams of everything. Intense visions of infinite vast expanses perceived by insignificance. The stars above circled, their twinkling lights away in a distance so vast that it could not be comprehended. Multi-colored strips of brilliant illumination danced overhead. The aurora was its own mystery. Perhaps solved by someone, but its solution was less important than what it represented. The drive to solve that mystery, the drive to seek out the beautiful things of the world and understand them, commune with them, exist with them, preserve them. It wasn’t so much about the answer as it was about the journey to find the answer. Lucas sat, legs crossed on the edge of a cliff. Mountains in the distance broke up the vista. Their jagged and snow capped peaks seemed small from his vantage, but he knew that if he was closer that they would tower over him. So many things in the universe above and below. So many things to see and do, to learn and know. It was exciting. The new possibilities. He looked down. Vast primordial forests covered swaths of land that could never be crossed on foot. Winding rivers broke them apart into their own sections, creating natural divides of the landscape. The trees could grow for hundreds of years, hundreds of feet tall, carrying with them the wisdom of the ages. Their roots spread deep and wide, forming a tangled network of interconnections between all living things just beneath the surface of perception. The wisdom was not with age but with the community and relationships formed. Rocks crumbled to dust in the wake of their slow, relentless assault. Nothing could stop the solid foundation of those who existed together in harmony. He watched as the sun rose and set, a hundred times. A million times. The trees, they grew as tall as they could and eventually reached their end, collapsing onto the forest floor, only to disappear as they were consumed by the invisible mycorrhizal network that formed a symbioting web, its own community of hyphae and mycelium strands joining together just as the roots of the trees did. And from this death emerged new trees that grew to the same gargantuan, towering heights. As time passed the cyclical nature of all things bore truth. But the unity of the forest stood in defiance. Although one tree fell, the forest remained. And the forest could grow, no matter the changes. It filled Lucas with a deep contentment. The permanence of impermanent things. And he was a part of it. -- It might have actually been the best night of sleep Lucas had ever experienced. He opened his eyes, feeling refreshed and fulfilled in a profound way. He felt no tension in his body and his bed was the perfect temperature; just warm enough to be toasty. He stretched and yawned and opened his eyes and turned over to turn off his alarm. His plastic sheets rustled underneath. He grabbed the phone and scrolled through it casually, checking up on how social media had developed overnight. It was just really nice, lying there. In the back of his mind, he felt like he needed to do something. He felt like he was missing something. Something he had checked in the morning recently. Something that made him feel a mixture of emotions. Oh! He had to check to see if he could put on a smiley sticker on his potty chart for wetting the bed! That was so silly of him! The last several mornings it had been painfully obvious as he woke up in sopping wet sheets that reminded him of his condition the moment that he gained consciousness. Maybe he had just gotten used to waking up like that. Oh! Or maybe he actually had held it while he was sleeping and he could make it to the potty! That would be exciting! Lucas sat up and threw off his sheets, fully expecting to find them heavy and wet. They were dry. They were bone dry. They were completely unused and unstained. Instead, he found that the diaper he went to bed in was absolutely soaked and swollen from having absorbed an incredible amount of his overnight accidents. The teen gasped. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His Huggies, previously with a variety of space-themed decals, were stained a light yellow, and the pictures all along the inner core were completely gone. Trace amounts of the ink faded around the edges as if it was being slowly washed away. Lucas put his paw onto the diaper and felt it squish under this touch. The diaper felt substantial. It felt like it had grown and expanded and swollen. The sensation of pressing against it was electric. It had a give to it. It flexed as he pressed into it. The absorbent material around his sensitive parts was unlike anything else he had ever felt. It was exciting and soothing in equal parts. And the sound that the plastic of the diaper made. It was even better than when he had held the diaper in his hands at the store. It responded to his touch with a subtle but noticeable crinkle. The plastic of his sheets along with it. It was like the ultimate physical stimulant. He couldn’t get enough. Both his hands were soon gripping his diaper. Groping and cupping and rubbing and squishing and feeling all over. He was laying in bed feeling his big soggy nighttime diaper and he really couldn’t have told anyone how long he was doing it for. It was like he was in his own world as he explored the Huggies diaper, wanting to experience every inch of it, wanting to learn as much as he could. Of course, the door to his bedroom opened in the middle of this fondling session. Lucas quickly grabbed one of the sheets and hastily covered himself as his Dad stood at the entrance to his room. “Hey champ, Mom made breakfast for the family. She’s got these little toast things with eggs in the center. They’re delicious.” “Th-thanks!” Lucas’ voice cracked. “I’ll… I’ll be down in just a minute.” “Oh, how did last night go? How was it sleeping in your Huggies?” “It… uh…” Should Lucas be honest that this was the most incredible experience of his life to wake up to? Would that be weird? Would it be weird to just blurt out that he really really really REALLY loved waking up in super soaky diapers and he loved rubbing and touching them? “I…er…” His Dad raised an eyebrow as Lucas struggled to come up with words to accurately explain how he felt without coming off way too strong. “Hm… Not easy to talk about, huh? How about this,” his Dad walked across the room (with unusual ease thanks to all of the laundry that Lucas had been doing lately) to the potty chart. He grabbed two stickers from the container and held them up. “If you didn’t like it, we can put a frowny face on the chart. And if you did like it, we can put a smiley face on the chart. No need to make this all complicated.” Before his Dad could even finish his sentence, Lucas, still clutching his sheet, pointed at the smiley face sticker. “This one?” The teen nodded. “So sleeping in a diaper felt good?” Lucas nodded again. “Good. Then we can put this up on your chart.” And with that the sticker was secured. Lucas didn’t know why but this whole experience made him feel small. He had, without realizing it, curled up with his knees to his chest and was holding his sheets tight against his chest. “Wanna come give me a big hug for your big sticker?” That was all it took to get Lucas hopping out of bed, his tail frantically fluttering behind him. He didn’t even notice how droopy his nighttime diaper had gotten. At the very least the Huggies promise for the tapes to remain secure seemed completely accurate. -- The next few days were weird for Lucas. He had made the switch to being diapered at night after a discussion with his parents. That discussion went far more calmly than the previous several potty-related ones. But he was still in his training undies during the day. It was under the guise of making it to the potty on time and trying to use the potty and yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah. Lucas found himself really just not caring in the slightest about that stated goal. If someone had asked him, he would have absolutely said that he was definitely interested in maintaining his potty trained status. But on the inside he was just daydreaming about diapers. He found himself loitering about in the house before taking his morning shower. Finding random things to do so he could justify staying in his nighttime diaper. It was soul-crushing to take off his Huggies and tug up his training pants. For whatever reason, that excitement and fun that the training pants had previously brought him was just gone and nowhere to be found. He found his accidents just as frequent as before, his potty chart now exclusively full of smiling stickers all indicating that it had been almost two weeks since the last time he actually went potty anywhere other than his pants. And these accidents seemed even more random and totally caught Lucas by surprise every time. When he did notice, usually because someone else in the family mentioned to him that he had soaky or stinky pants, internally he lamented that he had gone potty in his pants instead of his Huggies. HIS Huggies. That package from the store was HIS. He had diapers. He needed diapers. At night at least. But… maybe he really did need diapers? Maybe he was one of those teens that totally needed to be in super thick diapers all the time and who weren’t potty trained. Maybe… Thoughts like that wormed their way into his daily life and remained nestled in his head long after he had changed into clean, albeit stained, pants. It was a pleasant change of pace when Noah messaged him asking if he wanted to come over on Tumult. Lucas really missed being around his friends and despite how much he enjoyed lazing around playing video games with his brother, he desperately wanted to see his good friends again. Noah had really brightened up as they had been talking over the past several days. That angsty, moody spell that had awkwardly interrupted their last hangout seemed to have passed. In fact, Noah wanted Lucas to come over for a sleepover! Jake was also supposed to be coming back from his soccer camp and the three of them could actually be around each other again. It was exciting news! Lucas had everything packed up. He was within walking distance of his house, but it was always a drag to have to come back to grab something, especially if they planned on staying up late. He had clothes for the day (which in his case meant he had five pairs of training pants and shorts and one shirt), he had his Huggies Ultra-Supremes for Teens diaper for the night, he had baby powder, his phone charger, some baby wipes, his Ycube controller, some snacks, and his sleeping bag. It was enough to fill a book bag and duffle bag. This wasn’t his first sleepover at Noah’s house. They did it all the time as kids. It had become less common recently so this was a fun throwback to prepare everything. Lucas’ Mom was surprisingly fussy about the whole thing. She made sure his phone was charged and he had his parents’ numbers on it. She went over the time he was expected back home the following day. She grilled him to make sure no girls were invited and that they wouldn’t be sneaking out to any parties. She asked him three times if he had packed his nighttime diaper and even made him bring a second one just in case! She also apparently had talked with Noah’s mom about his situation. It should have been ridiculously embarrassing to have his Mom casually talking with other people about his need for protection at night. It should have riled him and caused his cheeks to blush. It should have caused the teen to bristle and push back against an obvious intrusion into a very private and delicate matter. Instead, Lucas felt nothing of the sort. It didn’t even cross his mind that it would be odd to tell someone he needed diapers at night. It was so matter-of-fact and sensible that it was just part of the normal conversation. The only reason why Lucas even noticed was because his Mom mentioned it several times, highlighting that when he needed to get changed into his diaper, he should talk with Mrs. Seong. Otherwise, it would have totally flown under his radar. Thankfully the grilling and over-parenting didn’t take too much time, and he made his way out to his friend’s house. The note about Mrs. Seong changing him was an important bit of information that the teen wolf had completely overlooked. So far, he had not changed his diapers on his own. His Mom and his Dad had been the ones putting him in the diaper. He could take it off, no problem. That was simple. But he really had not yet learned any of the strategies for getting padded himself. He wasn’t opposed to learning, but it took a lot of burden off of him to have help. Plus it seemed like a lot of the awkward measuring and positioning was easier when being done by a third party. So as long as they continued to offer it, Lucas saw no issue in continuing to remain ignorant. Noah answered the door with a big smile and a surprising hug. Lucas had hugged his friend in the past, but not normally for just arriving at the front door. Plus with his bags in his hands it wasn’t the best position for a hug. But it was still nice! Nothing wrong with a good hug among friends. “Dude I’m so glad to see you! I’ve really missed you!” Noah stepped aside and let Lucas in. “Haha, yeah I missed you too man. I wasn’t expecting the warm welcome, but I’ll take it.” Lucas set his bag down at the foot of the stairs and looked up, in the direction of Noah’s room. “Yeahhhh sorry I was such a downer before. I was going through some weird feelings and like you saw how everything was. It was just a tough time for me but I’m really feeling a lot better now!” “That’s really good to hear. I was worried I had made things awkward before when I was here…” “Nah dude you’re fine. It was totally on me. It actually means a lot that you showed up. I like talking on Tumult but it’s really different being in person, you know?” “Totally! I feel like I haven’t left the house in ages. I needed a change of scenery.” “Yeah I was pretty cooped up myself. Mom’s had me coming out with her for chores and stuff which is-” Noah closed his eyes and sighed. That wasn’t quite what Lucas was expecting from that sentence. “Um… which is nice. I mean they’re chores but it’s nice to get out and see things. I dunno why but it just feels kind of nice to be hanging out with my mom and seeing eye-to-eye on things for once.” “I feel you. I’m not trying to be weird about it, my parents are still my parents but it feels like we’re doing a lot better now than we were when I almost flunked science. Fuck I can’t believe I did that! It feels like forever ago.” Lucas tugged at his duffel bag straps. “Yeah I-Oh, yeah, lets get your stuff upstairs haha! Sorry we just haven’t talked in a while and I was getting carried away and uh, yeah!” Noah led the way up to his room. Lucas looked down to make sure he had everything, then looked up. He did a double-take. The seat of Noah’s pants were outlined with an extremely obvious bulge that was unmistakable. Noah was wearing something thick under his pants. And from the foot of the stairs, the wolf could easily pick up that whatever he was wearing was rustling and crinkling as he moved. He rushed up the stairs, his chest thumping like mad. There was no way. There was no way! Lucas had been in Noah’s room hundreds of times. He was intimately familiar with the layout. Multiple layouts even, as he had gone through various changes in decor over the years. Lucas was not expecting to find, next to the door, a waist-height wooden storage unit covered with a plastic-wrapped foam mat. The inside of the storage unit was filled with stacks and stacks of teen-sized diapers, baby powder, and baby wipes. Next to this changing table was a kind of garbage can that was propped open, which revealed a balled up diaper poking out of it. It was a diaper pail and it was so full of diapers that it couldn’t even close! Lucas sniffed the air. The room had an unmistakable nursery scent of dirty diapers, lotions, and baby powder. “Uhhhh hello?” Noah waved at the stunned wolf and gave him a quizzical expression. “DUDE!!! Are you… Are you back in diapers???” Lucas could barely get the words out. He was having so much difficulty processing what was going on. He knew cognitively that his friend was in training pants and was having lots of accidents and was scared of the potty monster. But he couldn’t have imagined that it was anything more than that! It was just a coincidence that the two teens were having the same kinds of issues at the same time. And it never would have occurred to Lucas to expect his best friend to be in diapers full-time. “Oh duh yeah, sorry I probably should have told you. Mom decided that I should be back in diapers.” Noah spoke like it was the most normal thing in the world to have his potty training taken away like that. “She… what?” “Dude, honestly it’s for the best. I’ve been spending so long playing pretend that I’m potty trained and ready for big boy undies and stuff and like, ugh it just was wearing on me. It’s really a lot better being back in diapers.” The fox untied the string holding up his shorts and slid them down, revealing a yellowed and swollen diaper. Lucas recognized them as Pampers SuperCruisers from the store! “Y… But…. Wh…. Wait, pretending? What do you mean you were pretending to be potty trained?” It was a ton of information for Lucas to take in at once and he was having difficulty absorbing it all. “Yeah, like, saying that I should be using the potty and going to the toilet and making a big deal about it. It was just pretending. I wasn’t REALLY ready for potty training. All the accidents that I was having was like… I dunno it felt like I was rejecting all the time I spent being in denial. That’s why I was so huffy and flustered last week.” Noah groped at the front of his diaper for a few seconds, then pulled his pants back up. “I was trying to fight myself and keep on pretending that I was really potty trained. I feel so much better now that I’m being honest about being unpotty trained.” Lucas was trying to piece things together. Some of what his friend said made sense. It was true that he was upset about his accidents and that clearly was affecting his mood. But pretending to be potty trained? Was that even possible? Surely if you were able to use the potty in time, you were potty trained, right? But all of those thoughts of confusion just melted away as he took a deep breath and inhaled that pervasive nursery scent of the room. The sweet scent of the talcum powder. The heavy, musty aroma of the used padding that leaked out of the diaper pail. The residue of leaks that had been allowed to dry and air out. The medical smells of creams and lotions. It all blended together in a beautiful, nostalgic, magical way. It was like a great, big reset on his thoughts. He was focusing on… something… that was confusing and upsetting him. And now, looking around his friend’s room, now modified to accommodate his unpotty trained state, it felt just as familiar and welcoming as it ever did in the past. Really, Lucas wanted this. He wanted THIS. He wanted his room to be like this. He was jealous! He was jealous that Noah was back in diapers! Lucas was having just as many accidents as his fox friend! His potty chart was full of happy, positive, smiling faces all indicating that he had totally failed to make it to the bathroom time and time and time again! That was absolute proof that Lucas was clearly not ready to be considered potty trained either! If Noah could be put back into diapers and never have to worry about that scary, terrible, awful potty monster, why couldn’t Lucas? “Helloooo? Earth to Lucas?” The wolf was snapped out of his thought spiral. “Dude you’re going peepee in your pants. Did you leak?” Lucas looked down and saw that a dark spot had formed along his thighs, dribbling down the insides of his pants before dripping onto the carpet. His training pants were doing an admirable job keeping the majority of the accident contained, but they had just not been enough to keep his pants dry. If he were at home, he wouldn’t have even bothered changing his pants from this accident, since it was so relatively minor compared to the absolute floods that he used to mark his potty chart with smiley faces. He would have stayed in his soaky training pants because it would have been so much easier than changing into a fresh pair. “Oh, geez, yeah, I was just doing some thinking and I guess I got distracted and had an accident in my pants.” “Wait… I thought you wore diapers too?” Noah looked confused, maybe even bearing a hint of betrayal. “Mom mentioned that she talked with your mom. I thought you were back in diapers like me.” “I-um,” Lucas blushed and finally set his bags down, “I mean… I am, but only at night. I’m like a serious bedwetter and so it’s been a lot easier to go to sleep in my Huggies.” Lucas knelt down and unzipped his bag, pulling out one of the Huggies Ultra-Supremes for Teens that he brought with him for the sleepover. “I’m still uh… In undies. Or, training pants, really.” “Why?” “W… huh? What?” “I mean, why bother with that? Like, wouldn’t it be easier to just go back to diapers instead?” Lucas was going to defend his potty training. He was going to defend his desire to remain in thin, miserable, tragically unabsorbent, awful cloth underwear. But Noah had struck right to the heart of the matter. Which was SO like Noah. He always knew how to ask questions that really dug into the truth of the situation. Maybe it was a fox thing. “I… I….” Lucas looked at his friend, who had a warm smile. He looked down at the Huggies in his paw. He thought about the accidents. The constant failure to make it to the restroom. The load after load after load of laundry. The creeping stains that had become burned onto all of his pants. It was so much trouble. It was so difficult. He thought about how freeing it felt to wake up in his Huggies, waddling around the house without having to worry about if he would make it to the toilet or not. He thought about how if he genuinely, honestly tried to make it to the potty that he would be completely consumed with fear and terror. Noah was right, as he tended to be. “I really don’t wanna be potty trained anymore. I hate the potty. I hate leaking all the time. I hate leaving puddles everywhere. I really, really, really hate the potty. I wanna be back in diapers.” He felt tears well up in his eyes as he looked up to his friend. Why was he getting so emotional? It was just something silly that he wore. It was just clothes. It was just accidents. Everyone had accidents. It was no big deal to have lots and lots of accidents in his pants. But even so, the waterworks flowed. “Awww, dude, it’s ok man.” Noah kneeled down next to Lucas and put his arm around his shoulder. Lucas didn’t know how to react. He wasn’t used to crying like this around his friends. He tried to form words to express how he was feeling and excuse himself from this outburst of passion, but all that came out were sobs and muttering incoherency. “It’s alright, Lucas, I’m here for you.” The two friends hugged each other for a while as Lucas was swept away by the tide of grief, futility, sorrow, happiness, comradery, and embarrassment. He would have never opened himself up like this to his friends before. But now that he was, he was glad it was with a friend who understood him and cared about him. -- “Is everything alright, boys? I thought I heard a commotion.” Mrs. Seong slowly opened the door, moving it from being ajar to being wide enough to fit her muzzle into. “Yeah, yeah, it’s ok. Lucas and I were just talking about like, you know, unpotty training and stuff.” “Oh dear. Lucas? Lucas sweetie, is everything alright?” Mrs. Seong opened the door and stepped in, joining her son next to the teen wolf, who had spent the past several minutes sobbing and attempting to settle himself. “Oh Lucas, you poor dear, we’re all here for you. This is a safe place for you to be yourself.” Lucas inhaled and exhaled with shaky breathing. He had learned from recent volatile incidents that when he got like this that he had difficulty talking for a while. So it was better to just focus on his breathing until he could get that stable. “Noah, sweetie, would you mind getting some tissues and hm… a hot towel. I think that would be best.” Mrs. Seong kneeled, replacing her son as being the closest to the teen wolf on the floor. “Lucas, I know you have been through an awful lot in the last few weeks. A lot of big changes have happened for you. You mean a lot to this family. I’ve known you since you were in… ahem, I’ve known you for a long time. You’re growing up to become a fine young man. And you’re a good friend to my Noah.” Lucas looked up with bleary, red eyes. This was not the first time he had been consoled by the older fox. Helping the wolf out was just in the Seong family or something. “Would you like to go home? It’s alright if you do. I can call your mother and have her here in two shakes of your tail.” Lucas shook his head. He wanted to be here. I wanted to be around his friends. He breathed in and out. He breathed in and out. He breathed in and out. The trembles were slowing and he was regaining his composure. “Well then, if you’re going to stay here then I’m going to insist that we get you into some clean pants. I can’t imagine that’s helping you right now!” The older fox helped lift Lucas up to his feet. He wiped away at his eyes and wiped away at his leaky nose. Noah came in with a box of tissues and a hand towel that had steam coming off of it. “Thank you sweetie. Ok Lucas, go ahead and put this on your face. That always makes me feel better after I’ve had a cry.” The wolf took the hot towel and held it against him. The warmth of the cloth was nourishing. It was just hot enough to shock his system without scalding him. It was a tranquility that helped to calm him and transition him from his emotional outburst to a state where he felt ready to be around people again. When he took the towel off, he felt like a new man. A new man who needed to blow his nose. -- “Alright Lucas, pants off. Do you have spare undies with you?” “Um… yes but… Mrs. Seong… Could, I mean, would, you um… would it be ok if…” Lucas knew exactly what he wanted. He knew to his core what his desire was. But it wasn’t the kind of thing he could just ask! Saying it out loud was difficult. The fox stepped back, her hands on her hips. Lucas had his pants around his ankles and was in sopping wet training pants, which by this point had been thoroughly yellowed and discolored. He must have looked quite the sight. Noah discretely pointed to the underside of the changing table. Mrs. Seong’s eyebrows raised. “Lucas, you know full well that in this household we use our words when we want something. If you are trying to ask me something, I am going to need for you to say it.” The wolf paused. Collected himself. He had just cried over this. He could do this. He wanted this. Deep down he needed this. It was bubbling up and now it was ready. He had been building up to this moment for weeks. “I… would like to wear diapers instead of undies tonight.” For some reason he expected the worst. Maybe he would be laughed at or slapped or they would call his parents and find some way for him to get in trouble. Instead he got a chuckle and a good-natured shake of the head, Mrs. Seong’s hands raised up in an exasperated pose. “Is that it? That’s what’s got you all worked up tonight? Lucas, of course you can. Goodness child, you’d think this was an interrogation.” Mrs. Seong bent over and picked up the Huggies diaper that was laying atop the duffel bag. “C’mon, let’s get you up on the changing table before I change my mind! I’m joking! Goodness, these kids, so serious.” Lucas could not for the life of him control his tail, which wagged with a ferocity that was never before seen. It wagged so hard that he was worried it would fly off. He stripped down and hopped up onto the changing table. It was firm, but the padded mat kept it from being uncomfortable. He was used to being changed on his bed. It wasn’t too different of an experience logistically, but in terms of how he felt and what this piece of furniture signified, it was worlds apart. The change went by in a blur. Clearly helping Noah in recent days had removed any rust that had accumulated in his mother’s abilities. Within a few short minutes, the diaper was snuggly taped on and Lucas found himself standing again. He had the biggest, dopiest grin on his face as he stood pantsless in his friend’s room. Just as he had done previously, he examined himself, checking the fit and feel of his padding. HIS diaper. This diaper was his and it was for him. He belonged in diapers. It was right and normal and good for him to be in diapers. He wasn’t ready for undies at all! Noah was absolutely and completely right: he was playing pretend when he said he was potty trained. He was fooling the world and himself into thinking he was actually ready for the potty. The truth was that he was UNpotty trained and it had taken far too long for him to accept this fact. “No ‘Thank you Mrs. Seong’ for my backbreaking work?” The fox was in a jovial mood and was clearly being ironic for the sake of levity. Lucas wasn’t having any of it. The teen launched into a great big hug, nearly knocking her off her feet. “Thank you so much. Thank you so so so so SO much.” “Alright, alright, goodness,” the hug separated and the fox regained her composure, “you boys really are growing up fast. Alright, you two play nice. If you need anything, let me know ok? I’ll be downstairs. Try to keep the noise level to a dull roar.” -- With both friends now openly diapered, happily diapered, they launched into serious hangout time. They talked and lazed around and played games. Noah had been practicing up in Culpable Cog: Endeavor and kicked Lucas’ butt again and again and again. It was great. They were regaining the lost time that they had missed for the past several weeks. The best part was that it was so easy. It was like they could be their full selves without any hiding or shame. The barriers that sometimes formed in adolescence in an attempt to shield against vulnerable honesty has been eradicated. In talking, they both learned that they were on the same overnight meditation system. In their minds, it was a surprising thing to share. Noah had looked it up on Nile and had found it was called the “Retrain System.” It was highly reviewed and worked extremely well at helping people overcome developmental and academic issues. Noah mentioned that one of the effects was supposed to be a reversal of potty training ability. “Does that bother you? Like do you think this was the intended effect?” Lucas hadn’t looked any of this up so he was unsure how to feel. “You know, I dunno. I know how I feel right now. I really, genuinely, honestly feel that I wasn’t ready for potty training. I don’t think I should have been potty trained. And I feel like I was pretending this whole time.” Noah was flipping through Spasm streams for Summit Luminaries. “I really prefer being back in diapers.” “Me too. I wonder if like, I don’t know, maybe it turns out that people have potty issues because lots of people shouldn’t have been potty trained in the first place.” Lucas’ crotch warmed as he involuntarily flooded his Huggies. The liquid soaked into the core and the diaper swelled in a pleasing way. “Yeah, I’ll talk to my mom about it at some point. But really, I feel good. I… Mmmffff….” The fox leaned forward in his seat, his tail raised up. Lucas heard the obvious sounds of his friend’s diaper filling. The crackling of the plastic diaper material combined with the heavy fragrance to create an unmistakable experience. He sat back down with an audible squelch as if nothing had happened at all. “Mfff I made big poopies… Um but yeah, I feel good and I think I’m really a lot happier like this.” The teens barely reacted at all to either event; the loaded diaper or the revelation about the special meditation system. In fact, there was a kind of normality to the two being able to go potty in their pants without any concerns at all that was refreshing. It contrasted to how prior to wearing diapers, the two had struggled with all sorts of embarrassments and logistical problems. Instead, they felt free to be themselves around each other in a setting where things were far more convenient. -- The doorbell rang. Noah got up with an excited expression. Lucas joined him. Jake was here! The pair scrambled out of the room, not even bothering to put their pants on, and clambered towards the stairs. Mrs. Seong was already at the door, talking to someone. “Saundra it’s so good to see you! Please, come in. Would you like some coffee? I have a lovely new roast that I ordered online. I think you’d like it!” “I appreciate it Kamille… I was just here to drop off Jake but… You know what, sure, I’ll take you up on that offer!” The adult raven stepped inside. Behind her, stepped in an adolescent raven wearing a baggy hoodie and baggy cargo shorts. The tips of his feathers had been dyed a light teal, which faded pleasantly inward, giving him a wave of head-dressing that was quite stylish. “Jake!!” Lucas and Noah cried out in unison from the top of the stairs. The raven looked up and his expression was like he had been shined on by a spotlight. He retreated a step, his hands raised defensively. Then he narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. His shoulders slouched and his hands fell by his side. “BRUH. You fucking shitheads didn’t tell me you were back in diapers too!!” Jake lifted up his hoodie, revealing the unmistakable purple and white waistband of Teen Luvs diapers. “AYYYY!” “Jake, remember what I said about watching your language,” came a voice out of the adjacent room. “Sorry Mommy!” Jake called out and looked at his friends who were barreling down the stairs. The three embraced in a group hug, having not seen each other since the end of 8th grade, where they all left on awkward terms. “Oh my gods, I missed you guys so much.” “It’s been too long! Gosh I’m so glad you could make it Jake,” Noah responded. “Me too, ugh it’s been a crazy couple of weeks and…” He sniffed at the air, then paused and reached out behind him, giving his butt a few hefty squeezes. “Sorry I think I need a change. I must have gone poopy.” “No, that’s just Noah. He went poopy before you got here. You should see his room, his diaper pail is like SUPER full.” “You WOULD have an overflowing diaper pail!” “What’s that supposed to mean!” “You know exactly what it means!” “I don’t get what it means.” “That’s because it doesn’t mean anything!” “Ya-huh it does!” “Oh my gods you’re such a hecking bully.” “Shut up stinkybutt.” The baseless teasing and posturing whenever a group of teens got together clearly held true regardless of their continence and choice of underwear. “Ok you boys, go on upstairs and… Noahhh. Come here sweetie.” Mrs. Seong walked into the foyer carrying a small bag of fancy coffee beans. The teen sheepishly broke away from the group as Lucas and Jake snickered with each other. The waistband of Noah’s Pampers was pulled back and he was given a quick swat on the butt. “Upstairs young man, you need a change, pronto. Sorry Saundra, I’ll just be a moment. I need to get my boy cleaned up.” “I know how that is. It seems like Jakey is practically always one wetting away from leaking these days.” The raven casually scrolled on her phone as the foxes headed upstairs. “Mooommmm!” Lucas was giddy with excitement. He hadn’t seen this kind of fun teasing around his friends in ages. It was really nice to just have fun with his friends again. -- “So like, what happened at soccer camp dude? I don’t think you were unpotty trained before, unless I seriously missed some details!” The three teens were lounging around in Noah’s room, resting on the bed, the floor, and a folding chair stolen from the garage. Jake had taken off his baggy clothes, revealing an FC Carba jersey and his drooping Luvs diaper. Lucas noted that he was drinking heavily from a large water jug. It was the size of one of those big soda bottles! The mystery of why he was always close to leaking seemed solved without much difficulty. “Oh geez, yeah, it was fucking wild. I got switched from the original camp I was supposed to go to for a different one. But it was fine. Like it was a really dope training camp. I learned a lot and I got some seriously incredible coaching. They had some of the staff from Barkdale College there. The drills and stuff were brutal but I feel so much more comfortable around the ball.” Jake took a huge swig of his water. “But, uh, yeah like I started wetting the bed pretty early on. A lot of people were having that problem. It was weird because like the staff was totally prepared for it. I mean that made it way less embarrassing and not a hassle but like they had plastic sheets and stuff just ready to go.” “Wow! How many people were wetting the bed?” Lucas leaned forward on the folding chair. “Uhhhhh… shit I don’t know. I mean I didn’t like go up to people and ask if they pissed their sheets!” Jake giggled. It was a little bit unlike him but at the same time it wasn’t too out of place. It was more that he had become such a negative and argumentative person in the last year. Hearing him laughing was something out of the ordinary in general. Lucas was happy to hear it, still. “But I will say just about everyone had big-time potty problems. They got us drinking a lot of fluids since we were exercising so much. By the end of the first week most people weren’t even bothering to head out to the portapotties. They were just going in their pants and getting on with training.” “It must be really uncomfortable to run around in peepee pants like that…” Noah had his hand on his chin. “Wouldn’t it chafe?” Jake pointed at Noah and gave an over-exaggerated nod. “You figured it out! Running around in wet pants fucking sucks. They ended up having a big meeting in the dining hall where the camp director basically told everyone that we would be training in diapers for the rest of the session. I don’t know why but we all just kinda went along with it. You know, I’m really glad that happened because it was getting dicey trying to figure out when to go potty.” “What, everyone at the camp was just cool with being put back in diapers?” Lucas tilted his head. Even with his own experience, it had taken some serious emotional and mental wrangling to admit to himself that he wasn’t ready to be in big kid undies. It was difficult to believe that an entire camp of volatile teens would be perfectly fine with that plan. “Oh fuck no dude. It was wild. I thought it would be a riot. We went along with it but not at the beginning. But they made it so it was a staggered program. Like one cabin got their diapers at a time. It was weird.” The raven paused and looked down, trying to figure out the best way to phrase the next part. “ It was like… I was SOOO fucking jealous when I saw the first cabin all padded up. Like I don’t know why. I just saw them running around in diapers and it looked so easy and fun. They were so happy. I really wanted that. I guess everyone else felt the same way because all the pushback died as soon as we got the chance to wear them.” “I was like that when I saw Noah wearing training pants instead of undies. I wanted them SO bad.” Lucas blushed, realizing that he hadn’t revealed that kind of detail before to anyone. “Ooooo Lucas was jealous of my soaky-woaky peepee pants,” Noah reprimanded in an exaggerated voice. He got up and turned around, smacking the seat of his diaper, wiggling his butt for good measure. “And you were so jealous of my diaperbutt that you gave up undies for good!” Noah always seemed to have a talent for accompanying his teasing with a smuggest of expressions. “Shut uuuuup!” Lucas threw a pillow at him. “I’m sorry that I was trying to relate MY experience to my FRIEND’S experience, poopypants.” “And I’m sorry that your shorts are all stained from you pissing your pants all the time!” Noah was barely able to get that sentence out from laughing through it. “Wow, real mature guys. Super glad to find that I came home to all my friends being turned into big babies.” Jake rolled his eyes and then looked down, putting his hand against his inner thigh and then against the carpet beneath him. “Uhhhh… Hold on, I just have to uh… go ask Mommy for a diaper change real quick.” The raven stormed out to the sounds of his two friends heckling him. Jake’s mother left shortly after he returned in clean Luvs. The rest of the evening went by in a blur. It was fantastic finding no time lost between friends. They spent most of their time talking, sorting through all of the notable events that had occurred since the start of summer break. Noah got more information out of Jake about the soccer camp over the course of the evening. It turns out they were using a very similar nighttime meditation system to help manage everyone’s sleep schedules and maximize their time spent training. Jake hadn’t done any research into it but he specifically remembered that it was brought up during the onboarding seminar. He hadn’t put the pieces together about it being the root cause of his unpotty training until Noah filled him in. According to Jake, it was surprisingly easy to get used to running around playing soccer in diapers. The athletic variety of the diapers he wore while training were quite comfortable, even with all the movement. The oddest thing was, none of the boys felt negatively about the situation. They could have been outraged at being duped by their parents and coaches into having no potty control. They could have been furious at the company selling the Retrain System for daring to put such a product on the market. They could have felt self-hatred for being affected by such a life-changing event. But none of them felt that way at all. If anything, they all seemed happy to be back in diapers. Happy to no longer worry about the potty. Happy that the major transformation was over with. Happy that now they could reap the benefits of having quelled tempers and great sleep. They each liked how things had turned out for them. Whether that was a result of the system affecting their perception and reactions or genuine satisfaction with the outcome was unclear. Perhaps it was a mixture of both and had become impossible to untangle. It was clear that their parents had made the decision to use the Retrain System without consulting them. And that was obviously a life-changing event. Still, they harbored no ill-will for the choice their parents made on their behalf. It was like they were able to look back with an unusually nuanced and mature perspective, despite it being a recent development. It was like an adult reflecting on good parenting choices that had been made decades prior. It was more complicated for Noah, who had the most difficulty while undergoing the process. It was during all this discussion that Noah revealed that he had a cousin who had gone through this program as part of a trial a year earlier. The reason why he had an interest in figuring out the mystery was because he knew the end result ahead of time. As he was losing control over his bladder and bowels he knew that he would end up being in diapers just like his cousin, which severely impacted his mood. That was, until he ended up on the other side of things, at which point everything clicked. Noah compared it to jumping into a pool: the shock of the cold water left him shivering and defenseless, but then he acclimated to it and it became comfortable. The open and frank discussions between friends was sorely needed. But it wasn’t quite as important as playing games and dicking around. Which was the entire point of the sleepover. “Lucas, did you screen-look?” Jake had just been flushed out from his favorite sniper spot. He had narrowly avoided a grenade intended to take him out. “Uh… no! You’re too obvious, man!” Lucas HAD been looking at Jake’s section of the television, but he knew for a fact that Jake had been looking at HIS little square, so it was really fair. “You always like to… Mffff… perch…” Lucas’ power-suited character paused in place as the wolf shifted in his seat. His diaper crinkled and rustled as he did so. The plastic had loosened from the heat of the numerous wettings and occasional rubs and gropes from the teen. The tapes were still on tight and thankfully he hadn’t leaked, unlike his raven friend. His tummy felt a little bit tight and there was an urgency that he body attempted to convey to him. Lucas had no idea what it meant and was far too invested in the game to really care. He leaned forward from his floor position, getting himself on his knees. He got his character moving again. “Yeah and you’re such a cheater and-HEY!” Jake’s armored future warrior collapsed to the ground as a barrage of automatic fire riddled his body. “No fair dude, you know the assault rifle is busted.” “Yeah and you had the chance to pick one up but you ALWAYS have to pick the sniper rifle and pretend like you’re super cool.” Noah sounded so casual. He had clearly been practicing over the last few weeks. Lucas tried his best to circle around the small map, trying to find a good angle on Noah. He had an idea of where the gunfire came from, but he had to be careful in approaching or he would end up right in the line of sight. He was turning the corner around one of the pillars on the vaguely industrial map, when he felt the tightness inside him increase. He held onto the controller and tried to fight through the discomfort. He circled around, managing to sneak up on Noah. He lined up his shot, intent on taking him out from behind. A stray cramp ran through his gut. He got a few shots off that actually hit, but his aim was totally thrown. Noah’s Galatian spun around and a couple of quick taps on his controller got him another kill on the scoreboard. “Dude, c’mon, I though-MFFF… I… I… I gotta make big poopies in my Huggies!” He closed his eyes and gripped his controller. His tail flagged as his body tensed, flexing his muscles as his body coaxed itself to void. His diaperseat expanded, sagging down and filling out. Even over the sounds of gunfire from the video game, it was audible that the wolf was messing his diaper. Lucas had no control over the situation. He couldn’t have stopped himself even if he wanted to. His ability to hold back was totally removed and resulted in his poopy diaper ballooning out with warm mush. The elastic legguards held tight against his body, keeping the mess perfectly contained. The space designs on the rear of his Huggies became stained as he pushed and pushed and filled his diaper to its limit. Lucas powered through the tense, high-pressure sensations. He rode them as they settled, has his body finally became satisfied that he had totally emptied himself. His tail lowered and he went from grunting in exertion to panting in completion. Without a second thought, he lowered himself on his tush, getting back into his comfortable position. He felt the muck spread along his sensitive parts, the diaper squelching and squishing under him. The teen felt relieved and accomplished. He had just overcome some great difficulty and now it was done with. He wiggled in place, appreciating this new and unique sensation. His breathing settled as the smell of his massive accident mingled with the smells of his two friends, who were each also sitting in their own poopy diapers. Over the course of the evening, each of the boys had managed to loudly and unashamedly pack their diapers with huge messes. And now that Lucas had joined them, they were each just casually sitting in Noah’s bedroom, playing Aura: Eternal deathmatches. None of them brought up the fact that they were sitting in smushy, stinky diapers and that the nursery smell had become overwhelming. It was like they were totally blind to it and in their minds, there was nothing unusual about lazing around in heavy, sagging, stained diapers; puffed out and completely full. “Ok boys, it’s getting late, it’s time for… WHEW!” Mrs. Seong had entered, presumably with a knock, but the teens were so distracted by their gaming session that they didn’t acknowledge it. The fox was fanning her nose in an exaggerated display. By this time the game had been paused and everyone was looking at her. “Oh my gosh, why am I not surprised that teenage boys would just want to sit around in poopy diapers. Ok, you boys need changes, pronto. C’mon, everyone up.” She clapped her hands and Noah and Jake reluctantly rose up. Lucas got up after spending a few seconds gawking at the diapers of his best friends. They had become undeniably discolored and drooped from excessive weight. Lucas had no idea why but they were just fascinating to look at. He had to tear himself away from the sight of his friends’ rears, otherwise he could spend all evening looking at them. “Ok Jake, c’mon, up on the changing table. We need to get your in your nightnight pants. Your mother told me exactly how you like it done. So no fussing, alright?” The raven was quickly up on the table, his arms crossed. He bashfully looked away from his friends as his overdue diaper change began. “Oh… oh boy. Ahem. Boys, this might take a while. Noah, I see you have some balled up diapers on the floor by the pail. Please take it out.” Noah sighed and began picking up the stray diapers that had accumulated around the overflowing diaper pail, holding them in his arms like he was carrying grocery bags. He sighed more and toddled out of his room. He was clearly huffy that he was forced to interrupt his play time with chores, even if those chores were his own fault. “Lucas, be a dear and help Noah take out the rest of them.” The wolf jumped up and waddled over to the pail. Mrs. Seong, not missing a beat, instructed him on how to remove the bag and replace it, all while cleaning up Jake. The trip to the garbage bin was arduous. The burden of the bag combined with his own compromised walk made it far more difficult than he would have figured. Lucas remembered the promise made by the Huggies packaging, assuring him that he would remain leak-free. He was grateful for it, but that didn’t help him when his legs were being forced apart by the bulk around his crotch. By the time he returned, Jake had been changed and Noah was on the table being cleaned. Jake was guzzling down water from his bottle, standing bow-legged, wearing the most ridiculous looking diaper imaginable. Lucas let out a guffaw, unable to help himself. Jake lowered the now-emptied water bottle and shot him a look. “Dude what are you wearing!!” “Look, Mommy says that I have to be double-diapered at night with extra boosters! I’m a heavy bedwetter and it’s for YOUR safety, unless you really like waking up in a puddle of my pee!” Jake pouted, placed his hands on his diaperfront and diaperseat, and gave them a heft, as if he needed to demonstrate their thickness. His empty water bottle dangled between his legs as it was looped around his thumb. Lucas held up his hands in a mock sign of surrender. “Ok, ok, sorry! I just wasn’t expecting that when I came up the stairs. I’ve had enough experience waking up wet recently. I’d rather it stay in our diapers.” “Speaking of which,” Mrs. Seong was putting the finishing touches on Noah’s change. It was only then that Lucas noticed the second diaper being folded on top. “I decided it would be best for each of you to be like this. I’m sure you’ll stay up even though I’m specifically telling you it’s bedtime, and I’m not going to be waking up at 3am because you boys are leaky.” Her normally gentle and diplomatic tone was gone, presumably thanks to the hard work it took to change two excessively dirty diapers in a row (soon to be three). “Yes, Mrs. Seong. Sorry Jake, I wasn’t trying to make fun of you.” Lucas’ tail was between his legs. “It’s ok, poopybutt.” He got a mischievous grin, his competitive side immediately showing. “Besides, it’s not like you could ever actually soak one of these through all the way like I can.” Lucas was instantly goaded. “Uhhhh first of all, yes I absolutely can. And second of all, I’ll have you know that I’m like a super serious bedwetter too. I just happen to limit myself before bed as a COURTESY so I don’t flood my sheets.” There was no sense of strangeness to gloating over his need for diapers at night. There was no need to hide his ability to completely drench his mattress in a single evening. All the wolf felt was the embers of rivalry that this smug bird was always provoking. “Oh yeah? Wow, look at you! Gosh, would you look at that, I’m ALREADY pissing my Luvs. Gosh puppy, are you SURE you can keep up?” “DUDE no fair! You got changed before me AND you already… Grrr…” Lucas furrowed his brow. He was being completely suckered into Jake’s challenge. He yelped and jumped as a squelching SLAP echoed. Noah was off the changing table and had given his diaperbutt a serious smack. “Your turn, buddy.” -- Lucas was vulnerable in a way he had never before experienced. He was holding his legs aloft, a bottle of water upturned in his lips. His bottom was being wiped and wiped and wiped and wiped again and wiped some more and then again wiped. Mrs. Seong was humming some song softly to herself while Jake and Noah were starting another round of games. It wasn’t exactly humiliating to be in his position; having his big poopy diaper changed. It was more like he was exposing a very private and difficult part of himself to someone else. He wasn’t hiding his true self and pretending to be someone else. And that wasn’t easy. He didn’t have much of a choice in the matter: his diaper desperately needed to be changed. And in order to do so, he had to undergo an intensive cleaning like this. But while it was happening he couldn’t help but feel like layers of mental defensive coating were being stripped away. Like being cleaned by someone was somehow able to reflect a stronger bond. That because of this tender action, he could trust the person changing him more. The bottle of water was handed to him by Noah, who had a matching bottle with him. It was smaller than the bottle that Jake was drinking from, but it was still sizable. It had a sport cap on it, allowing him to drink the water with the container totally upended without spilling on him or drowning him. He suckled at the tip of the bottle, happy to have something to occupy his hands while the thorough change happened. It was a practiced action from a far older time in his life. But it felt natural to return to it. Importantly, it wasn’t immature. It wasn’t a baby bottle. It was a normal sports bottle that normal teens used and despite him drinking it while having a big poopy diaper changed, he did not feel that it impacted his maturity. That sense of maturity and self-ownership had never really disappeared throughout the whole untraining process. Lucas knew that he was still going into high school next year. He was excited to be growing up and advancing. He was proud of himself for the way he composed himself and he wanted to really excel when he arrived in high school. He hadn’t worked out exactly what that would mean for him in reality. All he had were the depictions of high school in the media and what his teachers and parents had told him. But no matter what, he was going to try really hard to do a good job. His diapered state did not impact that view and desire in the slightest. If anything, it made him feel more comfortable with himself, especially since he had friends who were just like him. Before he even knew it, his thigh was being tapped and a hand was being extended to help upright him from the changing table. He gave Mrs. Seong a big hug and thanked her for cleaning him up. “No problem, Lucas.” She was clearly spent from her considerable effort. He didn’t get the sense that he had inconvenienced her, however. She seemed content with the activity. Like she was getting some kind of reward out of her actions. She addressed the room. “Alright you stinkers, I’m going to bed. If you need anything, you know where to find it. Unless it’s another change, in which case it won’t be until the morning, understood?” The boys all acknowledged and said good night. It was only then that Lucas realized the sheer bulk of the diaper that he was put in. His last diaper made him waddle with a considerable gait before, but that was only after it had been filled to its limit. This diaper was even more of a physical impediment even while dry. How Jake could possibly ever max out the capacity on this double-diaper monstrosity was beyond Lucas. Be he was darn sure going to try his best! He had been challenged and that was NOT going to be left unacknowledged! He downed the rest of his bottle and headed to the bathroom to refill, fully intent on out-soaking his friend. -- The following morning was much like any sleepover. One person woke up before everyone else, then someone joined them, and the remaining sleepers had to put up with giggling and talking and the corresponding sounds of kids having fun. Lucas was always the last to wake up in these events. He yawned and stretched in his sleeping bag. Blinking in the morning light once, then twice, then a few more times for good measure. Noah’s room had begun playing the meditative sounds of the Retrain System far later than Lucas was used to. Presumably Noah had the version of the system that could detect when activity was occurring in the room. And they were active until almost one in the morning. Still, it allowed for a comfortable night’s rest and a familiar ambiance as his own room. Lucas unzipped his sleeping bag and threw off the flap, leaning forward on his elbows as he examined his diaper. He pushed himself upright and took both his paws to inspect the state. He was pleased to find that his outer diaper was in-fact a little bit damp! Ha! Lucas leaned over to declare his victory over Jake, ready to show him how he had won their stupid contest. He was greeted with Jake standing right next to him, his padding drooping down to face-level, completely and totally swollen and stained yellow, the fade-when-wet designs having been long obliterated. “Awww gosh Lucas, you talk a big talk but,” Jake mock-shined his nails against his chest (which looked comical thanks to his feathered hands), “I guess you just can’t keep up with a real super soaker like me!” “Dude you totally cheated by drinking water before me!” “You could have been drinking water the whole time!” “Oh yeah, of course, I’m going to just chug down water on the OFF CHANCE that I get challenged to a peepee pants competition by my friends. That makes sense!” “Thank you, I’m glad you acknowledge that I’m right.” “You’re such a butthead oh my gods!” -- The morning turned into early afternoon and the teens finally returned to their homes. Lucas was in the final Huggie that he had brought to Noah’s house. He had such a transformational experience at his friend’s house that he really didn’t pay any mind to it as he walked home. He felt like a fresh and new person. When he arrived home, his Dad was waiting for him. “Did you have a good time?” He was sitting in the living room, hunched over the coffee table, a pair of snippers in his paw as he undid plastic bits from pieces of sprue. There was a chemical scent to the air as he was using dabs of glue to fasten his models together. Normally he did this at his workspace he set up for these things. He must have been waiting for Lucas to arrive home. “Uh, yeah, it was great. Jake was back from his summer soccer camp.” Lucas set down the bags in the living room since his Dad seemed interested in talking. “Oh interesting! I hope he had a good time there. He’s a good kid. I hope he is able to keep that temper in check.” Lucas’ Dad set down the part he was working on. It was some fantasy figure from a media series Lucas wasn’t interested in (much to his father’s dismay). “Lucas, your mother and I had a talk with Mrs. Seong last night, and again this morning.” Lucas looked left and up, thinking back to last night. A lot of things happened last night. He certainly hoped he didn’t cause any trouble for Noah’s mom. She was a really nice person and had always been a gracious host. He didn’t like knowing that he might have done something rude or disruptive while there. “Uh….” He tried his best to think about anything that he might have done that would warrant a parent-to-parent call. “About what? I promise I was on good behavior!” His Dad chuckled and shook his head. “No, no, nothing negative. The opposite, in fact. She mentioned that you had decided to wear diapers after having an accident at their house. And it sounded like you went through a bunch of them while you were there.” Lucas was confused. He was unsure if he should be feeling relief at his Dad’s gentle tone or dread over deciding to give up on his potty training altogether. Was that ok? He hadn’t even consulted his parents! Like yeah, they were the ones that put him on this Retrain Program in the first place but surely they would want some input before he went declaring that he wanted to be put back in diapers and never use the potty again! “Uhhh… Y-yeah. I went through all my Huggies and uh… Mrs. Seong did a good job changing me and… yeah…” Lucas felt the same apprehension and tension as he did the prior night when he admitted how he felt to his friends. But he steadied himself. His hands balled into fists at his sides. He stood up straight and looked his father in the eyes. “Dad. I… I don’t want to wear undies anymore. I don’t want to use the potty. I hate the potty. I want to go back to wearing diapers. I’m happy in diapers.” His father smiled and nodded a few times, before slapping his knees and then standing. He walked over to Lucas and embraced him. “Good boy. I’m proud of you for telling me that. And I’m glad that you’re happy this way.” He pulled back, both hands on the teen’s shoulders. “I have to be honest with you. The meditation system that we installed-” “I know Dad. Noah found out about the Retrain System. He told me everything.” Lucas smiled, finally happy to have everything out on the table, without any worries. “Oh, I see. And… are you… mad with us?” “No!” The teen laughed and gave another quick hug before backing away. “No, not at all. I’m really happy with how I’m feeling and… I had a really good time with my friends last night. It was all so easy and normal for us to be around each other. I’ve missed that so much.” His father’s shoulders slumped as he let out a sigh from deep in his soul. The relief was palpable. “Although, uh, next time you want to like unpotty train me or whatever, you can always ask me first!” Lucas laughed and his Dad chuckled. It was clear that his Dad had been dwelling on the decision to put Lucas through this whole process. And Lucas was very pleased that he could relieve him of those concerns. -- Carmella sipped her coffee. It was black. It was bitter. It was perfect. The warm liquid flowed through her and invigorated her. Lines of energy crisscrossing within her like a chakra network, all aligning as they were rejuvenated with fresh caffeine. Carmella had learned that she didn’t actually need to order a big fancy drink at a cafe just because they offered it. And just because her friends always got complicated orders. She could just let the coffee speak for itself. The book club had become a parental gossiping forum in recent weeks, however it appeared to be back to its usual goal. There were only so many permutations of discussing strategy to encourage your child to wet their pants that someone could realistically go through. Still, it was nice having a support network while actually going through the Retrain System. “So, Saundra, did you have a chance to read the book?” Kamille took out the hardback from her purse, setting it down on the table that all of the women were seated around. If the bookmark was to be believed, Kamille was almost finished with the 500 page slog that everyone had agreed to read. “You know what, I actually found some time to get stuck in! I don’t know how you actually managed to find a decent page-turner for once Kamille! I was beginning to doubt your choice in literature for a bit.” The raven held up her book as if raising her hand for a class. She had a dog-eared paperback. “I have to agree with Saundra!” Carmella interjected into the conversation. She quickly followed up, realizing if she didn’t clarify that it might be taken as her not trusting her friend’s book recommendations. “Not the uh, literature choice stuff haha! I found myself engrossed with this one. I might actually pick up some other things from this author when we finish.” “That means a lot. Honestly, I was beginning to worry about my book selection myself. I was trying to go with more artistic or classical choices, but really it just feels good to actually want to finish a damn story for once! I don’t need to open up VoltSummary to find out what the author meant with their stupid symbolism.” Everyone laughed. It had kind of become an unspoken truth that the women were all looking up synopses and commentary online rather than actually reading the assignment. Carmella hoped that meant more fun reads were coming in the future. “Say, was Daria supposed to show up? I didn’t see if she messaged the group.” Saundra looked around, cup of coffee in hand, scanning the cafe. As if Daria accidentally sat at the wrong table and didn’t notice her friends. “Oh! There she is!” The group turned to watch Daria walk from the entrance to their table. Normally they wouldn’t have bothered watching this totally mundane activity, but Daria had a particular movement to her. Her legs swung out slightly, as if something was forcing them apart. She nearly bumped into someone. That part was normal. She was a bear and tended to be on the larger side. But her walk, or rather, her waddle, was immediately picked-up on by every one of the women sitting there. “Sorry I’m late!” The bear sat down with unmistakable rustling and crinkling sounds, even over the din of the establishment. She adjusted her shirt, an instantly recognizable waistband peeking over her jeans. Daria immediately checked her phone, typing away at something. The women were all looking, staring, gawking. Carmella’s mouth was agape. Was… she wearing a diaper? Daria finished her message, smiling the whole time, and locked her screen. She set the phone down on the table and looked around at the group. After a moment of silence she finally spoke, total innocence in her voice. “What?” The Retrain System.pdf

"Goodnight you two! Have a nice break!" "Thank you! We will!" Jack replied to his departing parents. He grasped his girlfriend, Jill, in his arms as they both waved goodbye, then shut the front door. It was the first week of summer vacation from university. His parents were going on their own vacation, and his summer job didn't start for another three weeks. That meant.. "Well hello there sweetheart. It seems we have the house all to ourselves," Jill said, as she turned toward him and hugged him tight. He looked down at her head and kissed her soft brown hair, then leaned back and lifted her off the ground. "WHOAH!" she shouted, and laughed as he swung her. "Careful! Don't drop me!" Arguably there was a risk. She was shorter then he was, and thin, but not by too much. His relatively short stature and narrow build wasn't great for swinging people around with confidence. He settled her down and they stared at each other- her blue eyes meeting their brown. Suddenly, he laughed. "Soooo house party?" he said. She laughed with him and put a hand on his chest. "Maybe, but not right now. I want a weekend with us alone," she winked at him when she said that, and he smiled and nodded. "Also, there is something I want to try tonight." "Ooooo something fun? Something kinky?" He asked. She rolled her eyes. "Well, it can be. But not what I mean. Come on, I want to show you, its up in our bags." She took him by the hand and lead him up stairs, towards the bedrooms. The house wasn't huge, but was big enough to comfortably fit a family. The floors were all carpeted, and the bright yellow walls and decorations matched his parents slighted dated tastes. His was the last on the left in a hall of three doors. It was still very much a "teenager" bedroom, as he hadn't stayed in it regularly since leaving for college. Having met Jill there, he hadn't been planning his weekends to sleep in a bed where his parents could hear him. However, that wasn't where they were heading. "Wait, I'm thirsty. Can I get a glass of water before we do anything?" Jack pointed to the bathroom. "I don't want to be dehydrated and not be able to... you know..." She rolled her eyes. "We aren't doing that yet. Come on!" She pulled him into the second door, the spare bedroom. While his parents were well aware of what university students would do when alone together, they liked to at least PRETEND that their plans weren't obvious. So, in order to keep the appearance up, Jill had been officially exiled to the spare bedroom. This, however, lead to some other issues. "I still can't believe they want to do this," Jack said. "I think its cute!" Jill replied. "They want a bigger family!" "You don't think they are too old?" "No, not by half. Plenty of people do it later in life now. We live so much longer then we used to, its perfectly fine." "I know, but still," Jack shook his head. "What?" She giggled and smiled at him. "Say what you reaalllly mean." "Was I not good enough?" he asked. "And THERE it is. I'm sure you were a perfectly fine baby. You're cute enough anyway." "Oh stop," he waved. "Nah, I'd have loved to see it! You'd have been so cute to take care of!" she pinched his cheek. The room in front of them looked nothing like it did before Jack moved out. Before, it had been a plain, simply spare bedroom. A single queen bed, a night stand with a lamp, and an empty set of drawers. That was before his parents decide they wanted another baby. Now, along with the spare bed, there was an crib, diaper changing table, and a box piled high with toys. They were planning on re-painting the walls as well, but said they would wait until they found out the gender of the baby, a position Jack had held himself back from commenting on. The room now served two functions- a bedroom waiting for any adults to visit, and a nursery waiting for a baby to be born. "Its also, I don't know..." Jack considered his words. "Premature. They don't even know if she's pregnant yet." "Yeah, kind of," Jill said, then shrugged. "So they got excited. They said they found a good deal on the stuff. Besides, don't you want a baby brother? I always thought it would be fun. Jack shuddered. "Ugh. You mean someone to cry all night, mewl and demand food, and crap themselves? No, I really don't want to experience that. I DREAD the day my parents ask me to babysit. I aint changing no poopy diapers!" "Haha double negative!" He only glared at her. "Oh come on, it wouldn't be that bad. I've actually been considering taking up babysitting as a part time job." Jack was shocked. "Really? Why? You WANT to do that? It seems to annoying and gross and exhausting." She waved a hand. "Nah, it can't be that bad. Really even changing diapers wouldn't be terrible. I just need someone to practice with. You know, figure it out in a safe environment where I won't hurt the baby." "No. Just... no. You can have fun with that if you want. If I ever have kids, it won't be for a LOONNGG while." Jill shrugged. "Alright, suit yourself." They paused for a moment and looked around the nursery. Each imagined a baby crawling around it, and each forming a completely different opinion of how it would feel. "So what was it you wanted to show me?" Jack asked. "RIGHT. Come here, I have something for you." she walked to the bed, grabbed the bright pink suit case she had brought, and opened it up. She ruffled through piles of clothes and underwear, throwing them onto the bed. Jack reached down and grabbed an escaped pair of pink panties. "Hmmm hot. I hope this wasn't the thing "for me," unless you are planning on wearing them. I mean I'm game if you want to try, but that isn't my thing." She raised her eyebrows. "Really?" "I'm just saying I love all your skimpy underwear but I think they would look better on your butt then mine." She scoffed and grabbed them. "That isn't what I wanted to show you." He faked a pout. "Aww no? I was getting excited now." "Wh.." "So I DON"T get to see you in underwear? Or do you have some for me to try on?" "You'll see me in my underwear a LOT, ok, just not now you horny dick. THIS is what I wanted to show you!" she brought out a box. It was white, with a red and black hypnosis wheel drawn on it. "Practical Low-cost Objective-Based Technology Presents-The Instant Hypnotizer!" She read. "Huh..." he looked at it carefully. "You want to try hypnosis?" "Uh huh," she replied. "Just got it, and I figured it would be a fun game to try. Come on, lets turn it on!" she opened the box and took out a large wheel with a handle and trigger. "It says it comes with a battery, and can be charged in the wall when it dies. Its supposed to be able to hypnotize people in seconds! "Mhmm.... I mean... that sounds a bit dangerous. Do you really know what you are doing?" She shrugged. "Ah, what's the worse that could happen?" "I don't know! I just would think we should look this up first, or have someone whose done it before, or something like that. Does it have an instruction booklet." She looked in the box. "Oh yes, yes, here are the instructions. Ahem." She pointed a finger on the side of the cardboard. "It says, 'Jack, stop being such a pussy. Play this game with your girlfriend, and you might get lucky tonight.' Ah, wise advice." Jack quickly went from unimpressed to smiling. "Ah! Sounds great." She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, all guys are the same. Alright, what should we do first?" "I don't know, pick something. Just do it quickly, I'm getting excited." "Riiiiggghhttt..." she reached to the machine and started to turn a dial. "And by "excited," you mean your dick is excited, right? Alright, lets see..." She pointed it at him. "Ready?" "Ready," he smiled. She clicked a button, and it began to whirl. Lights flashed, and a low buzzing sound filled the air. Jack's eyes went wide and focused on the center of it. When it stopped, he was left motionless, eyes blank, mouth open and drooling. Jill chuckled. "Alright. When I snap my fingers, you are going to act like you're a little baby and I'm your mommy until it wears off." She snapped her fingers. "Goo," Jack said. He fell backwards and sat flat on the ground. "Goo." Jill put her hands on the side of her face and began to laugh. "Oh. My. God. Did this actually work? Jack, can you hear me?" He looked up at her. "Awo?" he asked. "Oh my god, it really did work! And what gets you out?" She snapped her fingers in his face. "MMMPA!" he said at the fingers, and began sucking on them. She laughed. "Alright, so it isn't' that. She lifted the box. "Instant hypnosis. If no signal is established during opening moments, will run out in preset times depending on the setting. All right! Looks like I'm your babysitter until it wears out! Ready to be my baby!" "Awogala!" "HMMM I never liked the taste of arugula, no matter how healthy they say it is. What else you got?" "UUMA!" he replied, raising his hands for a hug. She knelt down. "Awww, of course I'll hug my baby. What a good boy, mommies here!" She hugged him. After a moment, she let go. "Waaa?" He asked, sounding upset, and clung tight. He pulled her down closer. "Its ok baby boy, mommies just, ooff you're strong," she tried to push off one of his arms but couldn't. She reached around and patted his back. "There there baby boy, mommy will be back in a moment, just... Offf... WHY ARE YOU SO STRONG?" "Cooo, coo," he lectured her as he hugged her. She tried to stand up against what she now realized was a full adults strength coupled with an infants mentality. The two together were NOT a good combination. She managed to undo one of his arms. "WAAAHHH!" he immediately began screaming. "OK OK OK OK," she said, and hugged him again. The screaming stopped. "Just, please don't pinch me like that. OW! I said STOP PINCHING! Let me just, hmmm..." she looked around the room. The bed would be no help in his current mindset, and neither would any of her electronics. However, in the corner was a toy box. She reasoned that if she could make it there, she could find something to distract her now baby-brained boyfriend. She took a step, but found he was still holding tight, and hard to move. "Want a toy?" she asked. "Awwoo!" he smiled in agreement. "Good baby. Then we just gotta go over there, alright?" she pointed toward the toy box. "UHHH!" he laughed. She began to move toward it but couldn't. To her dismay, she realized that he expected her to carry him. She sighed, and reached down. She had commented earlier that it must be hard for him to lift her. However, it was FAR more difficult to do the same to him. He sat in confusion as she struggled to pick him up, swung him a few inches to the left, and dropped him again, panting. She moved, reached down, and repeated the process. It was a long, slow job, but finally she made it. She grabbed a teddy bear and handed it to him, and his arms instantly released her to cling to it. He leaned back on the ground and rolled around, gurgling in joy with his new toy. "Alright, well that was a bit cold. No no, don't worry, I don't mind that you clearly like the teddy bear more then me." He looked at her. "Za?" he said, and reached a single hand. "No no no no," she pointed at the bear. "Play with him! Play with him!" He turned his attention back to the toy. She sighed and ruffled his hair. "Alright, I don't know how long this is going to last, but I might as well get my practice in." she said. She walked back to her bags and reached in. "Well, you WERE interested in the underwear I brought and DID say you were willing to wear some of it if I wanted you to, and I do want you to wear these." She laughed. "Of course, its not like you could have guessed I brought them, but I don't think you can mind that now." The package she brought out was made with clear plastic. Inside were a dozen adult diapers. Like most adult diapers they were white, but unlike most they had friendly looking savanna animals on them. "Safari," they were called, and she was glad she had found them online. She had gone back and forth between trying to buy a store brand and ordering online before deciding the latter was less embarrassing, and was glad she did. "Come on baby boy! Lets get your diapie on!" she said. She walked down to him and bent over to undo his pants. She laughed. "Since your such a baby now we probably should before you have an accident." She paused. She realized that it could be a very real possibility, depending on how long the hypnosis lasted. She looked at her fully grown adult boyfriend, rolling around mindlessly on the ground like a baby, unaware of anything except his teddy bear. She had heard what it was like to change a real baby's diaper, how they often tried to crawl away, or went more half way through. She remembered the strength he had displayed when he clung to her. With a fully grown adult who was convinced he was a baby, changing a diaper would be FAR more difficult. She shrugged. That was a problem for later, and if anything it would still be the practice she wanted. She finished undoing his pants. "Ok sweetie, lets get these off so we can put on your diaper." She laughed again. "Oh boy, you are going to FREAK when you snap out of it and see what you're wearing." She began to pull, and he began to kick playfully. At least, it was meant to be playful. She could tell from his smiling and giggling that he thought it was funny. However, it was one thing when a 20 pound baby kicked playfully. It was another thing entirely when a 180 pound adult did. "AWWOOO SHUSHAH FUU!" he said, kicking. "You trying to make me a secure password?" she said. She began to hold down his legs, but he struggled more and made more sounds. "Come on, bad baby! You gotta... hey... OW!" she said finally, leaning back and clutching her head. As soon as she got one of his feet out of a pant leg, his foot flew up and kicked her forehead. While it wasn't bleeding, it still stung. She glared down at him, and he smiled back at her, unaware of any problem. "Oshhaaa?" he asked, and giggled again.

This is my first time writing a story here, and to be honest, I probably should have started with something a little smaller, not some big multi-part thing I haven't entirely written yet. ----- RegCon An ABDL & Regression Story Chapter 1: Plenary Angel Ballroom, Day 1 Good morning everyone. I didn’t catch that. I said good morning everyone! I’m John Krug, President of the National Coalition for a Second Childhood. Parents—mommies and daddies—on behalf of the NCSC, I would like to welcome you all to the Seventh Annual Regression and Rediapering Convention and Expo! Welcome to RegCon! As I look out on this room of over two thousand loving and doting parents and caregivers, ready to usher their babies into the adventure of regression, ready to take the serious commitment to diaper-train their children, unleash their inner littles, and give them the delightful gift of Second Childhood, I can’t help but swell with pride of how our little gathering, in just a few short years, transformed from an impromptu meeting in a public library community room, to a burgeoning movement! I see a lot of new faces and blue ribbons in the audience this morning: First-timers who want to learn more about how regression can benefit their children and help them redevelop the innocence they lost, and how to make that dream a reality. Now I know many of you will be a bit apprehensive about everything you’re going to see here. There’s a lot to take in, and the regression journey is not one one to be undertaken lightly. Perhaps you’ve heard neighbors, friends, coworkers, or relatives tell you all about how regression improved your children’s lives. And perhaps you’ve seen wild and lurid “exposés” spreading all sorts of wild tales. But let me tell you, as you’ll all learn over the next three days, and over the coming years, you are making the right choice. For yourselves, for your little ones, and for your communities. Give yourselves a hand for choosing to crack through the wall of misinformation and learn about the love of rediapering! And I also see a lot of old friends and yellow ribbons: repeat convention-goers. Ask them. Ask why they came back, how regression benefited their babies, how they were able to compel the unwilling to transform into laughing, bouncing, carefree kids! Because this isn’t just a convention. This is a community! Know that there are tens of thousands around the country and around the world, ready to lend a hand. Every year, we do our best to create an atmosphere of learning and collaboration for new regressors and practiced hands alike, as well as hearing from some of the world’s utmost experts in regression techniques and technologies, to help you develop a comprehensive, customized plan, to guide your littles to lose their potty training, their adult worries, their sexual urges, and their troublesome independence and rebelliousness, fostering a closer connection with YOU! Every time your little one wets or messes their diaper, or begs to watch Planet Ashley instead of the newest monster drama, or chooses to obey mommy and daddy instead of striking off, your closeness and love will only grow. This will be a deeply rewarding adventure for all of you! And repeat conventioneers know that if their littles’ regression is starting to fade, we also have aids to reinforce their babyish feelings and keep them close at mommy and daddy’s side. And yes, even if you’re starting to toy with the notion, as caregivers, that it’s time for progression, we can help you decide whether the time is right and guide your little to well-adjusted adulthood. The next three days are going to be very exciting, for you, and for us on the Steering Committee. Even though RegCon only lasts three days, for those of us who stage this event this is a job that lasts all year. I’d like to now ask all the Steering Committee members to please stand and be recognized. I would now also like to acknowledge the Convention Sponsors who helped to make these beautiful facilities a reality for us. We could never stage this event without their support. Specifically to recognize our Diamond-Level Sponsors: K&C Home Products, makers of the adult-sized Cutiez® diapers, Sleep-Tite® bedwetting underwear, and Daisy Girl® accident pants; VidiNet, who will be announcing a new season of regression-optimized streaming content; And the Rosebriar Academy, offering intensive diaper training and finishing discipline to young ladies who need to become little girls. A few housekeeping points before we move forward: If you haven’t already done so, please be sure to register and grab your convention badge at registration out front. As I mentioned before, attached to your badge will be one of these stylish colored ribbons, identifying you as a first-timer, or maybe a practiced hand. Keep an eye out for orange or red ribbons; those are to identify convention staff and volunteers. We’re here to help! We’re asking you all to wear your badges visibly at all times; there are a few types of people we wouldn’t want roaming the halls here. On that note, we are expecting a small protest again this year. Convention and hotel staff are coordinating with the local police to make sure everything remains peaceful. I want to urge you all, don’t try to engage with any of the protesters. If you did bring your littles with you, it goes without saying, take extra care that they aren’t exposed to any of the ugliness outside. Not only will it confuse them and potentially damage their regression training, but, and I want to stress this has never actually happened before, there is a small chance one of them might try to “rescue” your baby. As you should know, in all our convention literature, we advise parents not to bring their littles to the convention, pre- or post-retraining. Un-regressed children might panic and try to flee or disrupt their peers’ progress. And even for a docile, fully-regressed baby, we just don’t have the resources to care for them here. There are no public changing facilities, and we don’t have a day care. Now we all understand that, when you’re caring for a little one, it’s not always easy to find a sitter, or plans fall through. Just understand that you are responsible for your child. All right, enough with the downers! Are we ready to get started? C’mon parents, it’s not that early in the morning! Are we ready to get started?! We have a jam-packed agenda for this year’s RegCon! Later this morning, Dr. Kathy Willett from Galbraith University will share some of the latest techniques in regression hypnosis, using bedwetting and daytime accidents as a departure point for full-time rediapering. She’ll also be talking about how understanding your child’s psychological makeup can help you set a more effective regression roadmap. We will also hear from Clint Jones, recently-retired Sheriff of Mason County, and his observations on how Second Childhood has worked wonders to rehabilitate habitual youthful offenders into happy little citizens. Sheriff Jones has become one of the biggest proponents of regression as the best way to keep rebellion from turning into recidivism. This afternoon, there’s going to be a dozen researchers on our popular pharma panel, talking about new developments in drug regression therapy. Gone are the primitive days of using muscle relaxers, diuretics, and stool softeners to force wetting and messing. Integrated regimens tailored to your little’s body chemistry get better, more natural results, without all the side effects. Plus, rapid developments in nanobot therapy! That’ll be exciting. Regressing and rediapering your baby is not something you have to do alone! This year, our exposition hall has been split in two! We have an upper and lower hall with a combined 230 vendors, offering everything from diapers, to baby clothes, to furniture, to harnesses, punishment tools, and local regression clubs around the country. You’ll want to take some time to weave through all the booths, so plan accordingly. One newcomer to RegCon this year is VidiNet. They’re going to showcase some of the new children’s programming they’ll be debuting for streaming, and a lot of it looks great. But what I really think is exciting is some of the parental control tools they’re planning to release next quarter that can allow you to alter and tailor their content to fit your baby’s regression needs. We won’t be fighting against pop culture anymore! Our keynote speaker for the Seventh Annual Regression and Rediapering Convention is Florence McKnight. Mrs. McKnight has really become the public face of the regression movement, through her video and social media presence. We’ve all gotten to watch as her 20-year-old daughter Isabel has metamorphosed from a stressed-out pre-med student to a sweet bubbly little toddler. I know there are more than a few people joining us here today who would never have considered regression if they hadn’t gotten to witness this amazing change, and we are honored that she’s going to share her wisdom with us tomorrow! And last, but certainly not least, year after year the most popular part of the convention, our regression roadmap workshops! Every year, it’s always a bit of a strain to make sure we have enough space for everyone who wants to develop a plan to regress their babies. But we pulled a rabbit out of a hat again this year and anyone who wants to train a new little, or wants to reinforce training on their current littles, will be able to find a seat. They’re not always going to be at convenient times, so sign up quickly! If you haven’t already done so, you can reserve a seat at the table next to registration. This is a wonderful opportunity to plan out how you’re going rediaper your child and encourage them to start wetting, the tools and techniques you’re going to use, the checkpoints to watch for, the support system you’ll have to help you both along, and, because it’s always good to have a plan until it falls apart, strategies to get back on track and adjust to changing conditions. If you do nothing else at RegCon, be sure to take this workshop! We’ve put together the best convention yet this year, and I’m excited to see not only how our event comes out, but the next group of littles freed from the pressures of adult life and shepherded into Second Childhood. We are embarking on a magical journey. There will be challenges and trials, but the joys of a babyish mind and rewards of tending to it make it all worthwhile. And before we break into sessions, workshops and panels, I would like to play for you a brief recorded message from someone very special to me. Her name is Janey, and she is my baby daughter. A week before she was to graduate high school, Janey overdosed on Adderal trying to study for exams, and had to spend time in rehab. Like too many young men and women today, she was under so much pressure to be perfect and edge out the competition that it nearly destroyed her. And that nearly destroyed me. But by some miracle, my wife and I discovered a small regression club in our home town. Like many of you, I thought it was crazy. But the alternative looked like a decade or more of moving in and out of halfway homes, so we took a chance on our little girl’s happiness. That was seven years ago, and the young lady who was once clamoring for pointless academic success has changed into someone better. Sweeter. Every morning, we wake our little angel and help her out of her crib. Our little fountain loves her diaper changes so much, not just because she can get comfy and dry, but she gets face time with the people who she loves, and who love her too. Getting to see the twinkle in her eye again after all these years, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I want each of you to feel that same love with your own treasures. That’s our dream. Janey couldn’t come here today, but there’s something very important she wanted to tell you: “Hewwo evwybudy! Have fun at da coveshon!”

