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Warning As with my previous stories, this one contains several elements inherent to the pre-established 'Diaper Dimension.' These include, but are not limited to: Diapers and their usage for their intended purpose Breastfeeding Non-consensual mental regression through various means (Including possible drugs, hypnosis, and/or surgery) References to surgery to achieve various nefarious goals Humiliation Giants, aka, Amazons or Bigs Predominantly female domination (some male) Babying of adults (perceived or otherwise) Experimentation on humans Kidnapping Coerced or manipulated actions through possible means of white lies, gas lighting, or incentives Mild language or use of explitives Depictions of death, illness, or handicaps Graphic imagery associated with any of these warnings This story has not been labeled as mature, due to a lack of specific references to anything overtly sexual, but this warning serves as a 'turn back' point for any readers who do not wish to read about the previous warnings. Lastly, this list is subject to change during the course of writing this story. While most of the plot is ironed out, more warnings may be added if needed. Hey everyone! Welcome back and I hope everyone had as good of a break as I did! Work was stressful, but it’s always nice to get away for a little bit from trying to meet my own personal deadlines, especially after such a large project as my last two stories were with all the completely new world-building and whatnot. Now, though, it’s just as equally good to be back and writing stories again. That being said, this story has definitely grown over the past two weeks from my original plan. Initially, I fleshed this thing out to be around ten chapters, but soon realized it needed more on my first pass. Seeing a lot was missing from the plot for the type of story I wanted to tell though, the chapter count now stands at 24, but checking out a few later, I can absolutely say that there might be more. As I promised before, since these stories are based on previous works of mine, I will try to include all the stories that might need to be read before this one. As it is a sequel, the primary previous story would be Project Nurture, as several of the characters from there will be mentioned and parts of this story will also align with that one. I would also suggest for more background that The Opening would be helpful as well, as it discusses when the portals first opened and gives some background on the two worlds in general. Lastly, looking at the map of Libertalia (in the Reference Guide) or the DD Timeline might be useful. As I try to do for each of these stories in the DD though, I will try to write most of this where reading them is not required, but as a warning, further details and some plot elements may not be discussed. Next, as is typical these days, I will post the next poll at the start of the following chapter. Since this is only the first DD story, my rule of two won’t apply yet, so I’m thinking I will include two DD and one non-DD story this go-round. So, be on the lookout for that. Also, looking ahead, I’m absolutely tasking myself with writing/editing three chapters a week. That being said, with 24 current chapters and at three a week, this will definitively bump into late May/early June, which means that I will be pausing at least at one point for a multi-day vacation. Considering it’s Florida and I always come back with at least three new story ideas, take comfort in the delay at least for future stories from me. Last but not least and as usual, I hope everyone enjoys this first chapter of my next story! Chapter 1: Hello. Name’s Ashley Cutters, Journalist It’s a small, unassuming house, but within lay so much more, particularly with a fringe member of LRG being tasked to look up the dirty laundry of the government here in Libertalia. Considering all the security measures in place and all the others that had ‘gone missing’ over the years from the organization, Vincent didn’t want to take a chance this time. “Alright… let’s see what we’ve got on the menu tonight…” Vincent was practically licking his lips in anticipation of what he could find in his search of the dark web tonight. “Join the Littles Revolution Group they said… Challenge yourself and change the world!” Vincent couldn’t help but roll his eyes a little at that tagline that had so easily ensnared his wide-eyed and younger and more hopeful self. LRG was a smaller group back then… more manageable and under the radar. Hacking to get free music initially, Victor had stumbled into the law a few times but always managed to get away. After his Little friend got kidnapped though, Victor had turned his attention to LRG and signed up to help after only a week of seeing what they were trying to accomplish. With his skills, incidents like the initial opening of the portals between worlds and the opening of Dark Cliff Prison were almost commonplace stories amongst the more rebellious Little population of Libertalia now. Being a Middle himself meant he was more or less immune from most of the horrors that came with being a Little in this world, but he saw a need and tried to fulfill it for others that definitely couldn’t. Little did he know that path of righteousness and good intentions would lead him here… somewhere in the backwoods of the state of Virgan. It had been a year since he last went to the movies… six months since a bar, and three weeks since even the dinky grocery store just off the main road from here to Columbia. Another LRG got him groceries now… especially after he found