Tim wandered onto the studio lot. His auburn hair was slicked back and his khakis and deep blue polo shirt were clean and neatly pressed. Tucked under his arm, as per usual, were copies of his resume and headshots . This was going to be it. This was his chance to get his big break and get on T.V. and get famous and maybe even get into movies within the next four to five years... Okay, yeah, this was the kind of thing he said to himself all the time...but...but.... But this was an audition for something outside of community theater! This was an audition that required him to talk and not just linger in the background! And most importantly of all, Tim really needed this. Disney had officially run out of good ideas and were now doing a spin off of a spin off of one of their old shows: “Cory in the Kitchen”. This time, Kyle Massey was playing Cory- the kid from That’s So Raven without the psychic powers- but he’s grown up and a chef. Yeah...not great. It was purported to contain as much if not more of the standard lowbrow mugging, nonsensical meandering plots involving cartoonish schemes, and over the top slapstick that made Disney Channel Sitcoms...Disney Channel Sitcoms. At least it was T.V., Tim reasoned. Disney Channel standards meant he wouldn’t have to try very hard to be “good”, and this was a speaking part. Tim’s demo reel had made it so he was auditioning for the part of Cory’s bumbling sous chef, Doug. No way would the inept comic relief character be cut after the pilot. If nothing else this was Tim’s chance to get a regular paycheck. It was either this, Tim knew, or finally break down and get that job at the phone company call center. What happens to a dream deferred? It goes into a cramped room filled with cubicles and tries to up-sell strangers on their latest wireless plan and internet bundle. He walked into the front of the office. The room was oddly vacant, truth be told. That was odd. Tim had been thrilled to make it this far, but he was suddenly worried when he saw the empty waiting room. Most nobodies would kill to play C-List actor’s sidekick. The young man looked at his phone. Was he very, very early or very, very, late? According to his phone, he was right on time. “Excuse me,” he called out. “Can anyone help me?” The reception window opened and a young woman with neat blonde hair poked her head out. “Hi there! Can I help you?” “Is this where the audition for Cory in the Kitchen is?” Tim asked. He might as well have been speaking ancient Sumerian. “Cory in the Kitchen?” the receptionist asked. Tim pulled up the confirmation email he’d been sent, complete with date and time and showed it to the receptionist. “Newest Disney pilot...?” The blonde lady frowned, not out of anger or confusion but out of awkward sadness. “I hate to tell you this, but I think you’ve been scammed.” “What?!” Tim’s mouth felt dry and his pulse picked up, beginning to panic. She turned his phone back around and showed him. “It’s got the logo and mouse ears and everything, but look at the sender. Disney isn’t supposed to have a ‘k’ in it and is supposed to end with a ‘y’ not a double ‘e’.” Tim blinked and the world went silent for a second, like right after a grenade goes off. “I think you got pranked, hun.” Tim snatched “How did I not catch that?” “Address is wrong too,” the receptionist added. “Right street numbers, wrong zip code. The place you’re looking for doesn’t exist.” “But...but...but...my GPS led me here.” Tim’s voice was coming out as a squeak. His world was crumbling before him. Failed audition after failed audition…and now this. This was a wake up call. He wasn’t cut out for this. “Excuse me…” he covered his face to try and hide his flushed face and glassy eyes “I need a minute.” Tim quick-walked over to a wall of chairs and sat down, taking an intense interest in the floor space between his shoes. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be happening! How stupid could he be? How desperate? How gullible? A kind hand gave him a tissue. His nose was running along with his mind. “Thank you,” he said, wiping away tears and snot in that order. “Actor?” the receptionist asked. Tim nodded. “Sorta…I’m trying.” “Yeah. Happens all the time, here,” the receptionist told him. “People come here all the time looking for their big break. Thinking that they’re getting their big break.” Tim couldn’t bear to make eye contact, but he saw the receptionist’s shadow slump down and its shoulders sag right besides his. “But instead they take a closer look and realize that the email came from Universal with a ‘Y’ or Werner Bros instead of Warner Brothers.” “Or Dis-knee,” Tim added. “Yeah.” the receptionist said. “It’s just as much a prank on us as it is on you all.” She sighed, sounding defeated. “I’ve kind of gotten used to it by now.” Tim was shaking his head. “Yeah. Me too, I guess.” They sat there for a beat before he remembered his manners. “What do you guys do here?” “Straight to home motion capture films.” The struggling actor sat up a little straighter. “Motion capture? Like computer cartoons? Like Andy Serkis?” The receptionist sat up a little straighter too. “More advanced than what Andy Serkis works with. Less body suits and more sophisticated cameras. No need for blue screen. We film live with practical sets and wardrobe so the actors have something to react to, and then animate it in post.” “Sounds like the old rotoscope tricks they did for the early Disney cartoons.” The receptionist smiled, impressed. “You know your stuff.” Tim blushed a little bit. “Hey, this is just an idea, how would you like to make a little money today? We just had a walkout this morning, and could use you for a part.” Tim felt something gnawing at the back of his brain. “I don’t know. I know about this stuff in theory. I’m not very experienced.” “That’s fine. No training required.” “I haven’t read a script.” “You won’t need to.” Fuck. Another extra non-speaking role. “Oh.” “We’re going for a mostly improv style. We’re testing equipment and tracking capability as much as acting. We just need someone who can think on their feet. Being cute helps too. Tim brightened. “Cute?” The receptionist didn’t say anything to that. Just shrugged. “Um. Okay. I could use the work.” Then he thought to ask, “Does it pay?” Blondie nodded. “One hundred and thirty five dollars for a day’s work.” Tim mulled it over in his brain. Not the regular paycheck he was hoping for, but not bad for a random prank. “That’s just one day,” she added. “If you gel well with us, we’ll hire you back.” Tim arched an eyebrow. “Yeah?” “Yeah. We’ve got a small but tight knit group. A kind of new age theater troupe. If you’re a good fit for us, we’ll take care of you.” Tim was intrigued. Tim was hopeful. To be honest, Tim was desperate. “How much?” “Between twenty and thirty thousand a year.” The young actor exhaled. It wasn’t Hollywood money but it was still good money. If he was being honest with himself, it might be comparable to playing an inept comedic relief on a doomed to fail Disney Channel Original. The idea beat the hell out of working for the phone company. “Who do I need to talk to?” “You’re talking to her. I’m the casting director.” “You’re are?” The blonde woman smiled. “What? Did you think I was a secretary or something?” “Receptionist,” Tim admitted. “Why’d you come to the window and talk to me?” “You asked for help.” she said. She took his hand and stood up. “What’s your name, cutie?” “Tim.” “Come on, Tim. I'll get you to Wardrobe.” *********************************************************************************************************** Tim looked at himself and frowned. “Are you sure this is the right costume?” It was at least the seventh time he’d asked, not that he’d been counting… His costume consisted of black baggy shorts that stopped just above his knee, a yellow t-shirt, a red baseball cap and matching sneakers. It was embarrassing. He couldn’t get a good look at himself, but he knew he looked like a total doofus. The Baseball cap for whatever reason had a little propeller on top. The sneakers didn’t have laces, just Velcro. The shorts didn’t have pockets. It looked like something a kindergartener, no, a pre-kindergartener would wear. “You look great,” the casting director assured him. “Very cute. Just like your headshots.” Tim had unfortunately assumed that the blonde lady had meant sexy instead of adorable. Tim sighed. A paycheck was a paycheck. Even a day’s pay meant something besides ramen for dinner tonight and he could afford internet for another month. A regular gig meant paying rent without borrowing more from his parents or going to a call center. And from the looks of it, this place might just have money to burn. They were on a soundstage, but the production company had gone to absurd lengths to make it seem like they were in a stereotypical suburban neighborhood. The walls were painted masterfully to seem like an outdoor sky and a surrounding neighborhood. And this place might not have been Disney, but it definitely knew how to use forced perspective. Tim had had to do a lap around the perimeter just to convince himself that his eyes were playing tricks on him (or that something was playing tricks on his eyes) Even the lights in the rafters were bright and warm enough, that Tim could have sworn he was outside on a hot summer afternoon. The centerpiece of this soundstage was an entire house, front and back lawn included. It wasn’t until he’d experimented with plucking a few blades of grass that he confirmed the stuff was some kind of fancy astroturf. There was a playground in the backyard, and circling the house, he’d gotten enough of a view to know that it wasn’t just a set piece. This was crazy. This was Tommy Wiseau levels of intricate and wasteful. Then again, according to the Disaster Artist, Tommy Wiseau was more than a terrible writer, actor, and director: He was also loaded and could somehow afford ridiculous stuff like filming outdoor scenes in doors. This lot wasn’t using simple things like basic inside sets and separate exterior shots. This place, it seemed, could build an entire house in a soundstage and go to the trouble of making it look like it wasn’t. And, if the casting director was to be believed, then pieces of this would be turned into a kind of motion capture animation. This kind of thing took Wiseau level money and Wiseau level crazy. Yeah. They could afford him. Tim could swallow his pride and take their money. Even with the behind the scenes look at the money sink that was The Room, that bomb still had things this place didn’t. Tim looked around. “Where’s the recording equipment?” he asked. “The microphones and cameras and stuff?” “Around,” the blonde woman said. Tim was still having a hard time “We’ve got little hidden cameras everywhere. They’ll be honed in and record everything you say and do. You and your costar, both.” “Co-star?” As if on cue, a woman came out of the house. She was that age that some women matured into- that ambiguous kind of beauty that could have been mid thirties to early fifties that no gambling man would have taken odds on. Long dark hair cascaded down her shoulders and thick black rimmed glasses framed her face. The woman had a certain maternal expression that Tim couldn’t quite put his finger on that he found oddly attractive. In terms of stereotypes, she might not be beach babe anymore, but could definitely pass for a M.I.L.F. Tim thought it odd that she came out of the house. He’d seen no hint of movement in the house, and he’d come in through a side entrance after changing into his ridiculous costume. Did she live in the fake house? Was it even a fake house if someone was living in it? On the bright side, Tim no longer felt like an idiot. The dark haired lady wore a black dress, that while concealing, still managed to accentuate her breasts and hips. It might have been sexy if not for the alphabet print splattered all over the dress. The A’s all looked vaguely like alligators, the M’s looked like monkeys, and the D’s had a pink doughnut glaze. Her dress wasn’t just an ‘Alphabet Dress’ but looked more like a ‘Baby’s First Alphabet Dress.’ The not-quite Kindergarten teacher vibe the woman was given off was only enhanced by the white apron tied around her front, and oddly magnified by the green jeweled brooch she wore around her neck and the matching earrings. To top it all off, she wore a plain black pointed hat. She was Miss Frizzle from Magic School Bus meets Samantha Stephens from Bewitched and Tim couldn’t help but feel oddly welcomed by it all. That was the weird thing about costumes: They were bizarre until you were around other people wearing them. Then they were kind of fun. Maybe that’s why cosplay was so popular these days. She looked like a weird kind of teacher-witch. He looked like a doofus manbaby. In other words, they looked like cartoon characters. He could work with this. “Hello Cynthia!” the newcomer said to the casting director. Shit! It had been close to forty five minutes by this point, and Tim had yet to even ask the blonde lady her name. The two women hugged. “Hello, Auntie Marie,” the casting director said before ending the embrace. “Ready to go to work?” “Ah-ah-ah,” the witchy woman said. “First thing’s first.” She looked at Tim. “Who is this little cutie that I’ll be working with?” While she hadn’t been talking directly to him, Tim felt obliged to speak up. “Nice to meet you, Miss Marie,” Tim said. He extended his hand. Neither woman said anything. The casting director just looked off to the side, averting her gaze, while the lady in the witch getup just stared at him as his hand hung in the air. It was almost like she expected something. Tim looked her in the eye, but a glare in her glasses was just enough to prevent him. Instead his eyes went a little lower. Her brooch seemed to flash a bit; glow even. Tim dropped his hand. “I kind of just walked in off the street, but I’ve got some experience act-” He was cut off as the woman practically engulfed him without warning. “Two things you should learn about me right off the bat, Timmy,” she said. “The first thing is that I never shake hands. I hug.” Timmy? Ugh. Tim hated that nickname. He hadn’t been Timmy since second grade. Something was off. “Wait,” Tim squeaked out, still in the woman’s grasp, “how did you know my-?” “The second thing you should know is that my name is Auntie Marie,” the witch lady interrupted again. Finally, she released her hug and Tim could breathe again. “You have to say the whole thing. It’s like The Weekend, or The Band Perry. I’m Auntie Marie. Not Auntie. Not Marie. Nor Miss Marie. Auntie Marie. Okay? Tim nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” Playfully, the witch woman put her hands on her hips. “Yes…?” “Yes, Auntie Marie.” Auntie Marie looked at him again. The glare from her glasses were gone, but Tim swore her brooch glowed again. She turned to Cynthia, the casting director and said, “Oh, I like him.” Both women broke out in laughter, leaving Tim bewildered. “Excuse me,” Tim interrupted their cackling. “How did you know my name?” The blonde lady raised her hand. “I told her while you were getting changed.” Oh. Oh yeah. That made sense. “So what are we going to be doing today?” Tim asked. His face started to flush, feeling silly for suspecting something was amiss. “I’m the casting director, as well as director of photography.” Cynthia explained. “And I’ll also be helping with editing and animation, but that’s in post.” Auntie Marie gestured to herself. “And I’m the lead writer, actor, and editor. I’ll be playing the part of Auntie Marie, the helpful witch that is everyone’s auntie.” “Uh-huh,” Tim nodded. This was definitely a Tommy Wiseau situation. Had to be. “Why, auntie?” The woman just stared at him, her hands back on her hips, her eyebrow arched. “I mean...Why are you everyone's auntie, Auntie Marie?” “Because the best part about being an auntie is that I get to play with the kids, but then give them back to their parents when we’re all done.” Tim looked down at his costume. “And I’m a kid?” Duh! Of course he was. “I mean, I’m playing a kid?” “You got it right the first time, Timmy.” A thin smile shown on Auntie Marie’s face. “Auntie Marie’s a bit of a method actor,” Cynthia jumped in. “She almost never breaks character.” “I’m not playing a character.” Cynthia shrugged. “See what I mean?” Maybe this is why they had that walkout, today. She handed Tim an earpiece. “Put this in,” she said. “This will let me communicate with you in case there’s some blocking issues or a better shot to be had from one of the hidden cameras.” Auntie Marie turned her head to side and pointed to herself. “It also plays mood music.” Tim put his ear piece in and blanched. “Mood music?” “You know how shows and movies put in music to make something seem sillier or heavier? More emotional?” Cynthia asked “Yeah?” “That’s typically done in post, only. With these ear pieces you can kind of hear of the soundtrack of the film.” “It’s a godsend” Auntie Marie said. “Knowing the soundtrack really informs your choices as an actor.” “Kind of like how they piped in live music when filming Les Mis?” Tim asked. Both Cynthia and Auntie Marie clapped their hands. “Exactly!” they said. “I can see why you liked him,” Auntie Marie said to Cynthia. “Perfect for the part.” Cynthia faced Tim. “Right. So first thing’s first. This is going to be mostly improvisation.” Tim nodded. He remembered this part. “We’re also going to try to get most of it in just one take.” ONE TAKE?! The surprise and shock on his face must have shown, because both women took up comforting, non-threatening positions next to him. “Timmy will be fine.” Auntie Marie chimed in. “I’ve got a good feeling about him.” Tim swallowed. “It’s, Tim.” he corrected Auntie Marie. “Tim is the actor.” Auntie Marie replied. “Timmy is the child who has come to visit his dear Auntie Marie while his parents are out shopping.” She booped him on the nose with the tip of her finger. “Right,” Tim remembered. “Method acting.” Cynthia turned around and started walking out of the sound stage. “I’ll be headed up to the control room. I’ll let you know in your earpiece when we’re ready to start.” It took two long minutes for Cynthia to get ready. “So how many times have you…?” Auntie Marie’s finger pressed up against his lips. “Shush, dear. Let’s use this time to get into character.” Tim had to close his mouth and quietly nod his head to get Auntie Marie to remove it. And step back. After two minutes, Cynthia’s voice buzzed in Tim’s earpiece. “Testing. Testing. I’m in the control room. Testing. Testing. Auntie Marie can you hear me?” The witch woman nodded and flashed a thumbs up in the air. “Roger that. Timmy? Can you hear me.” Tim bristled at being called Timmy, but he gave a thumbs up, hoping the hidden cameras caught him. “Things are good to go on this end.” Cynthia said. “We’ll do our first and hopefully only take in five, four, three...” the earpiece buzzed out. Auntie Marie finished the countdown silently on her fingers. Two fingers. One finger. Action. ********************************************************************************************************** Once upon a time, there was a little baby boy, named Timmy. Timmy thought he was a big boy, but he was just pretending. Timmy was a great pretender. He liked to pretend that he slept in a big boy bed and that he could drink from a big boy cup and that he had a big boy job and big boy house. Timmy was so silly, he even pretended that his diapers were big boy undies and that he could use the big boy potty. But Auntie Marie knew what to do. When Timmy came to visit her, she used her magic to dress him up in big boy clothes, a big boy T-shirt and a big boy hat, big boy shoes, and even big boy pants and undies. “I’m so glad you could come and visit me, Timmy” Auntie Marie said. “Me too!” Timmy said. He was so excited! Auntie Marie pointed at the outfit she had magicked onto her nephew. “I love your big boy clothes.” Timmy gave Auntie Marie a big smile. “Me too! They’re super neato!” “I bet you’re super proud that you’re out of diapers and can use the big boy potty all by yourself.” “Um...yeah?” Timmy was confused because he couldn’t actually remember having gone potty before. It had all been pretend up to this point, and even though Timmy was a very good pretender, he wasn’t so good as to pretend into memory something he didn’t know how to do. “I can’t wait to see all the neat big boy things you can do now that you’re a big boy, Timmy!” Just then, Timmy heard a sound he’d never heard before. It was like the little tinkling of a bell. Timmy had to go potty. He’d never heard that tinkling little bell before because he’d never actually gone potty. When big boys and girls have to go potty, they hear the little tinkling of a bell that lets them know. Do you sometimes hear the tinkling of a little bell, dearie? No. Of course you don’t. You’re not big, either. Maybe you’re just silly and pretending like Timmy was. Timmy could only hear the tinkling sound because of Auntie Marie’s magic. He wasn’t really ready to be a big boy, and Auntie Marie was going to teach him just that. “Um...Marie?” Timmy felt funny inside. He put his hands over his pee-pee place and squeezed hard. He’d never done that before! It didn’t feel good at all! “It’s Auntie Marie, Timmy. Remember?” “Auntie Marie…” Timmy said. “I have to...to…” Timmy didn’t have the words. He’d never really asked anyone to go potty before. He was used to nice grown-ups like his Auntie Marie and his Mommy and Daddy and babysitters just checking his diaper to see if needed changing. If it got really bad, Timmy would cry and cry and cry until a grown-up changed him. But he’d never used his words like this before. Auntie Marie decided to help Timmy. “You have to go pee-pee?” Timmy blushed and nodded his head. He was so embarrassed because deep down he knew he wasn’t a big boy. There’s a fine line, little ones, between pretending and lying, and Timmy wasn’t sure which one he was doing. Auntie Marie took Timmy’s hand. “Then let’s go inside, quick,” she said. “You can show me how good you are at going potty now that you’re going potty.” So she took his hand and led him inside. *********************************************************************************************************** Tim allowed himself to be led inside the faux suburban house. His head was on a swivel. Where was the bathroom? Where was the bathroom? He had to pee like a racehorse! Yeah, he’d been vaguely aware of needing to pee when the hidden cameras started rolling, (and damn were they hidden), but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t hold or work through. Then he’d heard a little jingling sound in his ear piece and suddenly his bladder was in full overdrive. Tim couldn’t think straight. His bladder had gone from a state of barely registering and might need to take a break in an hour or two to the feeling of being in an eight hour traffic jam and it was time to start searching the car for empty soda bottles if he didn’t want to piss himself. Auntie Marie was even worse: Asking him if he needed to pee as if he were a two year old and leading him into the house by the hand. Lady wasn’t kidding about not breaking character and doing it all in one take. It had been so humiliating to have to play along, but the number one rule of improv was “yes, and…” Hopefully there were no hidden cameras in the bathroom. That was against the law, wasn’t it? Tim wasn’t going to get the chance to find out. Instead of the bathroom, Tim was half dragged half led to the middle of what appeared to be a living room. A T.V. sat across from a comfortable sofa, and in between the two pieces of furniture sat a potty. Not a toilet; a potty. A big plastic bowl to piss in. Had it been made of metal it might have been an old timey chamber pot or a large bedpan. This was made of thick blue plastic, like a cooler, and had a toilet seat with a splash guard in the front. The rim was decorated with cartoon bees, all smiling up at him, inviting him to sit on their stingers. Auntie Marie gestured dramatically, theatrically like a Shakespearean actress past her prime. “I’ve got your big boy potty all set up! Ready” Tim froze. They weren’t…? Were they actually expecting…? Was he supposed to…? He shook his head and mouthed the word, “No.” “Or do you need Auntie Marie’s help?” The witchy woman’s broach seemed to glow green again. “I can do it!” Tim yelped. “I mean, um. I’m a big boy!” Damnit! Legs pressed together to conceal his junk. As quick as he could, Tim slid his shorts and underwear down and lowered himself onto the potty. He was full to the point of bursting and had quickly past the point of caring. JESUS IT WAS COLD! It was like all of those drawn on bees had decided he was their enemy and had stingers made of ice. Tim felt like he jumped an inch in the air right after sitting down. “Cold?” Auntie Marie asked, her voice tinged with sympathy. Tim nodded. “Uh-huh. A little.” That was a lie. It was A LOT cold. “You haven’t been using the potty very long, so you’re not used to it. Diapers are much warmer, aren’t they, Timmy?” Tim didn’t know how to respond to that. He hadn’t been in diapers since before he could remember. So instead he just averted his gaze. “Maybe…” he whispered. “Show Auntie Marie what a big boy you are,” the witchy woman coaxed. “Just let it all out. I’ll be right here watching.” Fuck. Those were the exact wrong words at the exact wrong moments. Tim had developed both a case of overactive bladder and shy bladder simultaneously. The seat was inhumanly cold and not warming up AND this stranger was staring at him. Tim shut his eyes and tried to block out the world. All he had to do was relax his bladder and let nature take its course. Yeah. That was it. Just relax his bladder. Just stop the polar ice caps from melting. Just invent the cure for Ebola. That’s all he had to do. Easy as that. “I...I...can’t,” he mumbled. Auntie Marie stuck out her bottom lip. “Awww, that’s too bad. Maybe it was a false alarm.” She reached out her hand and took Tim’s arms, pulling him to his feet. “False alarms happen to little boys who aren’t used to the potty yet.” “But I’m a big boy,” Tim said without meaning to. “Of course you are.” Auntie Marie winked at him. She stepped to the side and pinched his cheek, condescendingly. It wasn’t a false alarm. Tim still desperately needed to pee. Improv be damned. They’d just have to do this in two takes. Time to break character. Pants still around his ankles, Tim asked “Can I use your…?” Before Timmy could finish his sentence, a new sound came through his ear piece. It sounded like a xylophone playing a tuneless song. It wasn’t tuneless, however, just random. If it had had lyrics, they would have gone something like “I’m a big kid look what I can Doe a deer a female deer, ray a drop of golden Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun. Please shine down on me!” ************************************************************************************************************ Little Timmy had an accident! Just like a baby, Timmy piddled all over the carpet and down his legs while he stood still. Even though he’d been sitting on the potty just a few seconds before, not a single drop had made it into the potty. Timmy was used to wearing diapers and just didn’t know how to go potty, even though he was really good at pretending. He wasn’t ready to be a big boy. “I’m so sorry!” Timmy said after he’d gotten all his pee-pees out. “I didn’t mean to! I swear! I didn’t mean to.” Timmy looked like he was about to cry. He normally only cried like that when he got an owie or when his diaper leaked. Going tinkle all over Auntie Marie’s carpet and down his legs was like the biggest leakiest diaper he’d ever had. Timmy hated it. Deep down, Timmy wished he could admit that he was a baby, but he just couldn’t stop pretending. He didn’t know how. “I didn’t mean to,” Timmy kept saying. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to!” Auntie Marie looked cross. “You didn’t mean to…?” Then Timmy remembered his manners. “I didn’t mean to, Auntie Marie!” Auntie Marie patted her nephew on the head. “Of course you didn’t, Timmy,” she said. “You haven’t been potty trained for that long. And little boys still have accidents sometimes.” This time, Timmy didn’t argue and say he was a big boy. He knew better. “What do I do now?” Timmy asked. Auntie Marie looked at the mess Timmy had made. “I’ll clean this up,” she said. “But I don’t want you making another mess in my house.” She reached into her magical apron pocket and pulled out a pull-up. “I’ll need you to wear one of these just in case.” “But I don’t...I mean I can’t...I don’t wanna wear diapers!” Timmy whined. Auntie had already grabbed a packet of wipes from her magical apron and was wiping down Timmy’s pee-pee covered legs. Auntie Marie popped open the Pull-Up and like a good boy, Timmy stepped in. “It’s not a diaper. It’s a Pull-Up,” she told Timmy. “You can still pull it on and off like your big boy underwear, but it will soak up any accidents you make.” “I’m not gonna have another accident,” Timmy said in his best pretend big boy voice. “I pwomise...I mean, promise!” Auntie Marie shushed Timmy by putting her finger to his lips. “I know, Timmy. I know,” she said. “That’s why you’ll only be wearing it just in case. You used to wear these all the time when you were first learning to use the potty, remember?” Timmy looked unsure of himself. That’s because he’d never worn a Pull-Up before. Just like you, dearie, he was only pretending. “Uh-huh...?” Timmy said. Auntie Marie pulled the new pull-ups onto Timmy since he still didn’t know how to dress himself. Then she reached into her magic apron pocket and pulled out a juice box. “Here, Timmy. Have some punch. You’ll love it.” Timmy took the juice box and watched as Auntie Marie put the straw in for him. “Um...okie. Auntie Marie.” He smiled super big for her as she led him out to her backyard. “You can play on my playground while I clean up your accident. I’ll be right back. Okay?” Timmy nodded, really pretending to be a little boy with all his might. “Okie dokie, Auntie Marie, I’ll be the bestest little boy I can be and play all by myself.” Auntie Marie patted him on the head. “I know you will. But finish your juice, first. It’s important.” ************************************************************************************************************* With a swat on his butt, Timmy stumbled out into the faux backyard, juice box in hand. He was barefoot, wearing a pull-up instead of his studio issued costume, and was alone without any other actor to play off of. Timmy would have expected some kind of direction from Cynthia in the control room, but he could hear only the faintest of static coming from his ear piece. He didn’t really want to be out here, but Auntie Marie told him to play out here. He couldn’t say no to Auntie Marie, however. She had a presence about her that for some reason he could not cross. When she talked he just wanted to make her happy. Oh yeah, and she was the lead in this improv scenario. Not knowing what else to do he sat down on the nearby swing set. It was a rinky dink little thing. A one seater. But Auntie Marie probably didn’t have more than one kid visit at any given time. The only other swing didn’t count in Timmy’s mind. It was a harness seat; the kind used for babies. Speaking of Timmy’s mind, something else was gnawing at him. Didn’t he hate being called Timmy? Wasn’t it Timothy? Time? No. That felt wrong. Then again, a lot of this felt wrong. Sipping on his juice box, Timmy lifted up his shirt and stared down at the pull-up he was wearing. A cartoon bee was resting on his pubic area, sitting on a potty and giving him a smiling thumbs up. Further below near his crotch was a little honeycomb sketch. Timmy wasn’t experienced with kids, but he knew from enough random commercials and cultural osmosis that if he had an accident, that honeycomb would fade away at the first sign of wetness. There wouldn’t be any wetness, Timmy knew. He was a big boy. No, a grown-up….a big boy. No point in thinking about the impossible. When Timmy’s straw started gurgling, he let the juice box drop to the ground. If he was supposed to play, he’d just improvise and play. It might not be very exciting, but it was what he’d been hired to do. He rose from the swing and climbed the nearby slide. It wasn’t anything fancy, just an inclined plane with a ladder. Three feet tall at most. Experimentally, he climbed the ladder, feeling rather silly and exposed once he got up to the top. “This is a closed set,” he reminded himself. It didn’t matter that he was half naked and wearing what was functionally a diaper without the little tapes. This was just acting. This was just pretend. Taking a deep breath, Timmy sat down on the slide, grabbed the railing at the top, and PUSHED. The trip was short and fast, his bare feet hitting the ground only a second or so later. But he liked it. He liked it! It was a rush. Timmy got up and ran around to the ladder so he could climb the three feet again. The second time, he slid down with his arms up in the air. The third time he picked his legs up and skidded into the grass bottom first. He’d lost count by the time he started going down face first like Superman. At some point he’d lost his hat, but he didn’t care. Superman didn’t wear a hat, so why should he? It had become a weird kind of game within a game. How many different ways, Timmy wondered how many different positions and poses he could strike going down the slide. Barrel roll. Backwards. Sideways. Standing up? Could he do it standing up? Stay on his feet the entire way down? Timmy never got to find out. Just as Timmy was climbing to the top of the slide and figuring out how he could do it, he heard that strange music in his earpiece. Again, it was a cut and paste of different xylophone music, mixed with some kazoo for good measure. There were no words, but the lyrics in Timmy’s mind seemed to go, “Mommy WOW! I’m-a-big-kid Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, Tomorrow! You’re only a Day-O! Day-O! Daylight come and me wanna go Home, home on the range!” He felt his pull-up warming before he felt his bladder releasing. Lifting his shirt back up to his belly-button, he stared. “MARIE!” he screamed. “AUNTIE MARIE!” The back door flung open, and in a blur, Auntie Marie dashed out. “Timmy! What’s wrong honey! Are you stuck on the slide, little boy?” From his perch on the slide Timmy felt every bit the cat stuck up in a tree. He looked down at Auntie Marie, her kind, reassuring face looking up at him. Already her arms were reaching out to help him down. Something was different about her. Her black dress no longer had the animal alphabet motif on it. Instead, the black cloth was dotted with pictures of safety pins, storks, and rattles. Baby stuff. What hadn’t changed was her pretty face, or her glowing green brooch. “Let’s get you down from there, Timmy.” “Okay…” he sniffed. With Auntie Marie grabbing him by the waist, Timmy was amazed as she lifted him off the top of the slide and placed him on her hip. His amazement was short-lived. He felt a certain warm squishiness between his legs as Auntie Marie pressed him to her hips. Without warning, the witchy woman pulled open one of the leg holes on his pull-up and stuck two of her fingers inside. Timmy could only freeze in embarrassment as he, big boy that he was, had his pants checked like a baby. The fact that he’d wet his pants had only made it worse. ********************************************************************************************************* “Ooooh,” Auntie Marie said. “That’s why you were crying. You wet your diaper.” That only made baby Timmy cry all the harder. “It’s not a diaper,” he said. “I’m wearing a pull-up.” Auntie Marie bounced him on her hip and rubbed his back. “It is a pull-up. But you used it like a diaper, sweetie. You haven’t been in pull-ups very long. I don’t think you’re ready to be a big boy just yet. I think it’s time we put you back in diapers. Won’t that be nice?” Timmy didn’t think that was nice. He’d spent so long pretending he was a big boy, that he’d gotten fussy when Auntie Marie had told him the game was over. But being a grown-up who knew what was best, Auntie Marie just carried the fussy boy back into her living room and laid him down on a changing pad on her couch. Reaching into her magic apron pocket, she pulled out a pacifier and put in Timmy’s mouth. Like a good baby, which is what Timmy was deep down, Timmy started sucking on the binky. He stopped fussing a little bit. Pinning him down with one hand, Auntie Marie reached again into her magic apron pocket and got the diaper bag that Timmy’s parents had left for him when he got. Timmy was still feeling very silly, saying things like “Mo,” and “Iya ik oy”, and squirming all over the changing pad. That didn’t stop Auntie Marie, though. She’d changed lots of little babies and Timmy was no exception. In no time at all, Auntie Marie ripped open the sides of the old yucky wet pull-up, wiped Timmy down with more baby wipes, slid a fresh poofy diaper underneath him and put it on. “There we go,” she said, as she taped up Timmy’s brand new diaper. “I bet that feels soooo much better.” It did. “Mmm..hmmm?” Timmy agreed. He still felt very silly and blushed. It was hard to pretend to be a big boy when everyone could see his diaper. Auntie Marie picked Timmy up and put him in his playpen that had replaced the potty in the middle of the living room. “Now you play here with your toys. Auntie Marie has to tidy up around the house” ************************************************************************************************************ Fever dream. That was the most logical explanation. Fever dream. Any minute now, Timmy would wake up, and he’d be sick as a dog, but he’d be in his house, and not at his Auntie Marie’s. He didn’t even have an Auntie Marie, did he? He was in a diaper for Chrissakes! Now all the cartoon bees on his waist had diapers on too. No wetness indicator this time. As far as the diaper was concerned, as far as Auntie Marie was concerned, wetness was a ‘when’ not an ‘if’. He’d thought the pull-ups were thick. The pull-ups had felt like he’d put on several pairs of big boy undies at once. This diaper was like there was a pillow taped around his hiney! And now he was in a playpen, surrounded by plastic blocks and sucking on a pacifier! Improv be darned, this needed to stop. This wasn’t worth all the noodles in the world! Leaning forward, Timmy gripped the rail of the playpen and pulled himself up. He was able to stand for about as long as it took for a single trip down the slide in the backyard. Within two seconds he’d plopped back down, his diaper more than cushioning his fall. His tummy started making funny sounds. “Affi Mree!” he called. Looking down past his nose, Timmy only now realized that he’d forgotten to spit out his paci. “AUNTIE MARIE!” he repeated his call. ************************************************************************************************************ Auntie Marie came rushing to the playpen to see what was the matter. “Yes, Timmy?” she said. “What’s wrong? Do you want a blankie for a nap?” “No!” Timmy pouted with his arms crossed over his chest. “I want out of this playpen!” Auntie Marie giggled at the silly baby. “But a playpen is a perfectly good place for a baby like you,” Timmy wasn’t done pretending yet. He grabbed the bars of his playpen and leaned on them so that he could pretend he was walking. “Let me out!” he shouted. “I’m not a baby! I’m not! I’m not!” Auntie Marie giggled at the silly baby. Now it was Auntie Marie’s turn to say silly things. “Yes,” she said. “You’re a big boy. That’s why I’m babysitting you.” “You’re not…” “That’s why you’re wearing a diaper.” “But you…?” “That’s why you were sucking on your paci.” “That’s not…” “And that’s why you’re holding yourself up in a playpen. Those all sound like really big boy things.” “None of those are big boy things!” Timmy yelled, not realizing how silly he sounded. Auntie Marie gave her nephew a kiss on the forehead. “But you’re doing all of them.” she said. “You’re doing something else too.” Timmy looked back over his shoulder. He heard the funniest noises coming from his diaper. He was already in the middle of doing something that big boys didn’t ever...ever do. That’s when he stopped pretending. *********************************************************************************************** “Baby shark-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo, Baby shark doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo, Where are you? We’ve got some work to do now. Scooby Dooby Doo Where is baby, where is baby, here he is, here he is!” The music! It had started again. When had it started again? Why hadn’t he taken the earpiece out?! It was too late, now, Timmy realized. He could feel himself slipping. Not just his physical footing, but his mental footing as well. He fell back down, the inside of his diaper warmer and mushier but no less comfortable. He didn’t want it to end like this, he didn’t want it to end. But like a drug overdose, there was a sense of euphoria enveloping him. He could love or hate it, but he couldn’t fight the good feelings that were happening to him. Above him, standing at the edge of his playpen, Auntie Marie smiled and cooed. Timmy wasn’t sure what she was saying now. Either she wasn’t speaking English, or Timmy couldn’t understand much English anymore. She was waving her hands all funny, too. That made him smile. Auntie Marie smiled back at Timmy. Her green necklace thing was still glowing all pretty. So pretty. So pretty. He laid back, sucked his thumb, grabbed his toesies, and let the last of his big boy thoughts out into his diaper. It felt nice. “Good baby.” Timmy understood those words. That was good. Those were some of the few words he’d need to understand from now on. ************************************************************************************************************* “Good baby,” Auntie Marie told Timmy. Timmy had finally stopped pretending. “I knew you were a little baby who was just pretending. Your Mommy and Daddy think so, too.” “Mama,” Timmy said. “Dada.” Timmy was happy. It was good to stop pretending and just be himself. DING-DONG! Auntie Marie walked over to the front door. “You’re right on time!” “Auntie Marie!” Mommy and Daddy greeted. All the grown-ups hugged. Auntie Marie let Timmy’s Mommy and Daddy inside. “Mama! Dada!” Timmy called. Mommy and Daddy were so happy to see that Timmy had finally stopped pretending to be a grown up and was back where he belonged. “We’re so happy that you stopped pretending to be a big boy.” Mommy said. “Now there are so many other games you can play.” “And we’ll be right there to play them with you and take care of you,” Daddy said. He lifted Timmy out of the playpen. “Forever and ever.” *********************************************************************************************************** “Aaaaaand cut,” Cynthia said over the earpieces. “We have more than enough footage for our purposes.” “Thank you, Cynthia,” Auntie Marie said. “We’ll take it from here.” The adults all took their earpieces out that had been informing them of Timmy’s progress. The man-baby’s mother helped take out his ‘special’ one that had helped speed up the process. “Thank you so much,” Timmy’s mom said. “We couldn’t have done this without you.” Timmy’s father added, “We had no idea that our boy was so deeply unhappy and unfit to be an adult. If you hadn’t found us and showed us that informational video, we might never have realized the truth about him.” He bounced Timmy up on his hip a little bit. Timmy only giggled and cooed at the grown-ups talking, and how nice he felt all over. The witchy woman gave the man-baby a gentle pat on his head and a cute little pinch on the cheek. “It was no trouble, at all,” she said. “Easy, really. It’s almost like he wanted it. I think deep down inside he knew the truth.” “Of course he did,” Timmy’s mom replied. “You showed us that, remember?” A wry smile came across Auntie Marie. “Of course…” Her brooch flashed once more, not that anyone consciously noticed it or understood its significance. Timmy’s mother’s nose wrinkled. “Speaking of memory,” she said, “I remember what that smell means.” She sidled up next to her husband and child and pulled back the latter’s diaper so she could take a look inside. “Yup. Thought so.” “She who smelt it deals with it,” Dad joked. “Oh you!” Mom scoffed. She took her big baby anyway. “Keep joking like that and I’ll put you back in diapers, too.” “That can be arranged…” The parents laughed at Auntie Marie’s joke. Timmy laughed too, if for no other reason than because his Mama and Dada were laughing. Auntie Marie just kept that same quiet smile. Mom patted the back of Timmy’s diaper and looked to the couch. “Can we use your changing pad there?” “It’s your changing pad, now.” Auntie Marie said. “But I’ll do you one better.” She led the family to a back room. In it was a nursery, perfectly sized for a baby Timmy’s size, including a changing table. Timmy had never had a changing table the first time around. Why spend money on a piece of furniture he’d outgrow? From now on, it would be a critical investment. Timmy cooed and babbled as he was laid on this one, a strap pulled snugly across his chest so he didn’t squirm too much. The boy’s eyes lit up as Auntie Marie maneuvered the mobile over his head and he reached for the hanging animals spinning slowly just out of reach. Timmy barely noticed as Mommy undid the tapes of his old diaper. He didn’t think about modesty or physics as Mommy lifted his legs in the air and started cleaning him up right in front of Daddy and Auntie Marie. He didn’t think much at all. He didn’t have to. Thinking was worrying, and Timmy was worry free. The wipes were cold, but not nearly as cold as that whatchamacallit had been...the weird chair with a hole in it. The diaper that didn’t fit in his pants. It wasn’t nearly as cold as that. This was refreshing and kind of wet. Timmy liked feeling wet. “Whoops!” Daddy through a cloth over Tommy’s pee-pee and Mommy laughed as it got wet as if by magic. “Gonna have to get used to that, hon.” Daddy said. Not that Timmy could understand. Mommy took the cloth off and finished wiping all of Timmy down. The dry diaper was nice and soft. The powder was cold, but it was a dry kind of cold and it smelled good besides. As Mommy was pulling up the diaper and taping it on, Timmy felt as if a part of him was finally coming into focus. First the left side, then the right. He was complete. The old diaper was forgotten about the moment it was in the can. Dry and clean was nice, too. For a little while, anyways. “What do you think of the nursery?” Auntie Marie asked when the first of many changes to come was complete. “It’s very nice,” Timmy’s father said as a compliment. That same wry smile had yet to fade from the witchy woman. “Good,” she said. “Because you’ll find his nursery will be very similar?” “Really?” Timmy’s mother asked. “That’s wonderful!” She undid the safety strap and picked her son up off the table and back into her arms. He nuzzled her head, grinning. “Of course,” Auntie Marie said. “What did you think the thirty thousand dollars was going towards? Diapers?” “Well...actually.” “They are going to the diapers, too, don’t worry.” she said. “You’re covered for a year. But your entire house has been retrofitted and baby-proofed. After a year, the expenses will level off and the diapers and food will be just another manageable expense.” She gave Timmy a friendly pinch on the cheek. “Perhaps cheaper overall since you won’t have to worry about Timmy growing out of any of his clothes.” “So like the first time he was a baby?” Daddy asked. Daddy’s eyes flashed in time with Auntie Marie’s broach. “This is the first time,” she told him. “Timmy’s always been a baby, it’s just that none of you realized it till now.” “Thank you so much,” Mommy gushed. “Don’t thank me,” Auntie Marie said. “Thank the Bay-Bee Corporation.” *********************************************************************************************************** “And we’ll be right there to play them with you and take care of you,” Daddy said. He lifted Timmy out of the playpen. “Forever and ever.” THE END The words flashed across the screen, but the movie was still playing. No credits just yet. Mark stared at the screen, slack jawed and eyes vacant; completely entranced by the amazing production he’d just seen. “Hello, sweetie,” Auntie Marie’s sweet loving voice came out of the headphones. “Did you like the movie?” Auntie Marie was talking to him! Mark was so excited, he felt a little extra pee-pee spurt into his diaper. Mark nodded. “Uh-huh!” He’d been fussy when he’d woken up in just the little t-shirt and the big diaper with the cartoon bees on it. He’d been downright cranky when he realized that he’d been put in a special high chair in front of a T.V. screen. But then Daddy had put the headphones on over his ears and Mommy had given him a kiss on the cheek. They’d turn on the T.V., left the room, and Mark had just watched the best movie he’d seen in his entire life. AND NOW AUNTIE MARIE WAS TALKING TO HIM! HOW COOL WAS THAT?! The screen flickered green, and Timmy came back on screen. But he wasn’t dressed the same as he was in the movie. It was less of a movie and now had become a highlight reel. Some shots he was in a onesie. Others a sailor suit, or shortalls, or jammies. He was naked in the bathtub, obviously. In more than a few he was just crawling around in just his diaper. It was a lot like home movies. Between each came another flash of green. “Timmy now lives at home with his Mommy and Daddy.” Auntie Marie’s soothing voice told Mark. “His favorite things to do are playing peekaboo with his Daddy, having long babbling conversations with his favorite teddy bear and stacking blocks. His current record is three whole blocks before the tower falls over. ” It was true. The proof was right there in the movie. As she narrated, more of that pretty music played. The music that had been playing every time Timmy had an accident and realized that he wasn’t as big as he thought he was. “Just like you, sweetie, Timmy pretended to be a big boy. And he pretended so hard that he believed it for a while. So Timmy’s parents had Auntie Marie show him that he was pretending.” Mark was nodding. Nodding and wishing his hands weren’t tied up. He desperately wanted to suck his thumb. “Are you ready to be a big kid honey?” Auntie Marie asked from the T.V. Little green flickers lit up the screen. “Noooooo….?” Mark’s eyes were blank, his voice mewling. His eyes were beginning to water, though he couldn’t for the life of him say why. It’s like some part of him knew what was coming and even more strangely, didn’t want it to happen. “Are you ready to stop pretending to be a grown-up and just be the baby you’ve always been?” The words were barely above a whisper, but they came. “Yes, ma’am…” “What?” “Yes, Auntie Marie.” “Are you ready to let all of those big kid thoughts go away?” “Yes, Auntie Marie.” “Do you want to be like Timmy, and be a happy baby for the rest of your life?” “Yes, Auntie Marie.” “Then do your best to be like Timmy and get ALLLLLLL the big boy thoughts out.” “Yes, Auntie Marie.” Those would be some of the last big boy words Mark would ever say. Not that he knew. Not that he cared. It was time to be like Timmy. “Ready.” Mark leaned forward and raised his diapered bum up just enough. “Set.” Mark felt the pressure in his tummy, gurgling. It was time. Time to let go and be a baby. Just like Timmy in the movie. He cheated a little bit and started pushing. But that was okay. If he’d been able to hold it, to really hold it, he wouldn’t have needed the diaper. He wouldn’t have been a baby. And just like Timmy, Mark was going to be a baby. “Go.” Mommy and Daddy were going to be so proud of him! After they changed him. (Fin)

Hey everybody! So excited to bring this chapter to you all! This story was inspired by an RP that is just so much fun, I just had to share it! Please feel free to leave a comment or review! The Misadventures of Thunder Bunny (Chapter 1) by Panther Cub As Jessica zipped up her suit, she couldn't help but beam with excitement. She looked into her full body mirror to see a grey-furred bunny in a pink and black leather jumpsuit, complete with a pink and black domino mask. "Thunder Bunny is here to save the day!" She said with a giggle, before taking a second to compose herself. Not wanting to waste anymore time, she opened up the window to her apartment, and leapt out. She channeled her ability and fired off a sonic boom that propelled her towards her destination, Zeta City's First National Bank. With a soft thud, Jessica looked up, now standing in front of Zeta City's First National Bank. So far, she had arrived before any law enforcement, but she knew that they wouldn't be too far behind, what with the Hero Association having deployed her first to deal with the supervillain inside. Jessica had read the file on the individual known as Mother Goose. The villain was pretty new, with very scarce info on her. Just that she was a female white-feathered avian. So Jessica approached the front doors with caution. She entered, looking around with her guard up. She saw the hostages, what appeared to be all of them. They were all unconscious... and she noticed a few of the sleeping bankgoers sucking their thumbs. Jessica moved in further, smelling the faint scent of baby powder. Before she could do anything about them, she heard a voice behind her. "Well now, aren’t you the cutest little thing I’ve seen." Whipping around, Jessica saw Mother Goose, dressed in her iconic light green Victorian style dress, complete with a green felt hat and large white ribbon, and parasol, and a black domino mask. Standing next to the large goose was a rather short tan-furred mouse woman. She was dressed as a maid with a pair of glasses over her own domino mask. The mouse was checking her clipboard. "We have some time in the schedule to allow for some witty banter with the superheroine, around two minutes." The mouse then returned to grabbing the duffel bags, resuming stuffing stacks of cash into it. "Thank you very much," Mother Goose nodded to her apparent side-kick. She turned to face the rabbit. "Before we begin our 'witty banter', I believe we should introduce ourselves. I am Mother Goose, and this is my faithful associate, Nanny. And who may you be, young lady?" "I'm Thunder Bunny. Now, are you gunna give yourselves up, or are we gunna have to do this the hard way?" Jessica smirked as she cracked her knuckles. Mother Goose tut-tutted and wagged a feathery finger in Thunder Bunny's direction, before glancing to the mouse maid. "Think we can schedule giving her a lesson on proper etiquette?" "Absolutely, ma'am, but we'll have to make short work of her." "You can stop speaking like I'm not even here," Jessica said, placing a paw on her hip, "For someone speaking about proper etiquette and all that noise, that's pretty damn rude of the both of you." "Please don't interrupt, dear. The grown ups are talking." Furrowing her brow, always having hated it when people treated her like a child, especially prevalent due to her younger-looking appearance, Jessica huffed and said "The hard way it is then," before raising her left paw and firing off a sonic boom at the two. Getting knocked to the ground as it hit the wall, Mother Goose looked at her assistant and nodded, reaching into her outfit and pulling out a gas mask and tossing a canister to Nanny. With a nod, Nanny pressed a button on the side of the canister and lobbed it at Thunder Bunny, donning her own gas mask. Jessica was about to blast it back, when it went off in a massive white puff of smoke. Jessica started to sneeze and cough, squinting her watering eyes in the direction of the two. The goose stood back up, walking over to the bunny as the powder cloud did its work on her. "Well, this wasn't how I imagined tonight would end, but on the bright side..." She leaned in as Jessica began to get weak in the knees, her head starting to spin. "... I nabbed me a little cutie like you." Jessica mentally cursed herself for letting herself be caught off guard, feeling oddly weak in her limbs. She then had a sudden thought, and clapped her paws together, creating another boom, this one clearing the cloud around her. Shakily, she tried to stand up straighter, but her legs buckled and she sank to her knees. "That's the last of the money," Nanny said, carrying three duffle bags over her shoulder, stopping down and grabbing another two, not showing the least bit of strain. Mother Goose smiled while she removed the mask, as she saw the hero was struggling to stand. She knelt down to her level, looking the hero in her eyes as she put her wings on her shoulders. "Aww, is someone getting sleepy? Don't worry, we'll take good care of you from now on, Thunder Bun." Out of reflex, she tried to shake off the wing-hands and tried to fire another sonic boom, but was quickly blacking out, still coughing. Mother Goose chuckled and rummaged through the big pink purse she was carrying, pulling out a white rectangle, which she quickly unfolded. Thunder Bunny's eyes went wide as she saw that it was a diaper. "Just relax, sweetie. You don't have to worry, you're in good hands," She said as she began to unzip the superhero's suit, getting the bunny ready. Jessica tried, desperately, to remain conscious, especially when she felt her suit being removed, exposing her sports bra and white panties. She squeaked after her legs came free from the leather, and then felt her panties being pulled off. She certainly did NOT like where this was going. Mother Goose rubbed the bunny's back as she soothed her, gently making her lie down. "There, there, sweetie. Just let me handle this from now on," She said, putting the suit and underwear in a pile next to her, in front of the Nanny, who pulled out a blue vial that she quickly uncorked. She poured the liquid on the pile of clothes, blue smoke coming off it immediately. Soon, it had all melted as a hole started to burn through the floor. Jessica whined and tried to kick her legs free from the goose's grasp, but was far too weak. Just as she blacked out, she felt something being shoved into her mouth that she tried to spit out, but found she wasn't able to. Mother goose smiled, popping a pacifier in the rabbit's mouth as she finished taping the diaper around her waist. There were little cartoon money bags and dollar signs on the diaper. "There you go, honey. Now you're properly dressed," she said, rubbing the padded hero's tummy. She looked up to the mouse. "So, think we can make a schedule for her?" "Of course, Ma'am." Jessica heard the words as though they were coming from far away, as everything went dark. Please don't let the news get video of me in a diaper... she thought, before the darkness swallowed her. * * * Jessica slowly started to come to. There was something in her mouth, but she wasn't sure what. She opened her eyes and blinked, letting the darkened room she was in slowly come into focus. She looked around herself, seeing what looked like bars. She wondered if she was in some kind of a cage, but wondered what kind of cage doesn't have a top. And there was something dangling above her, slowly rotating. Jessica faintly recognized the object above as a mobile, with plush carrots, slowly rotating. Jessica sat up, it taking all of her effort to do so, still feeling out of it, and felt something squishy between her legs. Before thinking to investigate underneath the soft pink blanket that covered her lower half, she looked around the room. She saw what looked like a set of drawers with a large padded table on top. She spotted some kind of a night light in the corner, where there was a surprisingly large rocking horse. The walls were all a soft pink. This looks like some kind of giant nursery... Jessica thought to herself, unaware that she was absentmindedly sucking on the pacifier still in her mouth. She threw off the blanket to reveal that she was wearing a pink t-shirt with some writing on it, a pair of childish pink booties, some pink mittens that appeared to be locked on her paws, and of course, a large and soaked diaper. Not a medical adult diaper. No, her eyes started to go wide at the sight of the baby diaper with baby-block letters spelling out "Little Stinker" across the waistband. Before Jessica could properly react to anything that was going on, be it where she was, what she was wearing or even the fact she had apparently wet herself, her train of thought was cut off by the distinctive sound of a door opening. Jessica, wobbly, stood up in the crib, holding onto the top of the rail, and looked towards the sound of the door. She was still sucking her binky, completely unaware. The door creaked open all the way, and two figures, a familiar goose and a mouse, stepped in. "Aww, hello there, sleepy head. Did you have a nice nap?" The goose asked in a condescending voice. "Modew Goof!" Jessica lisped due to her binky, pointing an accusatory finger at the goose. Hearing herself, she crossed her eyes, saw what she was sucking on, and spit it out. "You are under arrest!" Unable to help giving off a chuckle, Mother Goose simply put her wing on her hip, a smile on her beak. "Oh? Miss puddle pants is taking me to jail?" She asked, pointing her free hand between Jessica’s legs. "Now, it's not playtime yet, sweetheart. We need to get you changed." Jessica looked down, and let out a squeak, seeing the yellowed front of the droopy diaper. She pulled up the blankie to try and hide it. Nanny entered, smirking, and with a dry tone asked "Would you like a diaper change, Thunder Bunny?" "That's it!" Jessica said, taking a fighting stance and summoning her power. "Ah, ah, ah," Mother Goose said, wagging a finger. "Aren't you forgetting something, Thunder Bunny?" At that, she glanced to her assistant, who grinned. Before Jessie's eyes, she reached into that bag hanging from her hip, and pulled out something, letting it hang from her index finger. After a few moments, Thunder Bunny realized what she was looking at. "M-my mask," Jessica said, falling back on her padded bottom with a light squish, stunned, and feeling her face flush. The goose nodded, and approached the crib, stopping at the gate and looking down at the padded hero. "That's right, Thunder Bunny. It's your mask. And you know what that means, right?" She said, giving a smile. "W-what?" Jessica asked, sounding small, unaware of the Nanny approaching from behind and quietly lowering the bars. Mother Goose just kept smiling. "Yes, sweetie pie..." She paused, just long enough for the Nanny to reach into the crib, grab Jessica under her arms and pick her up. "We need to get you a clean diaper right away!" Mother Goose finished with a cheerful smile, as Nanny turned her in her arms. Jessica let out another surprised squeak, amazed at how easily the Nanny could lift her up, like she was an actual toddler, and then immediately tried to resist and squirm out of her grip. The mouse simply shook her head. "Don't squirm." She turned to a large changing table in the corner. "All you'll do is make yourself more uncomfortable." Giving a small grin, she added. "And we don't wanna let Thunder Bunny get a diaper rash." "I don't need this diaper, you sicko! Now let me down before YOU make this arrest worse for YOURSELF!!!" "Oh my," Mother Goose interjected, following close behind the pair. "Seems like she's getting fussy." Smiling, she held up another pacifier similar to the one Jessie spat out earlier. "Don't worry, I have exactly what you need!" And before the bunny could say anything, the goose shoved the rubber into her mouth. Jessica's grunts were quickly silenced as some strange instinct kicked in. She instantly began suckling. Her struggles tapered off, and her body went limp, a sense of calm spreading through her body. "Awww." Mother Goose cooed, as Nanny placed the rabbit on the changing table. "There we go, don't you feel better sweetie?" Jessica knew that what was happening was wrong, but couldn't bring herself to fight against it. "I'm a big giwl." Giggling, the motherly villain booped Jessie's little pink nose. "Of course you are, honey." She reached down, and gently gripped her ankles. "But for now, just suck on your paci, Thunder Bunny." She lifted up her legs, and the Nanny reached up and gripped the tape on the front of the plastic. "You'll be clean before you know it." Jessica weakly tried to struggle as her diaper was opened and removed. She jumped a little at the feeling of the baby wipes, but could do nothing. She teared up a little as she smelled the baby powder, and felt herself being lowered on the fresh diaper. Mother Goose hummed as the new fresh diaper was brought up, the big baby bunny's fluffy white tail being brought through a tiny tail hole in the back, and finally taping the soft plastic in place, securing it to the hero's waist. "There we go, honey." She brought a feathered hand up, cupping it against Jessie's cheek, looking into her eyes. "Now was that so bad?" Jessica wanted to jerk her head away, but could only obediently shake her head no, confirming that it was not so bad, instead of what she really wanted to convey. Nanny gave a smile, and reached up to rub Jessie's tummy. "See, Thunder Bunny? A diaper change was exactly what you needed." "I down need diapews," Jessica insisted, sucking on her binky still. "No?" The nanny asked, standing next to Mother Goose while holding up the now balled up used diaper. Mother Goose was reaching down for the big baby. "Then why were you so soggy when we came in, hmm?" "You dwugged me!" Jessica said, struggling as she was scooped into the wings of Mother Goose, who carried her out of the nursery, beginning to bounce the distressed bunny. Walking down the hall with her charge firmly in her arms, Mother Goose looked down. "Sweetie, you needed to take your medicine, so that you could get all better." "Wiar!" Jessica said before spitting her binky back out, unaware that the Nanny deftly caught it, tucking it into her apron pocket. Mother Goose simply shrugged, opening the door into another room. "We can talk about that later. But for now." She brought Jessie up, looking her in the eyes. "Are you hungry, sweetie?" Jessica's stomach rumbled, just as she started to struggle. "This is humiliating! And you will let me go right now!" Ignoring her protests, Mother Goose sat the bunny down in a chair, which the Nanny swiftly brought a little table in, attaching it to the chair and locking Jessie's arms to her sides. "I heard your tummy rumbling, cutie pie. Let's get you some num-nums!" Jessica tried to summon her powers, but her humiliation kept throwing her off and preventing her from concentrating. She didn't notice the pink bib gently tied around her neck. Nanny smiled as the bib settled nicely against her shirt, and went to the cabinets as Mother Goose pulled up a chair in front of Jessie, sitting down so she was eye level with the bunny. "Now, be honest with me, honey," she said in a serious tone, before just as quickly shifting back to that friendly one. "What's your favorite food? Any flavor you like?" "I'll never talk!" Mother Goose tilted her head, glancing over at Nanny, who was returning the look, her hands over two green jars as she waited. She returned her gaze to the fussy rabbit. "Sweetie, it's a simple question. What do you like to eat?" Jessica bit her lip, loathe to tell her enemy anything. Weighing her options, she rolled her eyes and relented on this insignificant detail at least. "Strawberries." Nanny nodded, putting the green jars back and instead grabbing a soft red jar, closing the cabinet. Mother Goose smiled, and softly pat Thunder Bunny on the head. "There we go, was that so hard?" "Yes..." Jessica said, petulantly. The goose just giggled in response, as Nanny prepared the food, pouring it into a bowl. "Let's just get you a full tummy, okay sweetie?" "Let's just have you two surrender peacefully, and I will go easy on you!" Mother Goose once again ignored her comment, as a small bowl was placed on the high chair table. Mother Goose gave her assistant a smile as she took a spoon from the mouse. "Thank you, miss Nanny." The evil assistant simply nodded and curtsied as the motherly villain returned her attention to the hero, who was looking at her food. "No way am I eating that," Jessica said defiantly. "But it's strawberries, honey." She put the spoon into the mush, scooping it up and holding it up. "Nanny got this just for you." Jessica clamped her mouth shut, blushing at this infantile treatment. The spoonful of strawberry mush slowly began to approach her mouth, as Mother Goose said. "Open up, sweetie. The choo choo train needs to get through the tunnel!" Jessica turned her head away, determined not to give in... yet, when the spoon, smearing some of the mush on her cheek, touched her lip, her mouth opened up and accepted it. Her body quickly swallowed, much to her surprise. It was strawberry and tasty, but felt gross. Yet, she couldn't stop herself. "That's a good girl," the avian praised, as Nanny started making something behind her. The goose scooped up another spoonful of the mush, and playfully made more train noises as she once more approached the hungry bunny's mouth. Once again Jessica tried to resist, smearing some more on her face... and still accepted and swallowed the baby food. She was blushing as she started to accept spoonful after spoonful. This interaction continued for some time, Nanny watching with a bemused expression as she poured a warm substance into a bottle, and attaching a rubber nipple to the glass. Finally, after what seemed like forever to the bunny, the last scoop was made, and for what was hopefully the last time, it approached her mouth. Feeling oddly full, Jessica didn't try to resist, and obediently accepted the spoonful of mush, her body still automatically swallowing it. Mother Goose was practically beaming as Jessie swallowed the last of her baby food. "There's my sweet baby girl!" Setting the spoon and bowl on the actual table, she undid the latches, put the highchair table down and picked her up. "But you did get awfully messy... oh well, we can fix that soon. For now, I think you wanna wash down your yummy food with a nice drink, right?" she asked, taking the bottle from Nanny, who gave the bunny a smile and a wink. Feeling lethargic, Jessica turned her head away as the rubber nipple of the bottle approached. Once again, when it touched her lips, her mouth opened and accepted it. Her body latched down and started nursing it, while also relaxing, despite her trying to fight it. Both of her hands grabbed the bottle, but simply to hold it securely, not throw it away. Mother Goose beamed, cradling the bunny as she suckled on the bottle, gently grabbing the back of her head and rocking her back and forth. "That's it, sweetie..." she said in the gentlest voice possible. "Drink your baba. You love your baba." Jessica gulped down the liquid inside. It was creamy and sweet and, as much as she hated to admit it, it tasted pretty good. Soon, she suckled down the last drop, and felt herself being shifted in Mother Goose's arms. She was looking over the large goose's shoulder, noticing a folded hand towel over said shoulder. She felt a pressure in her stomach and lower stomach and groaned a little. Then came the gentle back pats. After a few pats, Jessica unleashed a massive burp, spitting up a few drops of the milk. Despite the humiliation of being burped like a baby, she was at least glad that the pressure was gone, completely unaware that she had simultaneously burped and filled her diaper. Both of the villains gave a knowing smile. Mother Goose gave the bunny a gentle back rub, from between her shoulders all the way down to just above her tail. "There we go, honey-bunny. Don't you feel better now that you had your num-nums?" "When I get free, I'm gunna take you both down," Jessica said, trying to sound as dignified as possible. "They're so cute when they commit so dearly to their pretend superhero games," Nanny said with a wink. "You may have dressed me like a baby, and be treating me like one, but I am still Thunder Bunny, and I will bring you both to just--OMPH!" Jessica started with her heroic speech, only to be silenced by the rubber nipple of a binky. Just like with the bottle, her body was working against her will, and sucking on it as well as physically relaxing. The Nanny made a faux expression of realization. "Oh, that's right! You're Thunder Bunny!" Her face eased into a more smug look as she pointed at their captor's rear. "That would explain why you've made such a big boom boom, after all!" "Huh?" Jessica said around her binky, only now becoming aware of the smell. She teared up in frustration, before noticing that she was being carried somewhere. She saw the bathtub... and started to piece together what was about to happen. She couldn't fight back or voice her displeasure, however, due to the relaxing binky in her mouth that she greedily sucked on. "There, there, sweetie pie..." Mother Goose's comforting voice returned, continuing to rub her back as the maid went to start the tub. "Mama will get you out of that stinky diapee, then we'll get you nice and squeaky clean," She said, approaching a countertop in the surprisingly large bathroom. "Mmmmrrrr, nomama," Jessica managed to mumble out around her binky as she was laid down on the countertop, the mushiness in her diaper making her whine. Soon, her shirt was removed, leaving her in just her full diaper. "Hush now, baby, let Mommy and Nanny get you all squeaky clean." Mother Goose then hummed as she undressed Jessie, who only managed to weakly struggle, while Nanny began filling the tub with soapy water. Jessica couldn't believe it, here she was, having her messy diaper opened and her bottom wiped, about to be given a bath like a baby. It went quicker than she was expecting, but it was still humiliating. Being set in the water, scrubbed all over with shampoo for little kits, praised for being such a good girl. "Yow can't dow dis! Imma awwest yow!" she said around her binky as she was thoroughly scrubbed. Both of the villains giggled as they continued to scrub away at her. "For what? Making you act your age? For doing what a mommy should do?" Asked the goose. Jessica then found herself being rinsed off as the tub was drained. "I'm notta baby!" "Hush sweetie, just let Mommy and Nanny work." Jessica tried to speak, but instead squeaked as she was wrapped up in big fluffy towels, being rubbed down all over. She was then scooped into Mother Goose's arms, cradled in the towel. "I think another nap is in order," she said, looking to Nanny who simply nodded. "I think you're right, Ma'am. Maybe some more time listening to her special lullabies will do Thunder Butt some good," Nanny giggled, reaching over to pat Jessie on her toweled bottom, making her growl. Jessica's fur floofed out and was as soft as a little kit's, probably from the shampoo. She was then laid down on the changing table in the bathroom, despite her struggling. The nanny held down her arms, while Mother Goose took out a diaper looking identical to the messy one Thunder Bunny was taken out of earlier. Unfolding it, she lifted up her legs as she said, "Now, let's get you padded up again before you have another accident." "I'm gunna make yow pay fow dis!" Jessie insisted, trying to struggle. The bird looked her in the eye as she slid the padding under her rear, and lowered her legs down on it. "Sweetie. There’s plenty of time for you to play hero in a bit. Let mommy dress you up." "I'm nowt pwawin'!" Jessica tried to struggle and managed to spit out the pacifier.The nanny deftly caught the pacifier, but oddly enough, refrained from giving it back to her. Mother Goose simply gave a sly grin as she pulled the diaper up between Jessica's legs. "Sure you aren't, honey." Jessica struggled some more, sneezing from the scent of the baby powder. She then found herself being lifted up, her arms and legs pinned, in a cradled position in the Nanny's arms, as she was carried back into the nursery. Giving the bunny a smile, the mouse lightly tickled her tummy as she said, "Let's get you dressed, and then you can go right back to dreamland." "You monsters better enjoy this minor victory while it lasts, because too soon, you'll be sitting behind bars!" They both ignored her words, as the Nanny gave her back to Mother Goose. The bird sat down on a chair, placing the hero on her lap, wings on her hips keeping her in place, as Nanny held up the shirt she was wearing before her bath. "Okay, Thunder Bunny. Arms up, please." "I can dress myself!" Jessica insisted, before suddenly giggling and lifting her arms in response to having her sides tickled. Holding out the shirt, she lowered it over the giggling bunny's head, her ears poking out of the small top hole before her head finally fit through. Keeping her still, the mouse guided her arms through their respective holes, before the tickling finally stopped. Now taking out the bonnet, the maid asked as she began to tie it around Jessica's head. "There we go. That wasn't so hard, was it?" "Knock it off!" Jessica said as Mother Goose ceased the tickling, immediately trying to take the bonnet off. The mouse reached forward, picking her back up off the motherly bird's lap as she asked. "Do we need to give you mittens, hmm?" Jessica growled and continued to struggle. Giving her a look, the mouse said. "Right, missy. You asked for these." Passing her back to Mother Goose again, the mouse reached into her bag, and pulled out two bright pink, fuzzy mitten-like gloves, each with a little strap at the wrists. Just as Jessica realized what was about to happen, the goose gently, but firmly, grabbed her wrists, and held them out for the Nanny. Jessica whined and tried to break free, but the goose was too strong, and soon, the mittens were slipped over her paws, and locked into place. "There. Now, Ma'am, I say that we put the fussy little princess down for another nap, at least until she calms down." Mother Goose nodded, looking a little sad. "You're right." Mother Goose, cradling the fussing Jessie, hugged her close as she stood and walked over to the crib. She planted a gentle kiss on Jessica's forehead, which like her binky, had an immediate calming effect. Jessie, now limp, was laid down and tucked in, the mobile above starting to slowly spin. "See you in an hour, princess," Mother Goose said, looking down over the rails with Nanny. The mouse reached in and popped Jessie's binky back into her mouth. Jessie didn't resist, instead just suckling. Jessica sniffled and wiped her teary eyes, hating the idea of being put down in her crib for a nap, she listened intently to them exiting the room and shutting the door behind them. Once she got herself back under control, she checked to make sure that she was truly alone. Now that she wasn't thrown off her guard, she could focus. Internally, she felt her powers, and smirked, still sucking her binky. She let her power build in between her padded paws. Pointing up at the ceiling, she let loose a massive sonic boom ball that ripped her mittens to shreds, and smashed the entire ceiling and roof outwards, revealing the afternoon sky. Without waiting, and hearing an alarm bell start blaring, Jessica focused, and leapt, each leap a sonic boom, until she was outside, in the air, and booming away. Mother Goose entered the now roofless nursery of the old abandoned warehouse and smiled while looking up. "Phase one complete. And now on to phase two." She chuckled as she exited out of the nursery, pressing a button by the door. A side of the pink wall opened revealing a giant digital clock, counting down. Mother Goose calmly walked out of the building and climbed into a black limo that had been idling out on the street. Once the door was shut, the limo started driving off, just before the building exploded in a fiery ball. Inside the limo, Mother Goose removed her domino mask and smiled into her hand mirror, beginning to apply some blue eyeshadow. "I just cannot wait to have my cute little bundle of booming fluff come home with me. She's going to have so much fun in her real nursery," she said with a chuckle that slowly morphed into a classic villainous laugh. WOOO! And that was chapter 1! I really hope that you folks enjoyed it, and tune in next time to see what next shall befall our courageous and adorable heroine!

Author's note: This story is based on real events that happened to me recently after my wife/Mommy decided to take up hypnosis. She has hypnotized me a few times. I may write more later if something else noteworthy happens, but since that would be based on events that haven't happened yet I don't know if there will be any more. I guess she’s going to hypnotize me again. That’s fun, I love it when she hypnotizes me even if I never go under. Hypnosis isn’t real, I know that, it never works. But she’s right, it WOULD be nice to relax. Honestly, I know I’m just grateful that she’s trying at all. She’ll get better the more she tries, that’s what’s important. She’ll never get better if she doesn’t try! She’ll still probably never hypnotize me because either hypnosis isn’t real or I can’t be hypnotized. But I enjoy the game and spending time with her. She says when she boops my nose I’m going to drop. I’m not going to drop because I can’t be hypnotized. I’ll drop my body because that’s what she told me to do and I want to make her happy. I’ll relax my mind because that’s what I want to do and what will make me happy. But I’m doing it all on my own. I’m not hypnotized. Now she’s doing the whole thing over again. A tickle on the face, a kiss on the forehead, a boop on the nose. I relax even more because she told me that’s what would happen. Even though I’m not hypnotized I should do what she tells me to do. I want her to be happy. She won’t know that I am imagining it but she doesn’t have to. She tells me my arms are going to feel heavy. Probably not really but I’ll imagine them feeling heavier just to go along with it. I’m really good at convincing myself I feel them getting heavier. At least there’s that, I’m good at pretending to be hypnotized. Even if I can’t be hypnotized. I don’t want to move my arms at all. I’m imagining them being heavy because I was told to. I know they’re not heavy but I made them feel heavy because she said so and it would make her happy. But how would she know if my arms are heavy? It doesn’t matter. Make her happy and do what she says. Even if I’m not hypnotized. Because I can’t be hypnotized. She’s telling me that my thoughts are going to go into a box. That would work if I was hypnotized but alas I can’t be hypnotized. I can’t get them out of the box, she says. I’m sure I could. I’m not gonna try because I don’t want them anyway. They can stay in the box. That will make her happy. That will make me happy. Wait, isn’t that what hyp YOU’RE TOO LITTLE TO SWEAR I guess I zoned out for a minute. I might have gotten bored. I need to pay better attention so I can act like her suggestions are working. I wish they did work, but I can’t be hypnotized. Oh maybe it’s my ADD, maybe that’s why I can’t be hypnotized. Oh it sounds like she’s about to bring me up. And she’s pulling me, wow, it feels like my arms are getting lighter. Huh, I can think clearly again. Not that I couldn’t before, because I wasn’t hypnotized because I can’t be hypnotized. My favorite swear word? I don’t really have one… even if I did I don’t think it would be right to say it out loud. I shouldn’t swear… Hmmm, why is she so happy that I wouldn’t answer her question? Why does she think that’s cute? I don’t know. I guess we’re going to do something different now. Ok, so all I have to do is tell her what hand is touching mine? Sounds easy enough, just reverse it… left, right, right, left… I guess it’s changing now. What hand she’s touching AND which hand of hers? Still not that bad. AND the number of fingers? Okay, that might be tricky but I’m really fast. I can keep up. Leftright 2, leftleft3, rightleft4… oh, getting faster… rightleft4rightright2rightleftleftrightrigh YOU ARE TOO SMALL TO USE THE POTTY WITHOUT PERMISSION WHEN I’M AWAKE I must have zoned out again. Maybe I should talk to her about the zoning out. She could do something to keep me focused, maybe. Oh I guess we’re going to take a break now. She’s offering me a sandwich, that’s so nice of her. She’ll be back in a minute, I’ll just sit here. Maybe I should go to the bathroom… Yes let’s just stand up and… I don’t really want to go to the bathroom though. But I need to! But no, I should… I have to… but no, I need to… Oh no, I’m not gonna be able to… I can’t wait… I can’t… Wait, she’s back! I can ask! “Mommy can I…oh no…” Too late. Why is she looking at me like that? She doesn’t look mad… but I just peed on the floor? Why wouldn’t she be mad? She actually looks… kind of happy…

Disclaimer: The story contains mentions of abuse if you are uncomfortable with that I suggest you don't read. ooOoo Chapter 1: The orphanage was overcrowded and chaotic. It was a small building, more a house, in a decent neighborhood. Marina and Christian hadn’t known what to expect when they pulled into the driveway. In front of the white two-story house was a sign that said, Brighter Horizons Orphanage. There was a large wrap-around porch and the garden in the front yard was only half alive and grass overgrown. It was known that the orphanages were terribly underfunded. The government tended to give all their money to the large hospitals leaving nothing for anyone else. It was a part of Christian Tischner’s goal to make sure everyone could afford the same opportunities. No littles should have to suffer. No workers should be stressed or overworked. But that was often the case with the underpaid staff. When the couple got the phone call a week ago, they were taken aback. It was from Marsha Mercer, a woman they hadn’t heard from in many years. She was their designated social worker. When you adopt your first little, it’s the law that you have surprise home checks every three months for up to a year to ensure that the little is being well taken care of. However, because it had been so long since they had a little, Marsha decided to check in, just to make sure everything was going ok. Their first thought was of Willa, worried something had happened, and she was going to be taken away. That’s what those phone calls usually led to. Their fears, however, were quickly squashed as Marsha explained the situation. A little by the name of Olive May was in need of fostering. She had been the third girl at Little Beginnings Hospital in the Newborn Ward with Lulu and Willa. The story was devastating. A friend of Astrid Reichner wanted to adopt her early. The girl was a master at manipulation and had everyone convinced that she had fully regressed. She was released into the woman’s custody but her new mommy quickly learned that she was not the perfect angel she portrayed. For three years she was abused physically and mentally. Her mommy could not afford to send her back to the hospital so she tried to force her into little space. It did not work and she’s now stuck between a 6-month-old to three years old, headspace, often fluctuating between them. Olive May was aware enough to know that she shouldn’t be in diapers and a onesie and that he was actually an adult. That proved a huge problem because little’s like those, if escaped, could reveal all of their secrets. Her social worker never noticed the signs of abuse. She was overworked, taking on hundreds of cases that most of the time she’d forget to check in. When she was rescued, she spent a month at SunnySide Hospital but the doctors determined that too much damage had been done and it would be virtually impossible to regress her to a set age. There was nothing more they could do for her. She was sent to Bright Horizons Orphanage but nobody wanted to adopt or foster her. She tended to lean towards violence when upset and nobody wanted a little that wasn’t fully regressed. The orphanage was weeks away from sending her to, Henderson’s Psychiatric Hospital for Littles where she’d most likely spend the rest of her life. When Marsha heard of the situation she immediately intervened. She knew that wasn’t what she needed and if they could just find a loving family to take her in, perhaps she could heal. Marsha wanted the Tischners to be that family. They were well off, loved by everyone, and Christian was a miracle worker when it came to littles. But the couple was wary at first. They wanted to help her but it sounded as if she was too late to be saved. They also had to think about Willa. She was their full-time responsibility and while they were pretty certain that she would never fall out of her headspace, they didn’t want to take the chance. Marsha remained optimistic though and wholeheartedly believed she could still be helped. The Tischners didn’t say no right away and slept on the decision for a few days before ultimately deciding they’d take her on. No little should have to suffer. They made a promise to each other that they wouldn’t let the girl’s care get in the way of their little Willa. They’d make sure Willa knew that she was still loved. They just would have a new family member now. She’d have a big sister. They sat in an office right off the front door. The sound of crying sounded from one end of the house and laughter from another. Just from their brief moment in the main room when they first entered, they were shocked. Littles ranging from all ages were crowded in several rooms. There were about forty littles in total that they had seen. The diapers were cheap and the clothes were obviously from second-hand stores. The toys they played with were falling apart. There was the strongest smell of dirty diapers and Marina couldn’t help but cover her nose. The house had definitely seen better days. It looked moments away from falling apart. They had known that orphanages were bad but they hadn’t expected this. Nobody wanted to end up in one. Littles who were abused, abandoned, or caregivers that had died were brought to places like this. The hospitals were only for the injured and for those who needed to be regressed which left everyone else in the dust. Most people didn’t like adopting from the orphanages because there was always something wrong with the littles. Most preferred the hospitals because they were all shiny, new, and well behaved. The stigma and bias against orphanage littles and hospital littles was a sad reality. Five minutes later a stern-looking woman entered the office. She had hard brown eyes, blonde hair cut into a bob cut, and pale skin. She was dressed for a day at the office instead of in a house full of littles. She wore a white blouse (which had somehow managed to stay clean) and blue jeans. “Thank you for your patience,” she said with the slightest English accent. The woman reached over to shake their hands as she sat down behind the desk. “My name is Anne Marie Whitmore. I’m the owner of Brighter Horizons. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” “The pleasure is ours,” Christian replied. Mrs. Whitmore curtly nodded her head, sliding over a vanilla folder with papers inside. She was not one for small talk. They jumped right into business. “I’m not going to lie. I was surprised to hear that you were interested in fostering. I’m aware of your accomplishments and how charitable you’ve been in the past but fostering a little-- especially this little is a huge responsibility.” It sounded as if she were doubting their capabilities. Of course, they knew that they had their skeptics. Some were determined to paint them in a negative light for every single thing they did, such as donating to charities and exposing Little Beginnings Hospital. Some believed that they had done it just to increase their fame, claiming they had, Caregiver Savior Complex: caregiver’s feeling the need to help sick and injured littles when it benefited them in some way. Of course, that wasn’t true but it still hurt that people thought that. “I’m aware that Ms. Mercer has alerted you to Olive May’s issues but inside the folder is a more formal and detailed report.” They opened it up and to say it wasn’t slightly overwhelming would be a lie. Christian was trained in caring for abused littles and had worked with them before but this was obviously going to be a whole new experience. The first page read: Babygirl, Olive May Sex: F DOB: 9/27/2003 Previous Name: Jessica Flannery Demographics Contact Information: Address: 42 Hickory Street, Brighter Horizons Orphanage, Henderson, WA, Email: Brighterhorizons@littlespace.net Phone: 92-334-1995 Little Space: Six months old to three years old Biological Age: 21 years old Regression Status: Incomplete Height: 5ft 1in Weight: 95lbs Nationality: Irish Dual Citizenship: United States Race: White Ethnic Group: Irish Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Blue Health Issues Chronic Constipation, PTSD, Anxiety, Anger issues, Malnourishment, Dehydration, Vitamin Deficiencies, Anemia, Muscle Atrophy, Selective Muteness, Claustrophobia: fear of small spaces, Nyctophobia: fear of the dark “As you can see her file is over twenty pages long,” said Mrs. Whitmore. “That’s the reason she’s listed as a high priority little. We will not let just anyone foster her.” The pages went on and on, going into more detail about her treatments, medicines, behaviors, etc. It would take a whole week to just read through every single detail. “What did the woman do to her?” Marina gulped with tears in her eyes. She’d heard these stories time and time again when working with patients but this hit different. It was a caregiver who hurt their little. Never in a million years would she ever lay a hand on Willa. The Tischners didn’t believe in corporal punishment. Not that they ever needed to punish her but if they did, they’d simply take away her plushie. That made her upset enough. “The details of her rescue and past living conditions are all in the folder.” she sighed, sadness hinted in her voice. “The trauma she’s been through has left her unable to communicate effectively. She’s constantly angry and fights against the regression. If she feels herself start to slip then she’ll begin hitting and scratching herself. We clipped her nails all the way down and placed her hands in mitts. The only effective punishments are time outs when she’s in an old enough headspace and when she is a younger, we take away her plushie--” “She has a favorite plushie?” he interrupted, surprised. If a little was having difficult regressing, usually the first things doctors did was give them a plushie. It always seemed to do the trick, no one knew why though. “Yes,” she nodded her head. “It’s a stuffed elephant and it’s attached to her hip at all times. She doesn’t let anyone else touch the thing.” That was a good sign. Usually if a little became attached to a plushie, they’d quickly fall into their little space but something was obviously blocking that from happening. She continued to tell them about her, the situation sounding more dire as she went on. Marina was starting to wonder if they were the right people for this job. But she knew they had to do it. “It’s not too late to back out, if you’re having second thoughts,” Mrs. Whitmore stared right at her as if sensing her thoughts. They shared a glance, grasping each other’s hand and said, “we’d like to continue with the fostering process. You’re not going to scare us off.” Her lips pursed and her brown eyes assessed them for a moment before saying, “very well. I believe it’s time to meet Miss Olive May.” ooOoo Author Notes: Hey everyone! This is part 2 of Willa’s story. As you can see a new character was introduced, some may remember a brief mention of her from part 1. You’ll see more of Willa in the other chapters and it will be heavily focused on the both of them. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1 Aikawa is a tall black fur bull with a red shirt and jeans. He was working like normal at his job. He's worked at for years. When he got called into his boss. Aikawa takes a seat and sits across from his boss who sighs. “Hey, look ill get straight to the point. we have had a major decrease in sales lately and we are now losing money.” Aikawa looked confused “Am I not doing a good enough job?” He shakes his head. “No no! You are doing a wonderful job! But that's the problem you have done such a good job you are being paid quite a bit. And we can't afford it, unfortunately. So we are going to have to let you go” His eyes get big “Wait, you can't do that. I need this job! Come on please I will lose my house...I just bought a car and I won't be able to pay anything.” He nods “I understand but we have thought about this long and hard. I'm sorry Aikawa but you’re fired.” He started to get angry, jumping out of his seat and knocking it over. “You know what?! Like I care! Screw you and screw this place I worked hard at this place for years and this is how you treat me! No, I'm not fired! Because I quit!” Aikawa leaves the room and slams the door and tears up heading to his office to clear out his thing he quickly grabs what he wants and storms out trying not to cry. For a big strong bull, he was pretty emotional. He put his stuff in his car and got in the driver's seat and put his head on the steering wheel crying some. "What am I going to do...? I'm lucky my bills are paid this month along with my car but what about next month...if I don't find a new job quick ill be moving back in with mom..no ill live on the streets before I get that desperate." He laid there a while before Finally starting his car “I just need to get home and clear my head” He begins to drive home with the radio playing some music he loves to take his mind off things even though all he wanted to do was cry. He was able to stop himself from crying. What good is crying going to do, If anything it will only make a situation worse? He thought to himself. He Finally makes it to his home, pulling his car into his drive then shutting off the car then getting out. He locked the doors and accidentally locked his keys in his car. His eyes get big. "DAMN IT!" He groans and looks into the car "Today's just not my day..." He wanted to go back and cry but he didn't want to be seen either so he holds it in fighting it. "I'll just go inside and play some games with friends on my computer. That helps me take my mind off stuff ill call a lock pick later." He heads to his door then remembers he also locked his door key in the car. He kicks his door so hard from anger he accidentally kicks a small hole in the bottom. Now he was just angry, luckily for Aik, he keeps a spare key hidden under a rock in his yard. He goes out and grabs it, he heads to his door and unlocks it. He gets inside, shuts his door and throws his shoes off, and sits at his computer desk. "keep calm... Just relax Aik...if not you will have to pay for more shit you can’t afford." He breathed in and out deeply hoping to calm down. But it got a bit too much for him and he silently started to cry when one of his friends called him on discord. He quickly rubs his eyes and takes a few more deep breaths to calm himself. Before grabbing his headset and joining the call. "Hello?" He said. "it's about time you answer. I thought you were ignoring me or something." His friend said joking around with a laugh. "Nah just had to take a long piss. But you know I had work today why would you even call? I might have still been at work." He lied and laughed. It was kinda a forced laugh, His friend kept laughing as well. "Good point, I forgot oh well don't matter I just got excited and had to show you, dude. I sent you a link to this cool new website! You answer a few questions then boom you're sent money directly to a special bank! It's so easy, I have only done a few once in a while you get some strange questions but you should check it out!" Aik sat there thinking that sounds like a wonderful way to make money. And he wouldn't have to leave his house. But it was odd how convenient it was. "hmm ya, I'll check it out. Thanks, dude. Now-" He was interrupted "wait hang on a second" His friend muted himself for a while. But it gave Aik time to think and check out this website. ‘Www.surveybab.com’ he clicks the link and it goes to a nice-looking website easy to navigate too. He wondered what was up with the name though. "Survey bab? Must mean something like... Uhh, big amazing bounties?" He laughed at other things it could be that did cheer him up quite a bit. His friend was still muted, So he decided to sign up for this; he just had to make a username and password and fill out a bunch of other information. He makes his username Aikawa. Surprisingly it's not taken. Awsome he thought. He also noticed a small stuffed animal on the side of the screen but thought nothing of it. Next was a password but he had a program on his computer that would make random passwords and save it so all he had to do was remember one master password to his other passwords. He gets a random password and hits next. Next was a bunch of questions to start reading them out loud. Still seeing the bear on this page. "How old are you" Aik Types in 22 "Do you live alone or with someone?” He types in alone "Do you have any other source of income?” He goes to write yes but stops. He then puts in use to. He keeps going through a lot of others then gets to the last few. "If you start a survey you must be willing to finish it, doing so could result in being kicked off. Whoa, but I guess I could understand that. I wouldn't want to do that." He agrees to it then reaches the last question. And it says one thing. "Do you like toys? The heck? Uhh... Sure?" He puts yes and hits finish. Finally, he gets to a screen with a bunch of recommended surveys to start with. He looked kinda confused as to what to start with. He also had a money counter at the top that had 1.00$ on it. “It must give you a dollar for signing up and I bet my friend got something because I clicked his link.” Again he noticed that bear on the screen it was like it was watching him. But then he remembered and checked the discord and his friend messaged him. "Sorry man, I gotta go my lady's mad because I won't get off the computer. Catch you later man, peace." Aik sighs he was kinda relieved he didn't want to talk he kinda just wanted to spend time alone but he wasn't going to ignore his friend. But this did give him time to answer surveys. It was 5 pm and he didn't have to work so he could do surveys till he passed out. So he does, he starts his journey down survey rabbit holes. Some would be like 50 to 100 questions. It was very boring but it was kinda engaging like the questions were specifically made for him. Once in a great while, he would get some strange questions. "Do you or anyone you know buy toys for themselves or yourself?" He checked no and continued answering them. Another strange question appeared in the next survey. "If you had the chance, would you buy some toys and play with them? We have seen an increase in adults enjoying toys." He wasn't sure but he marked yes, I mean he's an adult but hey playing with some toys could be fun he guesses. He was having fun answering questions at this point and he'd already made 50$. It wasn't much but hey it was easy money but it was 1 am and Aikawa had to head to bed. But it was like something was telling him he needed to buy something. He got to the store on the same site and found most things cheaper than normal shops. This was nice then he noticed a bear, the same one that's been looking at him on every page of the question. He was almost enthralled; he couldn't stop thinking about it. But he didn't find it that odd. He sighed and shrugs "Why the hell not. It's... Kinda cute. Maybe I can give it to my friend's kid. Or just sit it on a shelf." He clicks on it and pays for it. It was pretty cheap at 5$ with next-day delivery. "Wow, even next day shipping? That's amazing, this site is incredible. Can't wait to come back and do more stuff it was kinda compelling. It's almost like a full-time job on its own." He chuckled some but he needed sleep. He undresses down to his boxers and lays down in bed. Unaware of what might happen in the coming days. He falls asleep and dreams of doing surveys in his sleep. Chapter 2 Aik gets woken up by his doorbell ringing. He groans and gets out of bed throwing on some PJ pants and answering the door. "Hello...?" He said kinda zoned out before he saw the postman. "Sign here." Aik signs and is given a box then the postman walks off hopping back in his car and driving off. Aik shuts his door looking confused and grabs a knife to cut open the box. Inside was a teddy Bear that he ordered last night. There was a strange machine that he pulled out the Teddy Bear. He then sets it beside him. Seeing the bear so much in the Surveys secretly made him secretly excited to really have it. But his curiosity was on the machine that he pulled out of the bear checking it out. It's got a cord to plug it in, then another cord that looks like a USB. He was even more confused at this point. But he notices a paper on the bottom of the box. He grabs it, sits the strange machine on the table then reads the instructions. "Hello, thank you for doing so much work on surveybab.com as thanks we sent you a very thank you gift. a special machine called Care-o-Matic. that will help you make money more quickly. All you must do is hook it up to your pc through the USB cable. It does have a chance to order items it thinks you will enjoy but they will be very cheap. It will learn as you answer questions. Also, software updates and new parts can be added to it, they will be coming to you free of charge. Once we think you need them anyways. The current version is 0.1, it's the most basic version and can't do too much more than specified. You can buy new attachments from the store or wait for the free features to come. So get back to work and make Some money! Love the Survey bab team." Aik looks at the Care-o-Matic and grabs it along with the Teddy Bear and takes them to his computer. It's only 9 am, he could get in a few surveys before lunch. He plugs in the Care-o-Matic and puts the bear beside his computer, it made him feel safe watching him. He gave it a smile then logs in to his computer and starts to answer questions. Some of the questions start to get more and more strange and off-topic. "You said you would buy a toy and you did. Do you mind telling us how you like him and what his name is?" Aik looks confused "Why would it ask that...uhh whatever." he grabs the bear and feels him "Well, he's very soft... And his names... Chocolate!" He laughs and gives it a small hug and puts it back on the desk. These questions made him feel younger almost but were very relaxing. He fills the questions in but the strange questions get more frequent than last night. As another comes up. "When was the last age you remember having an accident" Aik looks at it "Accident? Like wetting myself...? Why would it ask that... That's kinda personal but maybe just to learn what age kids stop having accidents?" Aik shrugs it off and types in 9. He also noticed all these surveys ask about his age and gender. It got pretty repetitive but whatever it was easy. Before too long Aik felt like he was floating outside his own body watching himself do surveys. Maybe he was bored, or maybe he was just so in the groove he didn't even have to pay attention? But he couldn't oddly, he couldn't stop at all. minutes changed to hours, it was already 5 pm. He hasn't eaten or used the restroom all day but he finished a survey and something brought him back to reality something was dripping down his leg he looked down and noticed he wet himself. Aik blushes and stands up shaking his leg. "T-the hell?! Crap I must have spaced out so long I forgot I had to pee! Damn it glad no one was here to see that." Aik quickly takes off his clothes throwing them in the basket. He grabs a towel to soak up the urine on the ground before he hopped in the shower. He related and just sat back thinking about what happened. “So odd I don't even remember having a feeling to pee…” He sighs, getting out and drying off. He changes into some new clothes. He goes to where he wet and picks up the towel. "So glad I live alone, anyways... What time is it? 5 pm?! I did surveys for 8 hours straight?! No wonder... I'm starving too. Note to self eat breakfast before starting surveys heh." Aik goes and makes some food to eat quickly then goes back to his desk. sitting down at the desk all he sees on it is an item that says bought and it goes back to the Survey page. "The heck? It just spent 20$? Damn thing must be broken!" But he couldn't complain he made over 100$ doing surveys for 8 hours twice as much before the Care-o-Matic so what was 20$ it's probably going to be something he likes. He hopes anyway it's supposed to learn what I like anyways. He decides to get in a few more surveys while he's there. Some of them ask the same question again. "What age were you when you had your last accident?" Aik goes to write 9 then blushes "W-wait... I technically had an accident...but I should probably write the truth" He puts in 22 then the question starts to get even more strange. "Because you're 22 and had an accident, have you ever considered an adult diaper?" Aik looks strange and puts in no. He could control his accidents it was a one-time thing. "What a stupid question... I'm not losing control... I just lost track of time. I'm not a baby." He finishes the last few as it keeps asking him basically the same question over and over. In every survey. He started to space out again and he swears it reads. "I need diapers." He keeps reading it over and over before he realizes what he's doing. He looks and it's 1 am and he feels wet again and looks down and he's wet himself again. But he can't understand why. "What the hell?! Again...huh? Maybe the questions were right?" He cleans his mess up then takes another shower. He gets dressed and he goes to lay down but stops and walks to the desk grabbing his bear and going back to his room. "it's been a strange day hasn't it chocolate? Well except maybe you... Uhh, you want to sleep with me...? What the heck are you doing Aik...you're an adult, not a child." But He makes the bear nod and smiles “But no one has to know…” He lays down and puts the bear beside him and hugs it. He didn't have a girlfriend or anyone to sleep with and this made him happy and not feel so lonely. These surveys got harder and harder to take his mind off. He had fun doing them; he couldn't even remember to get off to eat and pee. But that wasn't that big of a deal. Right? He quickly fell asleep hugging his bear wondering what tomorrow will bring. Chapter 3 The next morning aik woke up around 8 am. It was very early compared to normal but all he could think about was doing more surveys. He sat up in his bed. His crotch was cold and wet. He pulled his covers back and he couldn't believe his eyes. He was wet, not only wet but soaked. He had pissed himself. He felt so ashamed and so confused at what was going on. He has never had an accident like this in forever. He grabs his bear and hugs it and gets up slowly, he begins to strip his bed. After he takes it all to the laundry room to wash later. He heads to the bathroom and strips and takes a shower. He thinks long about the accident today and peeking out at the teddy bear on the bathroom counter. He shakes his head and finishes his shower and gets out dries off and goes to his bedroom for clothes. He gets dressed and begins to talk to himself. "Man, if I keep this up... I might need diapers." he shakes his head and blushes "what am I saying? I don't need diapers, I'm not some kinda baby... But the Surveys seem to think so and they seem like they know me better than I do?" Aik looks at his bear sitting on the bathroom cabinet he grabs and hugs him walking past his computer. Looking at the bear-like it's almost another person. He's growing to like this bear way more than he ever would have thought. "Do you think I need them diapers chocolate?" Suddenly a voice comes from the Care-o-Matic as he walks past. But aik mistakes it as chocolate talking. "of course you do, but that's ok I love you anyway! You have a problem, unlike most adults. Remember you use to have a Bladder problem as a child they said it could come back. but think of this, you could answer questions all day without having to worry about using the bathroom!" Aik blushes as much as he hates the idea of wearing diapers. He kinda liked the idea of not having to go to the bathroom and being able to do questions all day but he wishes he had a way to have food brought to him. Then he remembered the Care-o-Matic has upgraded, maybe he can get one that cooks him food. He quickly gets on his computer keeping chocolate close looking in the survey store. He finds an upgrade for it from 0.1 to 0.5 it can do a few more things but importantly it cooks food. It basically has arms and legs and will plug itself back in when low battery. It can do a bunch more stuff but Aik decides not to read all of them and quickly buys it up. It was quite expensive at about 80$ but he didn't care. It left his account low on money but it was with it in his eyes. Now he just had to wait, he opened up a survey to prepare to work. Suddenly the doorbell rings nearly jumps out of his seat, he then remembered the Care-o-Matic ordered him something. He goes and someone is standing there with a tablet. He has him sign for it and the postman hands him a big box. He takes it inside opening it up. His eyes got big and his face turned red. It was a case of 40 adult diapers. What if someone saw this he thought. He would die of embarrassment. But even if, let's just call it care from now on. thinks he needs diapers. Well, He was starting to believe maybe care knew him better than himself. He takes the case out of the box and takes it to his room sitting them on the bed and looking at them. He could not believe he was about to try this. He opens the case and pulls out one of the huge diapers.it was just a plain boring white color. Luckily he didn't need to leave the house with these. "This is incredible... They're so big... Who would have known they make them so big..." He gulps and pulls down his pants and boxers and he undoes the diaper laying it out. He keeps looking at his window even though it's closed. If anyone caught him he would die his heart was going a million miles an hour. He sat on the diaper and pulled it up over himself. It was soft and different. It wasn't the worst thing ever; he reluctantly tapes it up and stands up. It was sort of difficult to walk like this. But he managed he thought best not to put pants on.it would be easy to see if they got wet and didn't want to risk them leaking. He heads to his desk and finds a sandwich on his desk he looks around covering himself in embarrassment. No one was there; he sat down and shrugged. He ate the sandwich and started to do surveys. After 2 surveys he was already out of it, not because he was bored he wasn't sure why. it was almost like being hypnotized and you know you're there but you can't do anything. He can't even read the questions. It was like his body was on autopilot. It's kinda fun and freaky, he just remembered enjoying every minute. When suddenly it hits 5 pm and it completely wears off. He had an odd warm feeling in his crotch but it was weird he felt the front of his diaper and blushed. "W-when did I use it? I mean, I do need them. I guess? This is why care bought them for me. I would have been too embarrassed to do it. Thanks care, I think." Suddenly it talks back. "it's ok sweetie. Little bulls need help all the time." Aik was blown away that it could talk. He just stares at the care unit. "Y-you can talk!?" But it didn't respond, he thought he was hearing things. He rubs his eyes and scratches his ears, and just looks at it. Before his stomach growls. "I'm hungry... Last day I had to make myself something though isn't that exciting chocolate?" He chuckles to himself he felt very childish in a wet diaper with his teddy bear. He hugs chocolate before he heads to the kitchen with him. His diaper was sagging from being soaked. Who knows how long he's been wet. He makes himself a quick sandwich and heads to the front room walking awkwardly from the wet diaper. Sandwich in hand. "I probably need to change first. I definitely don't enjoy this wet diaper. Hmm, I wonder if care could get care to change me when it's updated." This really piqued his interest. He could have care do all this stuff for him and all he had to do was answer questions. This will be a blast, But he still needs a change today. he goes to his room and puts his sandwich down. He then pulls out a new diaper and removes his wet one-off and throws it away. He diapers himself in a new one. He was still pretty nervous but much quicker that time. It was different but it was beginning to feel normal to him. He grabs his sandwich then heads back to his desk to eat it before working on more surveys. When he sat down though he found the screen saying thanks for your purchase. And goes to the normal screen. He looks confused but he shrugs. Probably just care she seems to know me well. "Care knows best. It will know what I want and need. But it spent quite a lot of money... 150$ shesh I'm going to have to work hard on questions if I'm ever going to use this money for food and stuff. And not diapers...and teddy bears. God, what am I four?" He sighed but he could make that back quickly. He starts working on questions getting the same feeling as before. Time Flies by and around 1 am he comes around with an awful smell. His eyes get big when he moves, once he realizes it's him. His hand moved to his crotch he was also soaked. He jumps up. "Eww! This is so gross!" he runs to the bathroom and un-tapes his diaper and cleans up a bit and throws the messy diaper in the trash "I-I can't believe this. I have no control over anything anymore, Why don't I? I swear I could control my body before this." He sighs and cleans up taking a shower luckily he didn't have to clean up more clothes thanks to the diaper. Then it hit him that he didn't take a shower after wetting himself today. Strange normally that kinda stuff grosses himself out but he wasn't thinking correctly. After the shower he dries off staying naked, then goes and grabs chocolate and goes to his room to see his sheets and stuff all washed layers out nicely. "H-hello?" No response. "That's creepy... But I won't complain...maybe a little" He grabs a new diaper, puts it on, and just lays down in his bed only diapered and hugs chocolate and smiles covering up. He's never slept in a diaper but it felt so normal to him. "Tomorrow is going to be so fun with care upgraded! Hopefully, I can get to a doctor, maybe I'm getting sick with all these accidents?" He lay for a while before falling asleep he didn't notice it but he was definitely changing these surveys were slowly hypnotizing him, making him believe this is who he is. How far will it go? Why would someone want adult-sized babies? Chapter 4 Aik grones as his doorbell rings at 6 am, he decides to ignore it; he wasn't going to leave his bed so early. whoever it was could wait till later. He quickly fell back asleep. An hour later something shakes him and he feels the covers thrown off him. Exposing his very wet diaper. Aik was still so out of it he didn't notice till he heard tape ripping off the plastic diaper. His eyes open quickly and there's a robot that looks like care and it's removing his diaper. He blushed and pulled chocolate in for a hug. He held him close unsure what to say; he just stared in disbelief as care changed his diaper cleaned him off and put a new one on him with baby powder. He was happy to be clean but the idea of anyone but himself changing his own diaper was strange. It was strange enough he had to go back to diapers. Suddenly it talks. "is the little Aikawa hungry?" It says in a calming voice. Aik nods and he swears he sees it smile and takes his hand. It pulls him out of bed in nothing but a diaper and it leads him to the kitchen. He was still holding his bear close; it was the only way to feel comfortable right now. He sits down and air escapes his diaper he blushed some. suddenly. The robot begins to cook making waffles. It smelled amazing aik couldn't wait. A bit later care puts a plate in front of him and a waffle with a bunch of syrup. Aik licked his lips and dug in eating it all up. Nearly forgetting his situation. Care suddenly grabs the plate and hands aik a tablet and Aik looked confused looking at the tablet it was signed in to his account on survey bab. "How about you get to work?" He looked at it and it had a Survey link opened up. “But…” He was quieted as she forced his finger to hit the start survey. It was like his mind went blank again. He waddles his way to the front room laying on the rug and starts to do questions but this time oddly there done with pictures, it's awesome. He didn't have to read at all. It was so relaxing he kicked his feet back and forth and just spaced out like normal. His diaper would crinkle every leg move but he didn't pay enough attention. He couldn't remember what he was answering but it was about his favorite toys and stuff. He was out of it for another 8 hours before he was able to move on his own again. He started to think it was suspicious but something was also telling him what's the point if you're having fun and his hand touches the front of his diaper and a change. He giggles Blushing. He found it funny he couldn't control it now. He was such a child he's never felt so relaxed in his life. "Care... Umm, can you help?" Care comes in with a diaper in hand and quickly gets him changed into a new one. Aik smiles. "Thanks, care." Care walks off and comes back with more food and puts it in front of him, it was a hamburger. He was starving; he quickly ate it up. But today he wanted to do more than questions. A strange part of him wanted to play with something. He had chocolate but he needed more toys. He opened the store on his tablet and just clicked a bunch of toys just buying a ton. He pays for them all and looks excited for tomorrow. He didn't care about how much money he had only about what he wanted. He holds up chocolate smiling. "See that chocolate! Me and you will have more friends soon!" He looks at the bear for a moment. "You think care needs more upgrades? She could do more for me? That's a great idea!" He gets back to the store and finds a final upgrade for care. This will completely take care of anyone to the max. He quickly ordered it agreeing to anything it asked him. To Aik this was his own decision but it was the surveys. once he spaces out it starts to hypnotize him by repeating what he is and needs to do over and over and over. It's getting bad he's starting to forget what age he is. He lays back and plays with chocolate pretending it can talk and care comes in and touches Aiks diaper and he blushes. "Y-you just changed me I don't need it again...I'm playing shesh..." It gives him a curious look "Well, you are wet again already it has been a few hours." Aik looks surprised and puts his hand on his own diaper. "A few hours?! I just started playing! Whoa, it is wet...aww." Care pats his head and picks up aik. Aik wasn't small so this surprised him so much. "Ahh! P-put me down please!" Aik hugs care close and she takes him to his room. she changes his wet diaper. And lays him back in bed and covers him up, Care kisses his head. "Time for bed." Aik looked blown away. "B-bed? It's... 7 pm?" Care nods. "Yap and also your new bedtime. Now get to sleep." Aik wasn't a bit tired he grumbled. "Stupid robot... I'm not sleepy, you need to take care of me not give me a bedtime!" Care grabs a book and sits by his bed. It was a children's book where did aik get that? he didn't own any strange. Care started to read and Aik could not stop listening. It was like it was also hypnotizing him. it was familiar but he liked it before too long he fell asleep. Care puts a pacifier in his mouth and aik oddly accepts it and sucks it hugging his bear. Care gets on his computer and ordered a bunch of stuff. Today was probably Aik's last day of being somewhat of an adult. But aik will probably accept it pretty easily after more surveys. Chapter 5 Aik could hear the doorbell ring again today but he decided to ignore it again. He could feel his diaper was soaked and he was still sucking his pacifier, he hasn't realized he even has it yet. But care was sure to get the door. The mailman brings a bunch of boxes in the house, to care some are really big and some quite small. What could all the boxes hold? Care opens each box setting them all out. One has an adult-sized crib, another adult-sized baby clothes. Another an adult high chair. The next had an adult playpen. And a whole bunch of toys and stuff enough to change Aiks entire house into an adult baby house. Hours passed and Aik didn't wake, but he was moved. He gets picked up and laid on a table he yawns and feels his cold wet diaper being removed. This woke him up quickly and he looked down to care, changing him. he smiles and relaxes. And goes to talk through his pacifier. "fanks cawe. I not realize I was wet..." He blushed hearing how he was talking and pulls out the pacifier and looks at it confused. Why was he sucking a pacifier? "How did I get this...? I mean it's odd it was relaxing." Aik looks around while he's getting changed. All his stuff was gone, his room looked like a nursery. a crib sat where his bed used to be that's when he noticed he was laying on a changing table. He felt like he should freak out but something was telling him this is normal. But he wasn't sure. Finally, care finishes his change and starts to put a cute red onesie on him and he blushes. Ok, this was definitely not normal. "I-i can wear big kids clothes care..." They look at Aik and it smiles. "Aww it's ok but these hide diapers better and help with the sag. I wouldn't want anyone to see you in them, would you? I promise I know what's best." Aik thinks for a while, was that true? This gave care enough time to quickly put it on him before he realized it. "H-hey!" Suddenly care picks him up and walks to the kitchen and Aiks eyes get huge as he sees his whole house looks like it's made for a giant baby. This was enough to make him know this was not ok "What happened to all my stuff?! What's with all the baby stuff?! Care! " Next, he's put in a big high chair and strapped in, and has the tray put on his high chair. He couldn't get out if he tried. "Let me out now! Stop, cancel! I want to go back to normal! I was ok with the diapers but this is way too far you stupid robot!" Care puts a tablet in front of him on his tray and has surveybab.com opened. He looked down and instantly calmed down. He couldn't control himself; he started to do surveys now all surveys were pictures of toys and stuff he would like. Suddenly it's pulled from his hands he feels himself whine a bit before he can think somewhat normally again. "Huh? What happened? " Aik looks around and care sits in front of him with some baby food cans. For some reason, Aik felt like this was normal. He felt like he was freaking out over something but for some reason, it was normal to him. "Open up baby" Aik didn't know what but he had a strong sensation to do as care asked. He opens his mouth and care puts a spoon full of food in his mouth. It was good, This made him smile. He kept getting spoon-fed by care till it was all gone and he was full. He lay back on his high chair as care took him out and held him taking him to the front room sitting him in a large playpen. There's a bunch of all the toys he picked out and chocolate was also in there. Aik didn't know why but he just wanted to scream with excitement he thought this was not normal but he knew it had to be. "TOYS! Yay!" Aik couldn't contain his excitement. He started playing with all his toys, later care gave him his tablet and he would play and answer questions. He couldn't remember the last time he had some much fun. He suddenly could feel he had to pee and poop but he was having too much fun to care as he just lets it all go laughing and having a blast. It was almost like he was no longer blanking out completely during surveys. Later Care comes into the room "Seems like someone had an accident" Care smiled at him and he continued to play, unable to quit even if he wanted to which he didn't. Care picks him up and he grabs some toys. "NO! I WANT TO PLAY!" He threw a tantrum then care gave him a stern look "You've been playing enough first you need a diaper change baby. Or you will get a rash in that stinky diaper" He throws the toys in his playpen and crosses his arms pouting. Then it hits Aik what he's been doing and what he just did in his diaper and he blushes like Crazy. Aik couldn't figure out why he was acting like this. Then it hits him. "THE SURVEYS! I-I GOT TO QUIT THEM! OR I'LL BE LIKE THIS FOREVER!" Care lays him down on the changing table and gets ready to change him before he rolls off the table and lands on his butt feeling everything squish around. He felt disgusted. He tried to get up but his legs just gave out on him. He keeps trying before care picks him up. "Goodness are you ok? it's ok you probably haven't learned to walk. Or forgot." This scared Aik he couldn't even think while he was changed and cleaned up and put in a new diaper. Was care in on this? She's trying to change him in more than one way he had to get away. "I-i can't walk...? Ever?" Care picks him up. "Maybe once you are all grown up sweetie. right now you're still way too young." Aik normally didn't cry easily, But he just burst into tears. "I'm an adult, not this baby I'm not! It's this survey! You can't make me do them anymore! They're messing up my Brain and making me a baby! Please! Care if you really know what's best you will help me!" Care didn't listen and took him to the playpen and plopped a pacifier in his mouth and forced his face into the tablet. He started sucking his pacifier slowly, stopping the crying not even remembering why he was crying. He went back to doing surveys and playing with his toys while sucking his paci. He doesn't even remember when but somehow he passed out face first hugging chocolate and his soggy diapered butt in the air. Care came in and picked him up and changed his soggy diaper and then put him in his crib with no change. "Analysis... Aikawa is trying to fight back. This might take a few more days than expected to fully make his mind into a baby for good. Punishment program engaged, Yelling, trying to run or anything bad will result in a bad punishment. Will make my little baby boy love his new lifestyle." Care leaves the room and goes to the front room to charge and plug herself into the computer. Chapter 6 Aik was in such a deep sleep in his crib when the familiar warm liquid started to push against him, he grones sitting up. Why couldn't he feel it anymore? He's got to escape before this gets worse. He can't live like this, it's not right. He looks around, it's still pretty early. He used the bars on his crib to help him stand then held himself up. The bars went up to his chin. He was blown away by how big it was. He shakes his head and tries to climb out. He Finally gets a leg over and tries to get down but he feels so high up. He panics a little and his grip slips. He goes to land on his legs but they did nothing but slip in front of him and he slams on his butt. Lucky he had a super wet diaper, it caught his fall. He could feel his diaper leak a bit from not being changed last night. He crawls out to his front room looking around seeing care plugged in. He smiles this was his chance to escape. He crawls to the door to open it. He gets on his knees and tries to turn the doorknob but it wouldn't open. "The hell...?" He sighs and crawls to the back door it also wouldn't open "Come on... What's going on? is this crazy robot trying to keep me from escaping... It's already ruined my bladder and my walking. If it keeps going I'll never be myself again... And that's scary...it's not like I'm suffering or hurting. I'm just scared to not be myself anymore." Suddenly he's grabbed from behind and picked up. "what are you doing out of bed young man!" It was care. Aik screams and struggles, beginning to cry, scared. "Let me go you stupid fucking robot! I don't want to do this anymore!" Care looked angry. Could robots feel angry, it takes Aik to the couch and she sits down laying him over his knee. "What are you-" Suddenly his eyes get big as his diaper is pulled down and he realizes what she might be doing. He tries to fight but the robot is too strong. suddenly he feels a hard smack on his ass. Aik fights hard not to cry as it hits over and over and over and over. Suddenly Aik Burst into tears. "I'm sorry I won't do it again! Please stop! It hurts so much! Do whatever you want! Just stop the pain!" Care stops and pulls up his diaper and Hugs him patting his back as he cries. The hitting was so hard it made him wet himself again his diaper was leaking badly. Next, a pacifier was put in Aiks mouth. He didn't fight it and sucked it. It kinda helped with the pain at least and relaxed him. She then took him to the changing table gave him a quick change before taking him back to the front room. Then care sits him in her lap and hands him the tablet with the normal website on it. "I think you need to relax with some surveys, sweetie." Aik gulps. He shakes trying not to but nothing could stop it. He started doing surveys and having fun with it too. He soon began to fall back asleep. "... Regression 75% complete. Just jumped up 15% in the past hour. Best Increase all week. Upgrade to 1.0 bought and shipped. Once upgraded I will take care of my baby forever till I can't anymore." Lay him back in his crib and let him sleep a few more hours till 9. Keeping him on a somewhat schedule. Aik gets woken up and taken for another diaper change Aik was happy to be in a new diaper. Care takes him to the kitchen he's was expecting to be fed but care grabs a strange bottle and fills it with something and then care screws the strange bottle with a small nipple on its chest. Care then brings him closer and it hits him that she wants him to drink from it like he was being breastfed he blushed. He wasn't going to fight through he didn't want to be hit again. He opens his mouth and starts drinking from it. He couldn't imagine how he looked. Probably like a little baby being breastfed. At Least it tasted good. He was also feeling full from this strange stuff. Before it was empty Aik was full but he was forced to finish it all. Aik grones from his full stomach. He's sat down in something that he didn't notice. suddenly he's being pushed forward. He laid his head against the thing and closed his eyes, relaxing. He hears the door open and he's pushed outside. This woke him up as he opened his eyes great big. Even his yard looked like a place for a big kid. He couldn't say anything, what if someone saw him. This was the most embarrassing thing to happen in his life. And not only that he can feel himself filling his diaper and peeing. He could only blush as he was pushed outside and taken down the street. This makes him realize he hasn't been outside in over 4 days. The fresh air was nice but this is crazy. He was keeping a close watch for anyone he knew. But there wasn't anyone except a few ladies pushing strollers around like Aiks. That's strange he thought, then he sees the kids inside them aren't kids there are people his age and there in diapers and playing with toys. This must be all the people who have been tricked into this website. He had to fight this and save everyone. If he gave up he will be just a baby like the rest of these people. But how was he going to do that he thought? If he did anything to fight back, care would hurt him. Care kept pushing them all the way to the park. It was full of real-looking people but they all had a "baby" or two I would say the once with two are couples. Do they even remember they love each other or do they just think like babies? This made Aik shiver. These poor people are forced to live forever like this. Who's ever planned this must be so evil. But what could care have planned for him and the others? He looks back and care looks human and his eyes get big. And it says. "1.0 upgrade complete. Mommy mode engaged." Suddenly it started to talk like a real human. It was almost scary how well it was. Care smiled at Aik. "Hello sweetie. Do you want to play with some other babies? While mommy talks to other mommy’s?" Mommy? It's joking right she doesn't expect me to call her that. I won't I won't become this baby she wants me to be I won't. But the tablet was held in front of him. He doesn't remember what happened but he knows it couldn't be good. Chapter 7 Care picks up Aik out of the stroller after his hypnosis and puts some strange mittens on Aik and some kinda strange backpack on his back. Aik crawls around and sees like 15 other boys and girls. The boys had a shirt on and no pants with a big diaper and the girls had on a dress and not that he was trying but he would peek see them sitting and they also were wearing thick diapers. Aikawa felt lucky he still had pants on. He felt like the most adult person there before all his dignity was taken away and care pulled off his pants. He would be lying if the girls didn't look kinda cute and his eyes were always looking up at them. Aik blushed and was sat down by the other diapered adults with baby minds. Aik knew this was his chance to run; he starts to crawl away when he was pulled back by something. He's on what seems like a leash. He crosses his arms and sits there in the grass. That's when he remembered he was in a dirty diaper. He looked down at His diaper, it was brown in the back and yellow in the front. Not only that but he was really itchy but he couldn't scratch himself with the mittens on. He felt kinda embarrassed but no one seemed to have a normal mind anymore they were all laughing and playing with each other. Then Aiks eyes get big he sees his friend sitting there in a diaper and shirt. He looked funny. He wanted to laugh but he was also in the same predicament. He crawled over to him. He also saw his wife also diapered. "Umm... Hi, bud..." Aik waves and his friend sees him and his eyes get big and hug him "AWK! ME NO SEE YOU SO LONG!" Aik pats his back, blushing his friend wasn't much of a hugging person but he also was talking funny. "O-oh right sorry about that... What happened to you...? Are you-" He gets cut off from his friend feeling Aiks diaper and he blushes and pulls away "Miss Aiks mommy! Aik had an accident!" Aik blushed more "Shhh! And she's not my "mommy"! That's weird! She's a stupid robot." His friend looks at him "Me fank you need more surveys? You don't sound baby enough...it ok Aik! We all have fun join us!" He smiles and aik couldn't believe it he had to be imagining it. His friend wouldn't say that. It had to be the Surveys that's messing with his brain. Suddenly care comes over and lays a cover on the ground and picks up Aik and lays him on it. He was confused about what she was doing. Then she started to remove his diaper and he blushes. "W-wait! Not in front of my friend! And everyone!" Care gave him a glare and aik gulps he didn't want to be spanked. Care removed his dirty diaper and cleans him up. Aik covers his face in embarrassment with his junk hanging out for everyone to see. Care puts a new diaper under him and diapers him up. She then gives him back the tablet he couldn't control anything after that and he remembers watching himself play like a baby with his friend. They played for hours. Aik was so worried what if he didn't get back control, what if this part of his mind disappears forever. This made Aik start to cry, and knock him back to his senses he couldn't stop crying. Care came over and picked him up and rocked him and aik found it hard to stay awake. He wanted to rest, he wanted to forget about this baby crap. He wanted to be normal. He let out a big yawn before falling asleep in her arms. He woke up what felt like shortly after in his crib he was sucking on his pacifier he didn't know why but he felt very relaxed with it in. He sat up and felt his diaper was soggy he only sighed. He hated it but it was something he can't control. He knows he's better off in diapers than wetting everywhere but being treated like a full-on baby was getting to his head. He barely had anything left to fight. He started to think maybe he was just a baby then he shakes his head and slaps his face. "Stop thinking that! You're not! I-i'm sure I'm not... I'm..." He shakes and tears up "I'm...a baby..." he starts crying. And quickly care runs in with her human-like new body and picks up Aik and cradles him. "Oh no sweetie what's wrong?" Aik just kept crying unable to express how he felt he just wanted to cry but he was happy to be comforted. Soon care smiles. "I bet my baby's hungry huh?" Care pulled up her shirt and aik just started calming down some, care had real human breast but he kinda didn't care he was pretty hungry. He put his mouth over her teet like a baby would and just started to drink it was so relaxing he just drank till he was full. Then something happened to Aik. His mind was put at rest and he no longer wanted to be an adult. He wanted to be mommy's baby. No, he was mommy's baby. He pulled away from the breast and smiled. "Me full mommy!" Care smiles and kisses Aiks head. "Such a good boy!" Aik looks at his diaper. "Mommy me messy can you change my diapy?" Care takes him to the changing table and lays him down. "Well of course sweetie! Do you want your cute diapers?" Aik looked excited. "Ya! And then I want to play! And watch cartoons!" Care laughs. "Alright you can do that then" Aik gets cleaned up and put in a fresh diaper. These new diapers had childish print on them, she had taken him to the front room and put him into his playpen. He spent most of the rest of the day playing and watching TV just having fun. Aik didn't realize it but his mind was completely changed. The old Aik was nearly gone; it was crying out for help to come back. Aik would almost just be this baby if he could control it himself. He wanted to be himself not someone else. Chapter 8 It's been a few days Aiks been nothing but a complete baby. In his mind he wants to gain control, He hasn't even taken a survey in the past few days he thought maybe after that he could gain back control. But nothing came to mind. He would play with his friend and even have diapers changed together; they had a blast together. But he didn't seem that much changed except being in this little headspace. Maybe it's not changing us to be different but changing us to accept this new thing? After that Aik could feel more in control of his body but in reality, he has full control. It's more of the fact Aik didn't want to admit how much he loves this new life being a baby, it was amazing, He could play all day and not even have to stop to pee or anything. This started to go through his mind and he accepted it more and more before in his own mind he had full control. He woke up the next day in his crib. He smiled and hugged chocolate. "So I always had control... I was just too ashamed to admit it to myself." Aik feels his diaper and giggles. "Oopsie looks like the baby's wet" Aik shushes chocolate "let's not tell mommy heheheh." Aik lays in bed for a while before care walks into the room. And aik sits up quickly. "Morning mommy!" Care smiles and picks up Aik "Someone's a happy boy today isn't he?" Cares checking Aiks diaper without him noticing. "Yap!" Aik smiles Bigger "Me just realized how much me like being you baby!" Care gives a sweet smile and hugs him "Sweet taking won't get you out of a diaper change sweetie." Aik puffs out his cheeks and crosses his arms. "How did you know?" Care laughs "Well, I checked it while you weren't looking. Boy, are you soaked! But you did drink a bunch of mommy's milk before bed didn't you?" Aik nods "Mommy's got such good milk too!" Care lays him on the changing table and changes him and gets him in a fresh diaper. And picks him up she pulls up her shirt to reveal her breasts and like a newborn Aik quickly grabs on and starts to drink. Aik could drink and nearly fall asleep and know mommy would take care of all his needs. This was definitely the most relaxing time of his life. He's taken to the front room and sat down in the playpen and lays there half asleep when he hears the door open he sits straight up. "Bud?!" But it wasn't his friend he saw a few people in suits he felt embarrassed. He hasn't felt that in a while. They walk up to Aik and smile and coo at him. "Hey, little guy! We wanted to tell you we got a lot of information from you so we are going to pay for anything you want. This offers going to most of your community for accepting our little test." Aik sat there and thought ‘anything I want?’ Information? The guy could see Aik was embarrassed he just laughed. "I see you're embarrassed and confused. Let's see I'm from surveybab.com the website designed to hypnotize you into being a baby but it only works on people who mentally would enjoy this stuff. But would never admit to it." Aik blushes and sucks his thumb for comfort. He began wetting himself in embarrassment. "Y-you did this to me? So I can have anything...?" The man nods "What if me wanted to be normal..." The man Smirks "Then you would be lying to yourself, little one. But we can arrange that no problem." This made Aik blush more and think more. "Hmm, I got an idea little one how about we let you keep care forever and we will pay for everything you need and throw in a vacation to a beach. Imagine running around the beach in your diapy and laying in the sand. No one to judge you." Aik could feel his excitement rising and it sounded amazing. "But... What if other people saw me? They would mock me..." The man thinks for a second and smiles. "Well, we will rent out the beach then! Just for you and all your uhh... Adult baby friends?" Aik hopped on his diaper butt in excitement. "DEAL DEAL DEAL DEAL! YOU HEAR THAT CHOCOLATE!" The man laughs. Then look at care. "Care! Implement care for your baby till he asks you to quit!" Care smiles "I planned on it" The man looks confused "Hmm seems your care unit thinks it's actually your mom... That must have been harder on you trying to fight it thinking you don't want it." Aik nods and hugs chocolate close. "Yap me though that! Then me realize I love this! What about my friends thought, they like it too?" Aik tilts his head. And the man just smiles. "Well, most would prefer to only be babies once in a while so we allowed it. You're probably the only one that wanted to be one full-time. But I'm curious how it will affect you so continue being you. And just have fun." Aik nods and smiles big as the man leaves. The next day he and his best friend with a lot of other Littles crawling around on the beach in diapers and mommies or care units changing them. It was the most fun and cutest week ever. But Aik enjoyed every minute of it. He couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life like this. Maybe they would let him get other friends involved in the future?

An intelligent college girl attempts self-hypnosis to try and alleviate her stress, wth a bit of small ABDL twist... Come on… come on… just say it already! The young woman chastised herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror, an act she had been doing for the last ten minutes as she desperately tried to force herself to say the “magic words” that would free her from her worry, if only for a little bit. Abigail, or Abby for short, was a straight A student, graduating with honors as valedictorian, currently attending college on a scholarship. However, you wouldn’t know it by her current attire, dressed in a baby blue onesie with a ruffled skirt around the waist that did absolutely nothing to hide the pronounced bulk of the diaper she was wearing underneath it all. Her long brown hair had been done up into pigtails and a pacifier dangled on a string from her neck, completing the look of an overgrown toddler rather than the intelligent young woman she really was. All of which had been Abby’s goal all along. For while she was very smart, she also tended to become a neurotic mess when stressed, which was becoming more and more frequent as she got older. By total accident while scrolling online, Abby had discovered the world of Adult Babies and had latched onto the idea of regressing to a simpler time, one when she didn’t have to worry about essays, or dissertations, or any of the stresses of her adult life, if even for a short time. However, while this method had done wonders to elevate her stress levels, there was still always this nagging worry in the back of her mind that had sullied the experience for her and made her longe for the true Adult Baby experience. Like she always did when she encountered a problem needing to be solved, Abby had thrown herself into research, eventually finding a potential solution to this issue: hypnosis. Despite the more fantastical fabrications of hypnosis in media, there still was a factual basis in mentally training oneself into a more desirable state fully within their control, one which Abby fully intended to use to her advantage, commissioning for herself a hypnosis tape that would finally let her live out her dreams to the fullest. The wait had been truly agonizing, but eventually the tape had arrived. Abby had made sure to commit the instructions to memory, listening to the tape every night for a week before she had finally worked up the courage to attempt a trial run. Diapering herself up, Abby had stood infront of her mirror for almost an hour before she had finally been able to mutter the trigger phrase: “It’s Baby Time… It’s Baby Time… It’s Baby Time.” That was it, three times like in the movie Beetlejuice, and everything had changed. Like magic, Abby had fallen onto her padded rear as her mind regressed back to a more infantile mindset like she had always wanted. For the next hour Abby had been in heaven as she crawled around her apartment, played with toys and even used her diaper without a care in the world. All her memories and mental capacities were still present, just taking a short backseat to the more babyish mindset and once the hour had been up Abby had immediately reverted back to her old self with full memories of her time spent as a carefree baby, happier than she could ever remember feeling and eager to do it again the following week. This was actually her third time trying this, and still her nerves betrayed her as she continued to second guess her preparations. She had made sure to install childproof locks onto all the cupboards and drawers, triple checked that anything dangerous was well out of her reach, and had even gone as far to buy and set up an adult sized playpen that took up a large chunk of her apartment, ensuring that she had a safe area to play in. Sitting in that very playpen, she glared at the mirror on her living room table as she tried to will herself to take that last step once more. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to push everything else out of her mind as she worked her mouth. “It’s Baby Time…” That’s once. “It’s… Baby Time…” That’s twice, come on, Abby! You’re almost there! “It’s… Baby… Time!” Like flicking a switch, Abby’s eyes lost some of their intelligence as the hypnosis worked its magic, drool beginning to drip down her chin as her mouth babbled away unintelligently. The regressed Abby wasted little time in getting on her hands and knees and crawling across the padded floor of her playpen, her poofy behind wiggling behind her as she inched closer and closer towards her toys scattered around her. Suddenly, Abby stopped, as she realized that something was missing, but her infantile mind was having trouble grasping just what that was. Your pacifier! Came a voice from the back of Abby’s mind. Your pacifier! Hearing this voice, Abby looked around for a moment before glancing down and spotting her pacifier dangling from around her neck, giggling and cooing as she grabbed it and popped it into her mouth, suckling away at it like it was the most normal and natural thing in the world. With her Paci now located, Abby continued her journey over to her toys, grabbing a few lettered blocks and beginning to stack them up one after the other. Occasionally, usually by accident, she would manage to form a simple word from the blocks, but she was far more focused on simply stacking them up and knocking them back down again, giggling to herself every time like it was the funniest thing in the world to her. Once the blocks finally became boring, Abby switched to the stacking rings, and then to just cuddling her stuffed Build-A-Bear as she rolled around on her back, giggling and cooing ever more as she waved the stuffed animal over her head. In the middle of all this, the urge to relieve herself briefly made itself known, but Abby barely registered the sensation before it transitioned into the new sensation of her diaper growing warm beneath her as she freely wet herself. Life for the moment was just one happy moment after another for Abby, and she was enjoying every moment of it as a week’s worth of stress and worry just melted away. About forty or so minutes into her Baby Time, however, there was a knock at the door. Abby was far too engrossed in her play to even notice it, not even when the lock turned and the door began to open. “Abby? You here?” Erica called out as she stepped into Abby’s apartment. She knew it was rude to just waltz into her best friend’s apartment like this, but Abby had trusted her with a key to her place for this very reason, so when she had been unable to reach Abby after multiple attempts she had decided to check for herself. As she closed the door behind her, her eyes were immediately drawn to the colourful playpen in the middle of the room. “Huh, what’s that doing he–“ Erica’s eyes went wide upon seeing who it was occupying the oversized playpen, running over and peering inside. “A–Abby!?” Hearing her name, Abby stopped playing for a moment as she looked up at the strange woman towering over her. A spark of recognition flashed in her eyes upon seeing the familiar woman, babbling out “Recra!” as she made to reach out for the woman. Finally, someone new to play with her. Erica was at complete loss for words as she took in the sight of her best friend since childhood dressed like an oversized infant and playing with toys in a massive playpen. “… Haha, you really got me, Abby. Good one…” Erica replied, expecting Abby to snap back to normal now that the “joke” had played itself out, but Abby did none of that, continuing to babble and coo at her friend. “I’m serious, Abby, enough is enou–“ Erica froze as she watched a strange look come over Abby’s face for a moment before the regressed girl began to grunt and push, her face turning bright red as she took on a look that Erica had seen many times from babysitting her infant nieces and nephews. “Abby, you’re not going to–“ Her answer came in a loud release of gas from Abby’s bottom before the diaper, which Erica had only just now noticed, beneath her onesie began to balloon outward as it began to fill up. If there was any doubt in Erica’s mind what she had just witnessed, it was instantly dispelled by the telltale odor of a very messy diaper that wafted up to her nose. Stepping back, Erica just stared as Abby just continued to play, not caring in the slightest that she had just messed herself right before her best friend’s shocked eyes. Worry began to fill Erica’s mind as she desperately tried to make sense of this strange and outlandish scenario she had suddenly found herself in. Had Abby finally snapped under the pressure? Should she call someone? What should she do? Breathing for a moment, Erica did her best to try and rationalize the situation. This whole set up with the playpen, onesie, and even the diaper seemed much too planned out for a sudden bout of madness, and a glance around the apartment revealed that childproof locks had been set up ahead of time, revealing a hint of premeditation and forethought involved. Stepping into the kitchen, Erica quickly noticed an empty bottle sitting on the counter, a note pinned beneath it. Picking up the note, she recognized Abby’s meticulous handwriting as she read. To whoever reads this, this must mean that you’ve found out about my little secret. Please, don’t panic, the method I used to do this is only temporary and will automatically undo itself after an hour has passed. If you must get an explanation now, all you have to do is say “It’s Grown Up Time” three times and I’ll immediately revert back to normal. I know you must have a million questions right now, and I don’t blame you, and I will explain as to the best of my abilities why I have done this, but the short version is that this to me is a form of relaxation and/or therapy to me, a way to help relieve the stresses of daily life. Please, I beg you not to judge me too hard for this, and I’m sure we can work out some kind of understanding between us eventually. Signed, Abigail. P.S. If it’s not too much trouble, could you perhaps give me a change while you’re here? Pretty please? I’ll probably need one before the time is up. “Typical Abby…” Erica chuckled to herself upon reading the note. While she did have many questions, she was relieved that Abby had found a means of relaxing and distressing that suited her, often telling the overachiever that she was for too high strung for her own good. Judging by the blissful state she had seen her in just moments before, this method seemed to be working too, and Erica felt bad about ending it prematurely right now. “She did say it would end in an hour, so I have some time…” Smiling, Erica walked back over to the playpen and peered inside again, gazing down at Abby as the diapered girl continued to play without a care in the world, even while wearing a very messy diaper. “She did ask nicely, so what kind of friend would I be if I wasn’t willing to help?” Leaning down, Erica ticked Abby’s belly, resulting in a cacophony of laughter to spill forth from the regressed Abby. “Does Abby want her diapee changed? Would she like that?” Only getting more giggles in response, Erica quickly spotted a diaper bag sitting nearby. Picking it up, she carefully stepped into the playpen and couched down over the oblivious Abby. Well versed in the ways of changing diapers, Erica carefully unsnapped the buttons on Abby’s onesie, awning at the adorable prints scattered across her diaper even in its used state. Undoing the tapes, Erica braced herself as she opened up the diaper and the smell of the fresh mess wafted into the air, quickly pulling the diaper out from under Abby and rolling it into a ball to be thrown away in a bit. Pulling out a container of wipes from the back, Erica went to work on cleaning Abby’s bottom, the could wipe prompting Abby to coo even more as it tickled her skin. One quick application of baby oil and powder later, and Erica unfolded a fresh diaper to slide under Abby’s bottom and tape her securely into to. During the whole ordeal, Erica couldn’t help but think on how surreal this whole thing was as she changed her genius friend into a clean diaper. Still, Erica had always been a mothering type, and seeing Abby in such a way was bringing out her maternal side in full force. “There, all comfy and safe in your new diapeee! Does the baby like that?” “Wike! Wike!” Abby babbled happily from behind her pacifier. “Now, you stay right here while I go get you a reward…” Picking up the used diaper, Erica stepped into the kitchen and disposed of it into the trash bin. After washing her hands, she scooped up the baby bottle still sitting on the counter and filled it up with milk from the fridge. A few seconds in the microwave, and Erica returned to Abby with a warm bottle of milk in her hand. “Bottle time!” She declared as she stepped back into the playpen and sat down. Pulling her regressed friend over to her and positioning her so she was seated comfortably in her lap, Erica popped the pacifier free from Abby’s mouth. The regressed young woman looked on the verge of tears at the loss of their beloved Paci, but it was quickly forgotten as the nib of a bottle replaced it, their suckling now earning them warm milk in return. “You know, I don’t know if you can understand me right now, Abby…” Erica began to say as she continued to bottle feed her friend, “… but I’m really enjoying this new side of you, and I wouldn’t mind getting a chance to help you experience this again. What do you say, would you like it if I became your new ‘Mommy’ for a bit?” As her belly filled with warm milk, Abby’s regressed mind seemed to register the word “Mommy”, sighing happily as she shifted closer into Erica’s lap. The new caregiver just smiled as she continued to feed her best friend, hoping that this wouldn’t be the last time she would get the chance to do so.

Disclaimer: There will be some difficult subjects such as violence, brief mention of drugs/alcohol and also some strong language used. A/N: Hello everyone! This will be the last part of Willa's series but I do plan to continue telling the other character's stories! Just to make something clear, the story is starting two years before Willa goes to Henderson and will be told from the perspective of her brother and her. However with the first chapter, it's going through the years showing the events that shaped her childhood and lead her to all the problems she had before she went to Henderson. I hope you enjoy! ooOoo Chapter 1: Ten Years Ago She wet herself. That was the first thing she noticed. She hadn’t wet herself since she was about five years old. She was ten now. Ten year olds did not pee in their beds. The doctors said she was in shock. They said that it was completely normal but watching your parents be murdered was not normal. Nothing about the situation was normal. She remembered her parents were in the living room watching a movie when they broke in. The living room was right next to the front door and they should’ve heard the door open but for some reason they didn’t. Upstairs, she was supposed to be asleep but she’d just gotten a new ipad (they wouldn’t get her a phone) and could finally text her friends and a cute boy had asked for her number so she was waiting up for him. But if he did text, she never saw. It had already begun. She first heard her father shout. Her dad was a calm person. Always mellow, not one to get easily triggered. Standing at six feet, he was a big guy and most people found him intimidating upon the first meeting but their fear always quickly disappeared. Willa remembered jumping out of bed and racing into the hall with the tablet in hand. Standing at the top of the stairs, just out of view, she peeked around the corner. Her dad’s hands were up. There were two men. They shot him first and he fell to the ground. Next was her mother, she didn’t stand a chance. The men rushed from the house out the open door. It had been less than five minutes. Less than five minutes and her parents were dead. Less than five minutes and her entire life had changed. That’s what she told the police officers when they spoke to her at the hospital. She didn’t feel sad. She didn’t really feel anything, the words just poured from her mouth. Willa squeezed her hands into fists and out. In and out. They were dry, clean. The blood had been washed away. She leaned back against the pillow, slightly shivering, The paper hospital gown was not warm at all. She sat stiff straight, her heart pounded against her chest. The sound of blood rushed through her ears. That’s when she felt the wetness between her legs. The police continued to ask her questions and she continued to pee. The officers realized what had happened. No more questions were asked. ooOoo Six Years Ago It was what every fourteen year old girl dreamed of. Their first date. She squealed… yes, squealed when Andre asked her to be his date to the eighth grade dance. Out of all the girls in the school, he asked her. Mister Popular wanted to go out with well… not so Miss Popular. She was what you’d call a wallflower. Sitting at the back of class, her hand raised yet no one saw. Pressed against the wall, someone bumped into her and her books fell to the ground. Yet no one seemed to notice. If she disappeared, no one would know. She was unmemorable. Plain. Ordinary. So why would Andrew Crawford ask her to semi? It didn’t make sense. She had a bad feeling about it but still said yes. She wanted to hope that the feeling was wrong. She had wanted to feel pretty for once. But now she hid behind the school, sucking on the tip of her thumb as mascara streamed down her face mixed in with salty tears. She slid down the wall to the ground, her chest heaved up and down. Never again, she promised herself. Never again, would she say yes to a boy. She was a fool to think Andre Crawford actually liked her. He’d stood her up, arriving with Shelby Hennings instead. Everyone was in on it. The invisible girl getting asked by the pretty boy. Now that was a comical sight. It was all a bet to see if she’d actually say yes. They called her a baby for crying and maybe she was. Why else would she be sucking on her thumb? Boys sucked. Middle school sucked. Her entire life sucked. She’d even straightened her thick curly black hair for tonight and went shopping at the cute new boutique downtown. She hadn't been dress shopping since her mother died and so she picked out what the shop owner suggested. It was a mustard yellow knee length dress. The color went best with her caramel skin and she’d gotten matching pumps. She spent her entire monthly allowance on that night. It was supposed to be magical. It signified a start of a brand new life. A better one than she was living right now. Living with her uncle was fine was fine. He left her mostly alone and she managed alright and her brother Adrian attended Washington State University and was only home on the holidays. Should she call her uncle to pick her up? No. That was too embarrassing. She’d have to walk home. The likelihood of getting kidnapped was high but it was better than facing the truth of her uncle’s words. “He’s using you.” he had said just a few hours ago but she hadn't believe him. Now, she sat on the ground, outside the school, sucking her thumb and painfully alone. Her mother would’ve known what to do. She knew everything. ooOoo Two years ago “Y-you’re kicking me out?” she stammered. It had only been two days since she graduated high school. Two fucking days. Her uncle had already cleaned all her stuff out of his apartment. They sat in trash bags by the front door. It’s not like she was surprised. He had never wanted her or her brother in the first place. He fed them when needed. Spoke to them when needed but other than that left them alone. She doesn’t even think that he noticed when her brother moved out. “You’re eighteen years old. You have a job and are going to college in a few months. I’m sure you can figure something out, Willow-” “My name is Willa!” she snapped. “And if you had paid attention or even bothered to show up to my graduation then you’d know that I didn’t apply to schools and I was fired from the restaurant.” He scoffed, rolling his brown eyes and ran his hand through his grey hair. He had a beer belly and always seemed to wear the same grease stained shirt and pants. The apartment reeked of stale beer and left over pizza. She was desperate to get out of there but not now. Not like this. “Well, tough luck. I’m fucking broke and if you stay, we’ll both have no place to live. Besides, I've dealt with your strangeness for long enough.” She went silent. Tears burned at the back of her eyes. “You didn’t think I knew about your little diaper obsession? Why the fuck would a grown adult hide diapers in their drawer, hmm?” Her lips wobbled. She’d kept them securely hidden away where no one would find them but of course he’d go through her room. He was a cruel man. If he wasn’t drinking then he was doing drugs. There was a reason her parents kept her and her brother away from him growing up. And besides, they weren’t diapers. They were pull ups. She… she still peed in her pants at night. That problem had never been fixed but had managed to keep it a secret the past eight years. Besides, It was simply just a precaution. It’s not like she wore them outside her room. “Call a friend or something or your brother. Andrew, yeah. Andrew will take you in. Just don’t come back here.” Adrian! Her mind hissed. His name was Adrian. Her older brother by five years. Her protector who hadn’t been around lately. Her everything. He’d take her in. He had to. She had no friends because she wouldn’t let herself get close to others. The semi formal still played in her mind every day as a reminder not to trust anyone. Now, she couldn’t even trust her uncle. “Fuck you!” she spat as she dragged the two black bags out the door. She made it halfway down the street and around the corner before she allowed herself to break down. It was as if she had been hit by a moving train and the pain didn’t start to sink in until later. She was freakin homeless. At eighteen years old. No matter how much she wanted to go to her brother, she couldn’t. He and his girlfriend lived together and he had just gotten some new fancy job with the state department that was top secret. He literally couldn’t tell anyone about it and they’d gifted him with a brand new apartment and car in the upscale neighborhood. She didn’t want to go and get in his way because wherever she went, trouble followed. But it wouldn’t hurt to stay at a homeless shelter for a few days, would it? She’d have a place to sleep at least for tonight and then tomorrow she’d figure else something out. ooOoo “I’m sorry but we’re at capacity.” Those words were starting to sound like a broken record. It was her third shelter she’d been turned away from. Perhaps, she could beg her uncle to take her back. At least there, she had some warmth and a roof over her head. She refused to stay on the streets. “Are you ok?” Her head shot up. A tall blonde woman was talking to her, a well dressed one at that. She didn’t belong in this neighborhood that much was obvious. Sketchy people lived here. Poor people lived here. “I don’t mean to intrude but you’ve seemed to um… wet your pants.” A gasp escaped her lips as she looked down at the rapidly growing stain around her crotch. Her heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach. She raised her leg, about to stomp her foot, but stopped herself at the last moment. Her chest heaved up and down. She bit down on her bottom lip, wide eyes filled with tears. This had never happened before in the day. It had never happened in public before. How could she not have felt it? Willa was prepared for the ridicule. The laughter. But none came. Instead, the woman handed her her sweater. “Tie this around your waist and cover up the stain. Do you have anywhere to stay?” she eyed her trash bags in pity. Timidly, the young girl shook her head side to side. “My name is Vera James. I can help you if you wish. I’ve worked with many, kids, such as yourself with similar problems-” “It was a one time thing and I don’t have a problem,” her voice hardened. The lady pursed her lips, continuing after the interruption. “Everyone has accidents.” she said matter of factly, “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before and It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I live in Henderson, you may not have heard of the town, it’s a little outside of the city. I foster at risk youth and troubled teens-” “I’m fine,” her voice rose before she could let the woman continue. Her mother had always warned her about stranger danger. Just because she was nice and seemed to care, did not mean she was not dangerous. Besides, she’d never heard of this Henderson place and if it was so great, what was she doing here? “I’m, um, I’m going to stay with my brother.” she made up an excuse. The woman didn’t believe her. “I was actually on my way there right now.” she said. “Now, if you’d excuse me.” ooOoo A/N: I hope you've all enjoyed the first chapter! There wasn't a ton of ageplay in the first chapter but trust me, it's just getting started! I've actually already started writing the second chapter and so that should be posted shortly!