some piece about some new drug called ‘FOY’ and was almost immediately flagged and shut down by the Feds. Ever since, he had lived in a state of paranoia… hence the practically ghost cabin set in the middle of nowhere as his main base of operations now. Still, Vincent sighed and tried to think of all this as a game. It had worked in the past when these hacking sessions went into tedious or potentially dangerous places. The FOY thing was great and all no doubt, but… this wasn’t living. He needed something… anything to break up his routine. Maybe he would talk to Carlos the next time he stopped by for a food run about taking a vacation… maybe. Grumbling a little, Vincent shook his head and returned to the monitor as he finished off the last of his cheesy puffs. “Now… what do you have for me tonight?” His thick sausage-like fingers clacked on the keyboard with a rapid regularity that indicated years of practice at this sort of thing. As such, minutes later, Vincent had opened one of the deep web chatrooms like he was simply passing from one room to another. “Let’s see… anything to help LRG pass those restraint laws… equality and all? Anything at all tonight?” Vincent’s eyes strained against the bright screen, but an hour later, despite his impressive and extensive skills, he was still no closer to something definitive to send back. It was just that way sometimes. Yes, there were scores of plans and threats on there, but nothing with substance that could either be classified as reportable or even actionable. Just a bunch of hot air and… “Oh?” Vincent noted with some surprise, leaning in from his wide chair to get a better look at what he was seeing. “What’s this?” The posting was very strange to the point where Vincent even ran a check on it to make sure it was clean and wouldn’t upload a virus or crash his system. He had learned that the hard way back as a junior in high school. Looking more closely, something snagged his attention right away. “Holorecording’s, huh?” Vincent checked the file at least three times just to be sure he was reading it right, but it was confirmed and that piqued his curiosity more than any tagline associated. Vincent knew full-well that Holorecording’s were all the rage years ago, especially when agents of the old academy used to travel to Earth and pluck humans away for testing purposes before the dawn of portal travel and when they exploited soft spots instead. Seeing the ‘.vid.e’ label though, Vincent could already tell that it was the enhanced version instead of the original 2D video like any other old-fashioned video recording. In this case, enhanced meant 3D recordings and possibly sensation feedback and even mental thoughts if he was lucky. Not wanting to turn away now, Vincent clicked into the posting further. A brief description at the title of the page noted something about the files being ‘vital’ and ‘critical to understand.’ Vincent had his doubts about that, especially since 90% of the other posts said that, but he shrugged and kept at it… curious if nothing else over the holorecording file contained within. “Hmmm… seems intriguing enough…” Getting to the main page of the file and knowing what was next, Vincent got up and went to the backroom of the cabin where he stored most of the excess electronics and equipment associated. Looking around, he finally found the box he was looking for, a good layer of dust covering it that had to be blown away first. “Ah. Gotcha! Almost got rid of you last month to store an extra supply of rum in here. Good thing I decided I didn’t need more alcohol here… I guess.” Continuing to dust the box off, Vicent made his way back to the computer before sitting down again and then popping the lid off. Peering inside, he could see the headgear, visor, and even the contacts for one’s temple. “Looks okay… hard to tell really until I actually just go ahead and test this thing out.” Vincent blew a little more dust off and then gently placed the device over his head. Wincing a little at first, he made quick work of the device to relieve the tighter pressure and expand the halo section until it fit his head more comfortably. Taking the attached cord, he blew on it lightly and then hooked the device in. Soon, the screen before him blinked, and Vincent completed the preliminary set up as the newly clicked holorecording files were downloaded onto his server. Applying a little petroleum jelly to the contact points at his temple, he took a breath and looked over the various warnings on the box. “Warning… excessive use can lead to seizure, brain hemorrhage, and even death. Do not use with potentially corrupted files and do not use while alone.” Looking around the empty room, Vincent shrugged his shoulders. “Oh well… can’t stop all the time just because I’m a one-man team up here.” As he clicked on the final steps for downloading the files, Vincent felt a little fear over using this old technology once more. There was a reason for the warnings… why the technology had been dropped in favor of other more recent models here in Libertalia. Newer methods were safer… more legal. Looking around at half the equipment in here used just for pirating signals and hacking into government servers, it might have been an odd fear, but holorecording’s tended to brute-force their way into local servers rather than ask permission at all. It gave the recordings a true 3D experience to the viewer later, but the legality was sketchy at best in court cases, so the technology had largely been dropped in favor of more… legal ways. So, to see it so plainly on here for that fact alone was curious if nothing else. Vincent