My friend Brasser3 and I worked really hard to get this story finished and out after 2 years and I can say its complete. I hope everyone enjoys the ending as much as we do. Thank you so much for all the wonderful support! ENJOY! Chapter 1: The blissful silence of Katherine’s darkened bedroom was violently disturbed by her alarm clock. A set of blurry eyes emerged from underneath a cocoon of blankets to stare at it, wishing terrible things to happen to the horrible little device. A pajama sleeved arm reached out and swatted wildly, somehow managing to simultaneously hit snooze and knock the alarm clock off the cheap IKEA nightstand. She knew it would go off again, but she didn't care. She curled up deeper into her pile of blankets that were too big on her twin mattress. All that mattered was sleep. She didn't even really need to get up, being unemployed and all, but sticking to a routine and setting an alarm was the leftover decision from adult Katherine. This was sleepy Katherine, and she had a very different philosophical opinion than adult Katherine. It wasn't necessarily the correct opinion, but it was certainly louder, and usually won the arguments. In the previous weeks, she had gone from a graduate student, to a doctor, to a full-time interviewer, to an unemployed couch-dweller. Her residency had been great internship experience but hadn't mattered when it came to actually getting a full-time job. It had been one month since graduation, and adulthood had hit her a lot harder than she expected. Her student debt was nearly 400,000 dollars, an unfathomable amount that was already expecting her first payment. It turned out that people don't have a lot of sympathy for you when you have Dr. in front of your name. Everyone just assumes that doctors are loaded, but the truth is that most of them are in debt up to their eyeballs. Her savings were quickly disappearing with budgeting of her crappy car, crappy apartment, and crappy meals. She was almost asleep when her phone started vibrating. "Nnooooooo." She moaned into the covers as a hand reached for her phone. She read the caller ID and saw that it was her friend Amy. She groaned and accepted the call. Amy Bradford was incredibly perky and had an annoying habit of calling for everything instead of texting like the rest of the population. They had been friends since the first grade, so she could make an exception for her, but she didn’t have to be happy about it. "What?" Katherine groaned into her phone. "Are you still asleep?!" Amy’s shrill voice came through the phone’s speaker. Katherine winced at the sound and quickly dropped her phone’s volume to nearly silent. "I was... what do you want?" "Did you hear anything back?!" Amy asked excitedly. Katherine sighed at the question. She was so tired of people asking about her job status. "Yes Amy. I got multiple job offers and didn't call you yet because I'm trying to milk them for all the money they will give a fresh graduate with no experience." "There's no need for that tone Dr. Grouchypants." Amy scolded. "I'm just checking on you. I know you'll hear something back soon. Wasn't the OCH interview like a week ago?" Among the twenty-something interviews she had been through in the past month, the most sought after just so happened to be in her own hometown: Ohio Children’s Hospital. OCH was the most renown children’s hospital in the country, the absolute perfect place to work. Amy had been a nurse at OCH for a few years now, so she was a bit biased where she wanted her friend to work. Katherine had been to every hospital in a hundred-mile radius that was hiring and decided that if no one called her back, she would just have to find something else to do. It had been a week since the last interview, and after not even receiving so much as a rejection letter from anywhere else, Katherine was beginning to embrace unemployment. “Yup. Still nothing.” She could hear Amy sighing on the other end of the line. “I’m sure they’re just doing a background check or something.” “Yeah, that’s probably it.” Katherine’s voice didn’t sound very convincing to her. “It will happen soon, and we’ll go out to celebrate!” Katherine rolled her eyes. Partying was Amy’s favorite pastime, not hers. She didn’t mind going out, but she didn’t have nearly the tolerance for alcohol that Amy did, Amy was over six feet tall and could out-drink any man, but Katherine was just barely over four feet tall and weighed less than a hundred pounds. Amy’s natural confidence was a sharp contrast to Katherine’s short demeanor and Amy had developed a unique relationship of protecting her friend. If Katherine tried to walk into most bars, the bouncer would usually laugh at the child trying to pass herself off as an adult, not even bothering to check her real ID that proved she was actually 27. With Amy around, she had someone to stand up for her… even if Amy sometimes made fun of her height too. Amy sensed her apprehension on the phone. “Don’t worry, you can pick the bar and we’ll go wherever you want. I won’t even make fun of you for getting those fruity drinks you like. First one’s on me!” Katherine sighed audibly. At the thought of a drink, Katherine felt a pain in her abdomen. She had been in bed for over ten hours and desperately needed to use the bathroom. “Thanks Amy. I’ll-” Her phone started vibrating in her hand. She squinted as her screen lit up at full brightness and nearly blinded her. It was the local area code. Could it be the hospital?! She thought excitedly. “Amy, I’m getting another call, I’ll call you back.” She slid the green phone icon across her screen, ending the call without waiting for a reply. She bolted upright in her bed, flinging her blankets off. “Hello?” She said, trying to hide her excitement. “Is this Katherine?” A deep woman’s voice came through her phone. She realized how high pitched her first answer was and tried to lower her own voice to sound more like an adult. Just before she spoke, she looked down and realized that she was still wearing her pajamas; pink footed pajamas designed to look like a bunny, complete with a hood, floppy ears, and a little puffball tail on her bottom flap. She was speaking to a professional, probably wearing a power suit, and she was in bed dressed like a child. This realization didn’t add to her confidence. “Yes, this is Katherine…” She said weakly. “Hello Katherine. My name is Jennifer and I work in Human Resources for the Ohio Children’s Center, and I’m calling to congratulate you and let you know that you have been selected to…” Katherine could hear her heartbeat in her ears. The HR representative methodically read through the form dictating her salary, benefits, and legal agreements of the job. Katherine tried to follow, periodically saying, “uh huh” or “okay” while the representative continued to read without pausing. She was barely processing what she was hearing. “-and we will be emailing all of this to the email address that you gave for confirmation and digital signing of the agreement. Please submit the confirmation and you will begin next Monday pending your acceptance.” The rep finished. Katherine waited to see if she was finished. After a long pause, she said, “Okay, thank you very much.” “Thank you, have a nice day!” The phone beeped as the call ended. Katherine let out a squeal and started bouncing on her bed. Her arms flailed, and she couldn’t contain her movements. As she bounced, a sharp pain in her belly stung and she felt her bladder starting to release itself. She clamped her legs together shoved her hands against her crotch. She crawled out of the bed and shuffled towards the bathroom. She loved wearing her cozy footie pajamas, but the only kind she could find in her size were technically designed for children, as was the case with a lot of her clothes. The only real inconvenience with them was that her pajamas made it difficult to go to the bathroom, especially if she was in a hurry. She clenched her kegel muscles and felt a torrent threatening to burst out of her. Due to Katherine’s size, she had always had issues with having a small bladder, so occasional accidents weren’t the most uncommon thing to her. She shuffled into the bathroom, threw her phone on the counter, and released the snaps on her bottom flap. She pulled it down between her legs and sat down on the toilet, relaxing her muscles and feeling the pressure disappear as she relieved herself. She sighed with relief, but something didn’t feel right. She didn’t hear the typical sound of the water splashing, then noticed a warmth spreading between her legs. “Oh shit!” She cried out. In her haste, she had forgotten to pull her underwear down. She had been expecting her period to start any day now and had gone to sleep with a pad in her underwear. She hated how the thick pads felt, but she was so small that even the smallest sized tampon was terribly uncomfortable for her to wear. When she relieved herself, the pad had absorbed the first few seconds of the stream without her noticing, but now it had expanded to an overfull sponge that was leaking through her underwear. She tugged the back of her waistband down, bunching the overfull pad up and holding it out of the way. The pad leaked out into her hands and dripped down the legs of her pajamas. She held still as she finished peeing, wincing at the sensation. “Oh gross…”, she said as she let her heavy underwear droop. She wiped herself as best she could, then waddled over to the sink, trying to keep her dangling wet underwear from making any more contact with her skin. She stood on the stool she kept in front of the sink to wash her hands and thought about how she was going to clean up when her phone started ringing. Amy’s name appeared on the screen. She let out a sigh and answered the phone. “Hel-“ “Was it them?! Did you get the job?!” Amy interjected. Katherine smiled at her excitement. “Yes! They ju-” Katherine had to pull the phone away from her ear as her friend screamed into her phone. “I knew it! I just took my lunch break and I’m in my car. I’m right next to your street, I’ll be there in like 10 seconds!” Panic washed over Katherine. “Amy-“ The phone beeped that the call had ended. Katherine froze for a few seconds, her mind racing over the limited options she had. Katherine ripped the zipper on her onesie down and shimmied out of it as fast as she could. She let her soaked underwear slide down her legs and hit the floor with an audible thud. She left the bathroom and ran naked to her room to find for something to wear. Dirty clothes littered the floor, but anything would be better than her current state. She found a pair or wadded up sweatpants and quickly tried to put them on. She flipped the inside-out legs through and nearly put them on backwards before noticing the orientation. She was about to throw on a random shirt before remembering an important detail: even though Amy was her best friend, she hadn’t seen her without a padded bra on before. Katherine technically had to wear a training bra to properly fit her almost non-existent breasts and the padding was absolutely necessary. Amy would definitely notice if what little breasts Katherine used to have were suddenly gone. She ran to her sock drawer and pulled out one of the many wadded up training bras she kept hidden. She unsnapped a pale pink bra and threw it on in record time. She looked around the floor and eyed a wadded-up hoodie when several loud pounds came from her apartment door. Katherine jumped from the surprise and quickly donned the hoodie. She hurried to the door and turned the old and tarnished door knob. The door swung open and two long arms rushed through the doorway to grab Katherine in a bear hug. Amy squealed as she swayed back and forth, sweeping Katherine off her feet and squeezing her against her blue scrubs. “Con-grat-u-la-tions!” Amy said, enunciation each syllable with her movements. Katherine let out the remaining air in her lungs in a weak wheeze, “Thank… you….” Amy released her grip and shut the door behind her. “Okay, tell me everything! Did you get the position you wanted? Which department are you in? Are you in my wing? When do you start?” Katherine couldn’t get a word in edgewise. “I don’t know, I kind of went on autopilot during the call. They said they’d email me all the info.” She said, still catching her breath. “Oh, they probably sent it already. Let’s’ go check it!” Amy started walking towards Katherine’s room where she kept her computer. Katherine froze as a panic washed over her. She started running after her, unsure of what to say. “Um…” She said, buying for time. “My computer isn’t really working right now.” Amy paused and turned back to her. “Okay, can’t you load it on your phone? I have to know if you’re working in my wing.” Katherine stalled to think of an excuse. “Well… I don’t know where I put my phone.” Amy gave her a confused look. “I just called you like a minute ago… Why don’t you want to see the email? Are… Are you not accepting the job?” She said, sounding horrified. “No, of course I am.” Katherine said hastily. “It’s just… this is all a lot to take in. I just haven’t processed it all yet.” Amy let out a relieved sigh. “You had me worried there for a minute. Don’t freak out about it, I went through the same thing. I can help you understand the legal or professional jargon if you need any help.” Katherine sighed, relieved at the change in conversation. “That would be awesome, thank you so much.” Amy gave her a reassuring smile. “No problem. So, let’s see the forms. Where’s your phone?” Katherine’s short-lived relief was gone again. She tried to think quickly. “I, um… it’s probably in my room?” “I’ll help you look for it.” Amy turned and started walking to the bedroom. Katherine hurried to keep up with her. Amy stepped through the doorway and into the mess of clothes all over the floor. “Did a tornado come through here?” Amy looked around with a judgmental eye. “How long have you lived here?” Katherine hurried around, gathering up clothes. “Only a month, I’m just a bit behind on laundry.” She bundled up the most embarrassing items underneath her arm and chucked them on top of the pile that encompassed her hamper. “Just make sure you don’t throw your phone in the hamper by accident.” Amy said, beginning her own search. The room was nearly clean when Amy started walking out of the bedroom and said, “Hey, I’m going to use your bathroom really quick. I’ll see if your phone is in there too.” The bathroom was just outside the bedroom door, and just as Katherine understood what was happening, Amy was turning the doorknob. “No wait!” Katherine said, rushing out of the room. She stepped outside to see Amy staring down at the wet underwear and pajamas on the floor. She froze, unable to speak. There wasn’t going to be an easy way out of this. “Um, Katie… are you incontinent?” She tried to think of something to say, but Amy continued. “Why do you need pantyliners?” Katherine finally found her voice. “It’s not a liner, it’s a pad. I just… had a little accident.” “Oh…” Amy said, looking back down. “I’m not judging or anything, I just didn’t know you had a problem.” “I don’t!” Katherine said indignantly. “I had been laying in bed for a while and I just got excited when they called about the job. This doesn’t really happen, I swear!” “Okay, okay.” Amy said, gesturing surrender. “I believe you. Stuff happens. So, if this doesn’t happen that often, why don’t you wear tampons?” Katherine blushed. “I… they don’t really fit me.” “Really?” Amy said, looking confused. “I mean, whatever works for you, I guess. Do you wear them all the time?” “No!” Katherine said, feeling more and more like she was losing control of the conversation. She felt the beginnings of tears starting to form. “I was expecting my period! It was just an accident! I had just woken up, the phone call threw me off-” Amy leaned down and cut her off with an unexpected hug. “Kat, you don’t need to explain. I can see this is upsetting you. It’s okay.” Katherine instinctively returned the hug. Her face flushed warm with embarrassed at her outburst. Amy let go of her and stood back up. “I do have to say; however, the bunny pajamas are kind of adorable.” The blush spread, and Katherine’s face felt like it was on fire. Amy laughed and said, “Don’t be embarrassed little bunny.” She looked over towards the sink. “I think that’s your phone on the counter.” She reached over and handed it to Katherine. She took it quickly, grateful for the distraction. She opened her email app and sure enough, the hospital had already sent her email. She turned the screen towards Amy. A bright smile appeared on her face and she snatched the phone back. She swiped frantically, mumbling words to herself as she read. Her eyes lit up as she came across the piece of info she was looking for. “You’re in my wing!” She swept Katherine off the ground again in another bear hug, the gentleness of the previous hug nowhere to be found. Katherine felt a pang of concern at just how easily Amy was able to pick her up; she didn’t even seem to be winded. “This is going to be great! You’ll love it there. I’ll be able to show you everything, we can take lunches together, oh it will be so much better having you there.” Katherine’s arms were still pinned to her sides and she flailed her hands, signaling her feeble attempt to tap out of the hug. Amy set her back down, then got a concerned look as if she just remembered something. She glanced down at her watch. “Crap, I’ve got to grab something for lunch and get back. I’ll use the bathroom at work.” She started heading for the door, Katherine rushing to keep up with her. “I’m off tonight, and we are going out to celebrate! You pick the bar.” She pulled her keys out of her pocket as they reached the front door. “I’m so happy for you, Katie. This is going to be great. I’ll text you later!” Katherine smiled at her as Amy walked out the door. She waved her off, shut the door, and turned the deadbolt with a satisfying click. She let out a deep sigh now that her predicament was over. She felt her muscles go weak and she slid to the floor. “I need to go find some underwear.” The evening out was better than Katherine had expected. Just as promised, Amy didn’t mock her choice of bar, light alcoholic beverages, and only tried twice to get her to dance. The following day allowed a nice recovery from the hangover. The weekend flew by as Katherine prepared for her first day. She laid out her outfit, complete with her very own pink stethoscope. She woke up early, showered, and ate a complete breakfast of pop-tarts and a glass of milk. Katherine arrived early at the hospital in full garb and wandered around until she found the door number listed in her orientation email. She walked in to see a few other employees also going through their orientation, except that all of them were wearing casual clothing. Must be custodians or IT people. Katherine thought to herself. They all turned out to be doctors, none of them wearing a white coat. Katherine felt judgmental eyes looking her over like she was a child playing dress up. The time was spent signing forms, taking a photo for her ID badge, and having the highlights of the employee handbook read to her by HR. They gave the group a tour of the facility and showed them where their stations would be. The orientation only lasted until the mid-afternoon, her real first day beginning tomorrow at 9. They would each be assigned to their groups and go through introductions the next day. Katherine walked out of the room and started for her car, still feeling embarrassed by her outfit. She took off her coat and wadded it up and stuffed it in her bag. She realized that Amy was on her current shift in the wing and wondered if she would run into her. She took a detour and started walking down the halls looking for her friend. She turned a corner and ran into a tall, thin woman. Almost everyone was tall in comparison to Katherine, but this woman had to be at least six feet tall, almost as tall as Amy. She wore nurses’ scrubs and her pale blond hair was wrapped up in a tight bun. The woman looked down at her over her glasses sternly. “You’re not supposed to be in this area. Are you lost?” Her gaze unnerved Katherine and she stammered for a moment. “Um… Sorry, I was just looking for my friend.” The woman continued to stare at her. “Where are your parents? I can show you to the information desk and they can help you find them.” She started to reach for Katherine’s hand. “No,” Katherine insisted “I’m not a child, I’m a doctor. I’m looking for my friend Amy. Amy Bradford. She works here!” She felt like she was losing control of the situation. The woman eyed her skeptically. “You work here?” She said, her tone thick with skepticism. “Can I see your employee ID?” As she said this, she reached for a walkie-talkie connected to her belt. Katherine started to panic. “I… I just started. I don’t have it yet.” The woman continued to stare at her, eyeing her up and down. She raised the radio to her mouth and was about to speak when a voice called down from the hallway. “Katherine!” Amy called, pacing towards them. Instant relief washed over Katherine. She finally had someone who could vouch for her. The woman lowered the radio and turned to look at Amy. “Miss Bradford, do you know this girl?” Amy continued towards them, speaking quickly as she walked. “Sorry Miss Anderson, that’s my friend, Doctor Katherine Baker. She just went through orientation. I was a little late coming to meet her.” She finally caught up to them, a sense of urgency on her face that made Katherine even more unsettled. The woman looked back down at Katherine, looking almost annoyed. “In the future, please do not go anywhere without your hospital identification card.” She snapped the radio back in its' holster. “As for you Miss Bradford,” She said, her gaze shifting back to Amy. “unless I’m mistaken, you’re still on the clock and this is not your appointed break period.” Amy looked appropriately chastised. “I’m sorry Miss Anderson, I’ll work through my next break and mark it on my schedule.” “See that you do.” She said, turning to leave. Her head arched back over her shoulder, barely addressing Amy. “Oh, and please show your friend to the nearest exit. Even if she is a doctor, she is not yet authorized to be in this area.” She strutted off, leaving the two of them alone. Amy let out a sigh. “That’s Kelly. She’s a bit… formal.” Katherine looked at her diminishing figure as she continued to strut down the hall with such perfect posture that Katherine could couldn’t believe there wasn’t something propping her up. “What’s up her butt?” She said, condescendingly. From far down the hall, Kelly stopped abruptly, the echo from the rhythm of her heels on the polished floors fading to silence. Katherine’s heart dropped as she wondered if she could have heard her from that far away. Amy’s eyes went wide as they both stared down the hallway. Kelly didn’t turn around. She didn’t even move. She just stood frozen for a few moments, then resumed walking. Katherine looked to Amy with wide eyes, and they share an unspoken agreement that it was time to go. Amy pointed towards down a different hallway and they both took off, out of the Kelly’s line of sight. After they were sure they were far away from Kelly, Amy started talking again. “Kelly is the nurse supervisor. She coordinates most of the scheduling around here and has been here longer than most doctors. Not much of a joker that one…” They made it to the lobby and Katherine could see her car through the large glass windows. “So, do you think I’ll run in to her again?” Amy paused for a few seconds. “Well… you could say that. She works in our wing. She’s my boss… and she will oversee your scheduling too.” “Oh…” Katherine said weakly. “So… not a great first impression?” Amy gave her a reassuring smile. “It was just a random fluke. Tomorrow is your first formal day. I’m sure things will go better then.” Katherine nodded and returned the smile. “I’ve got to get back to work. See you tomorrow.” Amy turned and walked back to her station. Katherine sighed and turned to head to the parking lot. Tomorrow would be a new day, and this time she would make a better impression. Chapter 2: Katherine woke up to her alarm blaring. What would have normally enraged her was now a challenge. She slammed the OFF button and threw off her bed covers. Katherine was the absolute opposite of a morning person, but today was her first real day of work and she was determined to make a good impression. She went through her morning routine with remarkable efficiency. She brushed her teeth, showered, pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and looked over her clothes laid out over the back of a chair. She had picked out her outfit the night before; she even bothered to iron her favorite shirt. After she dressed, she stood in front of the mirror for a long time, looking herself over thoroughly. She had to look professional today, and she was willing to spare a few extra minutes to make sure that she everything looked perfect. She wore simple dark tennis shoes, professional looking white pants, her best push-up bra, and a light-colored pink blouse. Her ensemble nicely complimented her custom-made doctor’s coat, which was finally going to see action today. She applied a thin layer of foundation and some mascara, trying to go as minimal as possible with her makeup. Despite the fact her clothes were all incredibly small, she managed to look like a small adult. She turned from side to side, something about her appearance bothering her. After some long consideration, she walked back to her dresser and rummaged around until she found the bra with the least amount of padding. She returned to the mirror and held it up in front of her chest, comparing the cups of her push-up bra. She felt more confident with the padding, but what if someone was able to notice? She wanted to make a good impression and appear mature, but if Kelly had seen her yesterday and had mistaken her for a child, surely, she would notice that she grew boobs overnight. She sighed and reluctantly took off the push-up bra and replaced it with her thin-cupped training bra. Better than nothing. She thought, looking over her figure in the mirror. Once her outfit was confirmed, she went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Katherine moved her small step-stool around the floor, going from the cupboard that held her favorite flavor of pop-tarts, to the small counter that was the resting place of her faithful toaster. She made breakfast, downed a glass of milk, and grabbed her backpack. She had been a little uncertain about bringing her backpack, but Amy had reassured her that lots of doctors used them, and that they were necessary for the number of things doctors and nurses brought to the hospital. They even had their own lockers at the hospital. It felt like she never left school. Katherine arrived a few minutes before her shift. She was told where she could pick up her ID badge at and wanted to make sure there wasn’t any confusion this time. The glass doors opened for her automatically, and she walked up to the receptionist’s desk. An older woman sat behind the desk, writing on a clipboard. She didn't notice Katherine walked in, and was too preoccupied with her writing to notice her standing there, the top of her head just barely visible over the top of the desk. Katherine stood awkwardly for a few silent moments before working up the confidence to speak. Just act confident. Speak like an adult and they'll treat you like one. She finished her mental pep talk and in a small voice said, “excuse me?” The woman looked straight ahead, a look of confusion forming as she searched for the source of the voice. Katherine saw that she was being literally overlooked and gently cleared her throat. The woman looked down in surprise. “Oh” she said, recoiling. “I'm sorry dear, I didn't see you there.” She looked Katherine over with an appraising eye. “Our offices don't open up for another few minutes. Are… you with someone?” She asked vaguely. Katherine sighed. This is exactly what she had hoped to avoid. “I’m a doctor here. It’s my first day and I’m picking up my ID badge. The woman furrowed her brow, her skepticism plain on her face. She turned and started rummaging through a box on her desk “Alright then, what’s your name?” “Katherine Baker?” Any shred of confidence she had was already gone. The woman rummaged around, every second causing another wave of anxiety. What if she couldn’t find it? Amy wasn’t here to plead her case, and no one except Kelly knew who she was, and she was the last parson she wanted to see right now. “Ah, here we are. Katherine Baker.” Katherine felt herself relax. The woman held up a plastic ID card, dangling from a clip-on lanyard. She steadied the card and re-read the name. She eyed the picture, looking back and forth between Katherine skeptically. She shrugged and handed the card over the desk. “There you are Doctor Baker. From now on you can use the back entrance and parking lot. You’ll need to show it to security to get in. That card will get you through the restricted areas. Just swipe them at the door plate and they’ll turn green and open.” Katherine eyed the card, a wave of relief washing over her. She had proof now of who she was. No more confusion, no more awkward situations. She pinned the lanyard to the front pocket of her white coat and smiled at the receptionist. “Thanks for your help.” The woman smiled back and Katherine headed for the door that lead to the offices. She noticed a scan plate on the wall next to the door. She pulled her ID badge from it’s retractable lanyard and held it in front of the plate. There was an audible beep, but the red light stayed red. She waited a moment, but the door stayed latched. She tried again, holding the card against the plate. Another beep, but no green light. She looked back at the receptionist desk, the receptionist watching her closely. Katherine paused, unsure what to do. “Um.. do I-“ Oh don’t worry Hun.” The receptionist said, getting up from her desk and starting towards her. “Sometimes they don’t give the right access. Just talk to a supervisor and they’ll talk to security and get your card access.” She touched her own card to the plate and it beeped. The plate glowed green and an audible click was heard from the door. She turned the handle and held it open for Katherine. “Thanks.” Katherine murmured, stepping through the door. Perfect. She thought to herself as she started down the long hall of offices. At least I can prove who I am, I just can’t go anywhere. She looked at her watch and saw that she still had a few minutes before the morning schedule briefing. She headed to the lounge to drop off her backpack, until she saw another dreaded black security scanner. Great. They just had to secure every single door. She reluctantly tried her card again. The red light glared at her, refusing to change. Amy stuck her tongue out at it. She just wanted one thing to go right today. “Doctor Baker?” She heard a voice from down the hall. Her tongue shot back into her mouth and she turned to see Kelly staring at her with a confused look on her face. She stood frozen, clipboard in hand. Katherine went wide eyed and felt the panic return. “Um…” She started weakly. “My… My badge. It doesn’t… It’s not working.” Kelly let out a quick sigh of exasperation and quickly walked over to her. With her height and quick stride, it took almost no time at all. “Let me see.” She said, reaching for her badge and tugging it towards the panel. The light turned green and the room clicked open. Kelly turned with an annoyed look towards Katherine and said, “It appears to be working just fine. Have a little more patience when you try to scan in.” Katherine was speechless. “But… it wasn’t working. The receptionist-” “I don’t know what to tell you. It appears to be working fine now.” She said, her tone thick with annoyance. “Anyway, you can go to the lounge later. We have the morning staff meeting in the main hall. I’ll show you where it is.” With that, she took off quickly down the hall. Katherine stood there for a moment, her anger building up inside her. It wasn’t fair! She realized how quickly Kelly was moving and almost had to run to keep up with her. They rounded a corner and the hallway opened to a large common area, currently full of staff members standing around a large interactive monitor that displayed names, rooms, and brackets with everyone’s names. Kelly’s entrance signaled silence in the room, and every head swiveled to look at her, and then they all noticed Katherine. Katherine looked around at the sea of faces all staring at her. “Aww”, she heard someone near the back of the room coo at her. She felt her face turning red and tried to find somewhere else in the room to look at. She spotted Amy almost at the opposite end of the circle, giving her a reassuring, but obviously uncomfortable smile. “Everyone, we’ve got a new staff member.” Kelly began in an authoritative tone. “Doctor Katherine Baker.” She gestured down to her side at Katherine, and if all the eyes in the room weren't on her already, they were now. Katherine heard an audible gasp from the same direction as the woman that “aww”-ed her before. She realized what had happened. They all thought this little girl wearing a doctor’s coat and a backpack came in with Kelly like it was ‘bring your daughter to work day’. Her face grew hotter than she could have imagine was possible. “She's just finished her degree and will be on starter rotation until her patient schedule fills up. Show her the ropes and keep her in line.” The last comment had a bit of venom as she finished speaking. It sounded like a threat. Kelly pulled out a slim tablet from behind her clipboard. The large monitor on the wall began to move as she poked at her tablet. “Schedules look normal today. We've had call-aheads and expect a slightly increase in walk-ins. No extensive surgeries, no one should be expected to be pulled from their stations. She stopped poking and the screen returned to the large hourly calendar with everyone's names in color-coated slots. “Announcement time. Friday is Halloween. The administrators highly encourage costumes. I hope I don't have to remind you that this is a children’s hospital. Keep it clean. You can have your fun after work.” At this, a few glances were exchanged in the crowd. Some people started to whisper before Kelly glared at the disturbance. Silence returned, and she continued. “We also have infant-care review training coming up for new nurses. You know who you are. For the rest of you, it’s optional if your schedules allow it. That's all, let's get to work.” The crowd quickly disbanded, and Kelly quickly made her way towards an office. Katherine looked at the dispersing nurses and doctors, unsure where she should go. Amy saw the look of confusion and walked over to her. Katherine felt her anxiety wane as she saw her approaching. She wasn’t sure what she would do if she worked somewhere without a friend. “Hey…” Amy said, sensing her discomfort. “Everything okay?” Katherine looked up at the monitor. “I guess… I’m just not sure what to do. No one’s really explained anything.” Amy followed her gaze and started reading through the schedule. “Well, it will be a little different for you than it is for me. Typically, doctors get a list of patients specific to them, but you won’t have any assigned to you yet.” She guided her finger along the board to the section labeled ‘Urgent Care’ as she explained. “You’re going to get the walk-ins for urgent care until you get scheduled. You’ll need to keep an eye on your pager as the schedule updates.” “Um… I didn’t get a pager.” Amy looked surprised. “Oh, that’s weird. We can take care of that.” She turned and started walking to the office Kelly had retreated to. The windows was too high for Katherine to see through, but she could read the plaque below the door: Kelly Anderson Head Nurse Scheduling Administration Amy knocked on the door. “Yes?” Kelly asked. “Miss Anderson?” Amy asked, cracking the door open. Kelly looked up from a paper on her desk at Amy, then down at Katherine behind her. “Doctor Baker didn’t receive a pager yet.” Amy overemphasized the ‘doctor’, reminding Kelly of her status. Kelly glared at Katherine, who couldn’t maintain the staring contest with her. “They should have issued you one with your badge. Did you lose it?” Katherine paused, trying to remember if the receptionist had mentioned anything about a badge. “N… No, I don’t think so. I think she forgot.” Kelly huffed. “Well that’s convenient. No one else has claimed that they weren’t given one yet.” She pulled open the top drawer of her desk and pulled out a pager. “I have a backup for emergencies. Give me your number and I’ll key it in.” She stared at Katherine and waited for a response. Katherine hesitated, trying to remember if someone had told her what her number was. Amy noticed the hesitation, and quietly said, “It’s on your badge.” Katherine quickly fumbled with her badge, letting out an embarrassed, “Oh…”. Kelly rolled her eyes at the exchange. Katherine read the number, and Kelly pressed a few buttons on the pager. “There, it’s set up. Don’t lose it.” She added, with a bit of venom. She held it out over the desk, Katherine approached the desk, barely able to see over it, and took the pager. Kelly looked back up at Amy. “I trust that doctor Baker can find her own way from here.” She said, also emphasizing the ‘doctor’. Amy’s face went rigid, and she nodded curtly, turning to leave. Katherine walked quickly behind her, shutting the door with a satisfying click. Amy huffed loudly. “Sorry about that, I’m sure it was just a mix-up at the front desk. Sorry, but I’ve got to run, I’m on schedule.” Katherine nodded, understanding, but still wishing she had her friend’s help. “It’s okay, I can figure it out.” Amy smiled reassuringly, then proceeded quickly down a hall. Katherine looked around at the people moving around. It felt wrong to stand in one place. Her feet started moving, unsure of her destination. She started with some simple laps around the hallways, getting an idea of where she would be working. She stopped off at the break room to ditch her backpack. The room was comfortable looking. It had a decent sized kitchen, several comfortable looking couches, a few vending machines, and a giant TV displaying 24-hour news on mute. She found the lockers built into the wall and went to go drop off her bag. Most of the lockers had names on them, none of them Katherine’s. She found one on the end without a name and figured it was probably meant to be hers anyway. Luckily it was on a lower rack and she could actually reach it. She stowed her bag away and shut the door. She noticed it didn’t have an included lock, and she would have to bring her own for security. She left the room and continued her exploration. She found the examination rooms, waiting rooms, and entrance for the Urgent Care clinic. Just as she found where she would be working, her pager started vibrating violently in her pocket. She let out a small yelp and felt herself flinch, partly because she wasn’t used to the sensation, and partly because it tickled. It continued to vibrate until she fumbled the small device out of her coat pocket. The slim LCD display lit up as letters quickly scrolled past. UCC ROOM 14. Katherine looked up, scanning the hallway signs until she noticed the cluster of numbers that pointer her towards her assigned room. She tucked away the pager and headed down the hall. Katherine counted the numbers as she passed,”12… 13… there you are.” Her relief was tangible; finally feeling competent to do her job… right up until she saw the patient’s chart tucked in its holster… at the top of the door. Katherine’s height barely afforded her the luxury to use water fountains. There was no way she was reaching that thing. She looked all around her, hoping to find someone less vertically challenged. Down the hall, she spotted a nurse walking just out of view. She was the only person she had seen, and she couldn’t miss her. “Nurse!” she called out, louder than she intended. The woman backpedaled, taking a step backwards to see who made the noise. She looked down the hall towards Katherine, a confused expression visible on her face from all the way down the hall. She started towards Katherine, still trying to figure out what was going on. She walked up to Katherine, looming over her. She eyed her up and down, looking at her coat and ID badge. “Can I help you?” The confused look was now permanently fixed on her face. “I’m sorry, I just need some help getting the patient file.” Katherine said, pointing at the folder slot affixed to the wall. The woman’s face finally changed from confusion, to a surprised understanding. “Oh.. that's no problem, doctor.” She said, easily reaching the folder and handing it to Katherine. Being called ‘doctor' was one of the most reassuring feelings Katherine had experienced here. It wasn't just out of pity; this woman gad recognized who she was and had respected her. Katherine took the folder with a massive grin. “Thank you for you help nurse.” The woman smiled and resumed her walking. Katherine opened the folder and began to skim the urgent care patient's notes. Infant, 4 months, showing symptoms of low-grade fever and unusual bowel movements. Mother noticed and they came as soon as she noticed. Seems pretty straightforward… She thought to herself. She knocked gently on the door and turned the handle. As soon as the door cracked, an earsplitting scream assaulted Katherine’s ears. It wasn’t a sound she wasn’t used to from her residency, but it still managed to surprise her. She opened the door to see a mother holding her screaming child, sitting on the chair on the opposite wall. The room was painted in bright colors with a balloon pattern. “Hello, I’m doctor Baker” Katherine said, walking over and reaching out her hand. The woman looked a bit surprised but took Katherine’s hand in a limp handshake. Katherine took some latex gloves from the wall and started putting them on. “Hello, I’m Mary Shelton. This is Jacob.” She said, gesturing towards the crying boy. “So, what seems to be going on with Jacob?” She said, snapping the latex glove in place. The woman looked down at her baby, still trying to soothe him. “He’s been crying a lot the past few days, and this morning he had a small fever.” Katherine looked at the chart and saw that the nurse had taken the baby had a temperature of 98.9. A bit high, but not too bad. She thought to herself. “He’s also been having diarrhea… he actually needs changed, but I didn’t see a place to dispose of it…” Katherine looked around the room and noticed that there wasn’t a diaper pail. “That’s alright. It will give me a good chance to check and I can ask a nurse about disposal.” The woman held out her child and Katherine took him in her arms. He was still fussing but seemed to calm a bit as she took him in her arms. She laid him down on the exam table and undid his diaper. Sure enough, he needed a change and she could see that this wasn’t normal. Mary pulled out her diaper bag and started putting a few supplies on the table for Katherine. “That would happen occasionally, but never for this long. I was starting to get worried…” Katherine used the wipes from the bag and began cleaning Jacob. “Have there been any changes in his schedule lately? Any new foods, different times for a nap?” Mary paused for a second to think. “Well… he’s been pretty thirsty lately. We’ve been giving him more to drink.” Katherine paused and looked at her. “The nurse recorded that you weren’t breastfeeding, what is he drinking?” “Oh, well he really likes apple juice.” Katherine nodded to herself. “Mystery solved.” She said, finishing up her cleaning. Mary looked at her with a confused expression. “What’s wrong with apple juice?” “Infant’s digestion systems aren’t built to handle sugar, which juice is packed full of. In fact, doctors recommend a spoonful of apple juice to help with constipation. Keep him on formula or pureed foods and only water if he seems thirsty between feedings. His digestive system should return to normal within a day or so.” Mary looked surprised. “I didn’t know that, I thought apple juice was a staple for kids. I’m glad to know he’ll be okay.” Katherine turned back to fasten up Jacob’s new diaper when she felt something warm running down her sleeve. Jacob was producing a powerful stream from the table onto Katherine’s lab coat. She tried to get out of the line of fire, and just as she pulled the clean diaper over Jacob, the stream stopped. “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry!” Mary said, looking at Katherine’s coat. “It’s alright, it happens…” Katherine said, finishing up her diapering job. It hadn’t actually happened before, but she had to seem professional. She finished up with Jacob, then took off her soiled lab coat and laid it on the chair. “I’m going to go ask a nurse about this,” she said, gesturing to the soiled diaper, “and I can go get your discharge papers.” Katherine grabbed the wadded-up diaper and stepped out into the hall. She looked around, and sure enough, she didn’t see a disposal container anywhere. A large woman in scrubs turned the corner and Katherine tried to flag her down. “Excuse me, nurse? I need some help with this.” She looked down at Katherine, then to the dirty diaper in her hand. “Don’t worry honey, we can take care of that. Do you have another?” Katherine furrowed her brow in confusion. “No, I don’t need another, I’m in room 14 and…” As Katherine turned to point at her exam room, she felt a finger pulling back on her waistband. She turned around in surprise, the nurse had just checked down her pants. Katherine was stunned speechless. “We’ll get you taken care of.” The nurse said as she took a few steps towards a supply closet. She opened the door and took a diaper down from the shelf. She started to unfold it as she approached Katherine. Katherine started to panic. “What? No!... I’m not… I’m a doctor!” The nurse just smiled at her. “Oh, are you playing doctor today?” She reached down to pick up Katherine and she stumbled backwards out of her reach. “Don’t be fussy, wearing a diaper is nothing to be embarrassed about.” Katherine’s temper was starting to flare. She hated it when people wouldn’t listen. “My name is Doctor Katherine Baker. I am a pediatrician. I graduated summa cum laude. Today is my first day, and I just need to know where I can throw away this poopy diaper!” She shook the soiled garment in her hand for emphasis. The nurse looked at her skeptically. “Doctors here have ID badges, so we know who they are, and they know that we keep waste containers in the cabinets. Are you here with your parents?” Katherine had had enough. She turned and walked back to the exam room. The nurse turned and headed towards the information desk. Let her call someone, Katherine thought bitterly. I want her to know how much she messed up. She put on a fake smile as she reentered the room. “That’s my fault. I forgot where the containers were kept.” She said with fake cheerfulness to Mary. Katherine pulled open one of the cabinet doors to find an orange biohazard disposal container. She dropped the sagging diaper through the door and it hit the bottom with a dull squish. Katherine collapsed exhaustedly on her bed. Her backpack was thrown to the other side of the room, along with her wet, wadded up white coat. She only had one other that fit her, and it would have to last a while before she could get this one cleaned. Just as she closed her eyes, her phone vibrated. She lazily held her phone up to see a text from Amy. ‘Sorry I couldn’t meet for lunch. How was the first day?’ Katherine sighed and started typing. ‘I got peed on within 20 minutes. Everything else was boring compared to that.’ She debated on telling her about the incident with nurse, but she just wanted to forget about it. She hit send and let her phone fall to the floor. She was so tired. She worked until 6 and didn’t even want dinner. She hated feeling this stressed out. All she needed was a nap and she could forget this whole day… Chapter 3: Katherine felt herself curling into her soft bed as she faded into unconsciousness. She didn’t care about the time of day, or the fact that she wasn’t wearing comfortable pajamas, she just wanted to sleep. Her darkened room embraced her, and she relaxed for the first time all day. White walls faded out of the darkness. Katherine found herself walking down a hallway. She looked ahead to see her destination, but the tunnel ahead of her seemed to go on forever. She realized that she was lost. It looked like the hospital. She looked down to see her doctor’s coat and ID badge. She felt relieved that she could ask for help. The hallway branched out to other endless hallways. She turned around to see a wall behind her. The building was changing, and she felt completely lost. She looked up at the signs on the walls, hoping for some sense of direction, and saw that the letters were unreadable. The walls seemed to be stretching and the ceilings were growing higher and higher. She looked to her left and noticed a door. She reached for the handle, but the handle began to slide up the door, out of her grasp. “You shouldn’t be here little baby…” She heard a stern voice say from behind. Strong hands slid under her armpits and she was lifted in the air. She kicked and tried to move but was helpless as the hands carried her down the hall. She wanted to protest but couldn’t form the words. She looked down at her badge, but it, and her coat, had vanished. Instead, she wore a pair of pajamas. A door swung open and she was carried into a nursery. Everything seemed so much bigger than normal. The hands set her down on top of a table. She tried to move her arms and legs but had almost no control. It felt as if she was trying to swim through wet clay. She felt the hands pulling at her waistband, checking the state of her. Katherine felt shame wash over her as she was examined. She knew she hadn’t done anything wrong, but she didn’t want to be falsely accused. She wanted to explain herself, to tell them it was a mistake, but all she could do was struggle. “Fussy baby… we’ll take care of you.” More hands appeared around her. She looked up to see tall nurses smiling down at her. Hands quickly began taking her clothes. She tried to protest, but the hands kept iron grips on her. She was stripped naked and laid back on the table. It felt soft underneath her and she found it harder to move. Supplies appeared all around her and the hands began to methodically clean her. She felt a warm sensation from her crotch as hands began to delicately care for her. Lotion was rubbed around her most intimate areas. She couldn’t even try to fight it now. She drifted deeper into this strange hypnosis. The voices continued to reassure her as they moved on to the baby powder. “What a precious little girl…” They cooed, adding liberal amounts of powder to her. “She’ll be feeling so much better once we get her into a nice, comfy diaper…” Her legs were raised high in the air. The tiny shred of resistance left in Katherine thought that something was wrong. She didn’t belong here. This was a mistake! She tried to protest, her words coming out as a fussy babble. “Hush little baby, mommy knows what’s best for you!” The voices said. Suddenly, a large pacifier was being pressed into her mouth. It filled it completely, stifling her noises. She did the only thing left she could do and began to suckle on it. Her legs were spread, and a thick diaper was placed underneath her. She heard a soft crinkle as her bottom was lowered onto the material. Soft cotton rubbed against her cheeks and thighs, sending wave after wave of an almost ticklish sensation. The diaper was wrapped up between her legs, a gentle, but unyielding pressure against her crotch. Just as the tapes were fastened and it completely surrounded her, she felt a pressure from her belly. Her pleasant state only felt relief that she was wearing a diaper and had nothing to worry about, but a small, adult part in the back of her mind was faintly yelling that she needed to find a bathroom. The hands picked her up. Nurses held her up and made faces, cooing noises, and passed her around for display. They rocked her back and forth, lulling her deeper into a submissive state. Her humiliation was slowly waning, gradually feeling safer with these women who, even as they gently mocked her, were being almost… motherly towards her. She felt herself enjoying the sensations, her stress melting away. The pressure in her belly faded away. Her eyes closed as the arms embraced her, warmth surrounding her from all sides. She gently rocked and sucked at her pacifier, unable to form a single thought. She felt at complete peace… Katherine jolted awake in her bed. Her head was buried in her pillow and she struggled out of the mess for a breath. The pillow was wet around her, and she found her hand against her face, also soaked. She tried to lift her head from the pillow, but she found herself tangled up in a mess of blankets. She removed her hand but felt something moving in her mouth. Still groggy, she pulled her hand away to see a line of spit dragging from her thumb. She looked confused at it, until she realized that she had been sucking on it. She continued to struggle against the wadded-up sheets. As she moved, she found that they were all wet. She had been so tightly wrapped up that she had sweat through all of them. Everything felt wrong. She pulled the mess of sheets off and saw she was still wearing her clothes from the previous day, also soaked through with sweat. She laid back, letting the air cool her off. The dream slowly came back to her memory, warmth rushing to her cheeks in embarrassment as she remembered how real it felt. That… wasn’t normal. She thought to herself. She squirmed a little and noticed the tug of wet fabric from between her legs. Was it just sweat… or… She looked down at her crotch. Sure enough, it wasn’t simply damp from sweat. The sheets all around her were completely soaked, her pants with a visible dark patch all around her crotch. She groaned in frustration and shifted, trying to move away from the puddle, but quickly froze in place as she noticed an unusual sensation. Her pants felt... tight. There was a pressure against her bottom as if she had left a billiards ball in her underwear. She moved her hand slowly and felt a large bulge in the back of her pants. Her eyes went wide with realization and she considered for a moment if she was still dreaming. She had pooped her pants. She couldn’t move, her hand frozen, cupping the mass in her underwear. She felt like the she couldn’t process anything. Her heart was pounding, her head still groggy from sleep. She didn’t want to make things any worse, so she stopped to think of a plan. She had been laying on her side all night. If she rolled over, she would sit directly on the mess and things would become a lot harder. She scooted towards the edge of her bed, cringing as the mass in her underwear shifted against her. As she laid on the edge of her bed, she looked over to see her faint glow of her alarm clock. It was exactly 3 minutes before she was supposed to wake up. She sighed, realizing that she had slept for almost 12 hours, and now had to deal with this mess while trying to get ready for work. She gingerly slid one leg off of the bed, dangling over her floor. The other legs followed, and she used her arms to slowly slide herself to the very edge, slowly tipping towards the floor as her weight shifted off the mattress. Her feet made contact with the floor. She continued to tip, now flexing the muscles in her legs to stay as still as possible. The strain began to hurt after a few moments, Katherine’s stiff muscles yet to be stretched. She finally shifted all her weight to her feet in an awkward crouch. Katherine unbuttoned her pants and gently tugged them down, being careful to pull the waistband back so it made little contact with her underwear. As they slid down, her underwear began to sag, no longer supported by her pants. She felt the weight pulling against her underwear, the mass now swinging as it threatened to pull her panties down. She kept her wet pants on, pulled down just above her knees, and began to practice an awkward duck waddle towards the door. She could only move her feet a few inches, her socks gliding just over the carpet as she shuffled in squatting position to keep the mess from shifting. Suddenly, a rapid pounding came from the front door. Katherine’s head shot up in horror. was so focused on keeping her balance, she hadn’t been prepared for anything else to happen. Her sudden movement threw off her balance. Katherine’s arms spun wildly, trying to steady herself. She tried to move her feet for better stability, but the pants bunched up around her knees didn’t permit any movement. She began to fall backwards, her hands reaching behind her and grasping wildly at the mattress. Her knees locked and she slid towards the floor, her grip tightening on the mattress cover. Her back made contact with the side of the bed, her descent slowing as she held herself up. Her fall stopped suddenly. Her legs locked out in front of her, balancing on her heels. Her arms spread behind her awkwardly, holding her up by her mattress cover. Her heart was racing now. Her stomach muscles began to cramp from her unexpected exercise routine as she desperately held herself over the floor. She could feel the weight in her underwear, still pulling towards the ground. Her bottom hovered inches above the floor. She started to panic. Her legs slipped against the carpet, unable to provide any leverage. She couldn’t hang like this much longer, the burning in her arms become more and more pronounced. Katherine took a deep breath and strained with all her might to lift herself up. She pulled against the fabric, feeling herself slowly rising against the bed. She rose an inch, pain shooting through her arms, when she heard the sound of shuffling fabric. There was a faint, elastic pop as the wadded-up cover in her hands suddenly let go of the corners of the mattress and quickly dropped towards the floor. Katherine fell quickly to the floor, all her weight landing on her bottom. The soft mess squished against her, spreading out through her underwear. Katherine locked up, her hands still gripping the limp sheets. She couldn’t move. The smell wafted up to her, and she felt tears beginning to form. She couldn’t process what had happened. She slowly rolled over, looking at the floor of there was any mess. The carpet was clean. As she shifted, she felt the mess stick to her, pressed up between her cheeks. She shuddered at the sensation, feeling more disgusted by the second. She got back to her feet and continued towards her bedroom door. More pounding came from the front door. Katherine opened her bedroom door and glared violently through wet eyes at the disturbance. “Just go away…” She grumbled quietly, shuffling towards the bathroom. She was almost halfway half-way to the bathroom when another sound came from the front door. A faint click rang through the hall as the deadbolt slid into the door, free from the doorframe. A fresh wave of panic came over Katherine. She was maybe two seconds from having someone see her. She bolted for the bathroom, moving as fast as her legs could propel her, until her pants tugged at her legs and she fell forward, landing hard on the floor. The door swung open, and Amy’s voice sand through the apartment. “Surprise Katie! I brought breakfast!” She stepped inside, awkwardly nudging the door shut with her shoulder while holding a large brown fast-food bag and a cardboard drink carrier. Katherine tried to move herself forward but couldn’t bend her knees to propel herself. She turned, facing Amy in a desperate attempt to hide the accident. As the front door clicked shut, Amy turned to face the apartment, immediately noticing Katherine on the ground. “Katie!” She yelled in alarm. She ran towards Katherine, leaning down to deposit the breakfast on the floor and was quickly at her side. Katherine looked at her, still panic-stricken, trying to figure out some way to explain herself. Amy’s medical training took over and she started to examine Katherine. “I’m okay, I’m fine!” Katherine blurted out trying to reassure her. “What happened?” Amy said seriously, looking down at Katherine’s wet pants pulled down at her ankles. “I…” Katherine hesitated, trying to think of any possible lie that could explain this. “I… just had a little accident and tripped as I pulled my pants down. That’s all!” She said, trying to add some playfulness to her tone to reassure her. Amy looked Katherine’s eyes, skepticism plain on her face, when Katherine noticed her nostrils flare. Amy’s eyebrows furrowed as she looked again towards Katherine’s pants. Katherine instinctively pulled her shirt down, pathetically covering her underwear. Amy leaned over Katherine, noticing the dark splotch across the pack of her panties. “Oh Katie…” Amy said quietly. Katherine couldn’t hold back her tears any more. She started sobbing, taking deep, gasping breaths. Amy sat on the floor and pulled Katherine’s head up on to her lap. Katherine turned her head down and let out her muffled sobs into Amy’s scrubs. “I… overslept.” Katherine mumbled between sobs. “I… just… I had… an accident.” Amy gently stroked her back, quietly shushing her. “I’m… not sick… It just… happened. Then I fell.” Amy continued to comfort her. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. It’s not a big deal, it was just an accident. I’m your friend Katherine, and I care about you. Okay?” She carefully emphasized her question, and Katherine slowly nodded her head against Amy’s lap, her sobs still audible. Amy leaned towards Katherine’s legs, gently tugging at each pant leg until they slid from her legs. She put her hands under Katherine’s arms and propped her up, Katherine slowly coming to her own two feet. She kept her head down, unable to look at Amy. Her face was hot and red with shame, but her sobs had slowly quieted to an almost silent cry. Amy bent down to her eye level. “I’ll take care of everything else, you go take a shower and clean up, okay?” Katherine nodded and looked up at Amy though a mess of tangled hair. Amy smile at her, then wrapped her arms around her in a soft hug. Katherine returned it, burying her face in Amy’s shoulder. After a long moment, Katherine broke away and walked into the bathroom, trying to resist the urge to waddle as the mess still stuck to her. Amy found herself staring at Katherine’s underwear before she forced herself to turn around. As soon as Katherine shut the door, Amy let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and started to process what had just happened. About 30 minutes later, Katherine emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a robe, and her hair done up in a towel. Amy sat on the couch drinking her coffee, the brown paper bag still unopened sat on the coffee table. Amy looked at her friend and smiled at her visible mood improvement. “Hey, come sit down. I got you breakfast.” She patted the seat next to her. Katherine smiled and hopped up on the couch. Amy opened the bag and divided the breakfast biscuits and hash browns between them. As they started eating, Amy tentatively began speaking. “Feeling better?” Katherine nodded and swallowed a bite of her sandwich. She knew there was going to be a conversation, and she spent some time in the shower preparing what she would say. “Yeah, thanks for helping me out.” Amy smiled. “It’s no problem. I’m sorry used your spare key to get in, but I was worried that you had overslept. You weren’t answering my calls.” Katherine looked back towards her bedroom. “Yeah, I fell asleep in my clothes last night and never plugged in my phone. I should probably plug it in.” She started to get up, but Amy reached out her hand to stop her. “It’s okay, I found it and plugged it in. I also washed your sheets. They should be dry soon. Katherine hadn’t noticed the dryer running in the background. She felt another intense wave of emotions at her friend’s kindness and smiled at her. “Thanks Amy. I’ve had a really sucky morning.” She took another bite of her breakfast. “Yeah, I bet.” Amy said, sipping her coffee. “So… does that happen a lot?” Katherine didn’t look up. “No.” Katherine said curtly. “Okay.” Amy said, keeping her tone flat. “I only ask because of what happened last week… You said it didn’t happen much.” “It doesn’t.” Katherine said, her tone becoming defensive. “Okay.” Amy said reassuringly. “I believe you. I just care about you, and this is something that is clearly bothering you. Is everything okay?” Katherine let out a sigh. “Yeah, I’m not sick or anything. I think it’s just stress. I was so exhausted I fell asleep in my clothes as soon as I got home. I didn’t eat dinner. It makes sense why my body is out of whack right now.” Amy nodded in understanding. “That’s okay. Things will get better. It’s your first week, It won’t take long before you’re feeling right at home.” Amy’s pager went off. “Oh shoot.” She said, reading the message as it scrolled past. “I’ve got to go early. I’ll see you at work okay?” Katherine nodded at her as Amy packed up the rest of her breakfast. Amy gave her a quick hug, and then was out the door. Katherine went to go get dressed and packed her bag for the day. Katherine arrived for the morning meeting and stood by Amy, feeling determined to get past her awful morning. Kelly went through the familiar morning speech, pulling down the schedule board and going through the daily plan. Katherine looked carefully for her name but saw that she wasn’t in the Urgent Care bracket today. Kelly’s words faded into a drone as Katherine scanned the board. She finally spotter her name under the letters NIU. Newborn & Infant Unit. She smiled at the realization that she didn’t need any help figuring it out, when she noticed that the room had gone quiet. Katherine looked around to see everyone staring at her. Kelly was staring at her expectantly, waiting for an answer. “Doctor Baker… do you understand your assignment?” Katherine looked back to the board. “Oh… Yeah. The NIU.” She said quietly. Kelly sighed and continued down her list. Katherine tried to keep her face from going red. After the meeting, Amy gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder before she had to leave for her rounds. Katherine wandered a bit before she found the NIU unit. Because the unit was just basic care, it was mostly newborns that were under observation before the new parents were able to take their children home. Katherine found the schedule at the nurse’s station and found what her name in the hourly rotation for room checks. She went from room to room, introducing herself to parents and performing the routine checks on the newborn’s vitals and updating the parents. Several parents looked skeptically at Katherine as she introduced herself, but she did her best to ignore it and stay professional. By the end of her check-ups, almost all of them seemed to accept her and said, “Thank you, doctor Baker.” She could feel her mood lifting as the morning went on. Sometime before noon, Katherine got a text from Amy. “Want to do lunch today and go get our costumes?” Katherine had forgotten all about Halloween and checked her schedule. “Sorry, I’m on rotation until 1. Can we go after work?” She texted back. “I’m not sure, I might have to cover an evening shift. We’ll figure it out.” Katherine started to think about what costume she would wear as she continued through her shifts. Just before her lunch break, she had one last room to visit. She glanced at the chart, then Katherine entered to see the mother with her child looking desperate for help. “Hi, I’m Doctor Baker. I understand you’ve been having some difficulty with feeding?” The woman was balancing the crying child against her shoulder, gently patting her back. “The nurses have been trying to help me with feeding, but I can’t seem to get her to burp. I’ve been trying bouncing, patting, but I’m so scared I’m going to do it too hard.” Katherine smiled reassuringly. This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. Of course, babies required delicate care, but they wouldn’t break like a piece of glass as some people believed. Some parents were afraid just to hold their own children at first. It would pass, she just needed to work through it. “That’s perfectly normal, it just takes some time to get into the rhythm.” Katherine said, approaching the bed. “How long ago was the last feeding?” “Just a few minutes ago.” The woman said, self-consciously tugging at the sheet that was covering her breasts. “Here, let me see if I can help.” Katherine held her hands out, gently taking the baby from her. She held the little one over her shoulder and began gently bouncing up and down. She patted gently, but with a bit of firmness on the baby’s back. “I know it can take a while, but I promise this doesn’t hurt your child. After just a few seconds, a soft burp came out. The mother’s face was full of relief and Katherine couldn’t help but smile. “Honestly, you probably did most of the work already. It just takes patience, and she will-” Katherine froze as a much louder burp came, followed by a warm sensation on her shoulder. She tried to keep a straight face as she turned to see that the baby had spit up all over her shoulder. She forced a smile on to her face and said, “And that’s why you always have a rag over your shoulder too.” The mother looked embarrassed, and Katherine quickly tried to reassure her. “It’s no problem, happens all the time.” She handed the child back and took a wipe from one of the containers on the wall. “Just let us know if you have any more difficulty.” She said, dabbing at her shoulder. Katherine walked out of the room, seeing that the stain was not coming out. She took off her coat and continued to scrub as she looked for a bathroom on the floor. She was technically on her lunch break now, and she had yet to find the hospital cafeteria. As she walked through the halls, she found a room labeled “Feeding Room”. She hadn’t seen this room before and decided to take a peak inside. She cracked the door, the sound of crying hitting her like a wall. She stepped inside to see a row of high chairs, almost all of them full, containing crying children. She looked around, wondering why there weren’t any nurses. She wasn’t sure if she needed to do anything and started looking for supplies in the cabinets against the wall. She placed her coat on top of the cabinet and started to fiddle with the child-proof handles. “Oh, you’re not supposed to be in there.” A voice came from behind her. She hadn’t heard anyone enter, and as she turned around, a nurse’s hands slid under her armpits, and gently lifted her into the air. They started heading towards the high chairs before Katherine could form a logical sentence. She had no idea what was happening. “Hey… What…” She was placed in an empty high chair, the table quickly locked in against her waist and pinned into the chair. Another nurse entered the room wheeling in a tray of food. “I’m not-” Before Katherine could speak, the nurse who had carried her pulled out a pacifier from her pocket and shoved it in squarely in Katherine’s mouth. She was completely shocked, unable to process what was happening. The other nurse wheeled the cart past, depositing jars of baby food and children’s spoons on the high chair tables. The nurse in front of Katherine picked up the spoon and scooped up a large bite of orange substance from the bowl. In a swift motion, she pulled out Katherine’s pacifier and shoved the spoon in its place. Katherine gagged, involuntarily swallowing the foul mush. She opened her mouth to say something, and another spoonful was pushed in. “That’s a good girl, you must be hungry today.” She said in a cooing voice. Katherine glared at her, but the nurse had looked away as other nurses were entering, each taking a high chair and started feeding the crying children. Katherine didn’t recognize any of them, hoping no one would see her in this predicament. She wanted to chew the nurse out. She wanted to jump out of the chair and disappear, but she couldn’t say anything. As another spoonful was pushed into her mouth, she swallowed, trying not to gag. The nurse rhythmically had a spoonful ready just as soon as Katherine was able to open her mouth again. I can’t leave… Katherine thought, wincing as she swallowed another disgusting bite. If I tell them now, they won’t believe me, or I’ll becoming a laughing stock. Another large bite entered her mouth. She felt like she was choking as she tried to breath between the rapid spoonsful of food entering her mouth. She felt a stinging in her eyes as tears started to form. This was humiliating, and she couldn’t say anything. The nurse with the cart came around again, depositing bottles of milk on the high chairs. Just as the last spoonful entered Katherine’s mouth, the bottle was held up and waiting for her. The nipple was shoved into her mouth, the liquid slowly dripping in to her mouth. I have to go through with this… maybe I can sneak out as they’re taking the kids back to their rooms… She forced herself to drink from the bottle but found that only a few droplets were coming out on her tongue. She winced, realizing that it wasn’t just milk, it was formula. She tried to suck on the nipple, but it was barely coming out any faster. She had to keep a constant suction on the bottle, a slow stream of droplets coming out. It felt like she was making no progress as she swallowed the small mouthful of droplets on her tongue. She kept at it for minutes, her jaw starting to hurt from the pressure. I can’t do this… Katherine panicked internally. It’s so much. I’m already so full and I can’t drink any more. She felt her stomach stretching uncomfortably full and her bladder felt full to bursting as the bottle finally emptied the last of its contents to the tip of the nipple. Katherine’s sore mouth suckled the last few drops. The nurse took the bottle away, walking over to cart to deposit the empty dishes. The other nurses were picking up their assigned children and walking them back to their rooms. Katherine looked down at the safety latch holding her tray in place. She waited until no one was looking, then reached over, squeezing the child-proof latch and opening the tray. She dropped to the floor, quietly running over to cabinet that held her soiled coat. She grabbed the coat, then bolted for the door just as the nurse turned around. In the hallway, Katherine threw the coat on, moving quickly away from the room. She was still dazed from what had happened, unsure what to do now. Her bladder was painfully full, and she had to find a bathroom immediately. She finally found a sign in the hallway directing her towards the bathroom, and she locked the door behind her. A slow trickle had started to come out just as she pulled her pants down. She sighed in relief, looking down at the small spattering of drops in her underwear. She wanted to cry. How long would it be before people saw her as a doctor instead of a child? It hadn’t even been a week yet and she felt like she was going to have a nervous breakdown. She just wanted to go home. She pulled out her phone and texted Amy. “I’m not feeling well. I can’t face Kelly right now and I need to go home. I’m really sorry, can you let her know for me?” It took a few moments for Amy to reply. “Of course, I can let her know. Are you okay?” Katherine wasn’t sure how to answer. “I guess. I’m just tired of being treated like a baby. I can’t be here right now.” “That’s okay. Would you be up for Halloween shopping later?” Katherine sighed as she read the text over. She had been looking forward to Halloween, but anything associated with the hospital just seemed like too much right now. She started typing. “I know that I need a costume, but I think I just need some time to recover right now. I’m sorry to ask, but would you mind picking one up for me? I’ll pay you back for it.” “Sure, what do you want to go as?” Katherine couldn’t even think right now. “I don’t care, you know what I like. Just find something cute and I’ll trust your judgement.” “Okay, don’t worry about it. Everything will be okay, okay Kat?” Katherine felt so grateful for her friend. “Yea, thanks Amy.” Katherine managed to sneak out of the hospital and make it back to her car. She made it all the way home before she started crying. She hadn’t had any time to relax and desperately needed a break. Chapter 4: Amy re-read the text message on her phone. “I’m tired of everyone treating me like I’m a baby.” She felt so bad for her friend. Katherine hadn’t even been here a week and already felt so bad that she needed to take a day off. She was so stressed out that it was having uncomfortable and embarrassing physical side effects on her. Amy remembered how long it took for her to feel comfortable when she started working at the hospital, and she didn’t even have Katherine’s height to worry about. She thought about the text, wondering who else had made Katherine feel so bad. She had known Kelly a long time and knew how long it could take for Kelly to tolerate people, much less like them. She could be stern and strict, but Katherine’s descriptions of her job so far sounded more like bullying to her. Was someone else picking on her? Amy pondered on it through the rest of her shift. She had always been protective of Katherine, and the thought of someone at the hospital being mean to her friend made her blood boil, but it was so hard to believe that anyone she worked with could be that malicious. Could it have been an accident? With her size, it wouldn’t be hard to mistake Katherine as a child instead of a doctor. She also didn’t have the greatest confidence, which wouldn’t help her if she had to convince someone that she was actually a doctor. She wanted to help her friend, to find some way to boost her confidence. The end of her shift finally came, and she made her way out to the car. She wanted to check in on Katherine but thought better of it. She told her to call if she needed anything, and after how she was feeling, Katherine probably just needed some alone time. Amy got to her car and drove out through the parking garage exit. She headed to the local party supply store, thinking about a costume for Katherine that would boost her self confidence. As she pulled into the parking lot, she saw that the parking lot was completely full. Oh great. She groaned internally. The night before Halloween, and they’re completely full. They probably won’t have anything good left either. After the second time circling, there were still no spots open. Amy looked around at the nearby stores for an open parking spot, when a neon sign caught her eye. ‘COSTUMES’ read the large sign in front of a plain looking store. It was just a plain section of the strip mall with no identifying markers, except for the red sign above the door: ‘Devious Den’. Oh my gosh… Amy felt a small blush come to her cheeks as she realized what the store was. She hadn’t ever noticed it before. I can only imagine what kind of costumes they have… She wondered to herself. She looked at the parking lot in front of the small store. It was almost completely empty. She looked back at the party store lot, every space still full. Maybe I can just go check it out… I kill some time and come back when the party store isn’t as busy. She rationalized. Her curiosity had been piqued, and now she couldn’t think of a good reason not to go inside. She was a grown woman. There was nothing wrong with going into a sex shop. She even had a valid reason to go. Her mind thought back the vibrator she had at home in her nightstand. Ordering online was a lot less embarrassing than walking in a store, but there was no reason she couldn’t have gone to a shop. She steeled herself, feeling a small batch of butterflies begin to stir in her stomach, and pulled into the small lot in front of the store. The windows were blacked out, a small light shining through the glass door displaying a flashing neon ‘Open’ sign. She sat in her car for a moment, the butterflies slowly multiplying, and she made herself get out. The parking lot was still empty, yet Amy couldn’t keep herself from looking around, as if someone was watching her. She shook off the feeling and walked up to the door. As she pulled on the handle, a loud buzzer pinged to announce her presence. The inside of the shop was very bright, shelves and display cases all lit up to showcase their treasures. Amy had a difficult time taking in what she was seeing. The displays were unashamedly sexual, sorting toys by color, size, and girth. It was sensory overload as she stood frozen in the doorway, debating if she could still walk out. A girl emerged from the back. She looked fairly young, dark hair pulled into pigtails and bright makeup. “Hi there, anything I can help you with?” The ease of her tone threw Amy off, as if she expected anyone who worked here to be just as awkward as their clientele. “Um… I saw the sign for costumes and was just curious.” The girl smiled as she walked up to her. “No problem. I take it you’re not planning on going to go as a sexy nurse?” She said with a rue smile, looking Amy up and down in her nurses scrubs. Amy felt herself blush at the comment and forced a laugh. “No, no. Just shopping around and a lot of places are pretty busy.” The girl nodded. “Well it is the night before Halloween. It’s what you get if you wait ‘til the last minute. So, you said everywhere else is sold out, what kind of costume are you wanting?” She raised an eyebrow, as if questioning if Amy knew where she was right now. “I’m not really sure. I just thought I would see what you had.” Amy felt herself having a difficult time looking the girl in the eye. Her eyes dropped to her punk attire and noticed a nametag that read ‘Stacy’. Stacy shrugged and turned to walk back into the store. “I can show you around.” She held a hand up over her shoulder, gesturing a ‘come-hither’ motion with her index finger. Amy was taken aback, unsure how to handle the girl’s confidence. She walked silently behind her, looking awkwardly around at the shelves and displays again. Lubes, pumps, and silicon molded in every shape imaginable. She couldn’t find anywhere safe to rest her eyes. Stacy continued towards the back where there were long stretches of clothing racks. She weaved into the first row, leaving a barrier of costumes between them. “We’ve got fun stuff…” She said, taking a lacy, mesh bodysuit off the rack and holding it up in her left hand. “and really fun stuff.” She held up a hanger in her right hand, a skimpy piece of lingerie dangling from the hooks. “Where do you fall on the spectrum?” Stacy lifted them up and down, her arms like a set of scales. “Well…” Amy started, unsure what to say. “Is there another part of the spectrum?” Stacy laughed and placed the costumes back on the rack. “Well, you’re going to see a lot of recurring themes here. What kind of party do you need it for?” Amy was glad she finally had a question she could confidently answer. “It’s actually a work party.” Stacy sighed and started browsing through the racks with a skeptical look. “Also…” Amy continued, “I need one for my friend too.” “Wow.” Stacy looked her dead in the eye. “You don’t make this easy do you.” After a second, a devilish smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Amy didn’t realize that she was holding her breath, worried that she had offended her. “It’s cool, I’m sure we can find something.” Stacy said, continuing her walk through the racks of costumes. “So, we need something safe for work. Correct?” Amy nodded. “I’ll be honest, that does limit our selection a bit...” Stacy said, a hint of a joke in her voice. “but we have some that fall more under ‘funny’ than ‘sexy’. I’m sure we can get something safe-for-work.” She looked back at Amy. “Is you friend a guy or a girl?” “Girl.” Amy felt like they were almost on the same page, some of her confidence coming back to her. “Are you a couple?” Stacy said, not batting an eyelash. Amy was thrown off by the question. “No! no, no, no. We’re not like… we’re friends. She’s my best friend and she just needed me to get her a costume because she wasn’t feeling well.” She started speeding up as she finished her sentence. Stacy looked like she knew she had made her uncomfortable, but just shrugged it off. “Doesn’t make any difference to me, I’m not one to judge. Just figuring out if we’re looking at matching costumes.” She continued her search, combing through the racks. “Tell me about your friend. What size does she wear?” Amy hesitated as she thought of a tactful answer. “Um… I’d say a small. Actually… probably more extra small.” Stacy raised an eyebrow. “She’s short. Like, really short.” Amy held up a hand at her side, roughly where the top of Katherine’s head would be. Stacy’s other eyebrow raised in disbelief. “Dang… okay, you’ve got quite a laundry list to work with.” Stacy stopped for a moment, lost in thought, when she started laughing. “Nope, never mind. That would be mean.” Amy looked at her, confused. “Don’t worry, I’m just spitballing ideas.” Amy wanted to help her in the search, she just didn’t know what to say. “The main reason I’m doing this for her is because she is super burned out right now. She just started working with me and she’s completely stressed out. She has no confidence and I want her to be able to have fun and feel good about herself. She’s already self-conscious about her height, and the fact that we work at a children’s hospital doesn’t help when people keep looking at her like she’s a baby.” She hadn’t intended to blurt everything out to a total stranger, but she wasn’t sure what else she could do. Stacy’s eyes widened, a small grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Okay… I think I know what to do.” She walked out from behind the rack, abandoning her search. “You said, they treat her like a baby, right?” Amy nodded slowly, not sure what she was getting at. “And you said she needed a confidence boost, right?” Amy nodded again. Stacy looked at her with a satisfied smile. “Okay, here’s what you do. Dress her up like a baby.” “What?!” Amy blurted out. “How will that help her?” Stacy put up her hands defensively. “Hear me out. What’s the best way to get over being self-conscious about something? Embrace it! If she makes the joke, then no one can make fun of her for it. If she came in looking like a baby for Halloween, and wasn’t embarrassed at all, what would they be able to say about her?” Amy stopped to consider this. It seemed so mean, but she had made a valid point. Maybe this would be exactly what she needs to get over her fear. One day of discomfort, and she wouldn’t have to worry about it ever again. “I see what you’re getting at… but do you have any costumes that would work for her?” Stacy got a knowing smile. “Yeah… so, here’s the other thing… do you know what a fetish is?” Amy nodded, remembering her college psych classes. “There is a fetish that revolves around dressing up like a baby. I’m not saying it applies to your friend, but we happen to stock some of the supplies for it in that room behind the curtain.” Stacy pointed to the very back of the store, a small, black curtain blocking an entryway with a sign that read, ‘Please Ask For Assistance Before Entering.’ Amy looked at the curtain. “Why would a… sex shop have to keep something blocked off?” Stacy rolled her eyes. “Funny you should ask. Okay, so people come here because they’re into some kinky stuff, right? The longer people get into their fetish, the more normal it seems to them. You’d think that people who are in to taboo stuff would be more understanding of other kinky stuff, right? Unfortunately, some stuff is considered offensive even in here. We don’t tolerate people being outright hateful to others. This isn’t a place to be judged. However, if less kinky people came in and saw a bunch of diapers everywhere when they’re just looking for their first butt plug, they might be uncomfortable. It’s just easier if we separate certain stuff and only the people who are interested in it can go see it.” Amy stared in disbelief “Wait… diapers?” Stacy’s smile returned. “Would you like me to show you the room?” Amy looked back towards the curtain. “I guess so. I’m not judging, just curious.” Stacy nodded with approval and waved her over to the curtain. She pulled back the fabric and gestured for Amy to enter. Her eyes adjusting to the soft-white light of the room. Just as she was adjusting to the experience of the sex shop, her mind was overwhelmed again. The walls were painted with soft, pastel colors. Clouds, blocks, and cartoon animals decorated the walls. There were shelves with thick packages of diapers in all different colors and sizes. Clothing racks held oversized onesies, rompers, overalls, and dresses in several different childish patterns. Displays held stuffed animals, oversized pacifiers, and a multitude of baby accessories. There was even an adult-sized crib in the corner. Amy was dumbstruck. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. There was so much stuff. There were actually adult who dressed up as babies for fun? Stacy couldn’t help but grin at Amy’s face. “It’s always entertaining to watch someone see it for the first time.” Amy stayed silent as she continued to scan the room, processing what she was seeing. After a long moment, she asked, “So… people actually buy this stuff?” “Oh yeah.” Stacy said nonchalantly. “Think about how often real babies go through diapers. I’ve got regulars who come in almost weekly for a new pack of diapers or a new outfit.” “Wait…” Amy said, her tone rising in disbelief. “People actually… use the diapers?!” Stacy’s grin was beginning to look smug. “A lot of them do. Some just like how they feel and don’t use them. Others… well, let’s just say I’ve got a regular who’s mommy sent him in once because he ran out. She made him…” Stacy started cracking up before she could finish. “She made him come in here wearing his poopy diaper and ask if I would pick him out a new pack because ‘his mommy said he had to, or he wouldn’t get a diaper change’.” She erupted in laughter. “I rung up a jumbo pack of these pink princess diapers and didn’t bag them so he had to walk outside with them.” Amy looked horrified, too stunned to speak. Stacy noticed, and held up her hands defensively as she caught her breath. “It’s okay, his mommy told me about it first. It’s all a game to them. He might have been beet red the whole time, but I promise you, he loved it!” Amy’s expression didn’t change. “His… mother made him do that?!” Stacy continued to laugh. “No, no, his mommy. It’s someone who acts sort of like a caretaker for him. God, I think he’d die if his mother knew. No, he’s completely consenting to everything she asks him to do. He wants to do it, and she knows he wants to.” This was a lot for Amy to wrap her head around. “So… okay… what are they getting out of it? Why would they wanted to be treated like that?” Stacy shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not the same for everyone. He liked humiliation and being forced to look childish. Others just want to regress and be a kid again for fun. It’s like a safety blanket. Their minds go back to a safer time with no responsibilities, and it let’s them cope with stress.” Amy couldn’t help but think of Katherine, thinking of all the stuffed animals and childish pajamas she owned. Stacy’s devilish grin reappeared. “And some people just enjoy pooping their pants.” Amy grimaced, much to Stacy’s delight. “I’ve had to change diapers at the hospital. The thought of people using them on purpose…” “I’m just kidding. Stacy laughed. “I mean, I’m not, some people actually do that, but I know how strange it can seem. It makes total sense if you think about it. The most basic control someone can have is over themselves. Taking away someone’s potty training is a huge power move. It overlaps really well with BDSM.” Amy looked back to the supplies in the room. “So, would this look like obvious fetish stuff if I get it for my friend?” “Not at all.” Stacy said, walking over to the rack. “Most of them just looks like oversized baby clothes.” She held up a soft-looking pink onesie with a button-up bottom flap. “However, if she’s as small as you say, you might actually be able to buy her children’s clothes if you need to. The extra small might be a bit loose, but you can just give her some more padding.” She added with a grin. “You think… I should get diapers?” Amy said, concern creeping into her voice. Stacy shook her head. “I’m not saying they’re essential, but they’ll really pull off the costume. It’s not like she has to use them or anything.” Stacy pulled a lacy yellow dress from the rack, a diaper cover and hanger attached to the hanger. “If you get something like this, the dress is a little short and comes with a diaper cover. It would be too baggy without one.” Amy walked over to the rack of clothes and started shifting through them. She felt her anxiousness being slowly replaced by excitement as she browsed through the cute items. She imagined Katherine in each one as she slid them down the rack. After going through the options, she started picking out her favorites and placing them on the front of the rack. “I still have to figure out my costume.” Stacy glanced at the rack and looked back at Amy. “What, you don’t want to go as a baby too?” Amy blushed as she looked over the outfits, imagining herself in them. Stacy giggled at her reaction, and Amy had to reconsider if this was going to be too mean for Katherine. “I mean, I could do it… but I’m hoping that this will help Katherine feel more confident. If I dress up like a baby too, won’t that take away from her ‘statement’?” Stacy considered what she said. “I guess so. Oh, you know what might work? You could go as her babysitter. Or her mommy!” She added with excitement. Amy considered this. “I mean, they would match.” Stacy nodded. “So, we need to find you a mommy costume.” She eyed Amy up and down as she spoke. Amy resisted the urge to pull her jacket closed. “That shouldn’t be too hard to pull off. Would you prefer Soccer Mom, or MILF?” Amy let out an involuntary laugh. “Safe-for-work. MILF doesn’t fall under that.” Stacy sighed. “Just go get a ‘can-I-speak-with-your-manager’ haircut and something low-cut. With your figure, you’ll look like a model and no one at work will say boo about it.” Amy ran through a mental inventory of her closet and thought of a particularly scandalous cocktail dress she never got to wear. “You know, I think that could work.” Amy nodded slowly as she thought it through. “Now, I just have to decide on Katherine’s costume.” Stacy looked at the choices hanging on the front of the rack. “Too many to decide?” Amy pulled the first three choices from the rack. “I can’t choose, they all look so cute!” Her eyes bounced back and forth between a pair of short-style pink overalls with snaps across the crotch, the same lacy dress Stacy had shown her, and a soft pink onesie with a bottom flap. “The dress might be a bit over the top, but that might not necessarily be a bad thing. The onesie is simple but might just look like pajamas. The overalls are freaking adorable. I can’t decide!” Stacy looked over her choices, seeing the dilemma. “How about this: you can check out all of them. If you decide you don’t want to use one, bring it back and we’ll refund it.” Amy looked over them all again, still unable to decide. “That’s a great idea. I’m terrible at making decisions on the spot.” Stacy walked over to the shelves across the room. “So, let’s talk accessories. We’re going for over-the-top baby, so you’re going to need… a bonnet.” She pulled a white bonnet with a lace trim off the shelf and handed it to her. “I highly recommend pigtails for a younger look", she added, gently pulling on her own pigtails for emphasis. “She’ll also need a pacifier. What color do you want?” She pointed to a stack of clear plastic boxes, each containing a different color of oversized pacifier. Amy picked a few up, looking them over until she picked up a bright pink one. “This one matches the outfits nicely.” Stacy gestured to the last row of shelves. “Lastly, and most importantly: diapers.” Amy wasn’t sure what to look for. “Um… there’s so many. What’s the difference?” Stacy took some samples down from a shelf and brought a multi-colored stack over. “You’ve got your plain white, boring diapers, more expensive cloth diapers which will need plastic pants, baby print, animal print, emo, overnight extra thick, baby blue, pink princess, and glow-in-the-dark space diapers.” She spread out the options like a giant deck of cards in front of Amy. She picked up the first plain white diaper in the stack and handled it awkwardly. She unfolded it, gaping at how thick it was. It crinkled loudly as she tried to return it to a normal square shape. “How are there this many choices?” She said, handing the plain white one back and taking the even thicker pink diaper. “People have different tastes. You’d be amazed how many customers they have.” Amy looked over the diaper with her inexperienced eye, awkwardly turning it over in her hands. “I really don’t know… I’ll defer to your judgement.” Stacy looked at the stack in her hand. Her tongue poked into her cheek as she hummed quietly to herself in consideration. “Well I’m inclined to go with the princess… but that might actually be too much pink. I think we should go with baby-print.” She held up a mostly white diaper with a pattern of pastel colored blocks that spelled out the word 'BABY' over and over. Amy shrugged, still feeling overwhelmed by the unbelievably large selection. “I guess that sounds good. Is that everything?” “Well…” Stacy looked up, doing a mental inventory of all of the items. “You're covered on the basics. Most people also get diapering supplies, like powder, lotion, wipes, all that stuff, but she's not actually going to use them you'll be okay without them. If she wears them for a long time, she'll probably need just a little powder to prevent chafing. Other than that, you're good.” Amy nodded in understanding as she processed the instructions. “If the diapers don’t turn out to be thick enough for you, we also sell “stuffers”. They’re like diaper pads you line inside to make them last longer. I can give you a sample pack of a few.” Amy wondered why they would need to be any thicker, then remembered Katherine's recent accidents, chuckling to herself that wearing some protection, even as a joke, might actually not be a bad thing for her. “Thank you so much for your help. I wasn't even sure what I was looking for, but I really think this will actually help my friend.” Stacy smiled wider than Amy had seen her entire time there. “It's my pleasure, I'm glad I could help.” There was a tone of genuine happiness in her voice. Stacy carried the items up to the register and rang them up. Amy swiped her card and Stacy handed her the receipt. “Now remember, if you keep your receipt, we can refund anything she hasn't worn. Also, if she turns out to like her new outfit, don't hesitate to stop in for more supplies.” Stacy’s tone changed as she said the last, almost like she was trying to keep from laughing as she told a joke, and she winked at Amy. Amy sighed with relief as she realized that she was joking. Stacy slid a thumb under the neckline of her shirt and pressed out her nametag. “My name is Stacy, give me a call if you need any help with your new baby.” She handed her a business card with the stores name and number on it. “Thanks. I'll be sure to do that.” Amy said, gathering up her purchases. “Are you sure you don't want anything fun for yourself while you're here?” Stacy added. Amy smirked, understanding her sense of humor now. “That's okay, I'm good right now.” Stacy nodded. “Well if you change your mind, you know where to find us!” As Amy walked out the door, a man heading inside froze in his tracks, waiting for her to exit before he awkwardly shuffled past her. Just before the door closed behind him, Amy heard a high- pitched and childish version of Stacy's voice say, “Well if it isn't Princess Poopy Pants!” Amy’s eyes went wide as she realized who the next customer must have been. Amy drove home to her apartment. The typical commute seemed to go much faster as she tried to process everything that happened. The butterflies had mostly settled, but she felt them gently flare up when she thought of dressing up with Katherine tomorrow morning. Had she done the right thing? She made it home and unpacked her treasures. They were all spread out on her kitchen table and she looked over them all carefully. She imagined Katherine in each costume, visualizing which would look best. She opened the pack of diapers and took one out, feeling the crinkly fabric in between her fingers. Amy pulled out her phone and started to text Katherine. “Hey, feeling better?” Katherine replied almost instantly. “Yeah, I just needed a break. Thanks for covering for me. How did costume shopping go?” Amy smirked as she looked at the collection on her table. “Really good, I think it's going to be a good Halloween.” “Cool, so what did you get?” Amy hesitated. There wasn't going to be an easy way to explain this, but in person would be better than over the phone. “It's a surprise!” Katherine's response came immediately. “…Well that doesn't worry me at all.” Amy felt a small burst of panic as she tried to discern Katherine's message. “Don’t worry. Can you meet me before work in the training room and we can get changed there?” “Yeah, I can do that. Do they match?” Amy had to suppress a giggle. “Yeah, you could say that.” Katherine sent a single question mark back. “I said don’t worry! You’ll see tomorrow.” Katherine sent a tongue-sticking-out emoji and said “Fine, see you tomorrow.” Amy put her phone down and looked over the outfits. Now to go pick out a mommy outfit… Chapter 5 Amy arrived at the hospital half an hour before her shift. The hospital was quiet between shift changes. The night staff was much smaller than during the day, and she hardly saw anyone as she made her way to the training room. Her heels clicked against the floor as she walked into the empty training room. She double-checked the scheduling chart, assuring herself that no one would be using the room any time soon. Over her shoulder, she carried a large canvas tote bag, acting as an improvised diaper bag. She walked over to a table and started sorting out the items. The room was used for training nurses on proper child-care methods and procedures, and Amy couldn’t help but laugh as the items didn’t look the slightest bit out of place. She glanced at her watch, making sure they would have plenty of time to get ready. She pulled out a makeup mirror and looked herself over. She had spent a good hour getting herself ready and making her outfit look perfect. She wore a black dress, the length appropriately just above her knees, but also showing a scandalous amount of cleavage. She wore a short-cut business blazer over her dress that made no effort to cover her chest. Her hair was pulled up into a tight bun. A few minutes later, Amy heard the door open as Katherine walked in wearing a normal daily outfit without her doctor’s coat and her badge pinned to her shirt. “Hey Amy. I hope you won’t be needing my coat for the costume. I had to get them both sent in for cleaning after my last good one got stained yesterday.” Amy shook her head, assuring her she wouldn’t need it. Katherine looked her up and down, trying to figure out what her costume was. “Are we dressing up as a female lawyer firm?” Amy laughed. “No, no. They’re a set, but yours looks different than mine.” Katherine looked confused as she looked around the training room. She could see Amy’s bag on the table but couldn’t see what was on it. “I had idea.” Amy began, carefully controlling her tone. “I know it might sound a bit weird… but hear me out.” Katherine’s eyebrows slowly rose up her forehead, obvious concern on her face. “I know you’ve been having a hard time here, and I just wanted to do something that would help you and give you some confidence.” Katherine continued to stare at her with a frozen expression. “I found something that’s like a funny costume… but it’s also supposed to be kind of like a joke?” Her rehearsed speech felt like it was falling apart. Katherine’s heart was beginning to pound. “Okay… what’s so weird about this costume? You’re not making any sense.” Amy didn’t want her to panic. “Well… it’s kind of a statement. If people are making fun of you for something… if you show them that you’re in on the joke, they won’t be able to make fun of you for it.” Worry was now plain on Katherine’s face. “It’s just an idea. It might seem a little embarrassing, but if you do this, I think you’ll feel a lot more comfortable here.” Katherine’s eyes narrowed skeptically. “What is the costume.” Amy sighed, realizing that this wasn’t going to go as smoothly as she planned. She walked over to the table and pulled the outfit out of her bag. She held up a small pair of short pink overalls with an attached white flower-print shirt. The legs were only a few inches long, and the fabric was noticeably baggy around the crotch area, held together with pink button snaps. Katherine looked in horror at the costume. Amy tried to smile reassuringly. “Isn’t it cute? She said quietly, obviously uncomfortable. Katherine was speechless. “You want me to dress up like a baby? How would that help anything?” Amy lowered the costume, bringing it over to Katherine and holding it out in front of her. “It’s like a joke. If you feel like they’re making fun of you, you turn the joke around on them and they’ll stop. It gives you all the power, you just have to be confident!” She pressed the outfit to Katherine’s torso, the frame of the clothing laying flush against her figure. The saleswoman had done well at her estimated guessing. Katherine looked down at it, visualizing herself in the costume. Her discomfort was plain on her face. She let out a slow sigh. “… Okay, I guess it’s better than not having a costume at all. What do I do?” She said, taking the costume from Amy and looking it over. Amy reached out to unbutton the snaps on the outfit. “Don’t worry, I can help you put it on.” Katherine looked up sharply at Amy. “Wait a second, what are you going as?” Amy smiled and held her arms out as if she was showing off her costume for the first time. “I’m going as your mommy!” Katherine’s jaw dropped. “You’re… what?” Amy held her hands up defensively. “I worried that you might be a little too embarrassed, but see, this way I can help you out and make you feel more comfortable. It’s all just an act, and we’ll be in on the joke together. It’s foolproof! Just go with me if you get stuck.” Katherine was looking more nervous by the second. “Maybe you should have gone as the baby and I could have dressed up as the mature grown woman! Wouldn’t that have worked too?” Amy grinned picturing Katherine trying to pull off a motherly look. “Nope, that would look like you were just resisting. You’ve got to own it, okay?” Katherine groaned loudly. “Fine… give it here.” She reached out for the costume, but Katherine gently removed her hand from the overalls. “Well, there’s actually some… accessories that go with this to really pull it off.” Katherine’s brows furrowed. “I think I’ve had enough surprises for one day.” Amy knew that she was already pushing the limit. “I promise, this is the last thing. So, your costume… It’s made to accommodate these accessories, and it won’t look right without them.” Katherine looked down at the costume, looking for anything suspicious when she noticed the snaps on the crotch. She reached down, noticing the slight bulge of extra elastic fabric around the crotch. Her eyes went wide with realization. “A diaper?!” Amy held her hands up defensively. “I promise, it’s made to go with the costume-” “I’m not wearing a diaper!” Katherine cut her off Amy looked at her pleadingly. “You’ll have this baggy costume if you don’t, and if people see it, they’ll just make comments. You’ve got to commit if you’re going to do this…” Katherine groaned. “Okay, fine. Let’s get this over with.” Amy moved to her bag and started to take a diaper out of the package. “It’s kind of awkward to put on, I can help you. Just start taking your clothes off.” Katherine looked at the doors. “What if someone walks in?” “There’s no one here yet, but we don’t have long so we can’t take forever.” Katherine sped up and finished taking off everything but her underwear. Amy came over with the diaper and a bottle of baby powder in her hands. “The underwear will probably have to come off too…” Amy said, looking down at her. Katherine shook her head in disbelief and pulled her underwear down. She covered herself with her hands, her face slowly turning red. Amy walked over with the diaper and unfolded it. “Here, lay down and I’ll help you put it on.” Katherine slowly lowered herself towards the floor, flinching when she her hand touched the cold tile. “The floor is so cold!” Amy looked around the room, noticing the changing table that was used for training classes and wondered if Katherine would fit on one. “Do you think you could climb up on a changing table?” Katherine rolled her eyes and looked for a chair she could climb up for a boost. She put her hands on the corner of the changing table, judging the height, when Amy reached behind her and picked her up. Katherine yelped at the surprise and felt herself lock up as Amy easily lifted her. Amy was surprised at how light she seemed. Amy laid her down on the table, the diaper tucked under her arm. She retrieved the bottle of baby powder and started to unscrew the lid. Katherine looked around, unsure what to do as she laid naked on the table. Amy unfolded the large diaper and tried to lay it down under Katherine. “Can you lift your legs up.” Katherine hesitantly lifted her legs, but it wasn’t high enough to allow for enough room to slide the diaper underneath her. Amy wrapped her hand around Katherine’s ankles and lifted them higher in the air, Katherine’s bottom rising from the table. Amy slid the diaper underneath her, gently lowering Katherine onto the diaper. The soft material brushed against Katherine as her legs were lowered. The thickness through the middle of the diaper compressed as all of Katherine’s weight rested on it but was still thick enough that her legs naturally began to spread. Amy held up a large rectangular pad and laid it down the middle of the diaper, then held up the bottle of powder. “You’ll probably have the costume on all day, and I wouldn’t want it to chafe.” She said, sprinkling a large dusting of powder over Katherine’s privates. Katherine felt so embarrassed, her friend seeing her like this, but she knew that if she was going to do wear this, she had to commit and fight through the embarrassment. Amy lifted the front of the diaper up between Katherine’s legs. As the diaper pushed up against her crotch, the thick bulk forced her legs apart. Amy smoothed the front of the diaper out, tucking the front wings under Katherine’s hips. She unfolded the tapes on one of the wings, drawing it tightly around Katherine’s waist and gently pressing the tape almost to the center to the plastic front. She repeated the process with the other wing, smoothing the tapes and seeing how much the diaper overlapped. It was thick around all sides of Katherine’s crotch, almost too large to fit her. Amy looked at the thick poof between her legs, wondering if it would be too thick for her to move. Katherine experimented with moving her legs with limited success. Her eyebrows furrowed and she looked down in surprise, either at the thickness of the diaper, or the babyish print across the front that she hadn’t noticed. “I can’t close my legs, it’s too thick…” Katherine said, hoping for some way out of this situation. Amy lifted her back up and placed her on the floor, making sure she had her feet under her. “Let’s see how it looks with the costume and then we’ll see if there’s anything we need to do with it.” She picked up the overalls and turned them around to show Katherine that there was a small zipper up the back, the front buttons being only for display. Amy unzipped the outfit from the top of the sewn-in flower-print shirt to the bottom of the waistline and held it wide open for Katherine to step into. Waddling awkwardly, Katherine gingerly placed one foot through the open leg hole, then the other. She shimmied her arms through the shirt sleeves, and Amy pulled the outfit together. She pulled the zipper up to Katherine’s neck, the costume tightening snugly against her body. Katherine looked down at herself, turning her hips left and right in an attempt to see around the new bulk that seemed to surround her. Amy looked down at her with a gleeful expression. “Oh my gosh, you look so stinking cute!” Katherine poked at the diaper and took a few steps, an obvious waddle resulting from the padding. “I think this thing is to big. It looks like the outfit made for it, but I can barely walk!” Amy couldn’t stop staring, every movement of Katherine’s enhancing the cuteness. “I think it looks perfect! It goes with the costume so well, and you’ll get used to it. Now, there’s just a few finishing touches to add…” Amy walked back to her bag, Katherine waddling to catch up with her. Amy pulled out two hair ties and started playing with Katherine’s hair. Soon, her hair was drawn into two large pigtails. Next, she retrieved some fuzzy pink socks that stretched snugly over Katherine’s feet and gave the appearance of baby booties. She took the bonnet out of the bag and stuck her hands inside to hold it open. Katherine looked confused as Amy placed it around her head an fluffed the puff of lace over her head. Her pigtails hung out nicely from the sides as Amy double knotted the cord under Katherine’s chin, securing it in place. “Just one last thing…” She pulled out the oversized pacifier from her pocket. Katherine crossed her arms and shook her head. “No. That’s too far. I’m not going to suck on a baby pacifier.” Amy resisted laughing at what looked like an adorable toddler’s protest. She was tempted to tell her that the pacifier was actually intended for adults but thought better of it. “Oh, come on. It’s just one more thing. Is this really any worse than a diaper? It’s just a costume…” Katherine sighed and rolled her eyes. Her arms still crossed, she simply held her mouth open, signaling her submission. Amy smiled and slid the pacifier nipple into her mouth. Katherine almost jerked back in surprise as the pacifier almost filled her mouth up. She hadn’t expected it to be so big. Amy connected a small strap to the pacifier and clipped it to Katherine’s overalls. “There, you don’t even have to keep it in your mouth all day.” Katherine had to work her jaw that was restricted by her bonnet to get the pacifier out easily and rolled her eyes. “So, I’ve put on the stupid costume. What do you want me to do?” Amy checked her watch. “It’s almost time for the morning meeting. Everyone will be in costume. People are going to love you, so just don’t act embarrassed. They might make some comments, but just go with the joke. They can’t make fun of you if you’re laughing with them.” Katherine didn’t realize how soon the meeting was. She felt her anxiety welling up inside her. She wasn’t good at being the center of attention, a position she had thus far dedicated all her energy towards avoiding. She hated people noticing her, and now if she wanted to earn any respect from these people, she had to make a fool of herself. She felt incredibly far out of her element, but at least she had Amy to help her. “Come on, we better head to the meeting.” Amy said, bundling up her makeshift diaper bag. Katherine looked towards the door, her face frozen in terror. Amy stopped beside her, noticing her look. “It’s okay, just have fun with it!” She picked up the pacifier that dangled from its pink strap and popped it back into Katherine’s mouth. “I’m right here with you. Don’t worry, it’s just for fun.” She gave her an encouraging pat on the back of Katherine’s diaper. The unexpected touch made her lurch forward, unable to balance herself as she tried to get her spread feet under her. She fell backwards, landing squarely on her butt. Amy gasped. Katherine expected to feel pain from the sudden impact, but the thick diaper had acted as a convenient pillow for her. “I’m okay.” She said, rolling to one side and awkwardly standing up again like a toddler. Amy felt terrible for essentially knocking her friend over, but she couldn’t help but notice how everything Katherine did seemed to be ridiculously cute. She kept her observations to herself and resisted the urge to squeal. Katherine pinned her ID badge to the front of her costume and slipped her phone into the large singular pocket on the front of her overalls. They started walking towards the door and Amy noticed how she really did look like a toddler as she walked, and an idea came to her. “Hold on one second, I have an idea.” She rushed over to one of the computer stations against the wall. “What is it? That meeting is in like two minutes.” Katherine protested. Amy’s hands flew across the keyboard as she signed in and opened the patient record program. “This is way too perfect. I just realized what your costume needs.” She hit enter and the small printer next to the computer whirred loudly. A small stub of paper stuck out and Amy snatched it out of the tray. She carried it over to Katherine and kneeled beside her. She slid the paper around her ankle and snapped a small button. Katherine looked down to see a hospital ID tag connected to her leg. Most of the information was missing, but her name and age were visible. She noticed that that Amy had written 24 months. “You added me into the patient system?” “I just made a fake new account. It just has your name and age, nothing else. It fits way too perfectly for being in a children’s hospital. Plus, anyone who works here will know that it’s fake since there’s nothing else on it.” Katherine shrugged it off and they resumed heading for the morning meeting. Amy held the door open for her as Katherine toddled into the hallway. She immediately glanced around, wondering if anyone was looking at her. She noticed a few people going about their business, most of them in costume, but no one seemed to notice her. She forced her feet to move forward as she followed Amy to their meeting room. Just before they entered, Amy bent down and grabbed Katherine’s hand like a mother guiding her child through a crowded mall. As they walked through doors to the meeting room, a wave of silence moved through the room. Nurses and doctors, all in their costumes, seemed to simultaneously notice the peculiar silence filling the room. Super heroes, princesses, minimal effort animals, and an assortment of cheesy classic Halloween monsters all turned to look at what was causing the silence. They all turned to look at Katherine and Amy. Amy held her act together and smiled confidently while Katherine felt herself freezing up in panic. Katherine couldn’t process the assorted noises coming from all sides. Hands flew to people’s mouths in astonishment. Gasps, coos, and awws came from all directions. “I didn’t know it was bring-your-daughter-to-work day.” One bystander jeered. The crowd erupted in laughter. Katherine felt herself blushing bright red but forced a weak smile on her face. She just had to play along, and things would get better. The crowd started moving towards them, admiring Katherine’s costume more closely. “Wow, you guys really went all out. She’s even got a pacifier!” A nurse knelt down and looked at Katherine like she was a child, cooing at her and holding her pacifier in front of her mouth like it was a spoonful of baby food posing as an airplane. “It’s so cute! If I didn’t know any better I would think she was a patient.” Amy beamed and said, “Check out her ankle.” Multiple nurses looked down and saw the tag. Katherine was swarmed as they examined her official hospital tag. They laughed in disbelief as they looked it over, almost throwing Katherine off balance. “That just takes the cake. Where did you guys get your costumes? I don’t remember seeing anything like this at the party store…” Amy felt a moment of panic as she tried to think of an answer, but another nurse cut off her train of thought as she asked, “Um… is she wearing a diaper?” More murmuring came from the crowd as they eyed Katherine closely. Katherine’s cheeks flushed hotter than she’d ever seen before. “Well we had to make it authentic!” Amy said. A few nurses laughed helplessly. “Well, if you need a change, you’re in the right place.” More laughter erupted around them. Katherine forced herself to chuckle with her audience. The slowly growing crowd quickly dispersed as Kelly entered the room. She had a small set of fairy wings on her back and was wearing a short pink tutu over her professional attire. It was a subtle change, the only other prop being a magic wand pen for her ordinary clipboard. “Good morning everyone.” She scanned the crowd, taking in the costumes. “I’m glad to see everyone looking festive for the holiday. Our Public Relations manager will be-” She stopped short as she noticed Katherine’s costume. Her normally stern face looked icy as she stared at Katherine. Amy kept a straight face, with the exception of a cocky grin, almost defying Kelly to say something. Katherine looked down at her booty-covered feet. “-will be coming by shortly to get a group picture for our social media pages, so please stick around.” Katherine felt herself go cold and involuntarily gripped Amy’s hand. Amy gently gripped it back in response, trying to tell her that it was okay. She didn’t want any evidence of this. She started to pretend in her mind that this wasn't happening. Kelly continued through her routine speech, pointedly not looking at Katherine. As she was nearly finished, an energetic woman came through the doors behind them. She wore a tracksuit with the hospitals logo and carried a large camera from a strap around her neck. She cut off Kelly as she spoke. “Are we ready? I' making rounds through each department.” Kelly looked incredibly annoyed at the interruption. “Just a moment. Anyway, refer to the schedule for any potential changes. That is all.” She looked back at the woman and nodded curtly, letting her know she had the floor. “Alright everyone. Can we all bunch up together.” She began looking through her camera's viewfinder and framing the shot. “Tallest in the back, shortest in the front”. The crowd began shuffling into a mob. Katherine looked up at Amy in horror. Amy smile down at her reassuringly. “It's okay, just roll with it.” Katherine gulped and let go of Amy's hand. She slowly moved around the crowd, trying to stay hidden off to the side. The woman continued to frame her shot, gesturing with her hands for people to move closer together. “Great costumes everyone! Okay, everyone squeeze in on the sides. Try to position yourself so we're not blocking anyone- oh my gosh, you on the end there!” She looked up from her camera and pointed at Katherine. “Oh my gosh, that is adorable. Come down here in front!” She frantically waved her hand, gesturing towards the head of the group. The mob held still, looking around to see who she was pointing at. Katherine shuffled quietly to the front, all eyes staring at her. “This is perfect for the children’s ward. Oh, nurses, can you like use your stethoscope on her or something?” She had them try out various poses, making the ordeal last much longer than it would have been if Katherine had just been able to go unnoticed. Once the photographer finally decided on the group pose she was satisfied with, she snapped several photos in a row. “Those will be perfect for our page. I’ll tag each of you in the photos so people can vote in the costume contest.” Katherine didn’t feel like she could feel any more shame. Costume contest?! Everyone is going to see me like this. It won’t just be the people in my department. The crowd dispersed and went their separate ways. Amy walked up to her. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Katherine tried to manage a weak smile but couldn’t hide the distress on her face. Amy looked sympathetically into her eyes. “It’s okay, the worst part is over. Just have fun with it and things will get better.” Amy had to break eye contact as her pager went off. “Sorry, got a call. Text me if you need anything, I’ll talk to you soon.” Katherine checked her own schedule and started making her rounds. Her costume made her job difficult, but she quickly figured out a routine for avoiding confusion. She would knock on a patient’s room and walk in while holding out her ID badge and announcing her name. Parent’s still looked at her with skepticism or confusion, but no one doubted that she was a doctor. After she got into the rhythm, she began to feel more comfortable wearing the costume. Katherine even started receiving a few compliments on the authenticity, but she tried to ignore that they may be referring to her obviously poofy diaper. After a few hours, she barely felt any embarrassment about it anymore. She smiled when people awwed and cooed at her. She mastered the diaper waddle and was able to avoid tripping over herself. After getting caught up with her schedule, she finally had time for a break and desperately needed the bathroom. Katherine found a staff bathroom and locked the door behind her. She started trying to unfasten the buttons of her overalls before remembering that they were actually fake. She reached towards the back of her neck, her fingers barely reaching the small zipper that held her costume up. Her fingers felt along the fabric until she made contact with the cold metal and tried to tug it downwards. The zipper refused to move. She tugged harder, at first scared to rip her costume, but then realized that no matter how hard she pulled, it wasn’t moving. Just being in the bathroom had prepped her mind that she would be able to pee soon, and as she stood next to the toilet, the pressure was quickly becoming unbearable. Katherine tried to reach her hand up her back, but the zipper was still out of reach. She tugged and pulled in every direction, but her suit would not move. Panic began to set in. She felt herself beginning to sweat from the stress of pulling at the zipper. Her arms and back began to hurt, her muscles not used to the unusual positions. She grunted in frustration and took out her phone. She pulled up Amy’s contact info and called her. The phone rang and rang until Amy’s voicemail picked up. Katherine hung up in frustration. “Damn it, Amy!” She grunted to herself. She looked longingly at the toilet, her bladder sending another painful wave of pressure. She bent over and wrapped her arms around her stomach. What am I going to do, I can’t get this stupid costume off! The bathroom was silent, the only sound Katherine could hear was her pounding heartbeat in her ears. Her mind was racing, trying to think of a solution when a loud pounding came from the door. “Is anyone in there?” A voice called as the locked handle jiggled up and down. Katherine flinched in surprise at the loud sound, unsure what to do. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She stood there, completely frozen, when she felt a hot trickle escaping from her. Katherine’s knees went weak and she fell forward, kneeling on the floor. Her hands went to her crotch, pressing desperately to stop the flow, but she couldn’t stop as the painful pressure continued. Her thick diaper started to feel warm as the absorbent pads expanded against her. She could feel it getting heavier as it tugged against the tapes around her waist. Her mind went blank, frozen in terror with the only sensation keeping her grounded in reality being the spreading warmth in her crotch. Tears started to form as the stream began to slow. She was dressed as a baby, now trapped in her costume with a soaking wet diaper. She was already broadcasting to the world the fact that she was wearing a diaper. What if someone noticed that she had wet herself? Any respect she had built up for herself would be gone. A metal clicking sound came from the door as a key entered the lock. Katherine looked up from the floor in horror to see the doorknob turning. A nurse opened the door, then jumped back in surprise to see someone inside. “Oh, little girl, you’re not supposed to be in here.” Katherine got to her feet and moved towards the door, her waddle even more obvious than before. “Sorry.” Katherine muttered quietly as she awkwardly ran past the nurse. The woman continued to watch her until Katherine turned the corner. Katherine hated feeling the warm diaper squish against her as she moved. No matter how she moved, she couldn’t stop the thick material from making contact against her skin. She was trapped in this costume, and now trapped in a wet diaper. She found an open supply closet and hid herself behind a group of shelves. She slid against the wall until her thick padding made contact with the floor. A fresh wave of warmth came over her as the diaper pressed tightly against her. She felt completely trapped. She pulled out her phone again and pulled up Amy’s contact. The green call button seemed to stare at her, daring her to call and admit her predicament. She couldn’t stay like this all day… Chapter 6: Katherine stared at her phone as she sat in the corner of the supply closet. It was hard enough to stand with the thick bulk that was trapped between her legs, but now the only relief from her awkward, bowlegged stance was to sit on the warm, wet padding. She hated how it felt against her skin, a constant reminder of her inability to control her bladder. The call log on her phone listed several time stamps for all the unanswered calls to Amy, each about a minute apart. Katherine felt herself starting to rock back and forth with anxiousness, but quickly had to stop as she felt the diaper squish under her shifting weight. Come on Amy… pick up your phone… Katherine pleaded to the device. I can’t stay like this all day… She almost dropped her phone as it vibrated in her hands. She looked at the screen to see a text from Amy. “Sorry, I got called in for a procedure and won’t be able to meet for lunch. I’ll find you on the schedule and come meet you when I’m done.” The tears that Katherine had been trying to hold back streamed gently town her face as she re-read the message. She couldn’t bring herself to tell her friend what had happened. She needed to get out of this wet diaper and couldn’t even open the zipper to her outfit. Her colleagues couldn’t find out about this and Amy was the only one who would keep her secret. As she considered what few options she had, Katherine’s work pager went off. She pulled the small device out of the singular large pocket on the front of her overalls and read the display. She had been called in for a patient in the infant ward. It wasn’t uncommon for the doctors to do their rounds while in costume, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to hide her current condition. A patient needed her and there was no way to communicate that she wasn’t available. She didn’t have a choice. Katherine dried her eyes off and shakily got to her feet. The warm diaper was already beginning to cool against her skin, a wet mush shifting against her with each step. She winced at the cold sensation as she made her way out of the supply closet. I’ll just have to deal with it for a little while until Amy can get me out of this. Katherine told herself, trying to think positively as she waddled awkwardly down the hall. She made her way to the infant wing and walked past the reception desk. A few nurses milled around without noticing her and Katherine looked up at the board to match the number on her pager. There were only a few patients listed on the schedule, all of them paired up with a doctor except for one. She looked at the blank slot where her name would go when she signed in, then looked at the patient name. “K. Baker. Room 315. Age: 24 months.” Katherine re-read the chart, confirming what she was seeing. They had her name in the wrong section. Her pager had gone off to inform her that she was assigned someone in room 315, but it appeared as if there wasn’t a patient. Katherine walked down the hall towards the room to investigate. She turned a corner and almost ran into a nurse who was looking at the clipboard in her hands. The woman stopped in her tracks and looked down at her. “Well aren’t you just a little cutie. Are you lost?” Amy blushed, but steeled herself to answer. “Thank you. No, I’m not lost. I’m supposed to be in room 315.” She walked around the nurse and continued down the hall. The nurse didn’t move, watching Katherine carefully as she headed to the room. Katherine read the room numbers as she passed, gradually increasing as she neared her assigned room. She passed one room labeled “Feeding Room” and had a pang of discomfort in her stomach as she remembered her previous experience in the feeding room. She continued quickly past it and found room 315. She reached up and turned the handle to the room. Room 315 had been styled as a pink nursery, with a child-sized hospital bed that doubled as a crib, a rocking chair, a changing table, and what looked like a second bed in the corner with a large, lacy hood. She stepped inside and looked at the patient info on the whiteboard. Patient: K. Baker. Age: 24 Mo. Everything else on the chart was blank. No medical history, no reason for the visit, and no guardian. Clearly this was some kind of computer glitch. As Katherine read the chart, a nurse entered the room. The woman was thin, the lines of her skin hinting at her age, but she moved with a quick efficiency that showed her experience. “Oh, hello there. What are you doing in here?” Her surprised tone quickly shifted to a babyish voice when she saw Katherine’s outfit. Katherine opened her mouth to speak, starting to point at the chart when the woman leaned down and looked at her ankle tag. Before Katherine could think of what to say, the woman lifted her up and read the tag aloud. “K. Baker. Oh, so you must be our patient!” She smiled as she laid Katherine down on the bed. Fear washed over her as Katherine realized how this must look. She couldn’t talk her way out of this with an ankle tag on. She hadn’t planned to cause any confusion, but now she feared that she might get in trouble for messing with the hospital’s computer system. As her mind raced trying to process her circumstances, the nurse looked down at the thick diaper that bulged through her overalls. “My goodness, someone needs a change.” Katherine’s eyes went wide as the nurse went over to a supply cabinet and retrieved a child-sized diaper and changing supplies. It was too late to say anything, she would just have to go with it and hope she had a chance to sneak out later. The nurse reached down towards Katherine’s crotch and started to undo the snaps that connected the front and back of her shorts. Katherine’s eyebrows furrowed in surprise. There was another way to get out of her costume? She only knew about the zipper that had failed to open and trapped her in her outfit. She wanted to kick herself for not figuring another way out. Once the snaps were undone, the nurse pulled the front of her overalls up, exposing her diaper. “Hmm… I don’t think I’ve ever seen these before.” The nurse mused as she started to undo the tapes. “My goodness, this is thick!” Katherine did her best to stay perfectly still, not wanting to draw attention to herself, but she couldn’t help but blush as the nurse commented on the state of her diaper. The nurse slid the heavy diaper out from under her and had to carefully fold it to make it fit inside a nearby diaper pail. The new diaper was laid down underneath her. Katherine tried to find a spot in the room to focus on, anything to distract her mind from her situation, but the pink nursery only contained childish objects that refused to allow her to think of anything else. She closed her eyes as the nurse took a wipe and began to clean her. Her gently movements felt comforting despite the awkward situation. The nurse smiled and cooed at her as she thoroughly cleaned Katherine with motherly efficiency. She applied lotion and powder before tightly taping up the much thinner diaper and snapping her overalls shut. The nurse noticed Katherine’s closed eyes. “Aw, is someone sleepy? You can take a nap for a while.” She said, mostly speaking to herself. “We’re not exactly sure what’s going on with your chart, probably some computer glitch. We’ll get it figured out soon and we can get you all taken care of.” She cooed over Katherine, circling her index finger above her face before she booped her on the nose. She waved at her before she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Katherine quickly sat up, looking around the room. Her new thinner diaper crinkled underneath her as she sat up. It was noticeably itchier than her first diaper, and she shifted uncomfortably as the material rubbed against. Katherine noticed the window above the door, ensuring that she wouldn’t have any privacy while she was stuck here. She reached behind her to tug on the zipper again, but it remained unmoving. She looked down to the snaps along the bottom of her overalls, wondering if she could unsnap her outfit and slide it up over her head. When she looked closer, she saw that the snaps connected the legs of her shorts didn’t reach to the bottom of the legs. The buttons allowed for flaps to open for easier diaper changes but didn’t allow access to slide the entire outfit off. Trapped in her outfit, Katherine grunted in frustration and began to think about a way out. Maybe if I can get out of the room, I can show someone my badge and convince them that this is just my Halloween costume. Katherine looked down at the front of her costume where her badge had been pinned. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw that it was no longer there. She frantically looked in her pocket which contained her pager and cell phone. She looked around on the floor but didn’t see it anywhere. Oh no no no no… She internally screamed as she continued to search. I must have dropped it back in the supply closet! How am I going to get to it? Katherine heard footsteps approaching her door. She quickly scrambled back into the bed as if she had never gotten up. The same nurse from earlier walked in holding a large bottle in her hands. “We don’t have your schedule yet or know your medications, so we’re gonna get started on the regular feeding schedule.” She addressed Katherine but spoke as if she knew that Katherine wouldn’t respond or understand her. Katherine felt a pain in her stomach, remembering how she hadn’t had time to eat lunch. She brought the nipple up to Katherine’s mouth and gently pressed it between her lips. Katherine felt a few drops of bland tasting formula trickled on to her tongue. She resisted the urge to gag at the taste as she began to suckle. The nurse continued held the bottle firmly against her lips as she drank. “My, my, you’re a hungry one. Don’t worry sweetie, we’ll move you to the feeding room once nap time’s over and we you can have dinner.” Katherine tried to keep the reaction off of her face, but internally grimaced at the thought of going to the feeding room. As she held the bottle, the nurse pulled a clipboard off of a nearby table and started marking a slip of paper with a pen. “Okay… found you with a very wet diaper, probably had been worn for a while. Bottle at 1:30 PM. I expect another wetting soon, and we’ll be charting to see how regular you are.” As she continued to feed her, the woman looked down at Katherine’s hospital tag, then at the other ankle. “Oh, we forgot to get you a monitor bracelet.” Katherine had forgotten all about the hospital’s infant monitoring system and started to panic as she realized how much harder her escape was going to be now. The nurse retrieved a large plastic bracelet from a nearby locked drawer and started to fasten it around Katherine’s ankle. It was an uncuttable locking bracelet that had a large plastic flower attached to it. While it looked harmless, the flower contained a near-field tracking monitor that was fitted to all newborns so that they could not leave the hospital without the mother present. Because Katherine had no guardian with a matching bracelet, the alarm would go off if she left the room without an escort with a nurse’s bracelet. She finished attaching it, and the plastic flower chimed a short melody to indicate that it was activated. Katherine’s belly began to feel full as she wasn’t used to drinking so much all at once. Her jaw strained against the constant suction. She forced herself to keep drinking as she swallowed the last few drops of the bottle. The nurse looked appreciatively at the empty bottle. “That was fast, someone must have been thirsty. We might need to get you another one before dinner if you’re still thirsty.” Katherine winced at the comment, her normally flat belly was now showing a rounded bulge in her overalls. She wasn’t sure that she could drink any more if she wanted to. The nurse wiped away a few drops from around Katherine’s lips and popped Katherine’s pacifier into her mouth. She smiled at her, then walked out of the room, leaving her alone in the nursery. Katherine immediately spat out the pacifier and pulled her phone out of the pocket. She opened her recent calls and started to dial Amy’s phone. Just as she was about to his send, Amy entered the room. She looked horrified as she saw Katherine lying in the bed. She shut the door behind her and came over to the bed. “Oh no. I’m sorry Katie, I don’t know how this happened! I saw your name on the board with no physician listed and I thought it was just a mistake.” Katherine felt so relieved to see her friend that she almost forgot how mad she was about the whole situation. “It’s okay, just get me out of here.” She lifted her ankle in the air to show Amy her predicament. Amy’s mouth dropped as she realized the problem. “Oh crap… I don’t have a bracelet. I’ll have to add myself to the system and get one. Okay, just wait here and I’ll be back to get you. Don’t worry, I’m going to sort this out.” She gave her friend a quick hug, which Katherine returned. She hated being stuck like this, but she was still grateful to have a friend. Amy slipped out of the room, leaving Katherine alone again. She pulled out her phone to stave off the boredom but noticed that she had less than 30% battery left on her phone. I don’t know how long I’ll be here… I should probably save my battery. She closed her open apps and put the phone in battery save mode. After she returned it to her pocket, she stared at the ceiling and took in the room around her. Unlike most hospital rooms, this one unfortunately did not have a television. Even if it did, if the nurse came back to see it on, she would know that Katherine must have turned it on. Katherine sighed as she realized how boring her wait would be until Amy could get herself added to the system. Katherine looked around for a clock but didn’t see one on the wall. She was tempted to pull out her phone but didn’t want to drain the battery by waking it up. Boredom was quickly overtaking her. Minutes felt like hours in the silence, and she began to yawn from the lack of stimulation. The idea of a nap suddenly sounded very appealing, and Katherine realized that it would be an easy way to pass the time as well as keep her cover. The nurse had said this was supposed to be naptime anyway. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Katherine awoke to a pain in her bladder. Her stomach still felt full of the formula and she wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep. She pulled out her phone and saw that it had been almost 3 hours. She sent a quick text to Amy. “How is it going?”. She stared at her phone as she waited for a response. Her stomach made a loud gurgling noise and her bladder let out another pang of discomfort. She looked around the room but realized that there was no bathroom in the room. She looked back to her phone, pleading that Amy would respond. Minutes went by with no reply, all the while her bladder continued to protest. I don’t want to do that again… She thought as she remembered the diaper around her waist. If Amy could break her out, she could use a normal bathroom. But if she couldn’t in time, the nurses would notice that Katherine was still dry. Another 10 minutes went by with no response, and Katherine began to rock in her bed with anticipation. She felt herself breaking, unable to hold back anymore. Come on Amy… She pleaded, but her phone didn’t go off. She sighed and steeled herself for what was about to happen. She had been clenching to maintain control, and as she gently relaxed her muscles, she felt herself releasing into her diaper. Katherine winced at the familiar warm sensation as her diaper began to expand and spread around her, but she couldn’t stop herself from audibly sighing with relief as the pressure left her belly. The diaper continued to swell as her flow finally finished. Katherine moved around in her bed in an attempt to find a more comfortable position but noticed that the diaper didn’t hold the fluid as she squished the swollen pad. She hadn’t realized the difference in the diapers that Amy had picked out for her versus the cheap generic diapers the hospital used. The material sagged much more, threatening to leak with each move. A wet sensation began to gather at the legs of her overalls as the diaper leaked over the edges. Katherine hadn’t realized how much she had flooded. I guess these children’s diapers weren’t meant to hold that much... She could only hold still to prevent the leak from spreading. She laid back, trapped in her bed with nothing to do as she waited for Amy to come back. Katherine couldn’t be sure how much time had gone past before the nurse came back. The woman beamed as she came over to the crib. “Did someone enjoy her naptime?” She began to undo the snaps of her overalls as the spoke. “I didn’t hear any fussing from outside. Such a sweet girl, so well behaved.” She placed a hand on the front of Katherine’s diaper. “My goodness, you’re absolutely soaked! Let’s get you out of that wet diaper.” Just as before, she was quick and efficient with her change, but as she unfastened the tapes and pulled the diaper down, the woman looked a little surprised. She reached over to the clipboard and started writing. “Second diaper change, very wet, but no bowel movements yet. I hope you’re not constipated…” There was genuine concern in her voice. The diaper change was almost finished when the nurse smiled at her and said, “Maybe some dinner will help you with that.” A sense of dread came over Katherine as she realized what was going to happen. She fought hard to keep her face blank and unreadable. Just keep acting like a baby… Just a little longer and Amy can get you out of here… The woman picked up Katherine as if she weighed nothing, waved her bracelet against Katherine’ tracker, and after getting a confirmation tone, carried her to the feeding room. Katherine was locked in a familiar high-chair, the table locked in against her chest. She noticed a grumble from her stomach and realized how long it had been since she had eaten real food. Maybe if she was actually hungry, the dreadful food would taste better than last time. As other babies were places in their chairs, Katherine’s nurse came over with 3 jars of baby food and a bottle full of a white fluid. Katherine eyed the bottle skeptically. She was feeling incredibly thirsty, but her jaw still ached from trying to suck down the thick baby formula. The bottle was placed in her mouth. As she suckled, she was pleased to find that it was warm, ordinary milk, which flowed much easier through the bottle nipple. The nurse pulled it away just as she was almost finished with it. “we’ll save a little for when you’re done.” Katherine eyed the small jars of food. The labels were all turned away from her as the nurse removed the lids. One jar was an ugly orange color that might have been closer to brown. The second jar was the green shade of a 70s shag rug carpet. The last was a deep purple that resembled grape jelly. Katherine could only hope at the last of these that she would have something that actually tasted good to look forward to. The nurse grabbed a little pink plastic spoon from a nearby tray and scooped out the largest spoonful the little piece of plastic could hold and began to move it like an airplane, complete with sounds and commands from an air traffic control tower. Katherine did her best to not look annoyed and opened her mouth compliantly. “Such a good baby!” The nurse deposited the spoon in her mouth. Katherine closed her mouth around it and tried not to wince as the taste of blended squash and carrots touched her tongue. After several more tiny spoonfuls, Katherine had just gotten used to the taste of the carrots and squash as she emptied the jar and moved on to the green substance. Katherine braced herself, but couldn’t keep herself from frowning at the taste of mushy peas. She ate compliantly until the second jar was finished. Her stomach was feeling full already, protesting as she eyed the last jar. “I’m a little worried about your tummy, so I got this one special just for you.” She said as she prepared the jar and loaded up the spoon with the thick purple substance. Katherine gulped, then braced herself for the new goop. Almost done… Let’s just get this over with… She opened her mouth. Katherine’s eyes went wide as she realized the taste on her tongue. “Aren’t prunes such a treat!” The nurse said gleefully. “They’re sweet, just like candy, but they’re also good for your tummy.” The foul substance slid down Katherine’s throat as she reluctantly swallowed. She had always hated prunes, but something about the mushy texture just made it that much more unpleasant. Spoonful after spoonful, she gulped down the sickly-sweet mush into her already full belly. The nurse made sure to get every last scrape from the bottom of the jar before handing Katherine back her half-finished bottle. She was thankful to have something to wash the taste of prunes out of her mouth. The nurse returned her to the room and laid her on the hospital bed. “I’ll be back in a bit to check on you sweetie. I’m sure we’ll have this glitch with your chart sorted out soon.” Katherine resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The nurse left the room, closing the door behind her. Katherine sat up, feeling discomfort from her bloated stomach. Her bladder was already starting to feel full again from her bottle from dinner. She pulled out her phone, now at 25% battery, and checked to see if Amy had said anything. There were no new notifications on her phone, and no indications that Amy would be able to rescue her before the nurse made rounds again for a diaper change. Another wave of pain pushed from her bladder, and Katherine decided that she wasn't going to let it become painful again. She concentrated and started to wet herself. During her previous accidents, Katherine had always had a painfully full bladder that had released out of desperation. Now, she found herself straining and holding her breath as she forced herself to use her diaper. It was over much quicker this time, the thin diaper dealing with the smaller wetting much more efficiently than before. Katherine couldn't help but smile as the diaper still felt comfortable, the wet spot barely noticeable against her skin. A warm blush came to her cheeks as she thought about what she had done. It had felt naughty, deliberately peeing her pants, but it gave her a strange since of control, choosing to have an accident on purpose. She laid back against the bed, content with herself, when her door suddenly opened. Amy stepped inside with her makeshift diaper bag over her shoulder. “Hey, I'm sorry it took so long. I ran into a few problems.” “Where were you?” Katherine demanded. “I'll explain later. I figured out a way to get you discharged-" before she could finish, the nurse opened the door. “Oh, hello… I didn't know anyone else was assigned to this room.” Her uncertain tone almost sounded like a threat towards Amy, as if she knew she wasn't supposed to be there. “Oh, yes. I'm Katie's legal guardian.” Katherine had to try her hardest to keep a look of shock off of her face. Amy held out her hand towards the nurse. The nurse shook it warmly, while still keeping a look of skepticism on her face. “Oh, you must be Misses Baker.” Amy faked an awkward laugh. “No, no, but I’m acting as her guardian. I understand there's been some sort of scheduling error?” The nurse noticed Amy's badge and her expression softened. “Yes, we weren't sure what was going on. We've been handed off to different departments to figure out the glitch, so they've just told us to keep her as a patient until further notice.” Amy nodded as if she was fully aware of the situation. “Of course. Well, Katherine wasn't feeling very well, so we came to the hospital. Her doctor recommended a simple observation period just to be safe, and it seems that everything just got mixed up somewhere. She seems to be doing fine now.” Amy looked over to Katherine, who gave her best impression of a smiling baby. The nurse looked over at Katherine. “Well there's no doubt she knows you. That's the first time I've seen her smile. Well we've had her here since this afternoon. If you can find the doctors orders, we can discharge her tomorrow morning.” “Tomorrow?” Amy questioned. “Yes.” The nurse said matter-of-factly. “Observations last 24 hours unless instructed otherwise. Without the written orders, we can't discharge her early. But if they manage to fix the problem and find the order, you can take her hone then.” Katherine felt tears threatening to find to the corners of her eyes. Stuck all night here? She had been so ready to go home, and now she was somehow even more trapped than before. The nurse walked over to her and gently touched Katherine's diaper. “Someone's a little wet. Would you like to change her?” the nurse looked to Amy's diaper bag. “Um…okay, sure" Amy said, trying to play along with her lie. Katherine felt herself going numb as she grasped her situation. Amy knew she had actually used her diaper and was about to change her. She looked at the ceiling and tried not to make eye contact. The nurse watched intently as Amy pulled out one of the thick baby-print diapers. “What are those? I saw her wearing one earlier. They're awfully puffy...” Amy looked at the diaper, hesitating as she tried to think of a plausible explanation. “They're… overnight diapers. Much more comfortable and they help prevent rashes.” The nurse looked surprised as she considered this. Amy untapped the hospital diaper and wadded it up. The nurse peered over her shoulder. “Is she only wet?” Amy seemed a bit confused by the question. “Um, yes. Just wet.” The nurse went over to the clipboard and marked something on the chart. “We’ve been trying to track a schedule for her, and I’m surprised she hasn’t had a movement yet. We might need to do something to help her along.” Amy looked down at Katherine with sympathetic eyes, hoping her friend wouldn’t have to endure anything else. Amy lifted the lid to the diaper pail and froze as she saw the other heavily used adult diaper at the bottom. Katherine wondered why Amy had stopped moving, then realized what she must have been looking at. Amy looked to Katherine who wouldn't meet her gaze. She deposited the diaper in the pail and closed the lid. Amy opened up the new, much puffier diaper and slid it underneath Katherine. Katherine closed her eyes and tried to block out what was happening, a skill she was quickly becoming adept at. Amy wiped, powdered, and quickly fastened the thick diaper around Katherine’s waist. As she started to fasten the snaps, she noticed the dampness around Katherine’s overalls. She didn’t want to embarrass her friend any more than she already had been, but she didn’t want her to be stuck in wet clothes. “I think her other diaper might have leaked… I have a different outfit for her to change into.” Amy went to her diaper bag and pulled out a pink onesie. Katherine tried not to glare at Amy. Why had she had another outfit? Had she planned for something like this? Amy came over and began to undress Katherine. Her zipper slid down easily as Amy guided it down. Katherine felt her cheeks go hot with rage at how easily Amy had been abot to free her from her prison. She slid the wet overalls off and slid Katherine’s legs into the soft onesie. She guided the material up and around Katherine’s arms, then snugly over her shoulders as she zipped the back up. Oh great, another zipper. Katherine thought to herself. Amy unclipped the pacifier from the overalls and reattached it to the front of Katherine’s new outfit. The popped the oversized nipple into her mouth and Katherine held it there, subtly trying to glare at Amy. Amy spoke in a babyish voice. “Now don’t worry honey. The doctors just want to keep you here for one night and then Mommy can take you home. Can you be good for me for just one night?” Katherine continued to glare, understanding, but unhappy with the message her friend was trying to tell her. Amy leaned in and kissed the top of Katherine’s head, then quietly whispered so the nurse couldn’t hear her. “I’ll message you. I’ll get you out as soon as I can.” She stood up and retrieved her bag. “So, will visiting hours be an issue?” “Not at all.” The nurse said. “However, you’ll have to have someone present if the glitch doesn’t get fixed. It’s a really abnormal circumstance. I’ve never seen one go on for this long before.” Amy nodded. “Alright, I’ll probably come by later.” She waved to Katherine as she walked out of the room with the nurse. “I’ll see you soon honey, Mommy loves you.” Katherine watched them go as the door shut. She didn’t move for a while, the pacifier still sitting in her mouth. She knew it was all an act for the nurse, but she actually felt better from Amy’s loving comments. The loneliness, boredom, and humiliation of this place left her hungry for attention and affection. She wanted to go home. She wanted to put all of this behind her. Soon, she would be free and would be going home with Amy. She unconsciously started sucking her pacifier, the only real thing she could do in this room. She looked back up at the ceiling and stared as the minutes went past. Just have to hold out a little longer. Just a little more… Chapter 7: The sun began to set, the light faded to a soft orange in Katherine's hospital room. The lack of stimulation and isolation of her room made her hyper-aware of any change in her surroundings. Her stomach was still overstuffed from dinner, every gurgle echoing loudly in the otherwise silent room. The plastic of Katherine’s diapers rustled and crinkled loudly with each movement as if it were a bell around her neck, constantly reminding her of her predicament. Katherine did everything she could to try to stave off the boredom. The temptation to pull out her phone was almost more than she could stand, but she knew her battery wouldn’t last long and she had to save it for communicating with Amy. She couldn’t mentally distract herself long enough before something would snap her out of her distraction and remind her where she was. She was locked in a pink nursery with an alarm on her ankle, forced to eat disgusting baby food, trapped in a baby girl’s outfit, complete with humiliatingly thick diapers, and worst of all, she actually had to use them. Her job would be at risk if anyone found out she was actually a doctor. She was small enough that if she put on a believable enough performance, no one would notice. She had no choice but to commit to the humiliating masquerade, but it only became more difficult the longer she held out. It had been a few hours since dinner, but Katherine was already beginning to feel thirsty. Her stomach still felt uncomfortably full from her generously proportioned dinner, but she hadn’t had much to drink with it. She dreaded the thought of being given another bottle of the foul-tasting baby formula, but her night would become unbearable if she had to wait for morning for a drink. The lack of a clock in the room didn’t help her judge how long it had been since she had eaten, or how soon someone would come back to her room. How will they know that I need a drink? Katherine looked up at the emergency call button against the wall before it occurred to her how futile it would be. They’ll know for sure that something is weird if a ‘baby’ can use the emergency call button. How do babies normally communicate that they need something? She barely finished the thought before she realized the obvious answer. Oh… basically all they can do is cry… Katherine took a moment to evaluate her acting skills. If she was going to do this, she had to commit. She would have to cry loudly enough to get someone’s attention, then keep crying until they figured out what she wanted. Once she started, there would be no going back. If she messed this up, they would figure out something was wrong and she could end up fired. While she considered the problem, Katherine’s anxiety began to well up inside her again. She was beginning to feel mentally exhausted from all the stress of the past week. The anxiety built as she dwelt on her situation, when tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes. Her eyes widened as she realized how she could make this believable. She began to take down her barriers for her anxiety and let her emotions run out of control. All her stress, fear, humiliation, loneliness, and anger that she had been bottling up were released all at once. Tears began to flow from her eyes. She started involuntarily whimpering in time with her sobs. Some adult part of her brain tried to regain control and keep her crying quiet, but Katherine knew she couldn’t worry about embarrassment. The whimpering became louder. As Katherine pushed her adult fears back and let her emotions escape, she felt a strange relief wash over her. It actually felt good to cry. Her nose began to run, hot tears streaked down her face, and she was almost yelling into her pacifier. She felt her hands balling up into fists and fussing against her bed. Her feet kicked against the sheets, straining against the thick diaper that spread them apart. The strain of her job, her colleagues, her embarrassment seemed to flow away with each scream. The world began to shut out around Katherine. She didn’t care if anyone heard or saw her, she only felt her raw, unfiltered emotions. She barely noticed as hands picked her up and wrapped around her. She felt something warm pressing against her face, and she instinctively snuggled into it. Katherine sobbed into a nurse’s hospital scrubs as she was gently bounced. “There, there sweetie...” The nurse held Katherine close, snuggling her into her breasts. Katherine felt herself beginning to relax, her emotional tirade beginning to wane. She whimpered softly as the woman gently shushed her. The nurse draped a soft cloth over her shoulder, gently wiping at Katherine’s face. “Does someone need her dirty diaper changed?” She gently tugged back at the waistband of her diaper. “No, you’re still clean. Is someone thirsty?” Katherine barely processed the words as she continued to softly cry. “Dinner wasn’t that long ago. Maybe we can still get you a bottle if you need it.” She continued to bounce Katherine until she was still. Katherine felt physically exhausted from her outburst. If her thirst wasn’t so prominent, she felt like she may have been able to fall asleep at that moment. The nurse placed her back in her bed, then stepped outside for a few moments. She returned shortly with two small baby bottles, one full of a clear liquid, and one solid white. She set them on a nearby table as she picked up Katherine and walked over to the rocking chair in the corner. She held Katherine in her arms and brought the clear bottle’s nipple up to Katherine’s lips. She instinctively latched on and began drinking the water. The slow rate of water droplets trickling from the nipple weren’t fast enough to satisfy Katherine’s painful thirst. Her mouth began to ache from the speed that she suckled, but the relief of finally having a drink outweighed her discomfort. “Slow down honey, you’re going to get a belly ache.” Katherine barely noticed as she finished gulping down the last of the water. The small baby bottle amounted roughly to a small glass of water, but was barely enough to quench Katherine’s thirst. The nurse methodically swapped out the bottle of water for the formula almost as quickly as it left Katherine’s lips. She continued to suckle, wincing slightly as the taste of the bland formula hit her tongue. She had begun to get used to the taste and didn’t care enough to stop. Bland as it was, it didn’t taste bad to her. Her full stomach complained as she continued to gulp down mouth-full after mouth-full of formula, but her thirst was finally beginning to disappear. Just as she felt like she couldn’t drink any more, the last of the formula trickled out of the nipple. The nurse lifted Katherine up and placed her head against her shoulder. She began to gently pat her back while bouncing her. Katherine felt nauseous as the contents of her full stomach shifted with each bounce. She began to feel drowsy, the motion of the nurse's leg keeping her awake. She began to feel something move in her stomach before an involuntary burp came out. Katherine hadn’t even felt it coming and wasn’t able to stop herself. “There we go. All better!” The nurse cooed as she picked Katherine up and walked over to the corner of the room. Instead of the hospital bed, Katherine was laid down in a hooded sleeper that was nestled in the corner of her nursery. Pink frills lined the edge, accented with silk bows. A small mobile hung from the top of the hood, accented with a little moon, stars, and sheep. The nurse turned a switch on the mobile and it began to spin, a small music box tone playing a soft nursery rhyme melody. She gave Katherine a kiss on the forehead. “Goodnight sweetie. Mommy will be back tomorrow. Sweet dreams.” The nurse turned off the lights as she exited the room, Leaving Katherine in almost complete darkness other than the light of the hallway that came through the window on her door. Sleep was quickly beginning to overtake Katherine. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so tired. A thought fought its way to the surface of her sleepy mind that she should check if Amy had sent her anything. She lazily felt around the front of her sleeper for her pocket that contained her phone. A faint feeling of panic came over her as she realized that Amy had changed her outfit, and in doing so had accidentally taken her phone. She now had no way to ask for help and was stuck until morning. Her eyes began to shut as she realized that there was nothing that she could do about the problem. Sleep was the only option, and she could happily wait until morning. She snuggled into the soft blankets and quickly drifted off to sleep. The next morning, Katherine awoke to the sounds of the nurse approaching her sleeper. “Wakey, wakey sleepy head.” Katherine let out a jaw-popping yawn as she slowly regained consciousness. The nurse picked her up and held her in her arms. “My goodness, that’s quite a saggy diaper!” Katherine shifted her legs slightly and was surprised to feel dampness rubbing against her skin. Had she had an accident while she was sleeping? The nurse laid her down on the changing table and undid the tapes of her diaper. “I think mommy left you some of your diapers to change into. Normally we’d just use the hospital ones, but if this is what your mommy wants to use, I won’t argue.” She picked up one of the diapers from the small stack Amy had left behind and began to change Katherine. She pulled down the front and examined her. “Still no mess? After your big meal yesterday, I think we’re going to need to do something about this.” She gave a gently prod against Katherine’s belly that was noticeably bloated. Katherine worked to keep a straight face as she realized what this meant. She could indeed feel something heavy in her belly. It had been a few days since she last went, and after all the bulk feedings, it was no surprise that something would need to come out soon. The nurse wiped and powdered her before taping up the new diaper. She began to write her notes about Katherine's schedule on her chart. “If it doesn’t happen soon, I’ll give you something to help you. If those prunes didn’t do it, we’ll make sure everything’s working smoothly.” As she finished writing, an audible gurgle came from Katherine’s tummy. The nurse smiled as she realized what it was. “I don’t think we’ve got anything to worry about.” She placed Katherine back in her bed and began to walk out of the room before another nurse opened the door. “Excuse me, I’m here to collect Katherine. It seems that her mother has her signed up to participate in a training course.” Katherine wondered to herself what elaborate plan Amy had come up with to get her out. Amy moved at a quicker-than-usual pace through her morning routine. She wasn’t scheduled to come in on Saturday, but tried to appear normal as she swiped in and placed her belongings in her locker. She wore her typical scrubs and tried to look inconspicuous as she walked through the hallway. She made her way to an empty nurse station terminal and signed in with her badge. Navigating the system wasn’t difficult with her nurse's permissions, but she could only see the minimum details of a patient. If she could give herself access to Katherine’s file, she could take her out of the system and erase her mistake. There were only a few hours left of her observation period left, and then she could get her out before anyone else knew. “Miss Bradford… I don’t see you on the schedule for today...” A stern voice came from behind Amy. She jumped as she turned in an attempt to block the screen from Kelly. “Miss Anderson! Um, yes, I guess there must have been a slip up on my calendar.” Kelly looked at her skeptically as she stuttered through her excuse. Kelly peered over her shoulder, attempting to see monitor behind her. “Why do you have a patient’s file up if you’re not on the schedule?” Her tone was sharp and accusational. Amy froze up as she tried to think of a response to the rhetorical question. Kelly didn’t wait for a response and pushed past her with her clipboard and walked up to the monitor. “K. Baker. No info. Nurse Bradford… Is this Doctor Baker in the system as a patient?” Her tone was cold and hard like stone, sending a shiver of fear down Amy’s back. She knew she had to come clean. “Yes, but it was-" “And were you attempting to edit secured and confidential hospital files?” Kelly cut her off. Amy began to panic as she realized the gravity of the situation. “Well, yes. But you don’t underst-” “What I understand is that you abused your credentials granted to you as a nurse to play a joke that has now caused turmoil in our system. This is completely unacceptable, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this leads to the both of you being terminated.” Amy felt her throat go dry as she stammered to think of something to say. “Miss Anderson, please, it was a mistake. It wasn’t Katherine’s fault. I just wanted to print her a fake hospital tag for her costume. I didn’t know it would create a patient profile for her. Now she’s stuck in the infant ward as a patient under observation and I was just trying to get her out. There was no abuse of patient records because it wasn’t a real record. I was just trying to clear up my mistake. Please don’t punish Katherine for it!” Kelly’s eyebrows furrowed together skeptically as she processed what she had said. “You’re saying that Doctor Baker is being treated as a patient right now… and no one has noticed?” Amy nodded slowly, unsure how to react. Kelly considered this for a moment. “I could report you for this. I already have enough on Katherine’s performance to make a strong case against her, but I might have an alternative. Of course, I can’t make any illegal changes to our system, but I could make a more reasonable arrangement for Doctor Baker.” Amy wasn’t sure what she was getting at, but was desperate enough to take any help she could get. “What do we need to do?” Kelly pulled out her tablet and began flipping through her schedule. “One thing we have really been trying to get a better handle on is our training courses. We have a difficult time keeping up with the number of mothers and nurses that go through various training courses we provide. Some classes can use dolls for basic lessons, but it’s always much more beneficial if we have an actual infant to assist, especially with new mothers. It adds a valuable authenticity to the training that you can’t get with a doll. The most difficult part is finding mothers who are available to volunteer their children for training. However, if we had someone on staff who could be a stand in for a real baby, we could over several more classes and get our numbers up...” Amy was shocked at the ease in Kelly’s tone. She seemed to be forming her plan as she was speaking, paying no mind to how horrifying it might sound. “You want her to pretend to be a baby for your classes?!” Amy had to control herself to keep from shouting. Kelly looked at her disapprovingly. “She’s already pretending to be a child and is apparently succeeding. I don’t see how this is any worse than the situation you’ve gotten yourselves into, and this will actually be able to support the hospital. Doctor Baker can be on retainer and keep her job. She’s technically licensed to assist in training as a doctor, and this would qualify without violating any hospital rules. This is the best option I can see. Either she changes to this much more fitting role, or I can report the both of you. Those are your options.” Amy could hear her heartbeat in her ears. She knew she didn’t have a choice. She had to do the only thing she could for Katherine and try to make it as easy for her as she could. “Okay… What do we need to do?” Kelly smirked and pulled up her tablet. “There is a training course in half an hour that I’m scheduled to supervise. We can schedule her for it and give her a trial run. If it doesn’t work, I’ll have the report filed within the hour.” Kelly’s stomach dropped. “Can I assist with it? I need to explain the situation to her.” Kelly poked at her tablet. “It says here that you’ve been added as a guardian. Interesting… I have your consent to schedule her then?” Kelly let out a resigned sigh. “Yes.” Kelly tapped a button on her tablet and smiled to herself. “I just sent out the update to her chart. It’s in 25 minutes in training room 104. Someone will bring her there and you will have that long to get ready.” Kelly turned and walked away, leaving Amy standing dumbstruck in front of the computer. The nurse carried Katherine through several long hallways until they came to training room 104. The nurse pushed open the doors and walked into the large well-lit room. There were several chairs and small tables along the sides of the room with a variety of nursery-type items in the middle of the room. Each center table had a different station for teaching new mothers basic skills like using car seats, diaper changes, feeding, and bathing. Katherine remembered it from her tour, but didn’t think she would be back here any time soon. The nurse laid Katherine in the demonstration crib and latched the side bars in place. She walked over to the terminal on the wall and confirmed that they were in the right room. Amy threw the doors open as she almost fell into the room, quickly taking in her surroundings before noticing the nurse. The nurse jumped at the surprise. “Oh, I’m sorry.” Amy quickly blurted out. “I was worried I would be late. Is Katherine here?” Katherine felt a wave of relief as she heard Amy’s voice. The nurse smiled as she realized who she was. “Oh, you must be her mother. Yes, I just brought her over. She’s in the crib right over there. If you’re staying, I can leave her in your care.” Amy nodded enthusiastically. “That would be great.” The nurse smiled at her and left the room. Just as the door closed behind her, Katherine bolted upright to peer over the wall of the crib. “What happened?!” Katherine attempted to yell and whisper simultaneously. Amy rushed over and tried to shush her. “Katie, I'm so sorry. Something went really wrong and we can't get you out of the system. I tried to override it, but we can get in serious trouble.” Katherine looked visibly shaken by the news. “So, what now?” Amy tried to calm herself down before delivering the news. She knew Katherine wasn't going to like it, but she didn't have a choice. “So, we won’t get in trouble… if you teach a class.” Katherine didn’t try to hide the confusion on her face. “That’s all… teach a class?” “Yeah… well, assist an instructor in some of the classes here…” She trailed off, hoping Katherine would pick up on what she was implying. Katherine’s face didn’t change. She stood up in the crib, unmoving and silently waiting for her friend to explain. “Well… you can clearly pass for a baby… and we need babies to assist in the training courses here…” Katherine’s face shifted into a mixture of rage and sheer panic. “What?!” She began to hyperventilate, the beginnings of tears forming at the edges of her eyes. Amy held her hands on Katherine’s shoulders in an attempt to soothe her. “I know, but it’s just acting. You help teach a class, and you won’t get in trouble.” Katherine continued to breathe heavily, barely keeping herself from sobbing. “How do you know we won’t get in trouble?” Her voice began to crack as she spoke. Amy gently stroked the back of her head, running her fingers through her hair. “Well… I know it’s okay becau-" The door burst open. Kelly walked through the door followed by several women that were in various stages of pregnancy. “- and this is our training room where the sessions will take place.” Amy quickly lifted Katherine under her armpits and laid her down in the crib before anyone saw her. Katherine looked up at her in shock as she saw Kelly. “It’s okay. Kelly knows, but this was her idea. She’s on your side.” Amy whispered quietly. Katherine could only shake her head back and forth in a feeble protest to the situation. “Just play along. Just act like a baby for them, and everything will be fine.” Amy stood up and walked over to the crowd. Katherine stared up at the ceiling. She wanted to cry. She wanted this awful anxiety of trying to control her emotions to go away. She was mentally exhausted. She hadn’t had a second that she didn’t have to worry about blowing her cover. She didn’t know how much more of this she could take. “Over the next few weeks, we will cover all the criteria listed in the brochures. We will be repeating the material several times in each lesson so if you are unable to attend a session, you will still be able to learn the material. Over here, is our helper for the day.” Kelly walked over to the crib. As the women gathered around her, Kelly looked down at Katherine and made eye contact. Her cold stare spoke volumes and Katherine knew the underlying threat. The ladies circled the crib, making appreciative comments about how adorable the baby was. Katherine tried not to blush as Kelly reached down and placed her pacifier in her mouth. Katherine looked around, trying to find somewhere to look that didn’t have someone staring at her. She was completely encompassed by young women in yoga pants and maternity clothing. Some had only small, barely noticeable baby bumps, while others looked to be days away from their delivery dates. They all peered over the crib, cooing and smiling at Katherine. She tried to look for a place to keep her focus on, but her vision was completely filled with staring eyes and the naturally engorged breasts of the soon-to-be mothers. “This is Katherine. She’s a patient here and her mother has volunteered her to help teach our classes.” Kelly announced. “Our first lessons today will be feeding.” Kelly read over Katherine’s chart. “It appears that little Katherine hasn’t eaten yet today, so that will be perfect.” She reached down into the crib and picked Katherine up as if she weighed no more than a feather. Kelly placed her in a high chair and locked the table in place. “Katherine is old enough to be eating baby food, but she also drinks from bottles. We can demonstrate how both of these are done. Nurse Bradford, would you assist me?” Amy walked over to a cabinet and wordlessly retrieved the necessary supplies. “As you can see, Nurse Bradford is mixing powdered formula and distilled water. This is a very convenient option for preparing ahead of time as it does not need to be refrigerated. As Katherine watched Amy mix the formula, she began to feel a hunger pang in her stomach. She didn’t want any more formula, but she needed to eat something for breakfast. “Would anyone like to try the bottle?” Kelly asked to the group. A few women looked at each other before a young girl chimed in. “I would.” Katherine tried not to look, but couldn’t help notice how far along she was. She had to be at least seven months. She was slightly heavyset, with long curly blond hair. She supported her belly with her hands on her back, a common pose among the group. Amy handed her the bottle and she walked over to Katherine. She came in close to Katherine face and smiled at her. “Hey there cutie. Do you want something to drink?” She held the bottle up to Katherine’s lips. Katherine was enamored with how pretty she was and didn’t even notice herself returning the smile and opening her lips. The girl held the bottle to Katherine’s mouth and had to cover her own mouth with her free hand to suppress a grin. “Oh my goodness, she is just precious!” She cooed to the other women. Katherine suckled at the formula, noting how it seemed to taste better than the last time. Her jaw didn’t ache as much anymore. After a few minutes, Kelly brought another woman to practice holding the bottle. One by one, they all took turns feeding her. Amy watched with fascination as Katherine suckled. She made another bottle as Katherine finished the first, ensuring each woman had an opportunity to practice. “Will we be doing diaper changes in this class?” One of the women asked. Kelly smirked at the question. “We will practice diaper changes regardless, but when we do depends on our guinea pig.” The group laughed at the joke, and Katherine felt her face go hot. Amy looked at her sympathetically, but Katherine couldn’t meet her gaze. Kelly walked over to the table that held Katherine’s chart and began to read through it. “Well, it appears that Katherine’s nurse has been keeping track of her bowel movements, or rather lack of them. This might be a good time to talk about home healthcare for your child. It’s uncommon, but children can become constipated. It appears to have been a few days for Katherine, so we can demonstrate the proper way to address this.” Kelly walked over the supply cabinet and pulled out a small bottle. Katherine continued to suckle at the bottle, trying to block out what was happening. She felt herself starting to panic and attempted to mentally drop down to an inner quiet place. She wasn’t here. This wasn’t happening. She mindlessly drank from the bottle, ignoring what the women were saying. Kelly came over and picked Katherine up from her highchair. Katherine didn't struggle and went limp as she was carried. Kelly walked her over to a changing table, laying her down on her stomach. Katherine felt her arms moving on their own as she felt and grasped the soft lining of the changing mat. The simple stimulation of the material kept her mind distracted as Kelly began to undo the tapes of her diaper. The changing table held several necessary supplies. Kelly folded the diaper back, exposing Katherine’s bottom to the crowd. She took out two blue latex gloves from the box and methodically slipped them onto her hands. She picked up a small bottle of petroleum jelly and popped the lid off. Katherine continued to rub the soft material between her fingers, paying attention only to the fabric and blocking out the world. Once the bottle was opened, Kelly covered one of her fingers with some of the jelly and began applying it around Katherine's sphincter. Katherine let out an involuntary moan of discomfort as Kelly thoroughly applied the lubricant. “This might feel a bit uncomfortable for her, but it's completely safe.” Kelly announced to reassure the group. The lid of the small container was unscrewed and Kelly retrieved a white, cone-shaped object. She held the small item between her thumb and index finger and held it up for the group to see. “This is a standard sized glycerin suppository. Simply insert it into the rectum and it will dissolve within a few minutes.” She rested one hand on Katherine's bottom, moving her cheek aside to better expose her anus. She pressed the narrow tip of the suppository inside and pushed gently with her index finger. The suppository slipped inside with little resistance. Katherine felt herself clenching against the intrusion and began to instinctively cry. Kelly slid her index finger in deeper, pushing the suppository further inside Katherine before she withdrew from her. Kelly looked surprised at the genuine sound of her cry, but didn't make any comment about it as she taped Katherine's diaper back up. Katherine continued to cry softly. Kelly picked her up and held her, walking over to the group. “She’s a little fussy from that. Would anyone like to hold her and we can practice soothing techniques?” A few women raised their hands and Kelly gently passed Katherine off to the nearest one. She took her tenderly into her arms and attempted to cradle her. “Try laying her against your shoulder. This is also the burping position. It allows you to move your body to bounce and support her weight without becoming too tired. Your arms will get exhausted quickly if they aren’t supported. The woman shifted Katherine to her shoulder and began to gently bounce her. Katherine’s quiet sobs shifted to a quiet occasional mumble. “So, how long before she…” The woman asked as she bounced her. “It shouldn’t be long, but probably won’t be instantaneous either. I didn’t mean to pass you a ticking time bomb.” The women all giggled as the woman passed her off to someone else. Another woman in her third trimester took Katherine and attempted to balance he around her swollen belly. A loud grumble came out of Katherine as she shifted, the woman laying her head against her swollen breasts. “There there…” The woman said, gently patting her back. “It will be better soon…” The woman bounced her gently, Katherine nuzzling into her as if she was hiding from the world. “Since we know this change will be from a bowel movement, we will want it to be as quickly as possible. Exposure to waste of any kind can cause irritation and rashes if left unchecked. Urine takes longer to cause irritation, but usually the child will let you know when they are uncomfortable.” Kelly instructed. Katherine buried her face deeper into the woman’s shoulder as she felt the suppository liquefying inside her. She concentrated on the motherly touches of the woman, finding any reassurance she could from the situation. Her stomach continued to gurgle as the medicine performed as it was intended. Katherine felt her bowels shifting as she absorbed more of the suppository. Cramps quickly overtook her, and she began to cry again. The women awwed sympathetically as they continued to pass her around. Minute by minute, the cramps increased, and Katherine felt the eminent need to void. Every pass between the women shifted her weight and made her feel less in control. She began to cry loudly as the cramps began to hurt. The women continued to attempt to comfort her as they bounced and rocked her. Finally, Katherine felt the build up of several days of her unconventional diet reach its endpoint. She tried to resist as her muscles began to relax on their own, but the medication was too strong for her quivering muscles. The soft mess began to force its way out of her, despite her attempts to stop it. The complete loss of control of her most basic functions broke something in Katherine. She felt herself involuntarily grunting as she pushed more and more into her diaper. The woman stopped bouncing as she noticed Katherine tense up. All the women watched as a small bulge began to noticeably protrude from the back of Katherine’s diaper. The massive mess slowly filled her diaper, then pressed outwards as it began to run out of room. The bulk feedings and fiber had created a larger movement than Katherine had ever had in her life. She began to sob uncontrollably as her diaper continued to fill. She wasn’t even pushing, yet it just seemed to fall out of her, as if she had no control whatsoever. The woman holding her began to pat her back and shush her quietly, trying to soothe her discomfort. Katherine’s diaper had reached its capacity, the mess pressing back against her as it loudly crinkled and stretched the plastic backing. Katherine realized how helpless she truly was in this situation. Completely humiliated and unable to do anything for herself. She began to wail as she finished, feeling the warm mush against her backside and trying to come to terms with what she had done. Amy stood on the other side of the room, unable to look away as her best friend filled a diaper in front of her. She couldn’t bear to listen to her cries and wanted to do anything to make her feel better. Kelly looked over at her, noticing her discomfort. She then walked over to the woman holding Katherine and held out her arms to take her. As Kelly sat her back down on the changing table in front of Amy, she sat Katherine upright, placing all of her weight on her bottom and her full diaper. The warm mess exploded under Katherine’s full weight, and she felt it squish between her cheeks and all along the inside of her diaper. She began to wail as Kelly laid her back and looked over to Amy with a sinister grin. “Now we’re ready for our diaper changing lesson…” Chapter 8: Amy surveyed the room around her. The stress of her situation was overstimulating as she tried to figure out what to do. The mothers all looked to her, expecting her to follow Kelly’s implied instructions. Katherine’s cries make her want to cry herself. She had seen her friend upset before, but the child-like screams of pure distress impacted Amy on an emotional, maternal level. She wanted to pick her friend up and hold her, to soothe her until she felt safe. Amy couldn’t help but blame herself for the predicament they were in and hated worst of all that it was hurting her friend. “Nurse Bradford?” Kelly asked, trying to snap Amy out of her daze. “Don’t you think this would be an opportune time for a changing lesson?” Amy looked up at her, nodding faintly as she realized what she was being forced to do. She lightly gripped Katherine’s hand, trying to do anything to comfort her. Katherine didn’t squeeze back, or make any indication that she noticed Amy was there. Amy watched her closely, beginning to grow concerned that Katherine might not be completely acting. “Ladies, if would like to gather around, anyone who hasn’t changed a diaper before may find this useful.” Kelly announced to the group. Amy tried to hide her discomfort as the women circled her closely. She undid the tapes and folded the front of the diaper down. The smell was apparent almost immediately. Amy lifted Katherine’s legs with no resistance and slid the soiled diaper out from under her. She began to carefully roll the garment up as she demonstrated to the class. “You’ll want to try and fold it in on itself to that it’s easy to dispose of, and you won’t have anything coming out unexpectedly.” The diaper was carefully folded and rolled in on itself. “The tapes can also be reused to close the diaper up. Some brands don’t have reusable tapes, so you’ll have to be extra careful.” Amy tried to keep her tone steady as she taught, but it was hard to sound genuine while she listened to her friend’s gentle sobs. “This one wasn’t quite what’s called a ‘blowout diaper’, but it’s pretty close. That’s when the diaper has been on for too long, or reaches capacity very quickly. Those will require a lot of extra care as they can leak and create a mess.” The rolled and taped diaper was deposited into a nearby diaper pail. Amy reached for the wipes and lifted Katherine’s legs again. “You’ll want to use as many wipes as necessary in order to properly clean up.” She spoke as she began gently wiping Katherine. Her cries began to wane as Amy cleaned her, the discomfort of her messy diaper leaving her with each wipe. After several passes, she was finally clean. “Next, you’ll want to use lotion to prevent any irritation. Vaseline can also be used as a waterproof barrier to protect the skin. I don’t expect her to be having another mess before her next change, so I don’t believe that will be necessary this time.” Amy concluded as she began to apply lotion to her hands. “Actually, Nurse Bradford…” Kelly held up a finger in protest. “I think that would actually be beneficial to the demonstration.” Amy resisted the urge to sigh. “Yes Miss Anderson.” She wanted to minimize her friend’s humiliation, not add more to it. The lotion was applied and rubbed in thoroughly around Katherine’s delicate areas. Amy gently picked her up and turned her over on her stomach, exposing her bottom to the group. “For the petroleum jelly, simply scoop up a decent amount on your finger and apply liberally to the bottom.” She placed the blob of cool jelly on Katherine’s cheeks and began to spread it around in a thick layer. Katherine’s cries continued to diminish as Amy gently rubbed her bottom. Amy began to wonder if there was some part of Katherine that was actually feeling soothed by her care. She ran her finger tenderly between Katherine’s cheeks to cover her completely. Katherine squirmed at the sensation and only let out a soft cry. “I think she was just fussy from the dirty diaper. Most babies will cry when they’re messy, they just need to be cleaned up. You’ll begin to notice distinct cries depending on what is irritating your baby. It’s just about the only way they can communicate so you’ll have to pay close attention to them.” Kelly instructed as Amy pulled out one of the thin hospital diapers and laid it under Katherine. “So for putting on a new diaper,” Amy began. “simply lift their bottom up so you can slide the open diaper underneath them where the waistline will sit.” She followed the steps as she spoke, “Lay their legs down and spread them in the indents where the leg-holes bow in.” She lifted the front and began to lay it down snugly. “Lay the front down firmly, not too tight and not too loose. With one hand, hold the front down while you tape up one side.” She pulled one of the wings up and taped it in place. “It’s easy to end up with a loose diaper if you let go, so make sure it stays snug while you attach the tapes.” She finished with the other side, smoothing the front out. She tucked her fingers under the waistband and gave a gently tug, showing how snugly it was around Katherine, but loose enough to allow flexibility. Amy looked over at the clock to see that there were only ten minutes left of the course. “So that’s what you need to know for a diaper change. I’m sure you’ll all get plenty of opportunities to practice and be pros within a few weeks.” The group laughed as Amy looked at her watch. “So we only have a few minutes left, does anyone have any more questions before we go?” The group of expectant mothers all looked around to see if anyone had their hands up. One of the women who looked to be due any day soon sheepishly held up her hand. “Yes?” Amy said, acknowledging her. “Well…” The woman began. “One of the thing’s I’m most concerned about is breastfeeding. I’ve read about so many mothers who had difficulties and I’m just afraid I’ll be doing something wrong.” Amy paused as she considered how to approach the topic. Before she could begin, Kelly interjected. “How far along are you, if you don’t mind me asking?” The woman looked concerned as she looked down at her belly and said, “Eight and a half months.” Kelly smiled reassuringly. “You've got nothing to worry about. Anxiety about breastfeeding is very common. Are you lactating yet?” The woman looked surprised as if Kelly had just accurately guessed her weight. “Yes, but it mostly just leaks every now and again.” A few of the nearby women smiled sympathetically and nodded in agreement. Kelly smiled at the group. “Especially for those of you experiencing discomfort from lactation, would anyone like to try breastfeeding today with our volunteer?” She held her hand out towards Katherine, eyeing the women expectantly. A few of them looked at each other, but the woman who asked hesitantly raised her hand again. “Are you sure it will be okay?” The woman sounded nervous. Kelly gave her a reassuring smile and said, “Absolutely, I’m sure she won’t mind a bit.” Amy couldn’t believe what Kelly was trying to do. She looked at Katherine, trying to communicate with her in any way she could, but Katherine wasn’t meeting her eye. She watched her closely, wondering if Katherine was just ignoring her, but she didn’t seem to be looking at anything in particular. She had stopped crying and was now looking around the room, gently kicking her feet and running her hands almost randomly over the changing table. Amy jumped as Kelly snapped her out of her daze. “Nurse Bradford, would you like to assist?” Kelly’s tone lowered to an almost threatening depth. The implied threat was very clear. Amy nodded slowly and picked up Katherine. Kelly retrieved a nursing cover and brought it over to the woman. “Would you like a privacy screen, or do you mind the other women observing.” The woman looked at the cover and shook her head. “That’s alright, we’re not in public or anything. I’m sure it’s nothing we haven’t all seen before.” A chuckle emerged from the group and Kelly smiled as she went to put the cover away. The walk over to the woman seemed to go in slow motion as Amy carried Katherine in her arms. She wanted to run away. She wanted to apologize to her friend and make up for the situation she had gotten her in. She couldn’t believe what Kelly was actually going to make her go through with this. Katherine wasn’t reacting at all to the stressful situation. Amy couldn’t tell if she had either become very good at acting, or was in some type of catatonic state. Amy was worried about her, and she worried she wouldn’t be able to keep up the act considering what was about to happen to her. The woman removed her shirt and placed her jacket around her shoulders for warmth. She unclasped the front of her bra and her engorged breasts spilled out of the cups. Amy held out Katherine to her, and she took her gently. She held Katherine out awkwardly in front of her, unsure what to do. “So… I just…” She looked between Kelly and Amy for guidance. “Just cradle her and nuzzle her closely to you. She’ll know what to do.” Kelly instructed. The woman cradled Katherine gently in her arms. Katherine looked around with a confused expression as if she didn’t know where she was. The woman pulled her close, aligning her right breast directly in front of Katherine’s mouth. Her nipples were dark and swollen, Amy couldn’t help but imagine how uncomfortable they must be. As she guided Katherine’s head towards her nipple, Katherine parted her lips and gently placed her lips on the woman’s breast. She let out a surprised sigh as Katherine began to suckle, gently working her lips around her nipple. “She’s doing it…” The woman seemed unsure of what to say. “I wasn’t sure how… how it would feel.” Kelly smiled at her. “You’ll probably feel some relief from the buildup of milk. Breastfeeding also releases several hormones and endorphins that are very good for the mother. It can create an amazing bond with your baby.” The ladies all watched closely as the nursing mother smiled at her success. Amy stared in wonder as Katherine loudly suckled without even flinching. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The expectant mother held her close, a warm glow appearing on her face as Katherine nursed. How could she even... drinking that? How is she okay with this? Amy could barely process what she was seeing. She glanced over at Kelly, looking for some form of validation at the absurdity of this situation, but Kelly didn’t look surprised at all. She looked... amused. The subtle, barely contained smile looked sinister as Kelly watched the scene unfold. Amy couldn’t look away from her unblinking eyes. Kelly wasn’t just playing a part for their sakes... she was enjoying this. Amy felt a cold shiver run down her back as she realized how much power Kelly had over this situation. “Would anyone else like to try?” Kelly asked to the group. Once again, the women all looked around at each other, but it felt noticeably less awkward after someone else had already volunteered to go first. After a few seconds, two women raised their hands at the same time. There was a short, comfortable laugh from everyone, diffusing any tension in the room. “Don’t worry, everyone who wants one can have a turn.” Kelly said, pulling another chair next to the woman holding Katherine. The two volunteers decided the order in which they would go, and the first woman took her seat. She wasn’t as far along as the first woman, but Amy couldn’t help but notice how much larger her breasts were. “I’m actually hoping this helps. I’ve been leaking a lot lately and the pressure has been causing some discomfort.” She slid down the narrow shoulder straps of her loose maternity shirt and shimmied it down her torso until the supports fell below her breasts. Amy’s had to keep her mouth from falling open as the woman’s massive breasts spilled out over her shirt. She held out her hands, and the first woman gently pulled Katherine away from her breast. Katherine swallowed her mouthful and let out a gentle moan, as if she was protesting being pulled away. “Aww, don’t worry precious. I’m not taking it away from you.” She took Katherine in her arms, cradling her just as the first woman did. Her large nipples were already erect and prominently stood out, small droplets of milk already beginning to gather at the tip. Katherine hungrily took the thick nipple into her mouth and suckled hard against it. The expectant mother let out a surprised moan. “Oh my... that’s... wow, I didn’t expect that. It feels so nice, and I already feel it hurting less.” She couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she pulled Katherine closer. Kelly walked over and stood next to Amy. She spoke quietly, just out of earshot of the other women. “I had my doubts that Doctor Baker had the maturity to do this job properly, but I think we’ve found a fitting position for her, wouldn’t you agree?” Amy didn’t respond to her. Kelly just smiled and turned back towards the group. “Anyone else who would like to can practice breastfeeding. The class will be over in a few minutes, but there is nothing scheduled for this room after so if you would like to stay later, you may do so.” Kelly instructed the group. “Nurse Bradford will be staying behind to assist anyone who has any questions.” Kelly looked briefly at Amy, confirming her coded command. Amy just stared blankly, trying to keep herself together. “I’ll leave you all to it. I hope to see you all at the next session!” Kelly gave them all a wide smile before collecting her clipboard and left the room. Katherine continued to suckle until a third volunteer stepped forward. Amy went into autopilot and answered any questions they had, pushing her unprocessed emotions as she instructed. As the fifth volunteer was finishing up, Katherine let out a loud burp, much to the delight of the mothers. “That’s pretty normal, especially after drinking that much.” Amy said, realizing exactly how much her friend must have consumed. She took Katherine from them as the woman gathered their possessions and headed towards the door. Amy examined Katherine, finally having a chance to check on her friend. She was concerned about her mental state after everything she had been through. Her eyelids were low, as if she was fighting off sleep. Amy used her bib to wipe of some milk from her chin. Katherine slowly opened her eyes, blurrily focusing on Amy’s face as she tried to process where she was. “Are you okay?” Amy whispered quietly to her as the last woman walked out of the door. As the door clicked shut, Katherine looked toward the noise, looking around the room. Her eyes began to widen as she realized what was happening. As she looked around the room, Amy began to hear a faint hissing noise. Katherine looked up at her and said, “Amy? What happened?” Amy wasn’t sure how to respond, still distracted from the noise. She turned her head, trying to locate the noise, when she noticed that it was coming from Katherine. Katherine looked confused and began to shift in Amy’s arms. She went stiff as she noticed the strange sensation from her diaper and the hiss faded into silence. “Did you…?” Amy didn’t want to humiliate her any further, but her concern for her health outweighed her embarrassment. Katherine wouldn’t look at her, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Before they could continue their conversation, the door to the training room opened. Kelly entered with a maniacal grin on her face. Amy felt her blood run cold as she approached them. She had known Kelly for years and knew exactly how terrifying she could be when she was angry, but the almost evil smirk she now wore actually made her fearful. Her instincts told her that she was in danger, that there was a predator who was approaching and she needed to run. She instinctively held Katherine a little closer as if to protect her. Kelly opened her portfolio and pulled out two thick stacks of stapled papers. She laid them down side by side on the table next to the women. One was noticeably thicker than the other, and from only a few seconds of brief skimming, Amy noticed her full name typed on the paper in several places. “I believe I have come up with the perfect solution to our problem.” She pulled out two black pens from her portfolio and set them down on the paper. The expensive metal pens made a loud knock as they rested on the table. Amy tried to hide her fear, but couldn’t keep the look of confusion off her face as she looked over the papers. “What is this?” Kelly’s smile widened. “These are contracts. More specifically, your new job offer contracts. They have been cleared with HR and will supersede your current employment contracts. Let me explain how this is going to work. Due to your negligent error, there is an unmovable patient on file: Katherine B. There is also a doctor in our system: Doctor Baker. I no longer feel that Doctor Baker is suitable for her current role and should instead be repositioned as an instructor for our classes. As for the matter of our patient, I have modified her record to now read as Katherine Bradford.” Katherine didn’t say anything, but looked up in surprise as Amy as if she had had something to do with this. Amy was already at her wits end trying to deal with her stress levels today, and was having a difficult time processing what Kelly was saying. “What? Why would you do that?” Kelly seemed slightly annoyed at the interruption, but her smile betrayed her as she gladly explained. “Very simply, you are now baby Katie’s caretaker. She is registered as a patient with pending results that may last indefinitely. She is eligible for day care since you are an employee here, and I believe it will help her better prepare for her new position.” Amy still looked confused. “New position, as an instructor?” Kelly was almost showing teeth now. “Well, her official role will be as an instructor, however you can think of her more as a teaching instrument than a teacher. This was the most productive class we’ve ever had. The ladies were thrilled with what we were able to teach, and it’s something they can’t get from any other child class. Our enrollment rates will skyrocket, and it will be an excellent boost for our hospital. Of course as a doctor, Katherine will be compensated as if she was still working here, and you will simply be moved to instructing the classes. While performing your nursing duties, Katherine will be in our day care system.” Katherine began crying, something she was quickly becoming accustomed to. “But… but I can’t do that!” Kelly tilted her head in mock confusion. “Why not?” She mocked in a sickly-sweet tone. “You look like a baby, you sound like a baby, and for the past hour, you acted exactly like a baby, right down to breastfeeding and pooping your pants. For all intents and purposes, you are a baby, and I think I have found exactly where you belong here.” Katherine’s face felt hot as her cheeks burned red, both from anger and shame. “What if I say no. What if I don’t want to play your dumb game and I just quit.” Kelly shrugged nonchalantly. “Then I wish you the best in finding other employment, that is of course, after we settle the matter of company policy violation, misuse of resources, HIPPA violations, and termination from the hospital. But don’t worry, as soon as that’s sorted out you can be sure that if you manage to get another interview at some other hospital, I’ll give a completely honest and enlightening account of your time here to your new employer, complete with evidence.” As she said the last, she held up her tablet and turned it towards them. The screen showed a clip from the classroom’s security cameras, displaying the exact moment that Katherine had filled her diapers. “I’m sure you won’t have any trouble finding somewhere else to go after this.” Any trace of fake sincerity was gone now, replaced with an evil grin that perfectly projected her thoughts: ‘Checkmate’. Amy felt herself wanting to cry too, but had to stay strong for Katherine. “Why are you doing this?” She asked in a soft voice. Kelly looked offended at the question. “Excuse me? Why am I doing this? I’m not the one who abused her position. I’m not the one who is making a mockery of this profession. I am the person who’s built this hospital up to be the most elite in the country. I didn’t slave over this job to watch disrespectful, immature children come in here and ruin that. What I’m doing, is my job. I’m making this hospital the best that it can possibly be by putting our people where they do the most good. If you aren’t willing to be a part of that, you can leave.” A tense silence fell over the room. Kelly's unblinking gaze obliterated any of the fight Katherine had left. She looked down at the stack of papers the same way she looked at one of the unavoidable meals she had been force fed several times over the past few days. She knew she wouldn't like it, but she didn't have a choice in the matter. “Honestly, if you stop and think about it, you’re really not getting a bad deal here.” Anger flashed over Amy’s face as she glared at Kelly. “Are you insane?!” Kelly looked offended by the comment. “Clearly you’re not thinking this through. First of all, you not only get to keep your jobs, but you’ll get a bonus by being an instructor. That alone is enough of a reason that you should be thanking me.” She leveled a finger at Katherine as she continued. “As for this brat, you just got the easiest job you could have asked for. You don’t even have to do any work anymore. All you have to do is what you’re best at: acting like a child. You get free daycare, meals, and a doctor’s salary, and the only thing you have to do is let some women practice being mothers on you. Sure you’ll have to have an accident once in a while…” Kelly looked down at Katherine’s visibly wet diaper. “But for some reason, I don’t think you’re going to have a problem with that.” Katherine began to sob loudly. The stress of the situation had gone well beyond her capacity and she couldn’t even try to control her emotions anymore. Kelly listened to her cries unsympathetically as Amy tried to comfort her in her arms. “I’m even giving you a purchasing credit card on the hospitals account. The increased revenue from this class is going to bring in a lot for the hospital, so I think it’s fair to set aside an investment account. You can use it for anything Katherine will need for her new position. Diapers, clothes, food, furniture, whatever she needs to do her job properly and stay in character, because if she can’t, the deal’s off.” Kelly handed Amy a silver credit card, which she took with a shaking hand. She looked it over, then towards the papers. She couldn’t believe she was actually considering this, but what choice did she have? “How long?” Kelly didn’t blink at the question. “How long what?” “How long do we have to do this?” Kelly smiled and turned away, starting to walk out of the room. “You should really read the contracts. It’s two years, if you don’t violate your agreement, then we can renegotiate. As long as she can pass for a baby, I see this lasting a long time. I’ll be on the other side of the window. I’ll give you a few minutes to sign them.” She closed the door behind her, leaving the girls alone. Amy set the sobbing girl down on her feet, dropped to her knees, and wrapped her arms around her. “Katie, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.” Katherine weakly hugged her back. “Amy?” She said in a quiet voice. Amy pulled back and looked into her concerned eyes. “Something’s wrong…” She looked down, noticing her wet diaper. “Kelly’s right. I don’t want to do this, but I don’t have a choice. I was just playing along, but I’m having… accidents. Something isn’t right.” Amy looked at her sympathetically and gave her another hug. “We’ll figure it out. I’ll take care of you. At least while we deal with this, you won’t have to worry about work.” Katherine nodded slowly as she ran her arm across her tear-streaked face. “We’ll get through this.” She tried to sound more determined than she felt, hoping to inspire Katherine. Katherine nodded, more forcefully this time. Katherine climbed up on a chair next to the desk and they both looked through their individual stacks of papers. Once they were convinced that there wasn’t anything more devious hiding in the fine print than what they were already prepared for, the girls signed the documents. Amy wrote her name quickly, and looked over to see Katherine holding the pen the way a child would hold a crayon. Her signature was large and sloppy, as if she couldn’t control where the pen was going. Is she losing her motor control too? Amy worried to herself. She didn’t want to worry her friend, but the evidence was stacking up that there was something very wrong. Katherine finished her signature, not seeming to notice how sloppy it looked. Kelly walked back in moments later, clearly very anxious to process the paperwork. “Thank you ladies. Please report on Monday to your new stations.” She handed them each a piece of papers. Amy’s listed her new itinerary of maternity classes she would be teaching. Katherine’s was a childish hospital flyer for the day care center. The bright yellow border was dotted with cartoonish images of baby items. Her assigned room was highlighted on the info sheet. “I’ll be sure to check in and make sure that everything is in order on Monday. Enjoy your weekend.” Kelly turned and walked out. Amy wasn’t sure it was possible for someone perform a smug walk, but Kelly seemed to be trying her hardest at it. The girls looked at each other. Katherine blushed and looked at the floor. “Um… Amy?” Amy looked surprised at her discomfort. “Yeah, what’s wrong?” Katherine fiddled with her hands as she tried to get the words out. “Can… can you change me? The hospital diapers are itchy.” Amy still felt a bit uncomfortable at the thought, especially now that it wasn’t a requirement, but she would do anything for her friend, especially after all she had been through. “Of course, let me go grab one of the thi-… more comfortable ones.” She caught herself, trying not to point out how large the specialty diapers were. Amy went over to her back and found only one of the specialty diapers left in her bag. “Oh… this is the last one.” Katherine looked somewhat disappointed. “I don’t think I can wear normal underwear right now…” She trailed off, trying not to think about the predicament. A thought came to Amy. She knew they needed more diapers, and probably a few other things. They needed a shopping trip, and she knew how hesitant Katherine would be to be seen in public. She thought of the store where she had made her original purchases and knew what she had to do. “That’s okay, I know where we can get more.” Chapter 9: Katherine and Amy walked to Amy’s car in the parking garage. As they walked, several passersby starred at Katherine’s infantile outfit, and Katherine found herself unconsciously reaching for Amy’s hand. Amy took it without any comment. As they got in, Amy noticed how much trouble Katherine had sitting up properly in her passenger seat. The seatbelt almost went up to her neck and she could barely see over the dashboard. “How comfortable is that for you?” Amy asked, concern plain in her voice. “It’s okay.” Katherine lied. “My car has this strap that connects the top and bottom of the seat belt so it fits better, and my seat has a… my seat is higher up so I can see more.” Amy knew she had used a booster seat due to her height, but didn’t want to say anything about it. Katherine looked up at her and tried to smile reassuringly. “Don’t worry about it, this will be fine.” She tucked the top portion of the seat belt behind her. As they drove, Amy’s mind went down several rabbit holes as she considered what her future would now look like. She thought of Katherine not even being able to comfortably ride in her car. Maybe Stacy would be able to help her with more than just outfits and diapers. Katherine broke the silence and interrupted her train of thought. “So, where are you going to pick those diapers up from? I know the hospital uses a local medical supply for their diapers, but those are really uncomfortable.” Amy hesitated, trying to think of an alternative to ‘adult toy store’. “Well…” Katherine’s eyes widened and she jerked her head to stare at Amy. “Why do I get the feeling that I’m not going to like the answer?” Katherine asked rhetorically. After everything they had been through, Amy couldn’t bear to put anything else on her friend. She knew she had no reason to trust her at this point, but Amy’s experience with the girl at the shop had been helpful and understanding. “There is a shop in town that sells… specialty items. They were sold as an accessory with your Halloween costume. It may not seem like it when we go in, but it’s a nice place and the lady was super helpful and understanding.” Katherine continued to stare at her. “When we go in? You want me to go in with you looking like this?! She pulled at her onesie, and Amy heard the distinct plastic crinkle of Katherine’s diaper. “I know it’s not ideal, but the girl working there wasn’t judgmental at all. If we’re picking out some outfits for you, I want to make sure you like them and can try them on. You can pick out whatever you want!” Katherine folded her arms and pouted. Amy resisted the urge to smile at how cute she looked. “What if that girl isn’t working there today? How are you going to explain this to a stranger?” Amy hadn’t considered that, but suddenly remembered the business card she had been given at her last visit. She dug around in her purse and pulled the card out of the assorted mess. The store’s info was written in a lavish cursive, but Amy hadn't notice the scrawled letters in the whitespace off to the side. Stacy had left her name and personal number on the card. Well isn't she dedicated to customer service… Amy thought to herself. She pulled out her phone and dialed the store's number from the card. The line rang for a few moments, Amy's anxiety growing with each tone, until a familiar voice picked up. “Devious Den, this is Stacy. How can I help you?” Amy let out a quick sigh of relief that Stacy was working today. “Hi Stacy, this is… um, this is Amy. I was in your store the other day…” Amy wasn't typically shy when it came to talking on the phone, but with Katherine listening to every word, she wasn't sure how to remind Stacy of who she was. There was a brief moment of silence on the line before Amy continued. “I was in the nurses outfit… you helped me pick out a costume for my fri-" "Oh, Amy! Hi! How'd the costume work out? Did your friend love it?” Amy smiled awkwardly as she tried to think of an answer. “Well… I guess you could say that. I was actually hoping to come ask you some questions about that… are you open now?” Stacy almost cut her off. “Absolutely! Sure, come on over. Is your friend coming too?” Amy glanced at Katherine. “Yes, she's with me. She's a bit… shy, but I told her she should come in with me this time to shop some more…” The pause on the phone was intense as Stacy processed what she was saying. “Oh… alright. So you need some more stuff then. That's perfect! So… Just so I know what to expect, is this because she wants to, or needs to?” Amy thought for a moment, trying not to say anything to make Katherine feel self-conscious. “probably the second one…” “Oh, okay then. Yup, I'll be ready for her. Come on over any time, things are really slow right now. I can even close the store while she’s here so she can have some privacy.” Amy sighed with relief. She hadn't imagined Stacy would be able to be this helpful in making Katherine feel more comfortable. “That would be amazing, thank you so much. We're just a few minutes away. We'll see you soon.” Amy could hear the smile coming through the phone. “Perfect! See you in a few!” Amy hung up the phone and slid it back into her purse. “She’s there and understands the situation. She says there's no one there right now and she'll even close down the shop while you're in so we can shop in privacy.” Katherine visibly relaxed. She gave a faint nod, her shoulders slightly slumping. Amy could still sense her anxiety, but she knew that Stacy would be able to make her feel safe there. They drove through the parking lot, past each of the stores of the strip mall. “Where is this place?” Katherine asked, craning her neck to look down the line of stores. Amy knew there wouldn’t be any easy way to explain this. “It’s at the end down there. Don’t let the name freak you out. There’s a shop where they sold costumes, and they had a private back room for the… special stuff I needed to buy.” Katherine furrowed her brow skeptically. She looked at the far end of the mall as they approached. Her mouth made the shapes of the word as she read the sign. “Devious Den?... Is… is that an adult store?” Katherine’s voice began to rise as she realized where they were going. “No. I mean, technically yes, but they have a lot of other stuff.” “Why did you go there to buy costumes?!” Katherine’s tone continued to rise. Amy controlled her voice and replied as if it was perfectly reasonable. “The party store was packed the night before Halloween and I knew that they wouldn’t have anything good left. This place was selling costumes, so I thought I’d go inside. The girl working there was super nice and helpful. I promise it’s not what you think. Katherine wasn’t convinced. She crossed her arms and continued to pout. They pulled into the empty parking lot and parked in the spot closest to the door. Katherine looked around to make sure there was no one around before opening her door and hopping out of the car. As they approached the door, Katherine froze before going in. Amy sensed her hesitation and reached up for the doorknob. Katherine reached over and grabbed on to the corner of Amy’s scrubs for support. Amy smiled as she opened the door, ushering Katherine inside. Before Katherine could even begin to process the sights of the store, a girl with dark hair in pigtails came bounding out from behind the counter. “Hello there! What can I help you guys with today?” Amy noticed that Stacy’s enthusiasm was almost identical to when she had first come to the store. Stacy was either a very good actor, or genuinely didn’t care about what Katherine was wearing. Katherine froze as Stacy looked directly into her eyes. She wasn't looking down at Katherine as if she noticed her height, or eyeing her outfit and making comments on it. Her smile was sincere as she waited patiently for an answer. Amy glanced down to see if Katherine would answer, but after a few moments she decided to break the silence. “We're looking for some supplies. We’re running low on a few things and thought we might look at some new outfits?” she made the last a question as she looked down at Katherine. Stacy continued to look at Katherine like she was waiting for her to respond. “That's no problem! I'd be happy to help you shop. My name is Stacy.” She took a few steps and held her hand out to Katherine. Katherine stared at it for a moment before releasing Amy's hand and gently shaking Stacy's hand. “What's your name?” she asked, her smile still beaming. A small grin formed on Katherine's face as she tried to mirror her. “Katherine.” She said in a quiet voice. “It's nice to meet you Katherine!” Stacy said excitedly. “I've helped Amy shop here before. Would you like me to lock up the store for a while so you can have some private time to look around?” Katherine nodded vigorously at the offer to avoid anyone else's attention. Stacy’s grin managed to stretch even further as she stood up and went to lock the door. Katherine looked around the shop, finally fully taking in exactly where she was. She knew places like this existed, but never thought she would be in one. Stacy walked back over to them and gestured towards the back room. “Not to detract from the rest of our merchandise, but I believe you’ll be more interested in what we have in the back.” She began walking towards the back of the store, followed by Katherine and Amy. Stacy looked back over her shoulder at Katherine as they walked. “I like your outfit! It's super cute.” Her smile beamed, not a hint of sarcasm or mocking in her expression. Katherine blushed and her gaze dropped to the floor, but a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Thank you.” She muttered quietly as they made their way to the back room. “Do you normally close the store for your customers?” Katherine quietly asked. Stacy didn’t turn around to respond. “Only for the adorable ones.” She said slyly. Katherine felt her face grow warm. Amy noticed the color appearing in Katherine’s cheeks and began to wonder how well she would be able to cope with Stacy’s charismatic personality. Stacy pulled back the curtain with the sign that read, ‘Please Ask for Assistance Before Entering’, and gestured the girls inside. Amy remembered her first time entering the room. It was still a bit of a shock to see it, but Katherine had been completely unprepared for what she would find. Her eyes went wide as she processed the adorable room. She scanned the shelves, trying to process the wide variety of oversized baby products. As they looked, Stacy squatted down next to Katherine and crossed her arms over her knees in a relaxed position. She followed her gaze across the shelves. “Are you surprised?” She continued without waiting for an answer. “There’s a lot of people out there who dress up like you do. Some need to, some want to. Just look at how many different types of… well, everything there are. This many companies couldn’t stay in business if there weren’t a lot of customers.” Katherine nodded absentmindedly as she continued to look over the shelves. While Stacy explained, Amy began to feel herself relax. Stacy was doing an amazing job of relating everything to Katherine in a nonjudgemental tone. “So, is there anything you’d like to look at first?” Stacy asked, looking at Katherine who still wasn’t meeting her eye. “...I don’t know…” Katherine finally manage to speak. “There’s kind of a lot.” Stacy laughed and nodded. “Yeah, there’s a lot. Let’s start over here with the diapers.” She stood up and walked over to the large cubby-hole style shelves. “Did you like the diapers I sent Amy with last time?” Katherine blushed and looked back down. “They’re okay… I had to wear hospital diapers and they were really itchy and leaked. These were really puffy, but they were a lot more comfortable.” Stacy nodded in understanding. “That they are. Medical diapers aren’t usually that good. There’s a few brands that we carry that are, and they’re cheaper than the ABDL diapers.” Katherine looked confused. “ABDL?” She asked quietly. Stacy laughed. “It’s the umbrella acronym for people who dress up like babies for fun. Some people enjoy mentally regressing to a baby for fun or to relax, and some people just enjoy wearing diapers. People all have their own reasons. Some companies make some really cute printed diapers for adults. The ones I sent Amy with were basic ABDL diapers, Simple print, good absorbancy, not too expensive. So you'd like some more like those?" The deer-in-the-headlight look Stacy was getting from Katherine was all she needed to understand just how nervous Katherine was. "Here, let's look at some of these." She diverted the question and pulled down a handful of samples from the shelves, passing half of the collection to Katherine, and the other half to Amy. Katherine awkwardly took the stack like a handful of giant playing cards and began to flip through them. The diapers crinkled loudly as the girls shuffled through them. Katherine held up a bright pink printed diaper with sillouetes of ballarenas covering the surface. Stacy watched her as she admired the design. "So you like princess's?" Katherine blushed and quickly shuffled it to the back of the pile. “I was just looking at the designs.” She said quickly. Stacy gave her a warm smile. “It’s okay, I think those are the cutest design. What do you think Amy?” Amy hadn’t been expecting the question and looked visibly off guard. “Um… yeah, I like those. You should get the ones you’re most comfortable with.” Katherine shuffled the pile back to the princess diapers. She stared at them for a few moments before shrugging. “I guess… I guess I’ll go with these.” Stacy clapped her hands together, her smile beaming. “Great! I’ll grab two bags and bring them up to the front while you keep shopping.” She grabbed two packs from the stockpile and walked out through the curtain. Amy looked at Katherine, trying to see if she felt any more comfortable now that they were alone. She couldn’t see any visible change in her discomfort. “Are you doing okay?” She asked quietly. Katherine looked around the room, not meeting her eye. “I guess. I didn’t expect all this. I don’t know how to feel about it. It still feels weird… but it’s kind of nice to know that it’s not as weird as I thought.” It wasn’t much, but Amy felt better knowing that this informative shopping trip had helped her feel a little less isolated. “Why don’t you look around by yourself for a minute. I need to go ask Stacy about the payment setup. I’ll be right back.” Katherine looked concerned, but nodded slowly. Amy walked out of the back room and up to the front desk where Stacy was entering the diaper’s price into the register. Stacy looked up from her work as she noticed Amy. “Is everything okay?” Amy nodded. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I left her to look on her own for a minute. I just had a quick question about the payment” Amy reached down into her purse and pulled out her new company credit card. “It’s… kind of a long story, but basically Katherine is now… assisting with our new mothering class through our work. The hospital gave me a card to cover expenses for her new role.” Amy looked at Stacy, hoping she would understand what she was implying. Stacy furrowed her eyebrows. “So… are these supplies for your class?” Amy hesitated. “Sort of… Katherine needs them so… so she can do her role properly.” Stacy’s eyes went wide with understanding. “Oh… so, they all think she’s… okay, I think I’m starting to get it. Wow… that’s… that’s actually not a bad idea. She’s a consenting adult, but you would always have a ‘baby’ on hand to help with training. Okay, so they agreed to cover all her ‘needs’ for this new role?” Amy nodded and held out the card to her. Stacy took it and looked over the info. “Wow, that’s awesome that they would be this open to help her.” Amy tried not to grimace as her incorrect assumption. “Hm… I might have to get a confirmation since the purchase is from… not your typical business supply store, if you know what I mean. You go ahead and keep shopping. I’ll take care of this part.” Amy nodded and returned to the back room. As she walked in, Amy saw Katherine holding up a pink frilly dress up to her onesie, checking the fit in the mirror. Her eyes went wide as she saw Amy enter behind her. She quickly reached up to put it back on the clothes rack, having to stand on her toes just to reach the low rack. “I just wanted to see how it looked.” She weakly explained. Amy walked over and took it off of the rack. “I think it’s adorable! You should try it on.” Katherine blushed. “No, it looks so goofy. I just wanted to see it.” Amy held it up to Katherine again. “Come on, just try it on. Do you want some help?” Katherine looked shocked. “No!” She recoiled from her own unexpected volume. “I mean… No, I don’t need any help.” She looked to the small changing closet in the corner and walked over, reaching up to grasp the doorknob. While she changed, Amy looked around the back room, finally having her own private chance to inspect everything. She picked up an oversized pacifier, looking at the different styles and shapes. She picked up two in colors that she thought Katherine would like and tucked them under her arm. I mean… as long as they’re paying… She looked through the bottles with oversized nipples, wipes, powders, and creams, thinking of all the accessories that she would need. I think I’m going to need a cart... She looked to the corner where an oversized crib, high chair, bouncer, and car seat stood. She walked over and peered inside the crib at the soft-looking mattress and pillows. She imagined how well Katherine would fit inside. Didn't Katie she say she fell out of bed when she had her accident?… Maybe she would need something like this. An oversized flower-print car seat sat next to the crib on the floor. It appeared to be more of a novelty item, but the safety harnesses and latches looked real. Amy tried to picture Katherine inside of the large baby seat, but it looked so large that it would swallow her if she sat in it. She remembered Katherine’s booster seat that she had in her car and wondered if she could fit in an average sized car seat. Then her eyes fell to the last small shelf in the room that she hadn’t noticed before. The shelves were lined with small discrete packaged items that she hadn’t expected to see in the room. Small, brightly colored butt plugs, vibrators, and various restraints sat in neat little rows across the shelf. Amy's eyes fell on a face harness that looked to be designed to keep a pacifier in its wearer's mouth. Her suspicions were confirmed when she noticed the phallic shaped pacifier sitting directly next to it. Before she had time to process this discovery, Stacy pulled back the curtain holding a cordless phone. She gave Amy a gentle smile and spoke quietly. “So I just spoke with your manager. She approved everything and gave me a full explanation of the situation. I got the full list already rush ordered and shipped to the address on the card.” Amy felt a chill go down her spine as panic started to overtake her. “Wait… what? Who did you speak to?!” Stacy looked concerned at her surprised expression. “Your boss, Kelly Anderson, right?” Amy couldn't process everything Stacy had so nonchalantly told her. “Hang on… what did she ord-" The door to the changing room opened, cutting off Amy's question. Katherine stepped out wearing the pink party dress that hung just below her diaper. Pink frilly lace jutted out from all sides, making her look like a little girl dressing up as a princess. She held a matching piece of pink fabric in each hand. Stacy covered her mouth with her hands as she gasped. “Oh my gosh, you look adorable!” Katherine looked surprised to see Stacy in the room. Her eyes fell to the floor and her cheeks burned bright red. Stacy knelt down in front of her, placing her hands on Katherine's shoulders. looking squarely in her scared eyes. “Katie, you don't need to be embarrassed. That dress looks so pretty on you! You are the cutest thing I've ever seen.” Katherine tried to hold Stacy's eye contact. Her brightly colored eyeshadow glistened as her eyelashes fluttered. Katherine couldn’t keep her gaze and looked at her feet. Her face still glowed a bright red, but a small smile began to tug at the corners of her mouth. “Thank you.” She said quietly. She held up the other pieces of fabric. “I'm… not sure what to do with these.” Stacy reached out and took the piece of fabric from one of Katherine's hands. She unfolded it and stuck her hand inside to hold it open and two small straps dangled down. “Well this is a matching bonnet.” She held it above Katherine and efficiently tucked it around her head, quickly tying the straps underneath her chin in a neat bow. Amy had to cover her own mouth at the adorable display in front of her. Before Katherine could react, Stacy took the other piece of fabric and held it on the ground, positioning two open leg holes in front of Katherine. “Here, step into these.” She said. “Is it underwear?” Katherine asked, awkwardly placing her dainty feet through the leg holes. Stacy giggled. “No, this is a diaper cover.” She slid the frilly fabric back and forth up Katherine's legs. “The dress doesn’t cover your undies completely if you bend over. We don’t want any boys looking up your skirt.” As she slid the cover just below Katherine's diaper, she paused, looking closely at it. She placed her hand gently under the crotch of the diaper, squeezing and lifting the thick material like she was trying to guess the weight. Katherine froze as she realized what Stacy was doing. She was just starting to trust the girl, and she didn't know how to feel about the already uncomfortable situation. “Oh sweetie, you're pretty wet. Let’s get you changed before we put these on you.” Stacy reached behind her and grabbed the sample pink princess diaper from the cabinet behind her and placed it on the floor in front of her. Katherine tried to make herself speak, or move away, or put up her hands to stop her. Her body was paralyzed, unable to stop what was happening. What is she doing?!… I can't be wet! It must be a mistake. I would have notice if I had an accident… Katherine’s mind raced as she looked for a reasonable answer. Stacy gave the two tapes at the front of Katherine's diaper a quick tug, and the heavy garment fell towards the floor, catching on the diaper cover dangling open between Katherine's legs. Stacy pulled the diaper out from between her legs, quickly replacing it with the pink princess diaper. Before Katherine could even process that she was now naked and exposed to a complete stranger, Stacy had pulled the back of the diaper around Katherine's waist, lifted the front section, and tightly secured the tapes. Amy stared in complete shock at the fastest diaper change she had ever witnessed. Stacy rolled the wet diaper up into a ball and used the tapes to secure it into one tight bundle. “There, that's better. How do you like them?” Stacy gave the fresh diaper a soft pat, making a loud crinkle sound. Katherine's mouth hung open, unable to process what had just happened. Stacy didn’t wait for an answer. She slid the plastic diaper cover up Katherine's legs and snugly around her new diaper. The thickness created a visible poof in the frills along the plastic cover. Stacy playfully flipped up the ends of Katherine's dress, exposing her covered diaper to the mirror in front of them. “What do you think?” she said, gesturing to the mirror. “Do you… do that often?” Came Amy's voice from the other side of the room. Stacy looked at her. “What, the diaper change? Oh, I've had my fair share of practice. It's really easy once you get the hang of it. Do you like the new diapers?” She asked, bringing Katherine back into the discussion. “I… I guess they look nice. They're pretty thick.” Stacy gave Katherine a quick pat on the bottom, causing her to jump. “Yeah, they can hold a lot, so I'm sure you'll get lots of use out of them.” Katherine’s blush somehow became a darker shade of red. Stacy noticed and changed the subject. Stacy pointed to another rack of clothing. “We also have a great selection of pajamas. Most of the outfits come in a few different colors so if you find a style you like, you can just get pick out a few in other colors. Just pick whatever you like and I’ll ring it up front.” They continued modeling through the selection of clothes. Katherine continued to pick out a few simple dresses to offset her frilly party dress and a few sets of footie pajamas. Amy dismissed the idea of buying the crib and gathered up a basic supply of wipes, powder, pacifiers, and diapers. Amy carried her purchases up to the front desk and set them on the counter. Stacy looked over the purchases, stopping at the two large packages of pink diapers. “The order we sent to your house had two cases of six bags each, so I think you’ll be good for a while. If you need some until the order arrives, this should be enough for now.” Amy looked confused. “Order?” Stacy returned her puzzled look. “Your manager’s order for all the basic supplies. She got you all set up.” Amy had forgotten about Stacy’s phone call with her manager. “What all did Kelly tell you?” Stacy looked thoughtful as she tried to remember the conversation. “She just explained Katherine’s situation and asked what kind of supplies we had. I explained what kind of products we carried and their purposes. She was really understanding and seemed anxious to help. She approved the order and used the cardholders address. I assume that’s your house. Does Katherine live with you?” Amy tried to imagine what Kelly would have ordered. “No, we don’t live together. Yes, that should go to my address. What all did she order?” Stacy opened her mouth, but stopped when she saw Katherine exiting from behind the curtain wearing her onesie, her arms overflowing with outfits stacked in a pile that nearly went over her head. She strained her neck back in an attempt to see over the thick pile. Stacy hurried out from behind the counter towards her. “Here, let me help you sweetie.” She took the top half of the pile and held up a few for examination. “These are so cute! You’ll have to let me see them on you sometime, you’ll just look so adorable!” Katherine blushed, but couldn’t keep a wide smile from forming. They placed the items on the counter and Stacy began to ring them up. She looked at Amy with a knowing glance. “I’ll print you off an invoice for the complete order.” Amy nodded in understanding. Stacy bagged their purchases and handed the invoice to Amy with another business card stapled to the top. “If you need any assistance with your new purchases, I’ve included my number on the card. Please let me know if you need anything." Amy smiled and thanked her. As they walked out of the store, Amy tried to stealthily read the invoice. The list was so long she barely had time to comprehend anything before they were back at the car. She stuffed it into one of the bags and the girls loaded their purchases in the back seat. They drove out of the parking lot and started down the road. Amy let the silence linger for a few moments before she spoke, “So, how would you like to stay over tonight?” Katherine looked surprised at the suggestion. “Um, okay. Why?” Amy shrugged. “I dunno… it’s been a rough weekend. I think you need a nice girls night to relax.” Katherine nodded slowly to herself. “That sounds nice.” Amy smiled. “Cool. We’ll order a pizza and put on a good movie.” Katherine sat back in her seat, looking as if she were finally able to relax after her long ordeal. Amy felt herself relaxing, feeling as if she were finally able to do something nice for her friend. Chapter 10: “Do you think I could pick up a few things from my apartment?” Katherine asked. Amy thought about the treasure trove of clothes and pajamas in the back seat, thinking that all of her needs were covered. “Okay, what do you need?” Katherine looked down at the prominent bulge of her diaper that poked out from underneath her onesie. “Well, I’d like to get into some normal clothes. Then just my toothbrush and phone charger.” Amy nodded. “Okay, no problem.” She flipped on her turn signal and began making her way to Katherine’s apartment. After Katherine had managed to awkwardly waddle up the stairs to her apartment, she quickly began gathering up clothes from the floor while Amy sat on the couch and waited for her. Amy couldn’t help but look around at the state of the small apartment. It really wouldn’t be so bad to get her out of here. Heck, with my new salary, it would be nothing for us to split a nice apartment. She deserves something nice… She thought to herself. Katherine emerged from her bedroom with a pink backpack that bulged with unfolded clothes and a flower-print pillow under her arm. She wore a pair of tennis shoes, light pink sweatpants and an oversized gray hoodie. The sweatshirt was probably only a medium, but the large material practically swallowed the small girl, her hands barely poking out of the sleeves. “Okay, I’m ready.” She slung her backpack over he shoulder and began to head towards the door. Amy looked her over, noticing a distinct lack of padding around her bottom. “Um…” She began, unsure how to address the issue. Katherine paused mid-stride to look at her. “What?” Amy looked down at her pants, making sure what she was seeing was accurate. “Where did your… underwear go?” Katherine rolled her eyes and pointed to the bedroom. “I left that thing in there. I’m just wearing normal underwear. I don’t need those.” Amy looked skeptical. “Was it wet?” Katherine looked shocked at the accusation. “What?! No, it wasn’t wet. How could it be? A random stranger just changed it like half an hour ago! I’ve been under a lot of stress, okay? I’ve been trapped in a hospital, fed disgusting food, made to act like a baby by my insane boss, and yeah, it’s all had a toll on me! I don’t actually need those stupid things. I’m an adult, I can use a bathroom like an adult. I’m going to wear underwear like an adult, and for the first time in days, I’m going to eat normal adult food. Can we please just forget about it and go get some pizza?” Amy sighed and looked at the floor. She hadn’t wanted to bring everything up again or upset her friend, but she was genuinely concerned at how many accidents she had had lately, especially considering that Katherine hadn’t even realized when they happened. She would just have to trust her friend and deal with the fallout if she had another accident. “Sure we can. Sorry to bring it up. I just care about you.” Katherine’s anger visibly faded and she let out a sigh. “I know. But I promise I’m okay. It’s just… been a lot the past week. I’m ready for some time to relax.” Amy nodded and gave her a genuine smile. “Okay. Let’s go grab dinner.” Amy tuned the key to her apartment, awkwardly balancing a large pizza box as she struggled with the door knob. Katherine walked in behind her, trying to balance with her over-stuffed backpack, her pillow, and a 2-liter bottle of soda. They deposited their bundles in the living room and Amy started for the kitchen. “I’m going to change and get us some plates and cups. Do you want to pick out something from the DVD shelf, or from Netflix?” Katherine looked over at Amy’s large bookshelf of movies, considering her options. “I’ll see what movies you’ve got.” Amy left to change while Katherine combed through the movie collection. Amy had a sizeable collection of movies that ranged from classics, chick-flicks, and what Katherine would call ‘stupid movies’. They were the adult comedy movies that were stupid for the sake of being stupid. She turned her nose up as she read through the vulgar titles. She came to a shelf that contained nothing but Disney movies, her frown quickly turning into a grin. A nice relaxing movie sounded perfect. Ice clinked from the refrigerator’s dispenser, breaking the silence of the house. Katherine selected Tangled from the shelf and popped the disc into the DVD player. Amy emerged in her own pair of sweats and an oversized t-shirt, carefully balancing the ice-filled cups under one arm and plates in the other. As she set the glasses down on coasters and began to pour the drinks, the music from the DVD menu began to play. Amy stopped pouring to look up and confirm Katherine’s movie choice. “Tangled?” She said, trying not to sound judgmental. Katherine smiled, unaware of Amy’s underlying question. “Yeah, it’s my favorite and I haven’t seen it in forever!” Amy shrugged nonchalantly and continued pouring. The pair sat on the couch and began to stake their claims of the slices of pepperoni pizza. The FBI piracy notice faded into blackness, the room growing dark as the dim sunset faded through the window. Katherine felt herself truly start to relax as the movie began. She was with her best friend, in her most comfortable clothes, eating her favorite food, and watching her favorite movie. She needed this so badly, and she felt herself slowly begin to unwind as she ate her first delicious bite of pizza. Amy watched Katherine from the corner of her eye and saw a genuine smile beginning to show on her friend’s face. She began to smile herself, glad she was finally able to do something to make her friend happy. As the movie went on, Katherine paused between her second and third slice to get a drink. The tall glass felt so heavy to her, and she tried to push out of her mind when the last time was that she had taken a drink under her own power. She tipped the glass towards her mouth and carefully cupped her lips around the rim. The action felt almost foreign to her. She slowly drank the soda in small gulps, but after her first sip, the drink began to run down the glass from the edges of her mouth and on to her shirt. Katherine jerked at the cold sensation of the drink splashing on her hoodie, which caused even more to spill over the edge of her glass. “Damn it!” Katherine swore, clumsily setting her glass down and attempting to pull the wet fabric away from her. Amy jumped up from the couch and started towards the kitchen. “Hang on, I’ll get you a towel.” She called from the other room. Amy grabbed a towel from the drawer and began to wet it under the faucet. As she wrung it out, she played back the scene of what she had just witnessed in her mind. Could Katie not even take a drink out of a glass. There was no reason that drink should have spilt. She started to leave the kitchen, then paused for a moment to consider an idea. She opened a nearby cabinet and found what she was looking for, then returned to the living room. Katherine was awkwardly attempting to push the damp front of her shirt away from her skin. Amy smiled gently at her and handed her the wet towel. “Here. Do you have any other shirts?” Katherine took the towel and sighed as she began to rub at the stain. “Yeah, but it’s my pajama shirt.” Her frown started to more closely resemble a pouting child. “This is my favorite shirt.” Her tone was sounding more upset by the minute. “How about you go change, and I’ll throw that in the washing machine.” Amy asked, hoping to mollify her. Katherine gave a begrudging nod and went over to her backpack to dig out her shirt from the compacted bundle. She changed and handed the hoodie to Amy. While Amy left the room, Katherine sat alone on the couch in her t-shirt, rubbing her arms together as goosebumps began to appear. She didn’t know if it was just from the shock of the cold drink, or just losing the feeling of safety of her warm hoodie. Amy re-entered the living room and noticed Katherine rubbing her arms. “Oh, here.” She said, grabbing a folded blanket from behind the couch. Katherine took it and started unfolding the queen-sized micro plush blanket. She couldn’t help but smile as she rubbed the fabric between her fingers. “This is like the softest thing I’ve ever felt!” Amy smiled at her reaction. “Yeah, it’s my favorite. I use it out here all the time, so it’s become the couch blanket.” Katherine bundled herself up, noticing how much of fabric was left. “Do you want some?” She offered to Amy. “Sure. I’m not really cold right now, but I usually end up using it anyway.” She propped her feet up on the coffee table and draped the blanket over her legs. Katherine snuggled back into a comfortable position on the couch and focused her attention back on the movie. Just as she started staring at the screen, her eyes were drawn to a bright color on the coffee table. She looked down to find a pink bendy straw sticking out of her glass. Her eyebrows narrowed as she looked it over, realizing that Amy must have added it to her drink without her noticing. Amy saw her expression, but looked back to the TV as if she hadn't noticed. Katherine continued to stare at the straw, trying to discern Amy's intentions. “Did you give me a straw?” she asked in a monotone voice. Amy paused as she tried to analyze her tone. She didn't sound angry, but she definitely didn't sound happy either. “Oh, yeah I forgot to grab one earlier.” She said, trying to waive the comment off. Katherine looked at Amy's glass. “Why didn't you grab one for yourself?” Amy continued to stare ahead at the screen and shrugged. “I don’t really like them, but I forgot to ask if you wanted one, so I just grabbed it. I didn’t think you’d mind.” Katherine gave a brief nod as if she understood, but wasn’t convinced. As the night went on, Katherine didn’t have any more accidental spills thanks to the straw, a fact she tried to actively ignore. About half way through the movie, Katherine’s stomach began to gurgle loudly. Amy ignored it the first few times, but after a particularly loud growl, jokingly asked, “Are you still hungry?” Katherine looked down at her stomach in annoyance. “No. I had 5 pieces. Maybe I just ate too quickly.” Amy tried not to think anything more of it, but found it difficult to forget as the gurgles continued at regular intervals. The room reached peak darkness as the sun finally set. Katherine let out a jaw-popping yawn and reclined deeper into the couch cushions. Amy noticed the action and began to yawn herself. “You can lay down if you want to.” Katherine gave a tired nod and shifted towards Amy, resting her head on Amy’s leg. Amy sat perfectly still as Katherine curled up next to her. It wasn’t what she had meant, but she had no problem with Katherine laying on her. She adjusted the blankets around Katherine, tucking her in to her new position. Katherine shifted, moving closer to Amy. As she finished tucking the blanket, Amy kept her hand resting on Katherine’s back. She moved it in slow, gentle circles, soothing her as she fought to keep her eyes open. Katherine didn’t protest, and Amy felt a warm glow from the motherly act. More than anything, she wanted her friend to feel safe. “Amy… I really like your apartment.” Katherine said in a tired voice. Amy smiled at this, wondering where the comment had come from. “I’m glad. I like it too. You’re always welcome to stay here if you want.” Katherine nodded against her legs as she continued to stare at the screen. Her eyelids began to flutter, weakly trying to fight sleep as the warm blanket enveloped her. Amy waited a few moments, trying to muster up the courage to ask. “Katie… how would you feel about being roommates?” She waited for a response, the ambience of the movie filling the room like white noise. After a few more tense moments passed, Amy looked down to see Katherine had drifted off to sleep. She smiled, leaning her own head back into the couch cushions and closing her eyes. “That’s okay. You don’t have to answer now.” She said quietly to herself. The room faded into darkness and she fell asleep. Amy awoke to a quiet room. The credits scrolled up the screen as quiet music played. She took a deep breath, then froze as an unusual smell hit her nose. She gave the air another exploratory sniff, trying to place the scent. It smelled almost like cleaning products. Ammonia? She thought to herself. Then the years of hospital experience sparked something in her mind as the scent that she had almost gone nose-blind to finally registered. No… Urine. She looked down, noticing Katherine still asleep on her lap. The blanket almost completely enveloped her. There was no visible dark spot on the blanket. Still dazed from her nap, Amy leaned over a few inches and smelled the air again. It was definitely stronger towards Katherine. What do I do? She began to panic. I don’t want to wake her… If only there was some way I could clean her up without her noticing. She’s going to be so upset- As her brain began to race through her limited choices, Katherine began to shift in her sleep. Oh please don’t wake up now Katie… Amy pleaded. She felt Katherine’s muscles tighten against her, as if she were stretching. Amy began to relax, but then heard the faint sound of fabric stretching. She looked Katherine over, trying to figure out what the sound was, then noticed a small bump in the blanket shifting over Katherine’s bottom. Oh no… oh no no no!!! Amy felt herself freeze. She couldn’t wake Katherine now and humiliate her, but she couldn’t let her friend lay there like this. The sound continued as Katherine’s panties pushed outwards, the lump in the blanket slowly growing like an inflating balloon. Maybe I’ll just pretend I didn’t notice… She can just go to the bathroom and clean up, and I won’t say a thing. Amy tried to think of any way out of this situation. The noise finally ceased, and Katherine stopped straining and relaxed once again against Amy. Oh good… She’s still asleep. Okay… maybe if I can do something to wake her up and pretend to be asleep, she will think I won’t know. The new smell combined with the urine and wafted up to Amy’s nose. I have to do something now. Before she could react, Katherine gasped and quickly lifted her head, quickly awoken from her sleep. In her daze, she began looking around wildly, rolling on her back. Amy put out a hand, trying to stop her. “Katie, wait!” She said, but her warning wasn’t quick enough. Katherine stopped mid roll, as she felt the mess in her underwear squish against her. Her eyes went wide with disbelief. The girls sat frozen on the couch, unsure what to do. Katherine inched forwards, laying on her side again, but feeling the mess now stuck to her. Realizing what had happened, tears began to form in her eyes. Amy was quick to rub her back in the same calming circles and shushed her. “Hey. Shhh… hey, it’s okay. Everything’s okay.” Katherine’s tears ran down her cheeks and she rolled over on her stomach, burying her face in Katherine’s lap. She began sobbing, her cries muffled in Amy’s sweatpants. “Shhhh….” She continued, rubbing Katherine’s back through the blanket. She now had a view of Katherine’s bottom which no longer had a noticeable bulge. Amy’s sweatpants began to darken as tears soaked into the soft fabric. She could feel Katherine’s hot breath on her legs as she cried louder into her lap. With her other hand, she gently stroked Katherine’s head. She ran her fingernails in slow circles across her scalp in an attempt to soothe her. “Everything’s okay. You’re okay…” Katherine shook her head back and forth into her lap, protesting what Amy was telling her. “Yes, you are. It’s just an accident. It’s not a big deal. We’re going to get you cleaned up. Everything will be fine, okay?” Katherine didn’t respond this time, her sobs causing her body to gently shudder. After a few more moments of rubbing her back, Amy gently placed her hands under Katherine’s armpits, lifting her out from under the blanket and up against her chest. She was always surprised at how light the girl was. She rested her head against her breast, and tucked an arm underneath Amy’s thighs, being careful not to touch anywhere near her bottom. She gently lifted her up and stood up from the couch. She carried Katherine to the bathroom, her shirt now becoming wet with tears. Still in her arms, Amy leaned Katherine’s weight against her chest, and used a free hand to slowly shimmy her pants down. She kept Katherine facing away from the mirror to prevent her from seeing anything. As she pulled the waistband of the pajamas down, she could see the very visible mess through Katherine’s thin, butterfly-print panties. She tugged the wet pants down over her feet and laid them on the bathroom floor. Amy pulled open the shower door and stepped inside. She helped Katherine stand on her own, then started to lift her shirt. “Arms up.” She said in a calm tone. Katherine continued to sniffle as she slowly lifted her hands up. Amy pulled her shirt over her head and laid it on the floor. She turned Katherine away from the shower head and set her hands on her shoulders. “I’m going to pull these down and get the water going. Hold your nose shut and breath through your mouth, okay?” Katherine nodded, fresh tears rolled down her face as she realized what Amy was about to do. Katherine held up a hand and pinched her nose shut as if she was about to do a cannonball off of a diving board. Amy grabbed the waistband of Katherine’s panties and pulled it away from Katherine’s body. The weight of the mess sagged through the material. She slowly lowered the underwear, the majority of the mess drooping towards the floor. She exposed Katherine’s bottom, revealing exactly how much cleanup she would have to do. The underwear finally reached the floor, and Amy gently tugged at Katherine’s ankle, encouraging her to step out of the panties. Amy turned on the water, testing the temperature to make sure it was warm enough. She pulled down the showerhead from its cradle and began gently spraying down Katherine’s backside. She stroked her back with her free hand as she slowly moved the nozzle back and forth. The smell became much more intense and she was glad she had told Katherine to cover her nose. It wasn’t pleasant, but after years of experience in a children’s hospital, it was nothing new to Amy. After the water had dissolved everything, Amy pulled a washcloth from a drawer and covered it with soap. She gently ran the cloth over her thighs, between her legs, and up between Katherine’s cheeks to ensure she was clean. Katherine winced as Amy scrubbed the intimate areas. She rinsed the soap away and turned the water off. She looked down to see that the water had done an excellent job of also cleaning the underwear on the shower floor. Amy grabbed a towel and carefully wiped the water off of Katherine, then wrapped the towel around her. She grabbed another from the towel rack and spread it out on the floor. “I know it’s cold, but can you lay down here for just a minute? I’ll be right back.” Katherine glanced up at Amy with a defeated look in her eye. She didn’t know what Amy was going to do, but she didn’t have any fight left in her to protest. She nodded and laid down on the towel. Amy was only gone for a few moments before she returned with a few bags from her car. Katherine involuntarily began to sob as she realized what was happening. Amy gently shushed her as she began to unpack the supplies. “It's just a precaution, okay?” Katherine didn't respond to the question, simply letting out a small sob. She pulled a pink diaper from the package and unfolded it, laying it on the floor between Katherine's legs. She placed a bottle of baby powder on the floor and knelt down. Amy gently lifted the back of Katherine's legs, and Katherine pushed her bottom in the air, leaving space for Amy to slide the diaper underneath her. Amy sprinkled the powder over her crotch and lifted the crinkly diaper up between her legs. After the tapes were secured, Amy picked up the shirt from the floor. Katherine raised her hands without any prompting and Amy slid her shirt down over her. As she finished the outfit change, Amy leaned down and wrapped her friend in a deep hug. Katherine reciprocated, tightly embracing Amy. “Hey, what do you think about turning in early for bed?” Amy asked. She felt Katherine's head nod against her chest as the held her. The embrace broke off and the girls returned to the living room. Katherine retrieved her toothbrush from her backpack and walked back to the bathroom to brush her teeth, the soft rustle of her diaper breaking the silence of the apartment. In her moment of solitude, Amy cleaned up the remains of dinner and prepared the couch for Katherine to sleep on. As she finished, Katherine emerged from the bathroom, eyeing the couch where her makeshift bed was being prepared. Amy noticed Katherine's look and realized that after her accident, she may not want to be on the couch tonight. “I was just setting up an option if you wanted it. Would you rather sleep in my bed?” Katherine looked at the floor, then slowly bobbed her head up and down. Amy gave her a sympathetic smile. “Hey, it’s no problem. My bed’s pretty big, so I don’t mind. You can even take the blanket from the couch.” Amy picked up the blanket and handed it to Katherine. She took it, snuggling it close to her chest. As small smile began to form as she rubbed the soft fabric between her fingers. After Amy brushed her own teeth, the two moved to her bedroom and crawled into her king-sized bed. Katherine turned off her beside lamp, and the two cocooned themselves in the sheets. “Goodnight Katie.” She whispered to the darkness. Amy heard the sheets shuffle and felt Katherine scoot closer to her, as if she wanted to be embraced. Amy reached her hand forward a few inches, making contact with Katherine’s back. She slowly rubbed, feeling Katherine slide into a spooning position. “Goodnight Amy.” She quietly responded. Amy wrapped an arm around her, the feeling of warmth returning as she felt her friend relax into that same place of safety as she had felt on the couch. After a few moments of feeling her chest rise and fall with steady breathing, Amy whispered, “Katie... do you want to move in together?” Katherine’s breathing paused, as if she was holding her breath. After another long moment, her chest began to fall as she let out a breath. “Yeah... That would be nice.” She said. Amy hadn’t realized that she had stopped breathing as well, and let out a silent sigh. She kissed Katherine on the top of her head, and then snuggled into her pillow as sleep took the both of them. Chapter 11: The faint vibrations of Amy’s phone slowly roused her from sleep. Her eyelids opened sluggishly as she tried to comprehend what was happening. Near the fourth ring, her eyes snapped open as she realized she was no longer dreaming and was about to miss a call. She blindly swiped out towards her nightstand, snatching up her phone and ripping out the charging cable. “Hello?” She said in a slurred and groggy tone. “Hello Amy, it’s Miss Anderson. I know that you’re not scheduled for today, but I would like to schedule an impromptu training session for your classes. I just have a few things to go over for your new role.” Amy blinked away the sleep as she tried to process what Kelly was saying. “Um... Yeah, okay.” “I’ll only need you for a few hours, would this morning at eleven be acceptable?” Amy looked over at the clock which read 7:30. “Yeah, that will be fine.” A thought occurred to her as she started to wonder what the training would be. “Will... Will Katherine need to come with me?” “No.” Kelly curtly replied. “This is only for your role as an instructor. Is she staying with you?” Amy found the question a bit unusual, but almost everything seemed unusual to her lately. “Yes, she’s staying with me right now.” “Excellent.” Kelly replied. “Do you have someone who can watch her while you’re away?” Amy paused, grateful that Kelly couldn’t see the confused look on her face. “No… she’s just here at my apartment.” “I don’t believe that in her current state she needs to be unsupervised. You should find a sitter for her. The hospital can cover the expense of a part-time caregiver for her.” Amy was still trying to full wake up to digest all the information. “Um, okay. But I think it would be hard to explain… the situation to a sitter.” There was a short pause as Kelly considered her words. “If you prefer, I can find someone who is aware of the situation and has the necessary experience to watch her.” Amy wished this conversation was happening in person. Kelly was a difficult person to convince of anything, but it was easier when she wasn’t on the phone. “Okay, we can talk about it more during our meeting.” “Very well. I will see you at eleven. Goodbye” The phone beeped as the call ended, and Amy let her arm drop to her bed. She looked over at Katherine who was still sleeping soundly. She had migrated to the other side of the bed and was tangled in a mess of blankets. She certainly does move around a lot when she sleeps. Amy mused to herself. She gingerly lifted the sheets from around herself and quietly shifted her weight from the bed to the floor. Her socks on the carpet were barely audible as she stepped out of the room and down the hall. Amy passed her open guest room and looked it over. The apartment had been designed for 2 people, each sharing a connected bathroom with ample living space, but Amy had never really found a purpose for the second room. She used the second closet as overflow, but other than a small amount of junk she stored in the corner the room was almost bare. She began to envision Katherine moving her bed in. The small amount of stuff she has at her apartment would fit here nicely. She wondered to herself. She left the doorway and continued towards the kitchen. Still attempting to blink the sleep from her eyes, Amy turned on the coffee pot and began to get breakfast ready. The quiet gurgling of the coffee pot created a peaceful soundtrack to the otherwise silent Sunday morning. The skillet was placed on the stovetop and began to warm. Amy closed her eyes and inhaled as the room began to smell like fresh brewed coffee. Saturday’s were a nice day to relax, but there was something about Sundays that always seemed restful to her. After a bowl of pancake batter was thoroughly stirred, Amy began to ladle careful dollops of batter onto the hot skillet. Her first stack was completed just as Katherine walked into the room. Amy turned and noticed her just as she prepared the first plate. Katherine still clutched the blanket from last night. Her hair was in disarray and her wrinkled oversized t-shirt hung just below her hips and exposed a small pink strip of her diaper that seemed to sag just below the hem. Amy tried not to stare at it and wondered how she would be able to bring up the subject if she was actually wet. “Well good morning sleepyhead. You’re just in time.” She placed the stack of warm pancakes on the table, setting a fork and a bottle of syrup beside it. Katherine visibly perked up at the sight and waddled towards the table. Amy wondered if she was aware of what she was doing, but her question was soon answered as Amy climbed up into the chair and visibly winced as her diaper squished against the seat. She looked down in surprise and disgust as the sensation of the cold, soaked diaper finally registered with her. Amy was quick to react before she got upset. She was at her side, gently rubbing her back. “It’s okay, you just had a lot to drink last night and slept in. We’ll get it changed right after breakfast, but your pancakes won’t be good cold.” Katherine seemed to calm down before her embarrassment escalated any further. Amy returned to the stove to finish her own batch of pancakes. The coffee pot was finally full and Amy went to pour herself a cup. As she reached for a second mug for Katherine, she remembered the soda and wondered how well Katherine's stomach would be able to handle coffee. She put the mug back on the shelf and opened the fridge. “Hey Katie, what do you want to drink? I've got orange juice… milk…” She trailed off, hoping Katherine would accept one of the first few options. “Milk's fine." she said with a mouthful of pancakes. Amy took out the carton and poured a glass of milk. She opened the cabinet, grabbed a straw, and put it in the glass with a soft clink. Amy carried their drinks over to the table and retrieved her own stack of pancakes. Katherine paused for a moment when she noticed the straw, but didn’t say anything as she brought it up to her lips and took a drink. Amy focused on her pancakes and pretended not to notice. “So, Kelly called this morning…” Katherine froze with her fork half way to her mouth and looked up with wide eyes. “It’s okay.” Amy urged quickly, trying to shut down any anxiety before it started. “It’s just for me, she just wants to go over a few things about teaching courses. It’s in a few hours, would you be fine hanging out here until I get back?” Katherine didn’t trust anything that involved Kelly, her discomfort evident on her face. She nodded slowly, but her concerned look didn’t change. “You can watch whatever you want. It shouldn’t be long, so we can get lunch after I get back.” Katherine nodded with slightly more confidence than before. The two finished their breakfast and Amy set the dishes in the sink. “Okay, let’s get you taken care of.” Katherine didn’t respond, but began to make her way to the bathroom. Just like the previous night, she laid down wordlessly in the same position on the bathroom floor. Amy pulled up the small bit of Katherine’s shirt that covered her diaper. It was visibly swollen, emanating a soft squishing noise as Amy undid the tapes and folded it down. She grabbed the container of wipes and thoroughly cleaned Katherine. As she slid the used diaper away, she was amazed at how heavy it was. These things can really take a punch. She thought as she rolled the diaper into a ball and refastened the tapes shut. Amy looked at her small bathroom trashcan, realizing that one diaper would immediately fill it to capacity. We might need to get a diaper pail at this rate. She deposited the diaper and pulled a fresh one from the package. After adding powder, she taped it snugly around Katherine’s waist. “Good to go.” She smiled, but Katherine didn’t return the expression. “It’s just for safety. Maybe if you have some time to relax, it will get better. Maybe we can even look for some thinner diapers so you won’t feel self-conscious in public?” Katherine’s sour expression softened at the thought. As long as there was some road to normality, she held on to the hope that she would feel like an adult again. The girls separated as Amy went to get ready for her training. Katherine returned to the couch with her blanket and started browsing Netflix. After she was deeply immersed in an episode of Friends, Amy entered the living room in her hospital scrubs, her hair still slightly wet from her shower. “I'm going to head to the hospital. You know where stuff is, so help yourself to whatever you need. Just text me if you need anything.” Katherine’s expression was almost heartbreaking. She didn't want Amy to leave or to have to deal with Kelly. She didn't want to be left alone. Before all of this, she would have killed for some free time, but now she just wanted Amy to stay. Amy hadn't expected the sad doe eyes looking up at her. She froze as she put her purse over her shoulder. “Hey, what's wrong?” Katherine broke eye contact and looked down, but her face still looked as if she was about to cry. Amy sat down next to her on the couch. “I won't be gone long. We’ll get lunch right after.” “I know.” Katherine said, unconvincingly. “So, what's wrong?” Amy asked, still confused. There was a long pause as she waited for Katherine to say something. “I just… I don't want you to go. I don't like you being around Kelly. She's mean and I don't want her to keep you there.” Amy realized how attached Katherine had become to her. She loved her friend and would do anything for her, but she hadn't seen how dependent her friend had become on their relationship. Maybe Kelly was right about how much support she needs right now. She wondered to herself “It's okay.” She said, rubbing her hand down her back. “I promise I won't stay too long. I'll be home soon.” She could see the tears welling in Katherine's eyes that threatened to spill over, but Katherine nodded and blinked them away. Amy gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head and headed out the door. Katherine had created a perfect nest on the couch. She was nestled in between several pillows, using her soft blanket to fill in the gaps. After a few episodes, she fell into a comfortable half sleep. Amy’s absence was no longer a source of anxiety, and the quiet of the empty apartment had become peacefully drowned out by the television. A sudden knock at the door made Katherine’s heart race. She gasped loudly and she almost fell off of the couch. She looked down at her outfit, a simple oversized t-shirt that barely covered her diaper. I can’t answer the door like this… what if it’s Amy? No, why wouldn’t she just use her keys? Did she forget them? Why didn’t she just call me? Questions raced through her mind as she reached for her phone. As she looked at the screen and saw that there were no new notifications, the door pounded again, louder this time. A woman’s voice came from the other side of the door? “Katie? It’s Stacy. I’ve got your delivery for you. Can you open the door?” Katherine froze staring at the door. She wished they would just go away, or wait for Amy to come home. She hadn’t expected to have to deal with anyone and wasn’t sure how to deal with the situation. After a long moment of silence, Katherine steeled herself and took slow, shuffling steps towards the door. She reached up, turned the deadbolt, and opened the door. While she had been preparing herself for Stacy to see her in her attire, she hadn’t been expecting two large moving men standing behind her with a pile of boxes. Her cheeks quickly burned to a bright red, but the men seemed to take no notice of it. Stacy smiled at her, and Katherine noticed a new pink dyed strip in Stacy’s otherwise dark hair. It was pulled into a ponytail today as a contrast to her usual pigtails. The change gave Katherine something to focus on as she tried not to think about her own attire. “Hi Katie, I didn’t wake you, did I?” Stacy said, looking down at her outfit as if they were perfectly normal. “N-no.” Katherine muttered. “Well, do you mind if we drop your stuff off? My guys are really quick and they’ll be in and out in a flash.” Katherine was excited at the idea of everyone leaving and gave a quick nod. Amy smiled and gestured to the movers. “Come on guys." She stepped inside past Katherine, the men carrying a large rectangular box between them. Katherine looked at the pile of boxes that remained outside, wondering what could be in them. Stacy analytically looked all around the apartment as she navigated through it. She walked down the hall to the guest room and looked inside. “Ah, this should work. In here guys.” The men followed past her into the room. Katherine heard the box hit the floor with a thud. The men walked out and returned to the pile of boxes outside. They made several more trips in the room, depositing the boxes with speedy precision. Katherine wondered what Stacy was doing in the room, but didn’t want to get in the way of the movers. She sat on the couch and returned to her show, trying to block out the noise. After the last load of boxes came in through the front door, Katherine noticed that the men weren’t leaving the room. She could hear the boxes being shuffled as if they were being disassembled, but she didn’t dare leave her spot on the couch. After what felt like an eternity, the men entered the living room, walked past her without a word, and closed the door behind them. Katherine wondered if there were more boxes she hadn’t seen, but her question was answered when she heard the sound of the moving truck starting up and driving away. Katherine sat there quietly, listening if Stacy was in the other room. She wondered if she had left without her noticing. She continued to listen, hearing light footsteps walking down the hall. Stacy walked around the corner, her face beaming. “Hey, want to come see?” Katherine didn’t try to hide the confused look on her face. She no idea what to expect at this point and just wanted to go back to having her free time. Katherine got up from the couch and followed Stacy as she practically skipped back to the guest room. A pink light shined into the hallway. Katherine hadn’t seen a light on in the room before, but was surprised that Amy would have a pink lightbulb. She entered in behind Stacy who turned around and spread her arms wide, presenting her work for review. “Well? What do you think?” Katherine mouth fell open as she took in the spectacle around her. The room had been completely transformed. Katherine’s eyes were immediately drawn to the oversized crib, complete with an oversized spinning mobile in the corner of the room. A normal-sized adult would appear small inside it, much less Katherine. Her gaze continued to the corners where there was a rocking chair, changing table, and a diaper pail. The walls were covered with stick-on decals of clouds, animals, letter blocks, and flowers. Several lamps put off a soft pink glow throughout the room. Katherine noticed a soft sensation beneath her bare feet and looked down. The center of the room was covered with a large sheep-skin rug. She unconsciously wiggled her toes, feeling the rug’s softness. She looked the room over again, completely speechless. “It’s a lot, I know, but isn’t it cute?” Stacy couldn’t wait for a response. “Oh, don’t you just love that rug? It’s sheepskin. Isn’t it just the softest thing in the world?” Katherine’s eyes explored every corner, trying to process what she was seeing. Her eyes fell on the open closet. Stacy followed her gaze, looking for any reaction to the room. “Oh, the closet. You've got to see this. This is the best part!” she grabbed Katherine's hand and led her over to the open door. Katherine looked up at the now packed closet. The top rack was completely full of baby clothes. Onesies, sleepers, and dresses bulged out of the closet. Ruffles and pastel colors entirely filled up the top section. The bottom section had been turned into organizer shelves with cubby holes. Each hole was full of stacks of different kinds of diapers, diapering supplies, bottles, pacifiers, toys, and every accessory a baby would need. Katherine couldn't speak as she looked the closet over, wondering if this was all some strange dream. Stacy clapped her hands together. “Isn't it amazing? You have no idea how excited I was that I got to do this. We've set up rooms for customers before, but nothing like this! Your boss is really amazing. I couldn't believe everything that she ordered. I told her about our supplies and she just ran with it…” Katherine could barely understand the words Stacy was saying. “My… my boss?” Katherine muttered quietly. Stacy stopped in the middle of her rant, anxious for any feedback from Katherine. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to understand Katherine's confusion. “Yeah… Kelly, right? She put in this order for you…” Katherine didn't take her eyes off of the stack of diapers in front of her. “She did?” she asked in her quiet tone. “Oh…” Stacy said, showing the first hint of awkwardness Katherine had ever heard from her. “She didn't tell you. I think I understand…” Stacy went still as the quiet room was filled with a muffled hissing noise. She listened carefully, then looked down at Katherine as she realized the source. Her cheerful smile returned and she placed her hands on her hips. “Well, it sounds like someone needs a change.” Katherine felt a familiar warm sensation in her diaper and realized that she had just had an accident. She looked down at her now swollen diaper in disbelief. She felt tears starting to form, but Stacy picked her up and rested her head against her shoulder. “No worries, we’ll get you taken care of.” With one hand she patted her back, and the other rested under Katherine’s bottom as she supported her, inadvertently squishing the warm wet padding against her. Stacy wasn’t as tall as Amy, but still had no difficulty picking up and carrying Katherine. She laid Katherine on the changing table and undid the tapes of the wet diaper. “There, there sweetie, it’s okay.” She gave Katherine a quick boop on her nose and giggled. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” Stacy reached under the changing table and pulled out a pink cloth diaper. “I also threw in some cloth diapers in the order. They’re so soft and I think you’ll like them more than disposables.” She pulled the front of the used diaper down and grabbed a wipe. Katherine began to sit up in an attempt to protest, but Stacy put a hand on her shoulder to keep her down, wagging her finger back and forth. “Ah ah ah, no being fussy. I might end up putting you in the diaper pail by accident.” She giggled at her own joke. “Hold still for me sweetie.” She continued to smile brightly as she wiped and powdered Katherine. Katherine laid there, unsure if there’s anything she could do. “Let me get you up to speed. Miss Anderson put in a special order for you to have your very own nursery. It was very generous and she wanted to make sure you had everything you need for your new job.” She rolled up the used diaper into a ball and deposited it into the diaper pail. “I helped her pick out everything and offered to set up your nursery. She asked if I knew much about this stuff and I told her that I have had experience ‘babysitting’ before.” She lifted Katherine’s legs and slid the cloth diaper underneath her. Katherine’s bottom rested on the soft material that felt like a pillow. “She asked if I’d like to babysit, and of course I said yes! The hospital has a program for in-home patient care and I’m now officially your babysitter.” Katherine’s eyes went wide as she finally understood what was happening. Stacy pulled up the cloth diaper between Katherine’s and began fastening the velcro straps. The material was so thick it pushed Katherine’s legs apart. “The only downside of these is you’ve got to have plastic panties to make sure you don’t leak. But they last a long time, and we can get some really cute pants for you. You can even add cloth stuffer pads to make them last longer. I think I put some down here…” She leaned over under the table and rummaged around for a moment. “Yes! Here they are.” She held up two curved cloth pads that matched her diaper. “Want to see how they look?” Without waiting for a response, Stacy undid the velcro and pulled the front of the diaper back down. “I think two is the most we would be able to get away with.” She slid the stuffers underneath Katherine’s bottom and carefully tucked them inside the lining of the diaper. The material had tripled in thickness, creating a noticeable squeezing sensation when she pulled the thick padding back up between Katherine’s legs. Her thighs forcibly spread out around the diaper as Stacy pulled the front down and re-fastened the straps. “Oh my gosh that is so cute! That thing will last you all day. Now, let’s see if we can’t get some cute panties for that poofy butt.” As Stacy walked over to the closet to look at clothing options, Katherine craned her neck down to look at the beach ball around her waist. She couldn’t even see her toes over the bulk of the diaper. Stacy quickly returned from the closet with her hands full. “Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking…” She held up two sets of panties in each hand. She held out a transparent pink pair for Katherine to see. “These are plastic. They’re pretty loud but keep you from leaking. Unfortunately, they aren’t very cute looking. Now these…” She held up the other pair. They were a shiny pink satin with ruffles all along the bottom. “These are just decorative and aren’t waterproof. I think we should try both!” Stacy shifted down towards Katherine’s feet and raised her legs in the air. She first slid the plastic panties over her feet and shimmied them up her legs. The plastic crinkled loudly as she slid it up and around the bulky diaper. She then repeated the process with the other pair. The cool satin tickled as the ruffles ran over Katherine’s legs and she let out an involuntary giggle and squirmed at the unexpected sensation. Stacy grinned and gave her a devious look. “Ohhh… Is someone ticklish?” Katherine’s smile was instantly gone, replaced with a look of horror. Stacy quickly slid her hands under Katherine’s shirt, prodding her sides. “Tickle time!” She yelled as her fingers fluttered over Katherine’s sensitive skin. Katherine tensed and writhed on the changing table, laughing wildly and trying to squirm away. “No, no, no, no, please!-” She groaned in between laughs. Stacy moved town to her thighs which were helplessly exposed from the thick diaper. She leaned over and placed her mouth on Katherine’s belly, blowing a loud raspberry as she tickled. Katherine was almost screaming with laughter, trying to catch her breath in between her pleas. “NO! Please stop!” Stacy finally relented, giving her a kiss on the forehead. “I won’t tickle you too bad… we wouldn’t want to make you have another accident, would we?” Katherine blushed at the question. Stacy smiled at her response and returned to the closet. “So, we need something cute to go with your undies...” She pulled two dresses from the closet. “You’ve got an entire new wardrobe to look through... what to pick?” She held up two frilly dresses, one pink, and one yellow with pink accents. “What do you think?” She weighed them back and forth. Katherine just stared at them, unsure what to say. She just wanted to stay in her t-shirt. She wanted to be alone. But she knew that wasn’t going to happen. She had peed her pants without any idea it was happening. She didn’t want to admit that she needed help, but she knew she didn’t have a choice any more. “The yellow one.” She said quietly. The grin on Stacy’s face somehow grew bigger at the response. “I like that one too.” She came over and helped Katherine out of her shirt. Katherine felt the need to cover herself, but her chest was so flat there was practically nothing to cover. Stacy helped her sit up, balancing on the giant diaper, and held the dress up over her head. “Arms up.” Katherine complied and Stacy slid the dress over her head. It fanned out just below where her breasts would be, the frills pushing the dress out to all sides and exposing her frilly diaper cover. “Oh my gosh I just want to die.” Stacy said through her hands that covered her mouth. “You are so stinking cute! Here, let’s try this.” She almost ran to the closet and pulled out a yellow bonnet and a matching yellow pacifier. “Open” She said, placing the large nipple in Katherine’s mouth. She reluctantly opened and accepted the nipple. Stacy pulled out two hair ties, fixing Katherine’s hair into two pigtails. She fixed the bonnet on her head, tying it underneath her chin in a bow. “Okay, I can’t stand this. You are the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” Stacy pulled out her phone and snapped a picture before Katherine knew what was happening. “Have you had lunch yet?” Stacy asked. Katherine was trying to speak to protest the picture, but found that the bonnet securely held her mouth closed around the giant pacifier, preventing her from speaking. She shook her head no while trying to open her jaw. Stacy noticed the predicament. “That’s okay, don’t worry about it. I’ll take your bonnet off for lunch. I’ll go make you something and be right back.” She picked Katherine up from the table and walked over to the crib. She pulled at a latch and the large panel slid to the floor. Stacy placed Katherine on the soft mattress and handed her a stuffed sheep. “Now you play with Lamby while I go get lunch ready.” She put the crib wall back up and left Katherine alone in the room. Katherine looked down at the stuffed lamb, holding the soft material close to her chest. She suckled her pacifier and looked around the room. She couldn’t believe that any of this was real. She squirmed around the bulky diaper, trying to find a comfortable position. The high wall of the crib was far too tall to crawl over, even if the diaper wasn’t impairing her movements. Katherine attempted to stand, having to awkwardly shift from her knees to her shaky feet. Before she could even be upright, the heavy diaper threw off her balance and she fell squarely on her bottom. The padding ensured that there was no pain, but she still felt like crying. She couldn’t escape, she couldn’t yell for help, she couldn’t even go to the bathroom if she wanted to. Tears welled up easily in her eyes and she hugged her lamb close to her. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed before Stacy returned with a bottle in her hand. “Hey, sweetie. Ready for lunch?” Katherine eyed the bottle skeptically, then looked into Stacy’s eyes. Stacy met her gaze, sensing her hesitation. “Don’t worry. Kelly told me you’ve nursed before. I want to keep you on a regular schedule so your tummy doesn’t get upset.” At the word ‘nurse’, Katherine involuntarily looked at Stacy’s exposed cleavage, her black tank-top struggling to support her breasts. The shirt was tight against her slender waist, and Katherine stared for longer than she realized. Stacy’s grin turned devilish as she realized where Katherine was looking. She turned her own gaze down and peered down her own shirt. “Yeah, sorry sweetie. I don’t think I’ll be able to help you there.” She began to unlock the crib and a familiar blush returned to Katherine’s cheeks. “I can’t feed you, but maybe later I’ll let you nurse if you’re good.” She gathered Katherine up in her arms and walked over to the rocking chair. “I know how soothing that can be for a baby.” Katherine went limp in Stacy’s arms as she supported her. She hadn’t meant to stare at her. She wasn’t implying that she wanted to nurse. Why did I do that? Katherine’s thoughts felt fuzzy and slow as she tried to wrap her head around what was happening. Stacy sat in the chair and cradled Katherine in her arms. She undid the bonnet and removed her pacifier. She brought the bottle up to Katherine’s lips and she instinctively opened her mouth. She wrapped her lips around the nipple and began to suckle. Her mouth curled into a frown as the taste of formula hit her tongue. “Oh, don’t pout.” Stacy said, sticking her lower lip out turning her own mouth into a mock pout. “This is what babies need. You’ll get used to it, and if you need some help, I brought some things that can assist you.” Katherine wasn’t sure what she meant, but couldn’t imagine anything worse than formula. She suckled from the bottle and swallowed the thick mouthful. Stacy smiled. “That’s my good girl.” Katherine felt a strange pang of pride at the comment. While balancing the bottle, Stacy pulled out her phone and tapped the screen a few times. The room slowly began to dim, only a soft pink glow coming from the bulbs. Katherine would have sworn it was evening thanks to the blackout curtains over the window. Stacy spoke quietly, as if she didn’t want to disturb the peaceful room. “They’re smart bulbs. I can set them to whatever color I want and set schedules for them. This is what we’ll set the room to for nap time.” Katherine mentally wanted to protest the idea of a nap, but she felt her jaw stretching as the darkness encouraged her to yawn around the bottle that was already half gone. “Perfect timing, I think someone is getting sleepy.” Stacy said, still holding the bottle firmly in place. Katherine felt herself relaxing as she suckled until the bottle was empty. The bland taste wasn’t as overpowering anymore and she was able to finish the bottle easily. Stacy took away the empty bottle and replaced the pacifier in her mouth. She left the bonnet untied and carried Katherine over to the crib. She lifted up the blankets and laid Katherine gently down on the mattress, covering her with the blankets. “Just hold on one minute, I’m going to try something.” Stacy left and walked over to the closet. Katherine felt her vision beginning to fade as the combination of the darkened room, warm blankets, and her full belly all chipped away at her will to stay awake. Stacy returned a moment later with several objects in her hands. She walked to the foot of the bed and began to slip something over Katherine’s feet. She strained to lift her head and saw satin booties that matched her diaper cover. Stacy moved up and began to slid matching mittens over her hands. Katherine tried to protest, but Stacy’s grip was far too strong for her tired state. Stacy’s face went stern as she laced straps around Katherine’s wrist. “No fussing unless you want a spanking. I’m sure I left a paddle here somewhere.” She paused to look Katherine in the eye, showing her the seriousness of the threat. Katherine went limp and let Stacy tie the mittens around her hands. Lastly, she grabbed a set of headphones and slid them over Katherine’s ears underneath her bonnet. She tied the bonnet’s straps into a tight bow, securing the headphones and pacifier in place. Suddenly, Katherine began to hear the soft hum of a white noise tone in the headphones. She could only see Stacy mouthing the words, “Sweet dreams.” Before she raised the side of the crib and shut the door behind her. Katherine tried to move her hands inside the mittens, but found the material was to slick for her to get a grip on anything. She tried to shift her bonnet and headphones away, but they wouldn’t budge. She looked up at the spinning mobile and watched the characters as they moved in slow circles. A woman’s quiet voice began to drift through the white noise in the headphones. “Hello there, my precious baby. Everything is okay. You’re safe. Just listen to my voice. Mommy’s voice.” The voice was just above a whisper, speaking in long, slow breaths, as if she was breathing in Katherine’s ears. She felt tingles run down her back. “Mommy loves you baby. Mommy will take care of you. Close your eyes and let mommy take care of you.” Katherine felt her eyelids getting heavy, and quietly drifted off as the voice guided her to sleep. Amy exited the hospital and returned to her car, thinking over the meeting she had just had. Kelly had been unusually businesslike with her compared to the past few days. The meeting had lasted two hours, but was mostly just Kelly going over a guide for new instructors. Kelly had only asked one question that still bothered her. How do you feel about that store clerk, Stacy? Amy could still hear Kelly’s tone clearly in her head. She had told her that Stacy was a very nice person and seemed very knowledgeable about the supplies that were purchased for Katherine. Kelly had seemed satisfied at the answer and hadn’t pressed any further, but Amy couldn’t help but wonder what it meant. She pulled up to the apartment and walked up to the door. She unlocked the door to find Stacy sitting on her couch. Stacy turned and smiled as if she had expected her to walk in. “Hi Amy! I hope you don’t mind, but Katherine let me in and we got your stuff delivered and all set up. Katherine’s down for a nap in her room. Would you like to see?” Amy’s blank face stayed frozen as she took in what Stacy had said. “Wait… my stuff?” Stacy returned her confused look. “Oh... did Kelly not tell you I was coming by today? She called me and asked if I could start today as a sitter while we got everything setup. I’m sorry she didn’t say anything, I thought you knew.” Amy racked her memory of the conversations with Kelly if there was anything she had missed. She shook her head as if the memory suddenly came back to her. “Oh yeah, that’s right. I forgot she did talk about that.” Stacy still looked concerned. “I hope it was okay I came by. Kelly talked with me about what Katie needs and that she was here alone. Here, let me show you the room.” She turned to walk down the hall and Amy followed her. Stacy gently turned the doorknob, revealing the dimly lit nursery. Amy tried to keep her mouth from falling open as she looked around. “What do you think?” Stacy whispered. “I... I didn’t know what to expect.” She looked over to the oversized crib in the corner and noticed Katherine sleeping. She walked over and peered between the bars. “Isn’t she just precious?” Stacy said. Amy found herself clamping her hands over her mouth as the sight of her party dress. “Oh my... She’s adorable! That diaper is so poofy...” Stacy smiled at the observation. “Yeah, it’s a cloth diaper. It will hold a lot and she wouldn’t need a change for a while. I’ve got you all set up with diapers and outfits in the closet.” Amy just nodded, still looking around the room. Stacy gestured to the hallway and they both stepped outside. “Since your home now, I can take off. If you need anything, you can give me a call any time.” “Sure thing, thank you for watching her Stacy.” Stacy smiled. “It’s no problem. She’s so easy to watch. I’ll see you soon!” Amy walked her to the door and watched as she went to her car. As soon as she had driven out of sight, Amy walked back to the nursery. Katherine continued to sleep, softly sucking her pacifier. Amy just watched her as she slept, and looked around the room. She quietly whispered to herself “Oh Katie...what are we going to do?” Chapter 12: Amy sat on the living room couch, idly swiping at her phone’s screen. Various pictures from Instagram scrolled past, but she barely noticed what was on the screen, her eyes unfocused and distant. She wasn't sure what else to do. She thought about watching something on TV to relax and unwind, but she didn't want any noise to wake Katherine. At least while she was sleeping, she didn't have to process everything that had happened. The entire apartment had a tangible silence that felt foreign to Amy. She hated the quiet and always had to have some noise going on in the background. All she wanted was a distraction from all of the crazy changes that had happened in her life, but now she couldn't seem to get away from them even in her own home. Her eyes glanced down at the coffee table that now contained a small video baby monitor. She watched the tiny image of Katherine’s chest rise and fall slowly. She looked so peaceful, somehow able to sleep deeply with a ridiculously thick diaper between her legs. Amy had wanted to remove it as soon as Stacy had left, but decided she should not disturb Katherine if possible. She looked away from the monitor, another constant reminder of her predicament. Only one day after Katherine agrees to move in, and already her room and wardrobe had been completely transformed at Kelly's whim. Amy now not only had a roommate, but a roommate with a very complicated situation that she didn't even understand yet. Katherine seemed to be down a path of mental and physical regression. Amy racked her brain and began to compile evidence of Katherine's symptoms. Okay, she had just started her new job. That's perfectly normal to be stressed out about a new job, not to mention her first job right out of college. Student loans, first day as a doctor at one of the most prestigious hospitals in America, it's no wonder stress got to her. Stress can manifest in strange ways… Flashbacks of Katherine's apartment came to Amy's mind. Then she had all those accidents… Maybe she's always been prone to accidents and I just never knew. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was embarrassed and never told me. Although… bladder control is one thing, but she had full on incontinence a few times, then broke down crying like she was a little girl again. Maybe that was the beginning of a mental breakdown... There was a soft cooing noise from the monitor as Katherine moved in her crib, repositioning herself in her sleep. It was impossible to roll over with her thick diaper, but her head simple shifted as she continued to sleep on her back. Amy got up and walked to the kitchen, unable to look at the monitor anymore. She looked up at the bottles of alcohol perched on top of her cabinets, wondering if a drink would be helpful, or just help her ignore her problems. She shook the thought from her head and continued to remember. Then there was the hospital… I just wanted to help her get over her anxieties and we dressed her up as a baby. But some people actually thought she was as baby. Not only that, but she actually locked up and acted like one. She ate baby food. She used her diapers and never protested. Was this something she wanted all along? The thought seemed impossible to her. Sure, Katherine had always been a bit juvenile and hated being an adult, but who doesn’t? Was she just unable to process things and subconsciously fell into the opportunity to avoid her problems? She shook her head again, trying to shut down the wild train of thought. “I can't do this.” She whispered to herself. She felt her own anxiety levels starting to rise. I don't even know what's wrong with her. Am I helping her by doing this? She pictured Katherine attending the daycare that Kelly had so deviously set up for her. Anger joined her swirling cloud of emotions as she thought of Kelly. And how can she just do this? I don’t care if she's an administrator. She reassigns out jobs and opens a stupid credit card for Katherine to have a nursery? She seemed to enjoy it too. I knew she didn't like Katherine, but this isn’t right. You can't just hire somebody to go renovate someone’s house into a giant nursery. She didn't blame Stacy for her part in this. At least Stacy was somewhat helpful, even if she did pick out thousands of dollars of baby items for Katherine and renovate a room in her home. She blocked the new pink addition to her house out of her mind. She wasn't even sure where to begin to process that issue. I guess I won't be having any guests over for a while… if accidentally walked inside… Amy laughed, despite herself. There was nothing funny about the situation, but the sheer overload of the huge life changes finally seemed to get to her. Okay… I have a giant pink nursery in my house. That's my roommates' room. Oh, also I have a roommate now. My roommate sleeps in a crib. Is that good for her? Does she need all of this? What if it's making everything worse? What if she completely regresses? What if I become responsible for taking care of her? She thought back to the number of dirty diapers she had already helped Katherine out of in the past week. What if she becomes completely dependent? How long will I have to change poopy diapers for? A pang of guilt hit her as she asked herself the last question. How can I think that way? I helped cause this problem. Changing a poopy diaper is nothing compared to the humiliation and embarrassment she's gone through. It's just a dirty diaper. I change a hundred of them a day at work. At least I didn't have to sit in one… As she tried to block out the mental image of herself in a diaper, Amy felt her phone go off in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw a text from Stacy. “Oh, what now?” She muttered, opening the message. Sorry to bug you again, but I forgot one last thing. I had a high-chair and pack-and-play in my back seat and forgot to drop it off. It is okay if I swing back by? -Stacy Amy sighed and typed out a reply. Yeah, that’s no problem. Katherine’s still asleep. Amy hit send and placed her phone face down on the table, placing her face in her hands. I’m not sure how much more I can handle... After a few moments to clear her head, Stacy arrived at the door. As soon as Amy opened the door, Stacy noticed the look on her face. “You look like you’re about to crack. What’s going on?” Even though she barely knew her, Amy began to pour out the days of unprocessed emotions that she had been building up. Before she knew it, tears began to stream down her cheeks without warning. Stacy wordlessly guided her to the couch, sitting with her and listening to the stream of unfiltered thoughts until they eventually ran out. Stacy passed her a tissue, placed one hand over Amy’s, and gently rubbed her back with the other. “You’re in a really tight place right now. I know a lot of this stuff doesn’t make sense and is a little out there. But here’s what you’ve got to focus on: There’s a reason your friend is gravitating towards this. You’ve helped her discover something that her body’s been trying to tell her and clearly fighting with for a long time. If she could be happy like this, isn’t that worth it? I know it’s a lot of work too, but you’ve got support. Anytime you need help, either with Katie or with you, give me a call. For some people this isn’t an escape from life, it’s a lifestyle. We’re all just trying to figure it out, you know?” Amy nodded, wiping her eyes. “Seriously, you need anything you give me a call. Okay?” Stacy emphasized the last, the threat made clear by her glare. Amy nodded again, a smile starting to form. “Good. Katie needs a good strong mommy like you. If you break down, I don’t think I’d be able to handle two babies. Although...” She paused, looking thoughtfully towards the nursery. “You’d definitely have enough diapers for the both of you. Want to go try one on?” Her face stayed frozen for a moment, looking serious before a sly grin started to form. Amy snorted and started to laugh. “No, I think I’m good.” Stacy smiled. “That’s probably for the best. I’ll come back by tomorrow to check on you, okay?” Amy nodded and smiled back at her. “Sounds good. Thank you so much Stacy.” Stacy turned to leave, holding the door open before she exited. “Mommies need breaks too.” The door clicked shut, leaving the room quiet. The words almost hung in the air, then echoed in Amy’s mind for a moment. She was alone in the room; the only sound was a soft static and gentle breathing of Katie’s snoring coming from the baby monitor speaker. Amy glanced down at it, seeing the baby lying in her crib. “Mommy...” The word felt foreign to her. She felt a flush come to her cheeks as she came to terms with it. It was her title. It’s what she would become. She smiled, repeating it with confidence. “Mommy.” Epilogue Amy awoke to the soft buzzing of her alarm clock. She reached over and silence the alarm, slowly blinking the sleep from her eyes. The dark blurry room came in to focus and she settled on the baby monitor on her nightstand. The black and white screen showed a contentedly sleeping Katherine in her crib. Some mornings Katherine managed to wake up before her and Amy’s alarm would be replaced with gentle cries for attention. Amy smiled at the thought of a quiet morning, and slid out from under the covers, nestling her feet into the slippers beside her bed. She carried the wireless monitor with her as she went through her morning routine, managing to make it all the way from the bathroom, closet, and to the coffee pot before Katherine awoke, cooing softly in her crib. Amy placed a bottle in a saucepan of slowly warming water and went to check on Katherine before the gentle coos escalated to agitated cries. Amy cracked the door to the dark nursery, peering towards the crib. “Good morning, sunshine.” She said quietly, a bright smile plain in her voice. She inched the door open a little more and flicked the room dimmer to its lowest setting. Soft pink light faded on and glowed throughout the room. Katherine turned and smiled as Amy approached her. Amy smiled wider when she saw the good mood Amy was in. “Well aren’t we in a good mood today?” Katherine’s cheeks turned up in a smile behind her pacifier. She held her hands up, asking to be held. Amy lifted her out of the crib and held her close, Katherine nestling her head comfortably against her breast. Amy undid the flap on the back of Katherine’s footie pajamas, giving her diaper an inquisitive poke. The soggy material squished against her finger, clearly indicating it had been heavily used. “Let’s get you into a nice clean diaper.” Amy said, carrying Katherine over to the changing table. She wrestled Katherine out of her pajamas and undid the diaper. Nighttime wettings were almost a nightly occurrence for Katherine now, any shame of using a diaper long since gone. Amy was pleased to see that it was only wet. She slid the heavy diaper out from under Katherine, carefully rolling it up and discarding it in the diaper pail. After wiping, powdering, and taping up a new diaper, Amy walked over to the closet to pick out an outfit. Katherine stared up at the ceiling, gently kicking her legs and suckling her pacifier. Her daily routine was a comfortable assurance for her, and something that she now looked forward to. Amy returned with a light purple dress, complete with a matching diaper cover and bonnet. “Won’t someone look cute for her class today?” Amy said, holding the outfit up so Katherine could see. Katherine smiled behind her pacifier, the dimples on her cheeks prominently showing. Amy couldn’t help but smile. No matter how many times she saw that adorable smile, it always gave her a warm, motherly feeling. She slid the diaper cover up Katherine’s kicking legs, stretching the elastic over the thick diaper. Amy helped Katherine sit up and said, “Arms up.” Katherine instinctively raised her arms, and Amy lowered the dress over her head. She fluffed the fabric evenly around her waist, the lace edge of the dress almost covering the sight of the diaper cover. As Amy held up the bonnet, Katie looked over to the closet and pointed. Amy followed her finger, noticing the tulle of a tutu hanging over one of the many shelves in the closet. “You want to wear your tutu with your dress?” Katherine bobbed her head enthusiastically. Amy held open the bonnet and raised it over her head. “If you can be a good girl at class today, I’ll let you wear your princess tutu, okay?” Katherine made a pouty face at the requirement, but didn’t protest any further. Amy smiled and placed the bonnet on her head, gently tying the strings under her chin. “Let’s go get you some breakfast.” She said, picking up Katherine and heading to the kitchen. Over the past few months, Katherine’s diet had shifted to mostly bottles. Amy had noticed the difficulty solid foods had had on her digestive system, and now was very careful to limit her to mostly formula and baby food, only occasionally letting her have very soft food. She set Katherine down in her high chair, handing her a prepared bottle of formula. “They want to practice feeding in class today, so we’ll just have a bottle this morning and you can have breakfast in a few hours.” The pouty face returned, threatening to turn into a tantrum. Amy gave her a stern look. “Don’t get pouty. Do you want your stuffy?” Katherine nodded slowly, her face looking slightly less aggressive. Amy left the room, quickly returning with a small stuffed lamb. Upon seeing the toy, Katherine’s hands reached out for it. Amy held it just out of arms reach, holding the bottle nipple in front of Katherine’s mouth and saying, “ahhh.” Katherine mimicked her open mouth motion, and Amy slid the nipple into her mouth. Katherine grabbed the bottle, and Amy tucked the stuffed lamb into the high chair with Katherine. “Okay, you drink your ba-ba with Lamby, and I’ll go pack your bag for class.” Katie did as she was told without question. As Amy packed the bag of essential items, a brief thought flashed into her minds about how much had changed in Katie, and consequently herself. She had fallen into the role of a mother out of necessity for her friend, but she only just now realized how naturally it fit her. She loved having someone to take care of and who relied on her. It may not have been the healthiest transformation, but maybe it was what the both of them needed all along. She smiled to herself, thinking about how normal this had become for the two of them, and how happy they had become. “Drink up sweetie, we’re going to be late for daycare.” ~ Amy pulled into her assigned parking space and began the ritual of getting Katherine out of her car seat. She slung the diaper bag over her shoulder and balanced Katherine, closing the car door with her foot. She would be lying if she didn’t enjoy the close parking spot Kelly had arranged for her. The automatic doors opened for her and a few nurses smiled as they entered. “Good morning Katie!” A few of them said, giving her a little wave. Katie tried to bury her face in Amy’s scrubs, but couldn’t hide the little smile around her pacifier. She wiggled her fingers, giving them a little wave back. They made their way through their usual morning routine through the hospital, stopping at the daycare center. The desk attendant recognized them from down the hall and already began entering their information. “Got you down Amy, you can go ahead in.” “Thanks Mary.” Amy smiled at the attendant as she pushed the door open with her shoulder. Amy slid the diaper bag into her assigned cubby and found an unoccupied area for Katie to sit. She immediately reached for the toys, anxious to start playing. “Good morning ladies.” Amy heard a familiar voice. “Good morning Miss Anderson.” She looked over as Cindy Anderson approached. The high-schooler shared a startling resemblance to her mother, in attitude as much as appearance. Cindy rolled her eyes at the title. “Only my mother appreciates the formality.” She leaned down and put her hands on her hips. “And what are we up to little Katie cat?” Her tone quickly switching to baby-talk. “Are we excited to be the teacher’s assistant today?” Katie let out a little nod, trying to ignore Cindy and return to her toys. Amy always felt uncomfortable around Cindy, unsure if anything she said would be directly reported back to her mother. As far as she knew, Cindy and Kelly were the only other people in the hospital who knew about Katie’s situation. Cindy picked Katherine up and held her. “Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of Katie and have her all ready for her lessons this afternoon.” Katie looked visibly uncomfortable as Cindy held her in her arms. Amy nodded, trying not to show any irritation as she did. She took comfort that Cindy wasn’t the only worker in the daycare center and that Katie wasn’t left alone with her. As she held her, Cindy reached behind Katie’s bottom and patted her diaper. “Uh oh, feels like someone had an accident. Let’s go get you changed first, then maybe we’ll go play doctor!” She flashed Amy a knowing grin. “I’ll bring her by for the parenting classes this afternoon.” Amy’s pager buzzed loudly and she read the display on her hip. She always hated leaving Katie, but knew at least she could stop by if she needed to. She nodded and leaned over to give Katie a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be back soon, be a good girl while I’m gone.” Katie reached her arms out, wanting to be held. The sight broke Amy’s heart, but she tried not to look sad for Katie. “It’s okay sweetie, it won’t be long. You have fun here, okay?” Katie pulled her arms back and nodded slowly, a frown visible around the edges of her pacifier. Cindy adjusted her arms so that Katie was facing her. “Don’t worry, we’re going to take good care of her. Let’s go get you changed.” She headed for the changing station, and Amy gave Katie one last wave before she was out of sight. She re-read her pager and headed out of the center. “Mommy will be back soon, don’t you worry.” Cindy said in a quiet voice so that only Katie could hear. She laid her down on a changing table and retrieved a pink diaper from her changing bag. “I don’t know how you can wear these things.” She said, unfolding the diaper and fluffing it. “They’re so thick. I mean the patterns are cute, but you’re tiny enough we could fit you in some baby pullups.” Katie looked at the ceiling, suckling her pacifier as Cindy moved through the steps of her diaper change. She had almost stopped talking completely, resorting to pointing and gestures for the simple requests that she had. Her life had become so simple for her that it almost wasn’t necessary. “I don’t know how an adult, much less a doctor, would let themselves be treated this way. You’re older than I am, and you’re getting a diaper change from a teenager. If I went through all that work, I don’t think I could give that up so I could play with baby toys and poop my pants all day.” Katie didn’t respond, simply looking at the colorful patterns on the ceiling. “Do you like that?” She paused as she taped up the new diaper. “Do you like being a little poopy-pants? Do you like wearing your little diapers and letting mommy change you and being mommy’s widdle baby?” Katie just looked at her, staying silent. Cindy laughed as she picked her up and walked over to a highchair. “I don’t know how you stand it, but if it keeps you out of trouble and we get a perfect little baby doll for mommies to practice on, then I guess I can keep your embarrassing little secret.” She locked the highchair table in place, securing it tightly against Katherine's waist. She reached over to the nearby storage cart and pulled out a small plastic purple container. “Mmmmm… what do we have today?” Cindy said, pretending to read the label. “Looks like some yummy prunes!” She leaned over and poked Katie's slightly chubby belly that poked out over the table. “These will help make sure everything keeps moving nice and smoothly so those mommies can get some good practice at changing dirty diapers.” Katie suckled on her pacifier, maintaining eye contact, but barely processing what Cindy said. This routine was nothing new from Cindy, and she no longer cared what anybody else thought of her. Any concern about her former job as a doctor had long since faded. She was thought of and treated as a baby here, and she happily fell into the role. Cindy reached over and gently plucked the pacifier out of her mouth. Katie held on for longer than she knew she should. She couldn’t help but feel resistant towards Cindy after the work she did to make her feel embarrassed. “No fussing little baby." Cindy said, waving the pacifier back and forth in the air. "You wouldn't want to get in trouble..." She stared into Katherine's eyes with an ominous expression. Katherine broke away from the intense stare, barely shaking her head. Cindy's face snapped back to it's usual cheerful smile. "Good girl!" She dipped the spoon into the jar, dipping out a large spoonful and hovering it in front of Katherine's mouth. "Open up, here comes the plane." She imitated a whirring propeller and landed the spoonful of prunes onto Katherine's tongue. Katherine winced as she swallowed. Prunes weren't her least favorite baby food option, but they definitely weren't her first choice. Cindy's grin showed the slightest hint of teeth as she watched Katherine's discomfort as she swallow the mush. "Isn't that yummy? Let's get you some more..." Spoonful after spoonful was fed until Katherine felt uncomfortably full. She handed her a bottle of formula to wash the meal down. Cindy had gotten into a familiar routine from feeding Katherine. She knew exactly how much was needed to fill her up, and how much would be uncomfortable for her. She rarely punished her for not eating enough, especially when she intentionally gave her too much, but she had no shortage of ways to 'have fun' with her doll. "I guess that's enough for now. We'll just have to make sure you're ready for your class." She wiped Katherine clean, popped the pacifier back in her mouth, and removed the table from her highchair. She picked her up and walked over to one of the play areas. "We've got a little time before class. You play, and I'll come back and check on you." This was Katherine's favorite part of daycare, when she got to be alone and play with the large collection of toys. Katherine barely noticed the time pass as she huddled a variety of toys together in her imaginary town. She giggled and cooed as her townspeople played and had a community tea party, until a pack of wild dinosaurs appeared, causing chaos and panic among the citizens. Just as the dinosaurs were surrendering, Cindy returned. "What a mess we've made. We better make sure we clean up before your nap time." Katherine began to visibly pout as she put down her toys. She knew that when Cindy said we, that it actually meant she would be closely supervised as she put the toys away. As she crawled back and forth to the toy bins, Cindy leaned down and gave her diaper an inquisitive squeeze. "My goodness, I think this little girl is very wet. We better get you changed." Katherine whined and wiggled out of the grasp Cindy had on her diaper. Cindy gasped loudly, as if this behavior was completely unexpected and unacceptable. "That's a naughty girl. You will listen to me when I talk to you!" Katherine tried to crawl faster in a futile attempt to get away from the teenager. Cindy quickly grabbed under her armpits and lifted Katherine up. As she held her in her arms, Cindy gave a quick swat to Katherine's bottom. The thick wet padding absorbed most of the spank, but the action immediately made Katherine start crying. "Keep it up and you'll get a real spanking, missy." Katherine continued to cry, but more softly as they walked over to the napping basonets. Cindy laid her down, squishing her bottom to emphasize how wet it was. "If you don't want a change, then I guess you can just take a nap in a wet diaper, just like a little baby would." She smirked and walked away, leaving Katie to suckle on her pacifier until she drifted off to sleep. Katherine awoke to Cindy lifting her up and checking her diaper. "My goodness sleepy baby, I didn't know a diaper could be so wet." Cindy carried her over to the changing table, beginning to unfasten the tapes on the diaper. As she pulled the front down, she paused. "You know, I think a nice wet diaper would be great practice for our class this afternoon. Maybe we'll just keep you in that wet thing since you were so insistent on not getting a diaper change." Cindy paused, then got a devious smile as she walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a small white bottle. "However..." She said, unscrewing the lid and pulling out a suppository. She held it up so Katherine could see. "Maybe you're diaper does still have some mileage left in it. It would be a shame to see your breakfast go to waste." The devious smile continued to grow as she pulled up Katherine's legs and lined up the suppository with her bottom. Katherine had since gone limp, losing all will to fight. Cindy swiftly popped the suppository up Katherine's rectum, mouthing a faint 'pop' noise as she did. She giggled to herself, pulling the diaper back up and refastening the tapes. "Alright my naughty little stinker, let's get you to class." Katherine was placed in a stroller and the two made their way to the training rooms. Katherine sucked her pacifier as she watched the rooms go by. She wiggled uncomfortably in her stroller as she felt the suppository melt inside her. She had almost completely lost her bowel control, and barely noticed movement anymore unless she was forced to mess with the help of 'assistance'. Cindy opened the classroom door and wheeled Katherine in. The mothers already sitting at their desks all turned to look. There was a chorus of 'awws' as they noticed Katherine in her outfit. Katherine buried her face in the material of the stroller as she was complimented. She didn't mind the individual treatment she received during class, but it was still embarrassing when all eyes in the room were focused on her. She looked around, until her eyes fell on Amy. Amy walked over, her smile beaming as she picked her up out of the stroller. Katherine smiled, happy to be returned to where she felt safest. "Alright everyone, let's get started. This is Katie, and she's going to be our little helper today." The lesson proceeded just as the others did. Katie dropped completely into her child-like headspace as she was passed around and used for demonstrations. The current phase of pregnant mothers taking the starter class would be finished soon, and she would begin with a new set soon after. Those who needed to practice breastfeeding would have a willing participant, soothing and holding techniques would be taught, and many, many dirty diapers would be at the ready for any who wished to practice. She was passed around like a careful little toy. The mothers cooed over her, until one gently supported her bottom, the saggy padding squishing under her hand. “My goodness, I think she’s ready for a changing.” The mothers with the least experience gathered around the table as Katherine was changed in front of them. Amy watched as Katherine's eyes unfocused and wandered around the brightly colored room. She suckled her pacifier, gently kicked her booty-covered feet, and curled and uncurled her fists as they reached around the changing table, clinging to the soft surfaces. Especially during her lessons, she was safe like this. Not a care in the world, nothing to be ashamed of. She was loved and cared for, and there wasn’t an ounce of shame left in her. Not long after the new diaper was in place and she was being passed around once again for practicing holding positions, the suppository’s effects took hold. Katherine didn’t even hesitate as the soft mess began to slide out of her. She gently grunted, and her diaper crackled as the plastic expanded outwards. The room went quiet for a moment, then was filled with laughter. “We might have changed her a little too soon.” The woman currently holding her extended Katherine out to arms-length, then returned her to the changing table. The other women snickered, some more experienced mothers adding comments. “That’s a baby for you. She's gonna go on her schedule, sometimes right after they get a clean diaper.” The now constant diet of milk and baby food had had drastic effects on Katie’s digestion. She had transitioned to only being able to stomach soft foods, her diet and bowel movements both closely resembling a toddler’s now. She was cleaned once again, and continued through her now normal routine: playtime, feedings, changings, and being held and nursed by dozens of mothers every day. She barely processed her day as it all went by around her, until the day was finished and she was back with the only person that mattered to her. Once in a while, Kelly dropped by to supervise, ensuring that everyone was fulfilling their roles. Today’s visit happened to occur during breastfeeding practice. Amy would offer suggestions to ease discomfort as the mothers took turns having Katie nurse. It was still difficult for Amy to watch as Katie latched on and suckled from their breasts without hesitation, almost like it was second nature while she was in this state. Kelly walked up behind Amy, placing a hand on her shoulder. She whispered quietly into her ear, “You know, this portion of the class is what I get the most positive feedback on. Breastfeeding is one of the most stressful things new mothers are concerned about, and this is an excellent opportunity for them to practice and ease their concerns. Considering how well this is going, I think it’s fair to say we will make this class a permanent feature of the hospital. If there’s anything we need to assist her further in her role, just let me know. Good work.” As she finished this, she turned and left. Amy let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Praise was a rare treat from Kelly, and she was happy to know that their unconventional job positions were safe for the foreseeable future. Once the rest of the lesson was complete, the ladies slowly shuffled out of the classroom. Katie’s belly stuck out slightly, clearly very full from her multiple feedings. “We’re all done and packed up for the day. Let’s get you in the stroller and we can head home.” Katie had mostly resorted to crawling these days, but it was still easier for Amy to just carry her where she needed to go. Katie snuggled against Amy’s breasts as she cradled her. Amy snuggled her closer as they walked to the corner of the classroom. “I bet someone’s sleepy. You had such a long day. Maybe we’ll take a little nap before dinner and then we can watch a Disney movie tonight.” Katie didn’t reply, her eyes fluttering closed in her mommy’s arms. “Maybe Stacy can come over to play too. Would you like that?” Katie went limp as she fell asleep. Amy placed her in her stroller, gently clipping the buckles over the front of her dress. She straightened the little bonnet around her head, and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. “Mommy’s sleepy baby. We made it through another day. Let’s go home.” She wheeled the stroller out of the hospital, and the two made their way home.

I was asked to re-post this - and was flattered - here's chp's 1-3 Mary Had a Little Lamb My office message light was blinking when I returned to the office; I punched in my code, and my boss’ voice came on. “When you get in, come see me, I’ve got a lead for you.” I tallied up a couple orders, submitted them for credit approval, handed in some copy instructions to the production team and headed for Frank’s office. “Whatcha got….? New car dealer want to spend 10k a month?” “I don’t know actually, this was called in and the lady asked for you specifically.” And he handed me the paper with his notes on it: Jessica Redenbacher, her phone number, and semi-vague listings of “male or female, and stress reduction.” I started to ask questions, but his cell rang, and he waved me off. I walked back to my office and sat. Call-in leads to a radio station are like scratch tickets – usually a losing venture – but you never know. Jessica Redenbacher? I pondered the name, thought “popcorn” and sighed – picked up the company phone and dialed her number. “Hello?” A bit of hub-bub of noise was muted but noticeable through the phone. “Jessica? This is Steve Anderson, from W_ _ _ Radio, I understand you asked to speak with me?” “Well yes! Thank you for getting back to me so quickly, and excuse the noise, let me get to my office.” “Where are you?” “I’m at Marshall’s here at the Mall…..I’m the manager…. There that’s better.” She only hinted at what she wished to market, and we set up a time to meet at the store, before she began her day at ten. I wrapped up my day, got presentation / first-time info together for our meeting in the morning, headed out to the 99 Restaurant for a few drinks with co-workers, and that was that. Thursday broke cold and close to snow; I dressed a little sharper than usual, since I was meeting a lady who DID ask for me personally, and headed over to Marshall’s and went in through the back-bay doors as instructed. Jessica was in her office, I knocked and we met. I’d love to say she was 6’ tall, and a lingerie model. She wasn’t; Jess was about 5’5” with green / hazel eyes and brown hair, a nice “rack” in front, but her body was well on its way to plump; when she smiled broadly it was easily spotted that a molar part-way-back on the right side of her mouth was missing. “Hello! Thank you for coming, would you like some coffee?” “Sure,” and we walked to a small kitchen area, where the K-cups and coffee materials were found. “What did you wish to advertise?” “My dad gave me a pretty-good sized check for my 30th birthday and told me to “do something with my life.” So, for almost the past two-years, I’ve been working on my master’s at night in Clinical Psychology and have come up with a Series of three Relaxation DVD’s as part of my graduation project.” I groaned (silently) – I was correct – this was going to be a waste of time; maybe I can talk her out of it. “Many national companies are way ahead of you on that scale,” I sipped my coffee as we walked back, “the amount of money you would need to invest to own a top-tier share of the mind is semi-staggering.” She nodded. “How much?” Oh Christ – decision time – local-direct clients reward the HIGHEST commission rate, but also take up a LOT of time – which is usually better spent hunting down car dealers… “For an adequate share of the market in morning and afternoon drive you’d be looking at around $4,900 a week, for a minimum of sixteen weeks.” “Can you bill me weekly?” W-T-F……….? This Jessica-lady wants to plunk down around $75,000 to sell a DVD? “What is the name of this series?” “I haven’t named the series yet – but Mary Had a Little Lamb is the first DVD.” “You’re kidding me.” She nodded no. “The second one?” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” I stared at her. “You’re still not kidding are you…” She again nodded no, and continued to look at me. “And the third – is what? Three Blind Mice?” She smiled that one-tooth-missing-grin, and said “it’s called “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” “Has anyone used this, so I can I create a testimonial ad, and bring you business that way?” She nodded no again. “You want to spend five grand a week, to market a Relaxation CD-Series which you have not named yet – but whose DVD’s are called Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Old McDonald, which no one yet has tested, in February when the “resolution-solution ads” have already begun massive well-funded campaigns as of January first..??! This time she nodded yes. I know sales reps are supposed to just take the money and run – but I had to ask: “Why?” “My Dad was right – I should do something with my life, and being the manager at a Marshall’s clothing store my age isn’t it. So the degree and the DVD-success will start my climb.” “Ooookay…” So I got out the paperwork, we put together the campaign from February thru May, got a credit card number, and made an appointment to go over the copy facts with her at a later time since it was getting toward ten a.m. “Do you have a copy of the CD so I can listen to it, and take pieces off of it to create a :60 commercial?” “I do – but the Master is at the house, and can only be listened to there; I cannot possible risk losing it.” “Jess, I really don’t like to do that – I don’t know you, and you don’t know me – and it’s not a good situation for a salesperson to be in.” “I won’t be at home, and the player and disc is in the basement. You’ll be alone, and when you have enough info, just call me, and I’ll come back to lock up.” Against my better judgment I said “okay” and, I took the address and agreed to meet up with her tomorrow morning at 8:00 in Lincoln. “If this credit card doesn’t go thru, I will need cash.” She nodded, and I went back to the station counting up my ten percent(!!!) commission on the $78,400 order I just signed. The credit card went thru and my day was very grand indeed. KA-ching. Her house was a one-story with an almost finished basement where a new recliner and new sofa, still covered in plastic faced an okay sized older TV; the carpet looked and smelled new, and two doors and an open entry way interrupted the sheet rocked walls. The drop-ceiling looked new, and the painting was about two-thirds done. Against one wall was a table with Diet Pepsi bottles, and a partially finished jigsaw puzzle. The DVD and the case, and the remote controls were on the coffee table in front of me, along with a pair of earphones. “Didn’t know I needed to bring my cans,” and I grinned. “Cans?” I pointed at the headset – “in my business, we call those “cans” and every jock has his or her own set; I used to be on air, back in the day.” She smiled, and nodded, “I remember.” I stopped – and looked. She nodded again, and smiled, “you were great.” Pause. “Unless you worked the third shift, or a kook, you should have been asleep – like ninety percent of the city was.” I unpacked; pen, notebook, snack, lap-top and cell phone, removed my coat and looked at her. She jotted down her phone number on my notebook and said, “Call me if you need anything, and please let me know when you are finished.” I nodded, and with that she walked upstairs, closed the door and was then gone. I flipped the DVD cover around, and it was nothing earth-shattering; no notes, no reviews, no comments, just Mary Had a Little Lamb, 37 Minutes, and Relaxation for mind and body. One hour tops…and I’m outta here. I put on the DVD player, walked over to the unit, put in the disc, walked back to the sofa, brushed some dust and paint chips off the plastic cover, sat down, hit play, put on the cans, picked up paper and pen, and waited. Mary had a little lamb, little lamb little lamb, Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow…and … The screen came on and the song continued, and I watched, and listened. The clock on the player said 8:49am; my paper was blank, and the pen was still in my right hand, and the sofa was warm from my body heat when I woke up. What the hell? This tape is soooo boring that I dozed off? Shit – this isn’t going to be a winning ad at all… I sat forward on the sofa, jotted down Mary had a little lamb?… stopped writing, hit play again, and looked at the screen and looked for copy points…and the song began again… Mary had a little lamb, little lamb little lamb, Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow…and… It was now 9:34; I rubbed my lips, took off the headphones and looked at my notebook – nothing except the lyrics and the word which looked like “water.” Disgusted I walked over to the table, took a Diet Pepsi, unscrewed it, (lots of caffeine maybe??) and shook my head. I went to my cell, answered the two calls that had come in since eight a.m., and sat back down with a grumble. Got everything set again, put the Pepsi in my left hand took a big swig, swallowed, looked at the pad of paper on the table, leaned over the pad, hit play and con-cen-trated… At 10:29 the Pepsi bottle had dribbled on the carpet a bit, my lips were again wet, I got up, put the bottle down, wiped my cheek, and made my way to the three doors to look for a bathroom. Door one was a furnace room with boxes, bags, and water heater too. The open doorway led into good sized room housing a washer/dryer with a laundry rack, table, lamp, and a deep whicker chair one would see on a nice patio; next to it were sewing stuff, knitting needles and yarn in a basket, on the opposite wall was a door (for this room?) on sawhorses being painted, its hardware removed; the wash room was brightened by the light streaming in from the little basement window. The third door was a bathroom in mid-plumb, and thus unfortunately not ready to use. I groaned, went back out into the basement, up the stairs and……the door at the top of the stairs wasn’t locked – but it didn’t open either. It was if something had come loose inside of it, and the knob just turned and turned and turned. S - - T!! Now what??? I went back downstairs and looked for something to pee in??!! The washroom turned up nothing but a stack of towels, various detergents, and cleaning products. No buckets, not even in the furnace room. Maybe the Pepsi bottle? Unfortunately I had to drink the entire Pepsi bottle before filling it back up again…. So I did that, and on my knees, squirting carefully into a 20-ounce plastic container, holding the head of my penis up against the bottle spout, while kneeling over a towel, I filled the bottle back up……and then it was full, but I wasn’t empty.…. I put kept my right hand on my dick to clench of the flow of urine, and gently put the bottle on the table; sighed, and knowing what-I-had-to-do-but-couldn’t-believe-I-had-to-do, picked up the towel and began to pee into that. When I had slowly wet the towel and drained myself, I put the towel on the corner of washer, got the cap to the Pepsi bottle and sealed it, and looked for a place to hide the full bottle. I found an old Stop and Shop plastic grocery bag in the furnace room, and put the bottle in that and put the bag next to the sofa to take home with me when I was through. I still didn’t know how to tell a client that I wet her towel. I looked at the DVD Case which sat on the coffee table – and in my mind - mocking me. It was about 10:50… I walked around the room… grabbed another Diet Pepsi, and answered a phone message that had beeped in on my cell, plus responded to two texts, and checked my e-mail on my phone. Why boot up the computer – nothing to freakin’ write yet…You loser… The second bottle was half drained – my stomach growled and I was upset I had only brought a snack, I should have been gone by now. I debated calling Jess, but didn’t wish to admit defeat, or question my stamina. I put the cans back on, and hit play. At 11:46 I realized I was sitting on the couch, my lips were wet, and so was my chin. At 12:39 I was sucking on my pen. And my bladder was pushing a bit again. I took the pen out of my mouth, and stared at it, clipped it to my shirt pocket. Ripped off the earphones, turned off the DVD player, and stared at the almost empty notebook paper in front of me. I wasn’t relaxed – I was kinda frustrated with my abilities. I finished the soda, and then went thru the steps again, except this time when I unzipped my fly kneeling over a new towel, and before grabbing the empty bottle I noticed something different. I was erect. Not TAH-DAH-look-at-me-erect, but a pretty good start on a chubby. I smiled, at least I wouldn’t have to move my foreskin out of the way to pee this time, and proceeded to slowly fill up the bottle, and then complete the release of urine into another towel, which I held up and around my testicles. After peeing I was supporting a very full erection. Stood up, looked at my flagpole, shook my head, put the towel IN the washer, capped the bottle and pulled up my underwear and pants, painfully zipped up, and brought the Pepsi bottle out to join its other buddy in the plastic bag. At 3:54 I had finished my third D-P, and was jumpy and edgy from sixty ounces of caffeinated soda; there were three wet towels in the washing machine, and I had small drool stains on the right collar of my dress shirt. My balls ached a bit, and I was just plain angry at the semi-waste of a Friday sales day. The only saving relief was the $78,000+ order had solidified my entire first quarter, and it was only mid January. This was going to be a banner year for old Stevie I thought. I took a break from deciphering this DVD and returned calls; one was from Jessica, wondering if everything was okay? I checked e-mails, and tried to come up with an ad outline to discuss with my client who was concerned enough to call me. By 6:27 I “woke up” from my ump-teenth viewing and the results were no different, except there were now four wet towels in the other room, and three urine-filled bottles of soda cooling in a plastic bag near my computer case. I was hungry, and very upset that no useful ideas were coming my way. I took off my earphones, clicked my “soggy pen” to my shirt, and gently stroked my penis through my dress slacks and stared at the blank TV. “Are you okay?” People usually say they “jumped a mile” – well, I didn’t jump a mile, but I was so startled I’m pretty sure I cleared the plastic-covered-sofa by a quarter of an inch. Jess was standing on the stairs behind me, looking down. I looked up, and hoped she hadn’t seen me touching myself; I covered up with a throw pillow and turned my head to look back and up at her. “Great, great, sorry I didn’t hear you come down.” I stood up, and exchanged the pillow for the DVD case; “quite a DVD you have here.” She continued down the stairs and beaming she exclaimed “oh thank you, I’ve worked on it for many months now, what kind of ad are you creating?” She powered off the TV and player. My bladder pushed some more. “Umm, Jess, can I use the bathroom?” “Sure, you know where it is.” “Uh, no – I never got there.” She stopped, looked at me, and away from the jigsaw puzzle… “What?” I explained about the door, and she apologized twice, and quickly gave me directions…I took the stairs two at a time….with Jessica following, as I turned the corner into the bathroom I heard her testing the cellar door knob over and over. My erection had calmed a bit (fear??), and I urinated and flushed, and found Jessica in the kitchen, and I sat at the counter. Her back was to me, as she was cleaning something off the stove, and I looked at her – and then out of the darkened window over the sink, on the window sill was usual items of a potted plant, a small framed photo, and a drying wishbone from some past-eaten bird, a pacifier and a baby bottle. I stared at the bottle. “Are you hungry?” Pause. “Steve, are you hungry?” She was now looking at me, and tried to follow my eyes. I looked away. “You have kids?” She made the connection, laughed and said, “no it’s my sister’s son’s stuff – they were here over the New Year, and left it behind. I keep it here as a reminder to ship it back along with a stuffed toy he left behind too, and – as you can see – I keep putting it off……” Pause. “Are you hungry?” I was, but wasn’t going to admit it, and just wanted to get home, and dispose of those three bottles of pee. “No, thanks I’m good.” She moved from the sink to the fridge, and started singing…. Mary had a little lamb, little lamb little lamb, Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow…and … I wanted the bottle…or the pacifier. I just wanted that rubbery nipple between my lips as if my life depended on it, but thankfully my legs didn’t give away my needs, and so like any proper sales professional I guess I took my pen and sucked on that…..because at some point I realized that Jess was staring at me, and smiling. “You okay? She grinned…. “Ya know, that’s a pretty lucky pen…” I refocused my eyes, wiped my chin, and put the pen on the table. “I’m, I’m sorry, must be a little tired. Let me go get my stuff, and get out of your way.” “Do you want to drink out of the bottle?” My head snapped around and my legs stopped from heading toward the basement door – “what?? Why would you say that?” Jess tilted her head, and said “because some people like beer out of a glass, and some don’t mind the bottle?!” And held up a Miller Lite, and again tilted her head. *Sigh* “A bottle is fine, thanks.” I went downstairs, gathered my stuff, glared at the DVD player, picked up my plastic bag of “Pepsis,” my computer, checked my coat pocket for the phone and keys, and then donned the jacket, but kept it unzipped. “I’m going to put these out in the car, and warm it up too, okay?” She nodded, held the door, and when I was done she was at leaning against the counter sipping her beer, and I rejoined her on a stool. “How did it go today? When can I make my first million?” Silence. “Jess – I got nothing, all I know is that something is making me doze off, and I’ve even drank all your Diet Pepsi, which I’ll replace.” She waved no, but I kept going, “I really think you need to get another rep, and I’ll have Tracy, or Jeff or… I only remember Jessica opening her mouth……. Mary had a little lamb, little lamb little lamb, Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow…and every where that Mary went, Mary went… I stared at the rubbery plastic nipples and began to suckle my Miller Lite. This time Jess was mopping my shirt and jacket with a towel, and I smelled like a brewery when I came back around. Her chest was inches from me, and I stared at her nipples, with my crotch in a very happy state. “Can you please try to tackle it one more time tomorrow? Maybe a good night sleep and another go at it? For me? For my dad’s faith in me? For my financial future??” I wiped my mouth, apologized for the sixth time, got up, prayed my coat was long enough, and said – “What the hell, do you work tomorrow?” I usually did paperwork on Saturdays, but I was pretty embarrassed. “No, I’ve tomorrow and Monday off – so you can come in any time. “I’ll be here after the gym – around nine thirty.” “And I’ll be sure to leave that basement door open, you poor man holding it that long, I’m so sorry, you should have called me.” I started to say something, thought better of it, and with that I apologized again, went out the car and noticed it was very warm, and that it had been running for about 25 minutes. Where the hell did the time go? Minutes later Jessica had found the wet towels, sniffed them and smiled, and started a wash; then went back upstairs and brought down five more towels and set them on the table. Then she sat down and began to knit; when the wash was completed she transferred them to the dryer, and moved the safety pins out of the sewing stuff, and placed them in clear view. Mary Had a Little Lamb was now close to a deep seeded cog in Stevie’s mind…but tomorrow was the key. She smiled, touched herself, and thought.. If this holiday weekend goes as planned, she’d have her deposit back in under a week, and Mr. Anderson under for a lifetime… She went up the stairs humming the nursery rhyme – making sure to keep time with the thump-thump-thump of the wet towels in the dryer. Mary Had a Little Lamb – Day 2 I made the gym at the usual time, but the work-out was anything but – I was not into my routine because my head could not comprehend what happened yesterday. Here I was one-sixty-second commercial away from a $7,800 commission check and I had only come up with Mary Had a Little Lamb, a jacket that smelled like beer, and a nice case of “blue balls.” I shaved, showered, put on jeans and a station long-sleeve denim logo shirt, and headed for Jess’ house. I brought a six-pack of Diet Pepsi bottles to replace the three I drank and my own cans – hell; something had to do the trick. At 9:53 I was back down on that now familiar couch, and Jess was off in the far corner painting the sheetrock. On the coffee table was a sports bottle of Gatorade, and there were others over next to the puzzle. I looked at her backside and groaned silently, now I’ve got an audience to see me fail. I put the DVD back in the machine, adjusted my earphones, and hit play. Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb … Mary had a… It was 10:45 and I was dazed, drooling and a little confused, the sports bottle in my hand was nearly empty. I looked around the room, and she was still painting, and NOT looking my way. Thank goodness. I straightened up, walked around, and muttered to myself….and dreaded any kind of “how’s it going?” question… Jessica meanwhile dared not look at Stevie – and silently prayed about this next run through, this was make or break, so as soon as he was “under” she was going to leave the room. I walked to the Gatorade, took a new sports bottle, sat back down, gritted my teeth, and hit play… Mary had a little lamb, little lamb; little lamb … Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was… Upon hearing the sucking noise of her happy man-child Jessica put down the roller and crawled as low as she could so to not break his vision with the madly flickering TV screen and scooted up the stairs. The DVD player said 11:32, my collar was damp again, and my bladder was giving me messages. I got up, and looked for Jessica; “Jess?” I pseudo-whispered… “Are you down here?” Hearing no reply and being led by a nice erection, I ignored the stairs leading to the main floor, and thus the bathroom, silently walked to the washroom, took a clean towel off the stack, dropped my jeans and underwear around my ankles, leaned back against the wall and peed into the towel bunched up around my groin….in big thirsty spurts. I had a goofy grin on my face and a full flagpole below my waist. I stroked it lightly, then pulled up my undies and jeans re-did my belt and slowly zipped up over a good bulge. I put the towel in the washer, grabbed another Gatorade, and slinked back out to the TV, and then smiled. I WAS beginning to relax, maybe I can write this commercial after all. Ka-ching! I put on the still-warm earphones, hit play, and let Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb … take me where I wanted to go – peeing in a towel while holding it around my cock. Jessica heard the sucking and slurping sounds and crept down the stairs, and crawled to the laundry room holding her breath…..she spotted the wet towel in the washer and silently yelled out a big ‘YES’…… Crawled back thru the basement, being sure not to look at the TV screen, and went upstairs, got the baby bottle and pacifier and brought the pacifier to her bedroom and the put the bottle on the Gatorade/Puzzle table, and began to paint again. At 12:27 I stirred awake, and had a nice chubby going on, but spying Jess, I simply went to the table, and reached for a Gatorade bottle… “You know, if you try something different, the results may be different.” I looked at her, and she nodded toward the baby bottle. I shrugged and said – “nothing gained, nothing lost.” I filled the bottle from the Gatorade bottle, capped it, went back to the sofa, leaned back, spread my legs, patted my crotch and hit play. My little-man needs to be rewarded… Timing her crawl to the mid-point of the DVD where the urge to suckle was winding down and the urge for diaper-play was beginning to kick in, Jessica came over the couch, kept her head low, below his bottle and arm, but near his lap, undid the belt, zipped down the fly, and pulled the head of his penis barely above the fold of this underwear, wet her fingers and began to stroke him. Very little time passed and she felt his cock begin to expand, his breathing/sucking rate increase and then finished her masturbation thru his underwear…. smiling as Steve’s grey briefs grew very damp and warm….re-dressed him and snuck back to her painting. I woke up, and I knew something was different. I was v-e-r-y relaxed and my balls didn’t hurt anymore. Looking at Jessica’s back, I slid my left hand down and checked my underwear…it was sticky and warm, and yes – I had cum. Nice load too. I sat there thinking – After a day and a half – I was finally relaxed, and the only difference was no Pepsi, and drink out of the baby bottle. “I’m going to clean up, and get something to eat, do you want anything?” “No, I’m good – I’ve got my protein bars.” Jess took the roller and paint up the stairs and I was left alone. GOOD!! If I did something different this time, would I get another orgasm? I got up off the couch, tip-toed into the wash room, reached for another towel, this time folded it, dropped my pants and underwear around my ankles, waddled over to the wall, and brought the terrycloth up between my legs, and pinned it against the wall with my butt, pushed my stiff member into the towel, closed my eyes, and peed. If I act more like a baby would I get another orgasm…? At 3:50, Jessica, having monitored the towels in the wash go from bunched to now properly folded, awarded him with another explosion of semen; and then crawled over to the jigsaw puzzle. The DVD player said 4:02p when I smiled a goofy smile, and without checking to see if Jess was looking my way or not, put down the baby bottle, unzipped my pants a bit, and looked down on gooey underwear. Jess giggled. “Everything still there?” “Yeah, everything’s great – I think I’ve climaxed.” “That’s GREAT, you must be relaxed if your body can do that; are you ready to write my commercial?” “Ummmmmm….I think I need to study this DVD some more…” I was pretty hooked. Jess smiled and nodded. “Okay, you’re the professional. Can I fill up your bottle for you?” I nodded, and she went upstairs filled it up, and brought it back down. At a little before 6:00p, I was leaning up against the wall in the wash room, with a terry cloth diaper held in place by safety pins and peed and peed; urine dripped through the cloth and dribbled on my pants and underwear at my feet. “Hello – Steve?” Oh shit… I tugged at the diaper pins… “Steve – are down here?” She walked extra-extra slow to give him time…Jess had a good idea what was going on. I got the diaper pins undone, but pricked my left finger in the process, put the soaked towel in the wash, waddled to put the pins back and pulled up my underwear and pants when I heard her come around the corner. I was facing the little window and looking as hard as I could out to the dark night….trying to buckle my belt….. “What are you doing?” “Ahhhhhhhhhhh….trying to see if it started snowing yet – haven’t been upstairs in a while” (who was I kidding – I hadn’t been upstairs since I got here)… I strained harder to peek at anything against the street lights up and across the street. No rain or snow was visible. I turned to her, and she was smiling a small smile, and her head was tilted…as she noticed my penis area was wet and hard. I sucked my left finger, and a small taste of blood assaulted my tongue. “Are you okay, did you cut yourself?” “I’m fine” I mumbled… “I’m cooking meatloaf, are you coming upstairs?” PANIC! NO – I JUST PEED IN A CLOTH DIAPER COMPLETE WITH PINS…I NEED ONE MORE DVD VISIT – I NEED ONE MORE DVD VIEWING… I WANT TO CUM AGAIN… “Can I watch the DVD one more time?? I think I found a thread to build your commercial around…” Thread – Steve you fuckin’ genius – great word… Jessica grinned a full tooth-missing-grin, and said “no problem, I’ll have some wine and turn down the oven.” I followed her back into the basement, when she reached the glass-covered coffee table, she scooped up the empty bottle, and went upstairs…panic began to set in, until she walked back down the stairs and handed me it full of milk. “We’re outta Gatorade – you’ve been a thirsty sales rep.” Jess smiled, kissed me on the cheek, and walked back upstairs. You know – she’s not that bad looking…a few pounds off, a visit to the dentist…not that bad… Great rack… I hit play, sucked on my bottle – before the music ever started – and prayed/hoped/wanted/needed the relaxation tape to do its job on my prostate and penis…. At 7:05 I was one frustrated mother-fucker. DAMN, DAMN, DAMN... I limped/lumbered upstairs with a full bladder, and very blue balls, peed in the toilet, and sat at the kitchen counter. “Do you want a beer?” “Do you have vodka?” Jess nodded, and poured me a nice sized amount, and added ice. We ate dinner, watching Jeopardy, and Miss Redenbacher was pretty smart…by 8 or so, we made some small talk but I really wanted to go back downstairs again, and dive into Mary Had a Little Lamb, but I probably should go home. “You’ve got to work tomorrow, so I should be going, I want to thank you…..for…” Jessica picked up her phone, hit the screen and Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb…Mary had a little..... It was going on 9 when I knew I had to go to the bathroom, and Jessica was inviting me to spend the night. I went the bathroom with a nice erection, peed, flushed, washed, thought about my horniness and came out with Jess in an extra-long Peyton Manning Colts jersey. “That’s a little dangerous in Patriots country.” She grinned, “we’re from Indiana – sorry.” If I could get her to sleep I could sneak back down and watch the DVD again. Jess, I tell you what – I’ll sleep on the sofa downstairs, and you can…” “I’ve got a better idea, you sleep in your clothes on top of the comforter, and I’ll sleep in my jersey under the sheets and comforter; that way we’ll be together, but not together.” I glumly agreed, and I borrowed a toothbrush, brushed, took off my shoes and belt and laid down on the left side of the bed. And thought of peeing in towels. Jess got in under the covers, killed the lights, said goodnight, and leaned over and to do something on her nightstand. Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb, Mary had a little lamb … Jess waited for ten or twelve seconds, felt Stevie begin to thrash around looking for his bottle, scooted up further on the pillows, reached over with her left arm, pivoted him onto his side facing her, hiked up her jersey, and guided his mouth to her left breast; She leaned her head back against the headboard and soaked in the wonderful feelings coursing through her body; she gently kissed the top of Steve’s head as his suckling became a content and steady pattern. As the tingles in her body continued, she reached down with her right hand, found a very happy penis and stroked it through his jeans. It was 11:30 my balls ached, I had a wet spot on my shirt and my bladder was kinda full. I carefully got out of the bed, went by the bathroom, headed downstairs guided by nightlights; and spotted the washroom entry-way dimly lit by the street lights or the moon coming through the window. Scared to be caught, but too horny to care, I grabbed the last remaining towel, got two pins out of the plastic tray, went over to the wall dropped my pants and stained underwear to my ankles, folded the towel into a triangle, brought it up between my legs and her hand touched my arm. S – - T! I froze, I started to say her name, when she reached for my hands and whispered, “Let me help you.” In a state of shock, I held one side of the terry-towel / diaper while she pinned the other, and my heart continued to race, but my penis certainly didn’t care. She came around me brushed its swelling head and pinned the other side. “If you’re going to pee, you’d better push Mr. Happy down a bit.” I did just that and leaned back against the wall…she leaned against my front and with her hands down near my groin. Her belly and breasts touched me all over. “Go ahead.” I closed my eyes, sighed, and did just that J…urine surged into the towel, and our right hands both felt the towel grow damp and warm. When I was done I had a very stiff flagpole, and she slowly slid down my legs and kneeled on my pants. Her left hand covered my right hand and joined me – as I / we lightly stroked my dick thru the towel. I made an effort to get back to the sofa, because that’s where the magic always occurred. Her right hand grabbed my knee and she shook her head. No, do it here. I want to watch.” And under the cover of almost darkness, lost in a sea of warm testicles and lust, I stroked myself, my left hand cupping a full mass of wet towel. “Aim for my mouth.” And with those words, I came. Recovering from my orgasm, I found Jess dabbing at herself with her jersey and then removing it to dab at my legs and the carpet. “I’m, I’m sorry; I just don’t know what…” She silenced me by kissing the lower insides of my legs and whispered – “let’s get you out of these dirty clothes.” My pants, shirt and cum-stained underwear, joined her equally messy garb in the washing machine; she unpinned me, and the last towel was added to the pile. She added the detergent, started the machine, and put down the pins. “Let’s go to bed.” Both naked, she led me upstairs, I started to get on top of the sheets but under the comforter, and Jess just stared at me. Realizing that I did look pretty foolish, I lifted up the top-sheet too, and slid onto a very comfortable and deep mattress. It felt wonderful, and in a sleepy / post-sexual release state, kissed her on the lips and said “I think that DVD really does work, I’ve never been so….” Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb, Mary had a little lamb … This time, as Stevie sucked on her left nipple, Jess rewarded herself with a powerful orgasm, and felt wave-after-wave of shivers and tingles. After a while, she reached for the pacifier, broke Stevie’s suckling, and gave him the Nuk. She donned a robe, went out thru the mudroom into the garage, popped the trunk and took out a sleeve of adult diapers and a blue diaper pail. Carried them back into the house and down into the basement. She stopped the washer in mid-cycle and placed all the diapers where the towels had been before and put away the safety pins into her sewing stuff. Wouldn’t need those anymore… On the way back thru the basement, she ejected Mary Had a Little Lamb from the player and put the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star DVD on the glass coffee table. Grabbed the other DVD box, and went back to join her man-child in bed. Standing naked at the side of the bed, the nursery rhyme still playing “his siren song” she looked down on the pacifier sucking man; felt her nipples harden again and slid into bed. Off went the speaker on the smart-phone, his sucking slowly subsided. Spooning with Steve, and very content to have this man in her bed, she didn’t even mind the nice-sized puddle of drool under her left shoulder. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star When I awoke Jess was fully dressed and the clock said 7:02. “Hey sleepy head, how do you feel? “I feel pretty good, but,” I rubbed my jaw a bit, “my jaw feels a little tender. Maybe I’ve been grinding my teeth?” I looked her over – loose clothing where needed to hide her stomach and caboose, nice shoes and panty-hose to show off her legs which weren’t bad, and a hint of cleavage and proper make-up. Her eyes danced. “Do you want the good news or the bad news?” I chose the latter. “The washer started making horrible noises last night, so I stopped the cycle, and thus you’ve got no clothes to wear.” I sat up and stared. “What’s the good news?” She sat on the edge of the bed, “the good news is that I work at a major clothing store, and I will bring you home some clothes tonight.” “…and in the meantime…?” “In the meantime,” she walked to her chest of drawers and pulled out some sweatpants and jerseys; “I’m sure with my extra padding above and below the waist, you’ll have enough room to fit in these.” I groaned and nodded. She asked my sizes, and I gave them to her. “What did you think of my DVD? Can you write the ad?” I sat and pondered the question… “So far all I know is that the DVD makes me thirsty, time goes by in a blur, and if all goes right, I can end up with an orgasm.” I looked at Jess, and she nodded, and smiled – “is there a market for that?” “I’ll make it a priority.” Jess came to the bed leaned over, and I tilted my head up, and we had a soft, no tongue kiss; “I’ve got a truck to inventory, and I’m on the floor til 6:30; would you be a dear and take me out to dinner tonight when I get home?” Remembering that tomorrow was the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, I agreed. “I put your stuff downstairs, so you’re good to go. Now make me a million-dollar ad.” I smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, and with that she departed the bedroom and noises were heard as Miss Redenbacher made her way thru the house, and into the garage, and was gone. I was alone. YES!! I took a shower, but finding not one bath towel in the house, I dried myself with a couple dish towels. Did the “big job,” brushed my teeth, donned a pair of sweat pants – which fit thru the waist, but were too short on the legs, and a T-Shirt from some long ago walk-a-thon. I found cereal and milk and listened to the news; checked the missed call listings and noted that Mom and Dad, and my girlfriend Lisa had called between eight and ten last night. Great, talk to them later. I put the bowl in the dishwasher and hoofed it downstairs. It was warm – very warm. Jessica must have kicked-in the electric baseboard heaters. I plugged in my cans, turned on everything, filled up the baby bottle with the blue water in the pitchers, went to the coffee table threw my notebook on the floor (Notes? I don’t need no stinkin’ notes), grabbed the DVD and cringed. Where was Mary Had a Little Lamb? I want to climax again. I looked high and low and could not find the first DVD; I scrambled for my notebook and dialed Jessica. “Steve, is everything okay?” Music was heard from the car radio. “Ummm, yeah – I, umm, No, I can’t find Mary Had a Little Lamb, all I’ve got is the Twinkle Twinkle DVD…” ess laughed, that DVD you have starts with Mary Had a Little Lamb and continues the relaxation process with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star…. Okay?” (THANK GOODNESS!) “Oh, okay, okay – that’s great; see you tonight, and don’t forget my clothes.” She promised she wouldn’t and hung up. Jess put the phone back in her bag, hiked up her skirt just a bit and touched herself there. On her mental shopping list she added “one pair of pantyhose” because her cotton in-seam was soaked. Back in her basement the DVD cover was just like the previous one – except this one said VOL 2 and 62 minutes. I went thru the motions, settled onto the sofa, leaned back, sucked on my bottle, and hit play. And at 8:51 I woke up with an empty bottle, drool on my chin, a few belches and burps and the need to pee. Never thinking about going up the stairs, I marched into the washroom, and saw the diapers. That’s right – no towels. I opened the washer, and the cold dirty water stared back at me. A diaper? That’s a pretty big step. My bladder pushed some more, and my penis wanted to comment too – so thinking with the little head, and not the big one, I picked up the heavy adult diaper, pulled down the sweatpants and underwear and placed the “V” of the diaper over my erection and peed into it. I made a silly smile and giggle, and then put the partially wet diaper in the blue trash can. I waddled back to the coffee table, picked up my bottle, finally pulled up my underwear and sweats – filled her nephew’s (my??!!) bottle, skipped/floated back to the couch, put on my earphones and hit play. Maybe this time I’ll get an orgasm. It wasn’t to be – just another trip into my diaper-room, and another partially wet diaper was placed into the trash can. In the middle of my third viewing my brain was getting weird messages……you-need-to-pee-you-need-to-pee-you-need-to-pee-you-need-to-PEE-you-need-TO-PEE-you-NEED-TO-PEE…YOU-NEED-TO-PEE…YOU-ARE-PEEING-YOU-ARE… I refocused, the TV was blank, the bottle was empty, and I had a growing wet spot on Jessica’s pants. NO! I clamped down as best I could, grabbed my dick to stop the flow of urine, and hoofed it around the corner. Spurting some more before getting my erect dick into absorbent material, I let loose a torrid stream, and sighed. I stepped out of the sweatpants and was left with white socks and a baggy T-shirt. I looked at the diaper in my right hand. If you try something new – maybe something different will happen… I walked back into the basement – happy that it was warm, filled my bottle up with more blue liquid, put on my headphones, and sat on the diaper with the wet part under my ass and the dry part over my penis. And hit play. It was a shade before Noon and the bottle was empty, and the diaper was full. Droplets had run down so a small stream of urine was in the fold of the sofa. I gazed at it, and slowly took the T-Shirt off, picked up the soggy diaper and mopped up, grateful for the plastic that protected my client’s new purchase. My dick was very very happy. I ate a protein bar, looked at the wet diaper on the coffee table, and then at the TV. I deposited the third diaper in the pail, got out another, repeated all the steps and this time - sat in the warm thick diaper and pulled it up around me. I did NOT use the tapes – that was for babies – and I was a sales rep on a sales call, trying to write an ad!! At 1:15 I was soaked, and burping, and unfortunately farting a bit as my body tried to get rid of gas built up inside of me. At 2:36 I was into my fifth diaper – wet, warm, and pretty full. I tucked my left hand down between my legs and squeezed gently, and rubbed gently, and squeezed and rubbed, and watched pre-cum ooze on the head of my dick. At 3:44 I put on the diaper the entire way, tapes and all, leaned back hit play, and prayed for an orgasm to relieve the sexual tension I was engulfed in. At 4:49 I couldn’t take the diaper off. My fingers and thumbs didn’t do what my brain commanded, and the warm wet white bulge (around my bulge) mockingly looked back at me. I went to the DVD case, grabbed it and read it…… I grabbed the DVD case? My hands DO work…. I gazed down and again tried to remove my diaper – and my hands swayed and twitched but did not do any good what so ever. I dug out my cell, and while rubbing my dick ensconced in the warm-slick material, my right hand held onto the phone and prayed Jess would answer. “Hello, Steve? You okay??” “When are you coming home? I need some help.” “Oh my goodness – what’s the matter?” Silence. How do you say what I have to say…? On the other end of the line, Jess waited…and smiled and said a small prayer… “My hands don’t work.” “If your hands didn’t work Mr. Anderson – how could you dial the phone? Look honey, I’ll be home in…” “I NEED YOU TO HELP ME GET OUT OF A WET DIAPER.” YES – she beamed… “Well, if I correctly remember diapering my nephew – I believe you just pull the tapes back…” “I did, and my hands don’t work – they work on everything else – but not the diaper; can you please hurry…??!! I don’t know what the matter is, and it’s rather weird, and rather strange, and my privates are starting to itch, and… I am not relaxed but am worried…and I’m freaking out…” Sensing that panic was starting to creep into her little guy – Jessica Redenbacher did what any good mommy would do – she got her baby a bottle… Mary had a little lamb, little lamb little lamb, Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow…and everywhere that Mary went, Mary went… Hearing the happy sucking noises on the phone, Jess broke the connection, and walked to her office; on top of the bag of clothes she purchased she wrote a note “rash cream, wipes, bottle and powder,” and proceeded to call her District Manager to see if she could leave early. At 5:15 I was burping and farting like crazy, my bottle was bone dry, and my lips were a bit chapped; I sloshed over to the second pitcher, filled my bottle back up. I hung over the back of the sofa and tried to make myself burp some more. Realizing that time somehow passed faster when watching her DVD’s I put on the phones, glumly hit play, touched my not-to-be-relieved-erection, and woke up at 6:24. Jessica was looking down at me, and I looked at her, the diaper was saturated, the plastic of the couch was damp, and I said, “help me please.” She took a towel out of her Marshall’s bag, and spread it on the coffee table, gestured me to it, and I plopped down, spilling more pee. She pushed me back, so my bottom was at one end of the table, and my head, barely fit at the other end; she looked down, ignoring the tent in my groin area. “Now what’s this about your hands won’t work?” “Look, I go to pull the tapes off the diaper, and…….” My hands worked just fine thank you. The tapes gratefully let go, and my privates were damp, a bit pink, erect and clearly visible for all to see. “Nice erection. If you wanted to play, you could have just said – Jess, I’m horny and thinking of you, can you come home early? You didn’t need to make up a my-hands-don’t-work and practically scare me to death; I set a Rhode Island speed record driving home, and my D-M had to go in to lock up.” “I swear my hands didn’t work.” “Whatever, let’s get you cleaned up.” She pulled the diaper out from underneath me, rolled it up, walked it into the washroom did a low-five with the diaper pail, added it to the growing stack; picked up a clean disposable, came back out to the coffee table and proceeded to put diaper rash cream, and powder on me, and tape me up. Somewhere between embarrassment and sexual desire, I allowed myself to be put back into the diaper. “I’ve got some calls to make,” and she put the cans back on my head, filled up the bottle, grabbed the now two empty pitchers, handed me the bottle, and hit play. I came to at 7:46, I was hungry, the room was empty, and my diaper was fairly full. I sat up, pulled at the tapes – and my hands wouldn’t work again. W-T-F….? Off came the earphones and I waddled up the stairs pretty damn fast; Jessica was sitting on her bed, in just a long jersey, and pantyhose. She was on her cell, and she stared back – soaking in my panic, as I stood there almost naked, with just a droopy diaper, a pair of socks, and an erection. She ended the conversation and took off her jersey. Her breasts were exposed, and I was too… She cooed “Have you been a good boy today?” I nodded. She got off the bed and slowly walked toward me; I didn’t know whether to look at the crotch of her pantyhose, or the two magnificent melons coming my way. “If I go through your little blue pail – will I find any gooey sticky diapers?” All I could do was shake my head NO, and burp. “Then someone deserves a reward,” and with that she led me back to the bed, laid down on it, and bade me to get on top of her. “Pull one tape off the top of each side, so your penis can come out and play.” This time my hands worked again, strange - and I did what I was told. She reached down, and playfully pulled the diaper up tight around me, forcing me to ‘skootch’ up onto her stomach, and said “fuck my tits.” And there, on a cold Sunday evening, Jess cradled her breasts into a fleshy tunnel, and I slid on a warm-wet-diaper up and down her belly, thrusting for all I was worth. It felt AWESOME, and I came all over her and them. Once my breathing had slowed, I looked down at her and she up at me. And then - as any proper sales professional would do, I slid down her body, over her soft belly, ripped her pantyhose at the crotch and satisfied my client. Due to the hour we ordered pizza in, and washed it down with laughter, kisses and beers. I even drank out of the baby bottle. We brushed our teeth, she offered to diaper me for bed, and I declined. We tumbled into bed kissed and spooned, her breasts against my back; I fell to sleep, very relaxed, and pretty happy. Later in the pre-dawn hours, Jessica uncoupled carefully, grabbed her iPhone, and pushed a button….Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, how I wonder where you are, up above the world so high… She let the song play through and crept out of bed as a stain of wetness spread out around Steve. She went to the basement, started the washer up again, counted all the wet diapers, and put a not-so-wet-one on the (outside) top of the pail; and then went into the back basement to bring the sleeping bags clearer into view. Returning to the washroom, she put the wipes, the powder and the diaper rash cream on a small ledge in the washroom, just away from the door on the sawhorses. Got scissors from her sewing kit and cut the tags off his new jeans – extra baggy on one pair, and tossed them in the dryer, and did the same with his button-down shirts, and a packet of underwear. Put in a couple dryer sheets and began that cycle. Added the coffee-table-towel into the hamper, moved back upstairs, and then washed the baby bottle, and let it dry. Back in the bedroom the song had long finished playing, and Steve was damp, and still asleep; she smiled, touched herself, and went to wake him up.

A commission written recently that I very much enjoyed and I hope you all enjoy as well! This first part has been available on my Patreon page for the last eight days and the second (4,500 word) part is posted on there right now. So if you want to continue reading this story immediately you can do so on my Patreon (otherwise you will have to wait a week for the next part): https://www.patreon.com/Elfy88 For $5 you can get one week early access to all of my stories (I aim to post a story update once every four days) and for $10 you get the above plus access to a number of stories written exclusively for Patreon subscribers. A huge thank you to everyone who supports me and reads my work but an extra big thanks to: DannyDazzler, John, Diapering Daddy, Lb Iceland, Eric C, Paul E, Kevin H, Mr. Smileypants, Tom H, Sterling W, John S, Ryan, Jens B, Zachary U, Thomas R S, Matthew S, Pierry L, Matthew, John D, Emmanuel S, Henry C, Bob, Michelle G, P, Kent J, Frank S, C Dom, Scott S, James B, Ben F and P74_1986 for their continued support. It means a lot to me --- The Internship By Elfy Katie sipped on her cup of coffee as she opened the newspaper straight to the jobs section. She didn’t care about tensions in the Middle East, she didn’t care about the latest celebrity divorce, she just really wanted a job. She NEEDED a job. Katie sighed as she saw all the usual stuff. Cleaning jobs, construction jobs and everything else that the recent college graduate considered beneath her. It wasn’t that Katie didn’t respect those jobs, but she had just got a college degree and had spent the last couple of months fruitlessly looking for work that put her new qualification to good use. The small, blonde woman shook her head as she looked through the classifieds and felt the familiar feeling of disappointment. Katie really needed to find something soon, her Mom was insisting that if she was going to stay at home that she had to contribute to the household income. Just as Katie was going to give up looking she saw one advert that caught her eye. A small advert in the bottom corner was talking about a very short term contract with a relatively large sum of money upon completion. All it said was that it would last for five days at the most and you had to stay on site. It was something at least, Katie thought, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to have some time out of the house and to return with some extra money. The advert gave very little idea as to what the job was for. It just said it was an “Internship” that had the chance to lead to further work. If Katie had been in work, she would have ignored the vague advert but she was desperate enough to give the listed number a call. “No time like the present…” Katie said to herself quietly as she grabbed her phone. Dialling the number, Katie heard the phone ring just a couple of times before being answered by an older man. “Hello?” The man said as he answered. “Hi, my name is Katie.” Katie replied, “I saw an advert about an internship in the newspaper. I’m quite intere-” “Oh! Good, good.” The man interrupted Katie, “Why don’t you come right on down.” “Right now?” Katie asked suddenly feeling rather flustered. “No time like the present!” The man replied eerily echoing what Katie had said before picking up the phone. Katie grabbed a pen and wrote down the address of the place she was to visit, thanked the man on the phone, and started immediately filling a bag with some changes of clothes and other necessities. She scribbled a quick note telling her Mom what was going and that she would call her later and ran out of the front door. Thankfully her car came with built in satellite navigation that she was able to use to guide herself on the half an hour drive across town and out into what felt like the middle of nowhere. She was just thinking that she must have put the wrong address in because there was nothing here but fields when a large warehouse started looming large in the distance. Katie felt a small pang of nervousness as the building got closer and closer. She started running through possible scenarios in her head, answers to questions, reactions to tasks. She really had zero idea what was coming and so didn’t know how to prepare. Turning into the car park, Katie drove slowly across the gravel path and up to the front of the building. She pulled into a spot near what seemed to be the entrance that had a sign for “Guest Parking” in front of it. Katie took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she stepped out into the bright sunshine. She smoothed out her clothes a little bit and got her suitcase out from the backseat. Katie looked around the car park and frowned a little at the fact that there seemed to only be one other car parked up. It looked very expensive and must belong to some executive or something. Katie looked at her shabby old car and kind of wished she had given it a wash at some point. “Where is everyone?” Katie said quietly to herself. It was Monday morning. 10am to be precise, this car park should be full of people working. What kind of internship happened at what seemed to be an empty warehouse in the middle of nowhere? Katie turned to face the building again and felt a slight chill run down her spine. There was something quite eerie and spooky about being at a seemingly abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere. The warehouse looked well maintained and fairly modern, the grass and flowerbeds outside the entrance even seemed to be well maintained. The building gave the impression of being a modern and busy facility that inexplicably had no one there at this moment. Shaking off the sense of foreboding and remembering how much the pay check was needed, Katie turned to the entrance and started walking towards the glass doors in front of her. She put her hand out to push the door open but just before she touched it she found the door swinging open on its own. Katie stepped into a mostly white lobby area. There was an empty desk against one wall with a large numberless clock behind it. Opposite the desk was a glass table with a collection of magazines on and some large, white leather couches. The lobby was very still and silent. Apart from Katie’s footsteps there wasn’t a single sound in the high ceilinged room. With no one at the desk, Katie walked tentatively over to the couch. She pulled her bag behind her and sat down. Almost exactly as she touched the very comfortable seat there was suddenly a buzzing noise followed by a male voice. Katie jumped at the sudden intrusion into the stillness. “Katie Adams, please come through.” The voice boomed out of speakers that must have been hidden in the walls. Katie jumped back to her feet, quickly rounded the glass table and approached the desk. She had hoped someone would be there, or maybe there would be some instructions for her to follow. She wasn’t really sure where she was supposed to go. “W-Where do I go?” Katie asked. She didn’t know if there were microphones to pick up what she was saying and she spun around looking for a door or something she had previously missed. As soon as Katie finished speaking she heard the sound of a key turning in a lock and some squeaky hinges. Squinting down the long hallway opposite the entrance, Katie could see a door at the end of the hallway swing open slightly. With no other options, Katie started walking towards the door. She assumed that even if it wasn’t where she was supposed to go that there might be someone that she could at least ask what was going on. As Katie walked down the hallway she started wondering whether this was all part of the interview for the job. Maybe this was some kind of test of her initiative or problem solving skills. If that were the case, she hoped she was doing a good job, she didn’t like the idea of being tested without her knowledge but she disliked even more the idea of failing such a test. When Katie reached the slightly ajar door, she carefully peered around it before tentatively pulling it open. The room was rather small with just a table and chair in the middle of the room and a mirror against one of the walls. On the table was a black plastic bag and on top of the bag was a small note, a typed out message addressed to Katie herself. “Good morning, Katie.” Katie read, “To start this process you will need to get dressed in the clothes in the bag. There are no cameras or other recording equipment in this room, your privacy is secure. Please leave your current clothes and any belongings in this room.” Katie was perplexed but she upended the bag and let the clothes inside spill out over the table. As she sorted through the different items she wondered why this was a requirement, there didn’t seem to be anything too outrageous in the bag. A skirt, a white button up shirt, a red and blue striped tie… Katie suddenly realised that what she was looking at was basically a school uniform. Was this some kind of sick joke? Was the person running this place some pervert? Turning to the door she walked through to enter, Katie’s first thought was to just walk out but she almost immediately had second thoughts. Maybe she was over reacting, it was a uniform but it wasn’t necessarily a school uniform. This place was strange, was it that unlikely that they had an unconventional dress code? “This job better be worth it.” Katie muttered to herself and, after glancing all around the room for any obvious signs of a camera, she began undressing in the small and cramped room. She felt very vulnerable when she had removed her clothes and she did not hang around in getting dressed in the new outfit. It all fit her perfectly which she found strange. The skirt was a little short but long enough to not be obscene and the button-up shirt and tie completed the look. Katie looked in the mirror and was rather surprised at what she saw. She really did look so much younger when dressed like this, she was transported back to her own school days as a teenager and had to shake herself a little to remember she was a graduate looking for a job. With no other options, Katie stepped back through the door and out into the hallway. She glanced around at the still deserted building and then stepped out closing the door behind her. As requested, she had left everything she had arrived with in the small room. Just as Katie was wondering where to go next she heard a creaking coming from round the corner. She walked to the end of the corridor and peeked around the corner to see another door hanging slightly open in the otherwise abandoned hallway. Katie was still considering that all of this may be some kind of test so she didn’t wait to be told to move, instead she used her initiative and started walking along to the new room. When she peered into this room she was rather taken aback to see it was laid out like a classic elementary school classroom. “What the hell!?” Katie exclaimed as she slowly walked inside whilst gazing at the strange and unexpected room. After she had taken a few steps inside the pseudo-classroom, Katie suddenly heard a creaking and the door that she had entered through slammed shut. Katie ran back and grabbed the handle to try and wrench the door open but found it stuck fast. It was locked tight and there was no way she would be able to prise it open on her own. Now this was definitely getting weird. “Please sit down.” Came a sudden voice behind Katie causing the girl to spin around. Katie’s mouth flew open as the door at the other end of the room opened and in walked an older woman. Katie squinted, something seemed off with this person, the way they moved it was almost… Mechanical. Katie gasped as what she thought was a person turned to face her. The face was not that of a human but a robot. A shiny metallic front with two piecing red lights where the eyes would be. A speaker was behind lips that didn’t quite move normally and a face that didn’t move an inch. It was the eeriest thing Katie had ever seen. She could hardly believe her own eyes. “Please sit down, Katie.” The robot repeated as it stood in front of the white board at the front of the room. Katie just shook her head slightly and turned back to face the door. She pulled on the door in fear and still it wouldn’t budge. She was scared and just wanted to leave, screw this job! “I said sit!” Katie felt a plastic hand on her shoulder that turned her around. “No!” Katie cried out as she kicked and wriggled trying to free herself. The robot teacher would not be denied and she wrapped her impossibly strong arms around Katie’s waist. Katie was carried to a seemingly random seat in the middle of the room and placed in the chair. She tried to escape but the teacher held her down. “Naughty girl!” The robot chastised Katie who suddenly felt something wrap itself around her ankles. The robot backed away and walked back to the white board. Katie immediately tried to get up again but quickly realised her legs were now restrained against the chair which itself was fastened to the floor. “What are you doing? What’s going on!?” Katie cried out. She could feel tears in her eyes that she tried to blink away. Panic began to set in very quickly. “I’m going to teach you.” The robot replied dispassionately, “Did you bring a pen?” “Wha… No…” Katie said confused, “Wait… Is this a test?” “Didn’t bring your own pen? Are you sure you are in the right classroom? Maybe you would be better off with the younger children.” The robot said as it made the mechanical steps back to Katie’s desk with a bunch of papers in its hand, “And yes. This is a test.” Katie looked down as the teacher-bot placed a large stack of papers on her desk. The top page had the words “Basic Educational Test – Grade 7” in big red letters. A pen was placed next to the stack of paper and the robot turned towards the front of the room again. “You have one hour.” The teacher said as it sat down at the desk. It stared at Katie and never moved. It was spooky in the extreme. Katie was going to ask what she was meant to do but the thought occurred to her again that maybe this was part of whatever internship process she was now going through. Besides, this was a test meant for young teenagers, surely Katie could breeze through it. Since she was trapped in the seat anyway, she picked up the paper and turned to the first page of the test. Katie could feel her heart rate slowing down as she took some deep breaths and she tried to calm her frayed nerves. Katie read through the opening question and furrowed her brow. The question was almost incomprehensible in its complexity. It was some crazily long equation with more letters in it than numbers. Katie had done a degree in English Literature and this math was way out of her league. This was supposed to be a test for young teenagers but these questions looked like they belonged in a post-graduate course. Katie flicked through multiple pages and found that the questions only seemed to get more and more complex. “I… I… Can’t do this.” Katie said as she felt her panic rising again and she looked up at the robot in the corner. The teacher stood up in its mechanical way and picked up some more papers. It walked around the desk and over to Katie’s seat. “Maybe this is more your speed.” The teacher said with a clear condescending tone. The robot picked up the previous test and dropped a new one in front of Katie. The robot walked back to the teacher’s desk and sat down again. Katie shook her head slightly in confusion about everything that was happening. For the first time she really looked around the room. A large window against one wall was allowing sunlight to stream inside and providing a lot of natural light. Outside the window was just empty and flat desert, no sign of anything other than a few small plants. The interior of the classroom was just like a school that Katie would have attended years ago. As she shifted in her seat she was reminded of the restraints holding her ankles to the chair, that was the one obvious difference between this classroom and the ones Katie remembered… That, and the robotic teacher of course. Katie turned over the first page of this new test and was almost insulted by what she saw. Instead of the advanced calculus and algebra, now it was simple sums that any small child would be expected to know. “What’s going on here?” Katie asked, “If this is some kind of test for the job… I can’t do really complex math but I can do better than this.” “No talking during the test, little girl!” The robot teacher said with a slightly angered tone, “You have been nothing but trouble since you arrived.” “But…” Katie felt victimised. She had no idea what was going on and was still just trying to keep herself together. “Shh!” The robot teacher said causing Katie to close her mouth. Katie wiped a tear from her eye and sniffed but did as she was told. She picked up her pen and meekly started answering the questions. She tried to distract her distressed brain by doing the sums on the paper. It’s amazing how when you are feeling so overwhelmed, doing something so simple can just consume your mind. The sums weren’t hard but they were extremely boring. Time ticked by at a snail’s pace and Katie found herself almost drifting off. For an hour Katie found herself torn between sleepiness, confusion and embarrassment about what she was made to do. She cursed her own timidity that stopped her from resisting harder. She still thought this could all be some kind of test about pressure situations or something and she was doing her best to stay composed. “Time’s up.” The robot said rather suddenly causing Katie to jump. Katie had been almost asleep when the robot suddenly spoke up and she quickly put her pen down. She closed up the papers and watched as the teacher walked over to pick them up. She hoped that maybe now she would get some answers but the teacher just took her test papers and turned around again. “Is that it?” Katie asked tentatively. “That is the end of the test.” The robotic teacher said as she placed the test papers on her desks. So Katie was right! This had all been a test. Katie smiled to herself, she was glad she had stuck it out and maintained her composure for the most part. She sat and waited for the leg restraints to undo. She expected some man in a suit would come through the door and explain everything to her, maybe shake her hand and let her know how she did. It really was a very strange way of testing potential applicants though; it must be a European method or something. “So… Can I go?” Katie asked when nothing had happened for a minute. “No.” The teacher stated simply. “Ugh… Can I use the phone then?” Katie asked as she slumped in her seat slightly. She was telling herself not to get angry, “So I can let my Mom know I’m OK.” “No.” The robot replied. “Why not?” Katie asked as her irritation started rising. “You were informed that the process is around five days long.” The robotic teacher said, “No contact with the outside world is permitted during the process.” “What is this?” Katie muttered, “A prison?” The door at the front of the classroom opened and the leg restraints withdrew. The teacher stared at Katie with her unblinking face and raised her arm as if to show her the door. “It is lunch time.” It said dispassionately, “This way please.” Katie stood up and walked reluctantly forwards. The door she had entered through was still shut and sealed so she walked to the front of the room and slowly walked out of the door in trepidation. She could hear the mechanical footsteps of the robot behind her. The corridor only had one door at the end of it so Katie made her way forwards and towards it. Katie just couldn’t get over how truly surreal all of this was. Where was everyone else that must normally work here? Why did it seem set up for so many people when there was only one person here? What was all this for? There were just so many questions that Katie could hardly believe this wasn’t all a dream. The fact she was told she wasn’t allowed contact with anyone made her really concerned though. Pushing open the door, Katie found herself walking into a fairly large cafeteria. There was a bunch of long tables with chairs to the sides of them. A red rope showed where the queue was supposed to be and with the robo-teacher breathing down her neck she followed the rope, grabbed a tray and walked up to the counter. Behind the counter were more robots, almost exactly identical versions of the one that had been trying to teach her and she shuddered as she looked around at them all staring at her. Tentatively, Katie held out her tray to the canteen machines. The machine closest too her took the tray and shovelled a large ladleful of a strangely lumpy mush on to a plate that was then placed on the tray. The tray was passed down the line of the robots who contributed a small amount of vegetables and a couple of slices of bread to the tray. The last machine added a small apple juice box with a straw on the side. Katie took the tray back and looked down at it with a mixture of disgust and revulsion. The food looked anything but appetising, she wasn’t even sure what the lumpy mush was supposed to be. Katie looked around at all the empty seats in the room before taking one at random and sitting down with her tray in front of her. She poked the creamy mush with her plastic fork and tried to imagine it was something a lot more appetising. It wasn’t easy to do. Katie looked to the side of her and saw all the canteen robots were staring at her. The one that had been with her in the classroom was standing a little way behind her. The way they stared at her made Katie extremely uncomfortable. As Katie considered the food in front of her and thought about not being allowed to make contact with people outside the facility she felt a deep sense of foreboding. This was not a good situation, the idea of this being a test was increasingly disappearing and being replaced with the idea that this was some kind of sick experiment. Acting on impulse, Katie stood up. The chair she was sitting on pushed behind her slightly as she looked around at the sinister faces that were staring straight back at her. “Please sit down, Katie.” The robot closest to her said. It took a menacing step forwards. “To hell with you!” Katie shouted. Picking up the chair she had been sat on, Katie threw it as hard as her small body frame would allow at the machine. The chair hit it square in the chest and bounced off, it staggered backwards slightly but didn’t fall. “You are being unruly.” The robot said without a hint of emotion. Katie looked around at the machines around her and realised that taking down one of these things would be very difficult, taking down all of them would be nearly impossible. The robots were advancing on her slowly. It was clear they wanted to quell the threat and they were slowly trying to surround the young woman. Looking around the room, the only exit that Katie could see was the one she had come through in the first place. She took off towards it, running hard and fast she wanted to find an exit and wanted to find it now. To hell with the money, there was something really weird about this place and Katie needed to leave. The only door Katie could find was the one that lead to the horrid classroom. Remembering the door at the back of that room that went to the lobby, Katie hesitated for a second and then shoved the door open. “What the…” Katie began running through the classroom but slowed and stopped in the middle of the room. Katie knew that she had come back to the same room as before, there were no other doors to go through after all. So why was this room so different to the classroom from the morning?

My character in this story is a young (college age) girl Who is struggling through life, and not doing too well. She goes to your character (a hypnotist, bartender, florist, masseuse) and asks them for help. You decide that what's best for her is to give up responsibilities and become your baby girl, and so hypnotize her to respond to verbal triggers to make her helpless and fully dependent on you. Slowly you add more and more triggers, to make her act like a baby, wet herself, possibly mess herself, forget how to talk, forget how to walk, and other things to make her more babyish, and more dependent on you at your command, or perhaps even the commands of others.

So I’ve been trying to get into hypnosis but I have trouble trying to get into a trance. Idk if I’m just not doing it right or I’m not listening to the right stuff. What do you guys do or recommend I do. I’ve used mostly warp my mind website.

I know that this is an subject that has been discussed many times and the majority seem to feel that downloaded hypnosis

So, I've been looking into the 12 month program, and one of its main points is to look into hypnosis mp3s and listening to them to get your mind used to the idea of bedwetting and incontinence. I looked through the forums and found that people assumed he was referring to EMGs tapes made pre 2005 (stuff like Curse Bedwetting and Instant Wetting). I tried them out last night and.... They're absolutely awful. I don't want to seem like a tech snob, but there are just so many small errors he makes that take me out of what he's saying. Each time I feel like I'm getting into it, there's a dog in the background, or a heater turning over, or he records twice in completely different settings. And even then, his extreme repitition and telling you how to feel kill the mood. I've used hyposis tapes for other stuff, and I've seen hypnosis work on me. But EMG is horrible. Does anyone have any suggestions for better hynotists or better tracks?

Chapter 1 Caleb strolled through the forest, pokeball in hand. Today was the day, the 15-year-old mentally told himself, the day he finally, finally caught a pokemon of his own. Every other kid from the town had found one and started their journey years ago, and Caleb hated feeling left behind. A rustling in the nearby bushes alerted him to the presence of a pokemon. Stepping back cautiously in case it was dangerous, he saw a hypno slowly emerge from the greenery; Caleb smiled. “Wow! Talk about luck!” He raised his arm to throw the pokeball... only for something to catch his eye and distract him. It sparkled in the sunlight, and slowly began to move back and forth... back and forth... back and forth... Caleb slowly realized that the sparkling item in question was the hypno's coin. A part of him warned him not to look, that he'd be at the pokemon's mercy... but the more he watched, the more he questioned that voice. It's so pretty... so shiny and sparkly... maybe... maybe I should be at her mercy... I want to be at her mercy... I want to watch the pretty shiny sparkly coin and be at her mercy... Caleb didn't even register that he somehow knew the hypno was female. A smile slowly formed on his face as he sighed happily, relaxing every muscle in his body, his thoughts forming into a mantra repeated in time to the swinging coin. Back... and forth. O...bey. Back... and forth. O...bey. Back... and forth. O...bey. Back... and forth. O... bey. “Hyp... no... hyp... no... hyp... no... hyp... no...” Caleb's smile widened, too enraptured to realize that he, not the pokemon, was saying “hypno”. The mantra changed slightly as the hypno responded in a calm, soothing voice. “Hypno, no... hypno hyp hyp no, hypno hypno. Hyp hypno hypno!” To Caleb, the meaning was clear. <“Good job, little one... you're doing soooo good, watching my pretty coin. What a good boy you are!”> “Hyp... no... hyp... no... hyp... no... hyp... no...” Back... and forth... little... one... back... and forth... so... good... back... and forth... pretty... coin... back... and forth... good... boy... <“That's right, little one. Be a happy boy. It's silly-dum-dum time for you. You want to be sooo stupid and dum-dum, just a dumb little boy...”> Caleb could feel his intelligence slipping away, making him dumber and dumber. He was going to be very stupid indeed... and he couldn't wait. No more thinking, no more smarts, just empty-headed bliss. He'd be as dumb as a toddler. Back... and forth... little... one... back... and forth... Dum... dum... Back... and forth... little... boy... <“Aww, my baby is getting soooo stupid! Just a stupid baby... a happy baby... time to wet yourself, happy baby... you'll be soooo happy when you go pee-pee for mommy...”> No, not dumb as a toddler, dumb as a baby. Even better! Back... and forth... stu... pid... back... and forth... ba... by... back... and forth... hap... py... back... and forth... pee... pee... Caleb's pants quickly became utterly soaked as a near flood of pee came out, the sound hissing loudly as he sighed in utter happiness. He was happy because he made pee-pee for his mommy like a good little baby. <“Aww, my widdle baby made his first wetsy! I'll stop the coin and snap my fingers soon... when I do, you'll get your big boy thoughts back, but you won't be able to refuse anything I say, no matter how much you want to... and whenever I say 'silly baby', you'll be sooo stupid again...”> Caleb nodded, his smile not wavering. SNAP! “Wh... what? What happened?... Wait... I'm wet?!” Caleb tried to cover himself up in embarrassment, but a voice interrupted him. “Now now, babies don't feel shame! Take your pee-pee-pants off and be nakey for mommy!” Caleb suddenly realized that the hypno was talking, and he understood it. “No way—what?” His shock at his new comprehension was quickly eclipsed by how fast he was removing his clothes, tossing them aside until he was completely nude. He tried to cover himself up, but his body refused to do so. His horror only increased when he saw the hypno put the coin away and hold up something else: a very thick diaper covered in pictures of baby pokemon smiling happily in one hand, a bottle of baby powder in the other. “Good baby! Now lie down for mommy and let me diaper you!” His body once again obeying against his wishes, Caleb laid down on his back, the soft grass tickling his naked flesh as the hypno approached and covered his groin and butt with lots and lots of powder before putting him in the diaper. Its thickness was so great that Caleb knew he wouldn't be able to stand up, let alone walk. And yet, it wasn't uncomfortable... in fact, it was very comfortable... he shook off those thoughts as best he could. “Stop, I'm not a baby!” “Yes you are! You're just mommy's little baby! Aww, you look soooo cute!” “No, I'm a—” “Baby.” “I'm—” “A baby, that's right! What a good baby, you know what you are!” “STOP! I'M NOT A BIG BOY, I'M A BABY!” Caleb's eyes went wide as he realized what he'd just shouted, almost reflexively. The hypno just smiled, and with a wave of her hand, he felt himself floating in midair, suspended by her psychic powers. “Good baby! Time to come home with mommy.” Wearing nothing but a diaper, Caleb could do nothing as he floated helplessly along behind the hypno; as they passed through the forest, he tried to think of an escape plan... “Silly baby! You're too stupid and little to plan anything! And you don't ever want to escape from mommy!” A flip switched in Caleb's mind at the trigger word and the goofy smile returned. Heehee! Why would I want to run away? I'm happy to be sooo dum-dum! I like being a stupid dum-dum widdle baby for mommy! His cheer was so great he giggled happily like a baby, kicking his feet in the air as he floated along. Soon, they arrived in a clearing with a shimmering wall of light; passing through it revealed a large building painted in bright, soft colors, with a sign reading “Poke-nursery” above the door. The hypno walked in, followed swiftly by Caleb, who was soon deposited in a playpen. SNAP! Coming out of the trance once again, Caleb looked around, startled by his new surroundings. Strangely enough, he vaguely remembered something about his trance, though it was fuzzy like a fading dream... “Welcome to your new home, my sweet little diaper baby boy!” He looked up at the hypno, who was smiling warmly down at him. Before he could speak, she waved her hands, and he found himself shrinking down, his diaper shrinking with him. Though his appearance and physical age remained the same, he was now the size of an actual baby. Caleb didn't have much time to panic about this, as a few more pokemon approached; one was a hypno—this one male—accompanied by a miltank and a jynx. The male hypno smiled at him as well and spoke, and once again Caleb found himself understanding every word. “Hello, baby! I'm your daddy!” the male hypno said; gesturing to the miltank and the jynx, he continued. “These are your other caretakers, and they'll help us take good care of you! Meet Auntie Milk and Auntie Song!” The latter two cooed at him, talking to him in baby-talk as one would do toward an actual baby. Caleb had never felt more humiliated in his life, and blushed considerably... “Ah ah ah,” Mommy—no, the female hypno chided; “babies don't blush because babies aren't ever embarrassed!” He felt his embarrassment fading away rapidly, and was left not knowing what to feel about his current situation. His confusion increased as the miltank approached an picked him up, holding him against her udders. The miltank smiled down at him and spoke in a cheerful, playful tone, the kind meant for the smallest of infants. “Time for milkies, widdle baby!” No. That was a step too far. He shut his mouth tight and turned his head away, only to be pressed tighter against the udders. “Let Auntie Milk feed you, baby.” As the order came in, he found his mouth opening wide to allow one of the miltank's nipples to enter, and against his will he began suckling. To his surprise, the milk tasted good. No, not good; it tasted absolutely wonderful, and soon he found himself hugging the pokemon's soft, warm midsection tightly and suckling hungrily, eager for more. When one nipple went dry, he felt almost disappointed... until the miltank guided his head toward another. This time, he didn't hesitate, and in fact shoved his mouth onto the nipple with an almost desperate need. This process repeated until he had drunk from all four udders. The miltank then handed him over to the jynx, who cradled him in her arms like a baby. Caleb quickly realized that the milk had a physical effect on him; no longer was he lean and fit. Instead, he was chubby, his baby fat having returned. He squirmed in the jynx's arms, until she suddenly began singing, rocking him slowly back and forth as she did so. “Time to wet, baby boy! Time to wetsy-wet! All your shame and all your worries, you will soon forget, when you wetsy-wetsy-wetsy-wetsy-wet!” The song was soothing; Caleb had never heard anything so beautiful in his life. He barely noticed as he helplessly soaked his diaper, a loud hissing noise accompanying the swelling of the diaper. The hypno's earlier suggestion held on, preventing him from feeling embarrassed at the wetting... or was it the song? Either way, he felt absolutely no shame or worry at it, even though he knew he ought to be frightened. “Good baby,” the male hypno cooed, “time for a changie, then it's beddie-bye-sleepy-time for our widdle baby!” The jynx carried him over to a changing table, and the male hypno began to remove his wet diaper and change him into an equally thick one before putting a baby blue footed sleeper on him and picking him up. Caleb could do nothing as he was carried to a crib and laid down gently. He didn't think he could sleep at all. This entire situation was too much for him to handle. Then the mobile was sent spinning, a soft lullaby tinkling from it; this wouldn't have worked on him if not for the fact that all four pokemon began singing to him, the jynx's power amplifying the psychic effect on him. Caleb yawned heavily, and found himself laying down on the soft, soft material as a baby blanket was draped over him, and before he knew it he drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

Rosie stood nervously in front of a strange door in a strange hallway. There was nothing outwardly strange about them. It could have been any other apartment door in any other hallway, but the reason she was here was certainly strange.She had taken it up on a whim. A single offer, coming to her from someone she had spoken too online but had never met in person. After years visiting a... strange... community online, speaking to people without seeing them, even making art for it, she had been offered a chance to actually try living it. The person's name was Samantha, and they certainly had a lot of similar interests, but it was still frightening. She didn't really know this person, did she? How well can you know someone you've never seen before? Do online meetings and relationships count the same as in person?On top of that, she was here to play the sub. It was a role she she was always interested it but didn't even discuss as much. Almost every discussion she had and every drawing she made had her playing dom. She knew this would be difficult, having to let someone take control of her for a change. Not only that, but the plan was meant to be a surprise. She had no idea what was in store for her, it was all Samantha's decision. That was all part of it, and they had similar interests, but it was still frightening. She closed her eye and psyched herself. She could do this. Just turn off the dominant side, and let someone else take control. At least if it turned bad she could always ask for it to start.Holding her breath, she knocked. The door was almost immediately answered by a tall, athletically built blond haired woman. Rosie, herself almost 6 feet tall, wasn't used to having to look up at another woman. Rosie stared at the woman's arms, hoping whatever the plan was didn't involve a lot of spanking. This was definitely a woman who could make that hurt, and definitely one who would have no problem dominating over someone."Rosie?" the woman asked, and Rosie nodded. The woman dragged her in by the arm, closed the door and locked it. She looked Rosie over, examining her wavy brown hair and shorter, broad hipped build. She smiled and tapped her nose. "Hehe your just as cute as I expected," she smacked Rosie on the butt, making her yelp. "Perfect for what I have planned."Rosie blushed over the treatment. It was... sudden, she thought. She tried to back up a bit, then mentally checked herself. She was here to play sub, she told herself. This was the sort of treatment she could expect. "Ummm... thanks. Are you Samantha?""Yes, that's right dear. Good girl!" Samantha patted her head."Uhhh... thanks. So what are we going to do? Are we going to just start, or talk a bit first?" Rosie was trying still play the role of submissive while making sure the boundaries were kept."Oh, don't worry, you'll see soon enough." Samantha began dragging her further into the apartment. Rosie's instinct was to pull away, but she let herself be lead. They passed a well stocked kitchen, a cozy living room with several couches and a television, and went down a white walled hallway into a bedroom. The bedroom was large and spacious, with a queen sized bed, bookshelves, and paintings on all walls. Once they were there, Samantha turned Rosie to face her and examined her again. She looked at Rosie's black jeans and button up shirt. "Hmmm... we will have to do something about those clothes. Far to mature, and the want-to-be rebellious look isn't good for you." Rosie gaped at her and couldn't respond. Instead, she was pushed onto the bed. "Now, wait here a moment little one. I need to get some things ready.""Alright," Rosie said. Samantha's tone gave no room for argument, and the anticipation of what could come, along with her clear control was exciting, she was sat nervously, a pit forming in her stomach. What did Samantha have planned? Samantha left and closed the door.After a moment she haired footsteps in the hallway. Wait, she thought, how many are there? Suddenly her nervousness turned to pure anxiety, even fear. How many people where there? She didn't know there was more then one, she hadn't agreed to that. She opened her mouth to argue, but was interrupted as the door burst open, and Samantha stood in followed by two other girls, each holding articles of clothing.Rosie didn't have time to fully process what was happening before they had grabbed her. "Hey... what are.... no!" She said as her shirt was forcibly removed. She had agreed to be submissive, but this sudden invasion of her privacy was still shocking. She struggled, but was held tight, and felt her arms being pulled into a pair of sleeves. She barely had a chance to comprehend what was happening before she realized she was being tied into a strait jacket. Her arms were pulled behind her and secured."Hey, I said.. MPHH...!" she was silenced as something was shoved into her mouth. She gagged at the bitter taste, and realized it was a bar of soap. Samantha was moving it back and forth as the other girls strapped her arms behind her back. Her mouth filled with creamy white foam as she shoved the bar into her mouth again and again."There, that will wash out any more naughty words," Samantha said. She then took the bar out. Rosie gasped, and the foam dribbled down her face. She tried to speak, but found her mouth was filled again. This time it was a pacifier that was tied into place behind her head. It filled her mouth completely to her throat, forcing her to swallow the rest of the soap, and turning her protests into incomprehensible mumbles. "What was that?" Samantha said. "Something you don't like? Well just tell me, and I'll be sure to stop," she laughed, and Rosie glared.Now that she was tied and silenced, the Samantha's two friends lifted Rosie's feet into the air, forcing her to her back on the couch. Rosie tried to kick and pull herself away. "MPHHH!" she shouted at a sudden, sharp pain on her backside. She looked to see Samantha standing over her with a long black paddle. She wondered what she had gotten herself into. Playing sub had seemed so exciting in theory. Even now, part of her was eager to keep going. But this much pain and control was so foreign and coming on so quickly. She was overwhelmed with emotions, and struggled not even knowing if she wanted to leave or stay.She was spanked again. "Now now, that's enough of that," Samantha said. It was pointless anyway, Rosie found the two girl's grasp was unbreakable, and Samantha simply moved on.The next thing Samantha grabbed was the one thing Rosie had expected from the start, but now stared at nervously. It was what she wanted for months, but by far the most embarrassing part yet.Seeing the frightened, humiliated but excited look in Rosie's eyes, Samantha smiled. "Yes, I'm sure this is what my baby wants, isn't it? She's just been lying to us, to everyone, with her naughty big girl clothes, posing as an adult, posing as a professional, pretending to be mature... we all know it is a lie, don't we?" Rosie stared, and Samantha smiled and lifted the object into the air. It was a large, thick diaper. It was white but with a pink, flowery panel on the front, with letters proclaiming the wearer "Princess," and a design that let everyone know that the wearer wasn't a real adult, but simply an overgrown, adult baby. It didn't look like an adult diaper, but a baby's Pampers made in a larger size. More then that, it was a sign that her last shred of adulthood was gone, that even the most basic levels of control and maturity were forcibly stripped from her. It meant she couldn't even be trusted to use the toilet, and if that was true, what could she be trusted with?Rosie cringed, helpless as Samantha powdered her and placed the thick pamper underneath her. She felt the thick padding go up between her legs and close on her, then get tapped securely on. Samantha then pulled the strap of the strait jacked underneath the diaper and attached it on either side, leaving her locked inside her humiliating, childish garment. The other two girls put pink baby booties on her feet, then stood her up. She was made to face herself in a mirror, and sulked. Even the straight jacket seemed to have been made on the similar theme, with a pink and white design consisting of flowers, babyish drawings and "Princess" written on her chest, along with a skirt of fabric around her waist that made it look like a tutu while leaving her diaper fully exposed. She thought of her own image of herself- serene, powerful, in control- and tried to compare it to the baby she saw staring at her in the mirror. This is what she wanted, she reminded herself, though part of her wondered why. She closed her eyes and told herself to just listen to what Samantha wanted, as she had agreed to.Samantha came up to her smiling, and seemed to smile even broader when she saw the defeated look on Rosie's face. She attached a collar to her neck, then a leash, and brandished the paddle in her other hand."Now, come along my little princess, and be a good girl. Its time to meet some more friends."Friends?! Rosie thought. There were MORE people!? She tried to pull away, but was forced forward by the leash, and the pacifier turned any argument into mumbles."Whats that? Remember, if you don't like something, just tell me!" Samantha said, then laughed.Rosie simply followed. The abnormal bulk of her diaper felt odd between her legs, and made her waddle. Rosie had tried the thickest adult diapers she could find, but this was still a surprise. The only thing she could think of was Snuggies waddles made with a custom design, but that still didn't seem to cut it. Perhaps Waddlers with a thickening pad, she thought. Whatever it was, it was clearly designed to be intrusive, and it worked. The strap of the straight jacket added to the feeling, making it feel thicker and stiffer and pressing it against her. The diaper crinkled loudly, and was hot and heavy, but at the same time soft and, in a way, comfortable.Rosie was pulled into the living room, which was now full of people. They all cheered and laughed at once as she entered, blushing. Some were people she had seen before, acquaintances from work or people she had run into, but most were strangers. There even seemed to be other fetishists there- a woman in a black leather full body suit held on a leash by a man in a suit, a blond haired boy who sat whimpering on a woman's lap while wearing a diaper and dress and suckling a pacifier, a girl in a bunny outfit with ears, and others. The attention, however, was all directed at Rosie."Awwww she's so cute!" a stranger proclaimed."Yes, I agree. She was an excellent choice.""Just look at her blush! She is sooo embarrassed haha. I wonder if she's wet already?""Oooo imagine her look during her first diaper change."Samantha quieted them with a have of her hands. "Now now, we will get to that. First, we need to prepare our baby. Now, Rosie, you may be wondering what this is." Rosie nodded, humiliated and terrified. "Most of them are my friends. We've been looking for someone just like you to be our new baby girl. We already have a baby boy and others, so we needed you for a new playmate. We meet from time to time for... fun." She smiled at the word, leaving it open to whatever Rosie could think of. "The others are people you knew who were open to the idea. We like to have a few people our subs recognize on the first night. It adds to the... fun... and ensures people will know about your new lifestyle."She continued. "Tonight, Rosie, is all about you. This is your initiation, then you'll be part of our group. Remember, if you don't like it, just say so," she laughed.With that, Samantha grabbed the leash right by her collar and gently pulled her down. Rosie shook her head violently, making as much noise as the pacifier would allow. This was too far, she thought. She'd agreed to play sub, and would have, but did not agree to have other people. She wanted out.Samantha, however, ignored her pleas. She made Rosie crawl, much to the delight of the audience, and sat her on a plank in front of the wall facing outward. "This here is something that is going to help you be a good baby. In a little while, all your naughty arguing will end," she said. She threaded leash through a hoop on the blank Rosie was sitting on. Next, she felt it pulled down underneath her and between her legs, then upwards. It was attached to the wall above her, forcing her into a kneeling, head down position from which she couldn't move.Rosie glanced around, struggling even to keep her head up, and tried to figure out what was going on. The people were smiling at her, though some of the obvious subs stared at her nervously and with pity.Soon Samantha was in front of her, holding a pair of headphones. "Now now little one, don't worry at all," she said soothingly. "Mommy will take care of everything. Just listen to this, and everything will soon be better." With that, she placed the headphones on Rosie's head, and hit a button.

So here's a loop for you. I like the idea of Sasquatch. The idea of a North American Primate is not that weird to me. One of the things the big guy is famous for is inducing feelings of fear, dread and sometimes even paralysis without even being seen. Scientists, in the recent field of bioacoustics have identified this as infrasound. We know big cats produce it and we know it does produce these effects in humans. So aside from from that, where does the relevance for all that pre-amble come in for us Diaper lovers? Well... I am currently testing and would like the input of any of you sound specialists, audio engineers or others on the idea of low frequency hypnosis. Specifically for diapered bedwetting. It's something I find fascinating. We cannot consciously perceive infrasound but our brain is still affected by it. Would the same hold true for hypnotic suggestion? Google has turned up surprisingly little though I admit, I may be searching it up wrong. What I have done is run a few hypnotic tracks through Audacity and pitch corrected them at much lower frequency. The only thing I can audibly hear is a sound akin to scratching but theoretically, the track is still playing at a frequency I cannot completely hear. This way I can have it running awake or asleep, kind of 24/7 so it should allegedly affect my subconscious such that whenever I sleep in a diaper, I should be comfortable enough to pee in my sleep. I have been doing this for one day. So.... not that long. From what little I know about hypnosis, part of what gives it... for lack of a better term... its... "power".... is believing it does which I struggle with. I don't entirely believe in it, I just thought it would be fun to try. But what about you guys? Am I wasting my time? Is Audacity the program I should be using to produce proper low frequency audio? Am I wasting my time? Would I be better off with audible hypnotic triggers? Is hypnosis even a thing? Am I wasting my time? Please tell me I'm not just wasting my time lol.

(This is a small colab i'm doing with PinkTheDinosaur. Just a small side project for the both of us to do during our free time. This story contains sexual themes so if that is not your thing please leave.) “Come on Melissa, Please!” Kari begged. “Fine, but only for a bit,” Melissa said annoyed at her best friend. “But you do know Hypnosis is fake right?” “Well see!” Kari yelled excitedly as the 7-year-old turned off the lights and pulled out a lighter. Kari had her friend look at the flame and began trying to put Melissa into a trance. After 2 tries, Kari had done it! Melissa stood there, staring blankly at the flame and slightly drooling. Kari had no idea what to do now that her friend was like this. But she had to test it out. “Melissa, suck on your thumb,” Kari told her friend. Melissa raised her hand and began sucking on her thumb. “Awesome!” Kari cheered. “Ok, ok, Melissa, whenever I say “nighty night meli” you will fall into this trance. Melissa nodded. “You will do everything I say and not remember I said it,” Kari told her friend who nodded again. Kari then snapped her fingers and Melissa was taken out of the trance. “Whap?” Melissa said as she realized she was sucking her thumb. “Why am I…” “I made you do it with hypnosis!”Kari exclaimed. “Kari, there's no such thing as hypnosis,” Melissa told her friend. “Is too! I just did it to you!” Kari shouted. “Fine, then prove it,” Melissa demanded. “Make me do something that I wouldn't do otherwise.” “Fine! nighty night meli!” Kari shouted and Melissa went into her trance. But Kari had no idea what to do. Her mind was racing and she wasn't thinking straight. If she was she would say something like, “Write a letter to yourself revealing a secret and saying hypnosis is real.” “Every time you say hypnosis isn't real you'll pinch yourself.” “You'll cluck like a chicken every few seconds until you admit hypnosis is real.” But no, part of her was mad that she didn't believe her, so… “Poop in your pants next time you say hypnosis isn't real,” Kari told her then snapped. “Well?” Melissa asked. “I did it already,” Kari told her. Melissa looked around but saw nothing different and nothing to show she was hypnotized. “Right… believe what you want but hypnosis still isn't real.” Suddenly Melissa let out a loud fart that made both girls jump. Then Melissa’s eyes went wide as she began pooping into her panties! Melissa let out a loud scream before rushing to the bathroom but it was too late. Melissa’s mom heard the scream and came to see her daughter had pooped in her white panties and left a brown stain on them. Kari was then sent home while Melissa’s mom dealt with her daughter. The last thing Kari remembers about her old friend was that she had to wear pull ups for a week after that. Then she moved away. Kari was very upset that her friend was now gone but they promised that they would see each other again one day and that they would always be friends. Only one of those came true… Years later, when Kari turned 16, Melissa moved back. But Melissa had become a stuck up bitch. Melissa was hot and she knew it. Well-toned, curves, nice ass, B-cup boobs, long blond hair. Kari? She was tall and thin. But not much else. At first, Kari was excited to see her old friend. Hoping they could still connect after all these years! But that didn't happen. Instead, Melissa had forgotten all about Kari. While this upset Kari, she at least hoped her the best and hoped to possibly become friends with her again. Instead, Melissa pulled an evil prank on Kari in order to get in with the other popular crowd of Kari's school. During gym, Melissa pored itching powder down the front of Kari’s underwear while she was changing. “Wow Kari, do you got crabs or something?” Melissa asked as Kari began itching in front of the other girls in the locker room. And that's what Kari became known for. For the next 2 years, Melissa continued to bully Kari. Pulling pranks, spreading rumors, and doing everything she could just to humiliate Kari. Then one day, when both happen to go to the college bathroom at the same time, Kari confronted her about it. Kari told Melissa all about how they use to be friends, played together, took baths together, and shared secrets with each other. But Melissa denied it. Then Kari brought up the last time she saw Melissa was when she pooped her panties. That's when Kari remembered the hypnosis. “nighty night meli,” Kari told her bully and had her fall into her old trance. Kari was surprised it still worked. It’s been almost 10 years since it was used! But as soon as she knew it worked, Kari began to think of how she could get back at her bully. Make her run around the school naked? Give a few nerds a blowjob? Have her do something embarrassing in front of her “friends”? No, if she was going to do this, Kari wanted to do it right and take it nice and slow… *********** a few months later ********* “Melissa, your brother and I are going to the store. We'll be back in a little while!” Melissa’s mom yelled. “OK!” Melissa yelled back. Melissa listens for the front door to open and shut before Melissa got up. “Finally! I can get some privacy!” Melissa yelled as she walked out of her room. It was now summer time and Melissa was grounded. Her mom had ground her because of her bad grades. She now wasn't allowed out of the house all summer. Plus she wasn't allowed to have electronics at all. When Melissa had tried to sneak her brother's phone into her room to search the internet, her mom decided she couldn't be trusted behind a closed door and removed it. This had really frustrated Melissa. Now she had no phone, no computer, no privacy, and worst of all, nowhere to masturbate. Melissa was the type of person that needed to rub one out at least once every 3-4 days or she will get really frustrated. Melissa decided to check the whole house just to be certain that her mother was gone before she made her way to her little brother's room. Melissa can only get off while wearing underwear, but she has a small problem, she pees every time she climaxes. She's forgotten how long this has been happening but its been a while. Melissa had to be very careful at hiding her wet panties and has ruined at least a third of her underwear already. Then Melissa thought up a workaround. Her little brother was 6 and still a bedwetter. All Melissa had to do was were his underwear and their mom will just think it was from his accidents. Perfect! She pulled open his underwear drawer and pulled out one of his tighty whities. She slipped out of her underwear and pulled the new ones on. They were a little tight but fit just enough to feel like panties. She is already very excited about all of this and can already feel her pussy getting wet. She’ll just head to the bathroom and rub one out before her mom gets home. But as she turns to leave, something catches her eye. Her brother's body pillow. Melissa isn't a stranger to humping a pillow, but after ruining one of her's she hasn't done it since. But she remembered how good it felt. “Maybe just for a minute and I'll finish in the bathroom,” Melissa said out loud to no one as she got on her little brother's bed and sat down on the body pillow. Once she was there she began to grind her body on the pillow while one hand stroked her pussy. Melissa loved the feeling of the underwear over her pussy as she got herself excited before she began to hump the pillow. The pillow was soft and fluffy as Melissa rubbed her crotch on it. “I-i love this!” Melissa yelled as she humped the pillow. On any normal day, she would use her hand or a toy to get herself off, but a soft pillow was just as good for Melissa. Melissa could feel that she was on the edge, could feel the pressure building up. She knew she should head to the bathroom and finish, she knew what would happen if she didn't, but the pillow just felt too good! “I'm almost there!” Melissa yelled as she began humping harder and faster. “IM CUMMING IM CUMMING!!!!!” Melissa closed her eyes as she screamed out in pleaser and she had a great orgasm! But as she was panting and opened her eyes, she saw her wide-eyed mother staring back at her in shock. Then, Melissa began peeing in her little brother's underwear while still on top of his pillow and bed. ******** “And that's what led little Melissa here to need a babysitter.” Melissa’s mom said as she leads the babysitter to Melissa’s room. “She’s to stay in those pull-ups all summer and possibly all of the next school year.” Melissa was fuming as her mom led the babysitter into her room without asking. She was bright red as she tried to pull her shirt down to cover her pull up. Her mother had taken away all of her underwear and locked up her pants and skirts. The only time she got pants now was when her mother was taking her somewhere in public. “Know I know this is a weird circumstance, but I have no other option. With my husband gone and Melissa unreliable to watch Danny, I just needed someone to watch the two of them.” “It's no problem, I'll make sure they both stay in line,” Kari told Melissa’s mother with a smile on her face. (I hope you all like the first chapter to our story. If you like it, please check out one of our other stories.we would greatly appreciate it. Also, we have a challenge you you all! FINISH THE JOKE! A mom, her baby girl, and her sissy walk into a bar… Whoever can come up with the funniest joke will have it be part of the chapter! And will get a shout out from us!)

Preview to my Halloween story Called Carnival Fun! I have been working on this story for a while and have it almost finished. I hope everyone likes the preview and as Halloween gets closer I will post more chapters! Thanks! Chapter 1: Ashley looked around the daycare looking at all of the children running around in there Halloween costumes. She always loved Halloween the idea of going house to house trick or treating always made her feel so extra childish. She looked up at the clock seeing it was already 3 o clock knowing her friend Rachel would be coming to pick her up in an hour so they could go to the Halloween carnival together. She walked into her office grabbing her cell phone off of her desk and decided to call her friend to make sure she had gotten her costume for her as her phone began to ring. Rachel was combing her hair making sure everything was perfect for tonight as she saw her phone vibrating on her dresser seeing Ashley was calling her. She answered the phone saying "Hey Girl" as Ashley smiled saying "Hey I was just calling to make sure everything was still on" Rachel spoke up saying "of course, I am getting ready right now and should be there in an hour so be ready to go." Ashley began to get confused asking "How am I suppose to get ready without an outfit, it was your turn to buy our costumes." Rachel began to freak out telling her "I am so sorry I thought we were buying our own this year since we both live in different towns." Ashley looked up at the clock once again telling her friend "I will try to figure something out and will be ready when you get here, but you owe me one" as Rachel told her "I will get you back" as she hung up the phone. Ashley began to hear the front door opening and peaked her head out of her office watching as parents began making there way inside of her daycare. After watching all of the children leave she looked at the clock seeing it had all ready been 30 minutes and she would need to be dressed ready for Rachel. She began to scan the daycare wondering what she could do as she walked towards the nursery. She began scanning through the closet seeing the array of baby clothing as she placed her hand on a pink sleeper. She grabbed the hanger walking over to the large mirror and placed the sleeper to her body staring in shock seeing how much of a perfect fit it was. Ashley was a small girl she was 4"0 and weighed around 90 pounds which always seemed to leave her being mistaken for a child from time to time. She took the sleeper off the hanger and turned it around noticing the words across the chest reading "Mommy's Baby Girl" stitched into the sleeper. She stared back up at clock seeing she only had 20 mintues until Rachel would be here as she stripped herself out of her t-shirt and jeans leaving herself in just her panties and bra. She picked up the sleeper as she stared at the words on the sleeper seeing the word "Baby" as she turned her head towards the changing table and began to smile knowing she had a fun idea. Rachel pulled into the daycare parking lot and began to wonder why she wasn't already outside waiting for her. She parked her car right outside the front door and decided to leave her car running to go check on her friend. She walked into the front of the building and noticed a stroller parked with the hood down. She looked down at the bottom of the stroller seeing 2 feet on the foot rest wondering why Ashley didn't tell her she was bringing a child along with them as she walked around the stroller seeing a set of keys and a note. She read the note reading the words "Lock up" written on the note as her mind began to click and pulled the front of the hood of the stroller up and stared shockingly at her friend dressed like an infant. She tried so hard not to laugh and wondered where she would of got such an outfit staring at her friend clad in a baby sleeper and bonnet sucking on a pacifier clipped to her sleeper. Ashley looked up seeing that her friend had found her and pulled out her pacifier telling her "Twik or tweat" as Rachel began to coo at her friend. Rachel couldn't help telling her friend how adorable she looked and asked her were she had gotten her outfit. Ashley still in character told her friend "goo goo ga ga" as Rachel smiled asking her friend "So I guess I am stuck baby sitting tonight" as Ashley giggled behind her pacifier nodding at her friend. Rachel pushed the stroller out the front door making sure to lock the door behind her. She opened her passage door as Ashley tried to climb out herself, but quickly found a swat on her backside and blushed as Rachel couldn't help but laughing from the loud thud that came from the swat. She picked up her friend asking "I see I really do have a baby tonight diapers and all" as Ashley continued to suck on the pacifier nervously as she was placed in the front seat. Rachel pushed the stroller around to the trunk as she tried to fold the buggy up and began to wonder why it wasn't folding noticing a large bag. She pulled the bag from out of the bottom seeing her friend had come prepared seeing 2 baby bottles on the outside of the bag along with the zipper looking like it was ready to pop and placed the buggy and diaper bag into the trunk. She opened her driver side seat seeing her friend already buckled in to her seat telling her how proud she was of her for being so prepared for her and telling her how much fun they were going to have tonight treating her as if she was an actual child as Ashley smiled and began clapping her hands. Ashley couldn't help but notice the outfit her friend had chosen it was a basic nurses outfit complete with her own tiara. She thought about how much fun they were going to have tonight and pulled out her pacifier asking her friend "Its been way too long since we have hung out" as Rachel turned her head smiling at her friend telling her "It sure has" as Ashley smiled down at her outfit wondering if she had chosen the right outfit. Rachel looked over at her friend asking her "is everything alright?" as Ashley broke out of her daydream nodding slowly. Rachel always knew Ashley was a bad liar and knew what to do to get her to tell as she pulled into the parking lot of the carnival. She parked her car and unbuckled her seat belt and immediately began tickling her friend. Ashley began laughing as hard as she could begging her friend to stop as she told her "that maybe dressing up like a baby wasn't such a good idea." Rachel began to smile telling her "Your thinking too hard about this and need to relax" as she gave her friend a playful pat on her diapered crotch telling her "just have fun" as Ashley smiled placing the pacifier back into her mouth watching as Rachel got out of the car. Rachel pulled the stroller out of the back of the car setting it up like her friend had it and grabbed the diaper bag sticking it underneath. She opened the passenger door up and scooped her friend up into her arms as she walked towards the stroller as people began to walk by cooing at Ashley telling Rachel how adorable she looked as Ashley blushed wondering if she looked that much like a real baby as Rachel placed her into the stroller. Rachel began to realize how much everyone really saw her as a baby and took her bonnet off the top of her head so people could see her face and stuck it in the outside flap of the baby bag as she walked towards the carnival. Ashley looked up at Rachel wondering why she took off her bonnet and turned to see that they were walking towards the carnival. She looked around seeing everyone from town was here even noticing some of her charges were here with there parents running around in there costumes as they made there way to the entrance booth. Ashley looked up at the entrance booth instantly seeing one of the parents from the daycare it was Ms.Davis. Rachel walked over to the desk telling the woman 2 tickets please as Ms. Davis stared at Rachel telling her baby's get a hand stamp as she walked over to the front of the stroller instantly realizing who was inside as she gasped saying "Ashley?" Ashley stared up at the woman as she sucked on the pacifier nodding as Ms. Davis began to coo at her telling her how adorable she looked. Ms. Davis couldn't believe what she was looking at as she told Ashley that her little Margaret was in the carnival daycare and would be tickled to see her teacher dressed this way as Rachel smiled down at her friend who was beginning to feel very embarrassed telling the woman "I am sure we will bump into them some time tonight" as Ms.Davis waved good bye as Rachel pushed her friend towards the rest of the carnival. Rachel looked around seeing all of the attractions wondering what they should do first as the words hypnotism caught her eye from a booth at the very end. She spoke up asking "Baby do you see whats in front of us as Ashley looked up seeing the same booth reading hypnotism across the sign as she pulled out her pacifier telling Rachel "you know a person really cant be hypnotized?" as Rachel laughed saying "will see" as she walked towards the booth.