didn’t want to hope, but there were only so many who used this technology in the past few years… and they were either illegal, which could mean some great dirt on something out there that could hurt the Bigs, or they were less poised with technology, which could mean they were more desperate and likely more interesting. Either way, it boded well for Vincent’s mission and ultimately, LRG. Clicking onto the first recording once it had downloaded, the first screen showed the typical warnings yet again about using this technology, which Vincent promptly clicked through rapidly, understanding the risks… and quickly ignoring them. Next, and most curious, before the instructions, there was a brief blurb about what he was about to watch. It was something about someone named Ashley and this footage found from her imbedded camera. Most fascinating though, although maybe a little worrying or disappointing, it noted that ‘some pieces are missing’ from the recording and it is ‘unknown if they had been deleted by the user’ or were simply ‘too corrupted.’ Either way, Vincent pressed on with curiosity like that of a child potentially finding buried treasure in their backyard. The screen cut away, and then another popped up. “Place device on head now.” Vincent did as he was instructed, and as he remembered from the last time that he used this thing over six years ago now, the visor remained clear so he could see the screen and the next instructions. “Press here to proceed.” A decently sized green button then appeared below. Vincent hovered his mouse over the button, took a deep breath, and pressed it before relaxing back in his chair. * * * Black. Nothing. The screen was just a myriad of inky blackness, punctuated occasionally by a little blip or static on the screen. “Ah, shit!” a male voice called out from the abyss, remaining faceless in the darkened void. “Oh, perfect, Stuart!” a female voice said with a sigh and no small amount of clear frustration. “Just what this footage needs… cursing right from the start! This could be the beginning of some very serious report one day, you know.” “Sorry…” presumably Stuart apologized, grunting a little like he was trying to adjust something. Briefly the edges of the void curled in and flicked with static and a few green, blue, yellow, and red dots… and then pure nothingness once again. “Ugh! I just realized that the audio and video were off before. Now, it’s just the video and I’m…” He grunted again. “Trying to adjust that.” “Well, can you fix it?” the female voice asked, sighing heavily again and now sounding more than a little impatient as well. “This whole plan isn’t going to go very well if this stupid thing doesn’t even wor…!” * * * Day 0 – 12:30 P.M. EDT – Earth The screen cut back, and a white border, like from one of the old video systems, popped on as a frame around the main picture, which wasn’t much more than a computer lab somewhere, punctuated in several spots by at least ten twenty-foot-long sections of three-inch-thick wires. Multiple spots were frayed and pulled apart, while other sections were fully intact. One desk was cluttered with all sorts of odd metallic objects and scraps of wiring, while the other desk appeared to contain some sort of toolset and even a medical diagram of the head and an eyeball… though with something dark right behind the iris in this case. “Okay… that should do it…” a pale and scrawny figure noted, possibly Stuart, now coming into the frame. Unsettlingly in some way, he was looking directly at the camera with a calculating and curious expression. Before becoming too awkward though, he then briefly looked away and back to another monitor just off screen. “Okay… single feed up and running. Blink once for me, will you, Ashley?” The feed momentarily went black before snapping back to its previous image. “Like that, Stuart?” the female voice, presumably Ashley, questioned. This time, instead of one of annoyance, it sounded more hopeful. “Yep. That’s good, Ashley.” Stuart then hopped back and briefly went out of frame behind the monitor on the more crowded desk, and the sounds of clicks and clacks could be heard like he was typing something in. “Okay… now blink three times in succession. This might feel a little weird after, but we need this thing to reach out to other sources if you want more than a single shot from your eye. No point in this level of technology if we can’t get all the angles… just in case.” The feed temporarily dipped down and back up, almost as if Ashley was nodding while holding a camera. Then, the feed blipped out in three short bursts. Suddenly, the feed switched, and the previous single view of the camera now showed something more akin to a 3D image panning around the room. One watching from the outside would have likely felt the sensation that they could touch everything, rather than as if they were just watching a movie. The view shifted more, and more of the room could be seen. Nearby, lying down on an exam chair of sorts, like one would find in any dentist’s office, was a tall and skinny blonde woman, her blouse and slacks contrasting heavily was the disposable bib around her neck. “You good, Ashley? Still with me?” Stuart asked, pressing in on the blonde woman. “Yeah…” Her voice shook a little and her answer was anything but confident. “Just a little… dizzy, I guess?” She patted her eye tenuously and then quickly looked back at her fingers, almost like she was expecting something to be left there. “At least the bleeding’s gone now.” Stuart nodded. “Yeah. Not going to lie… you looked a little grizzly earlier when I was trying to adjust the feed. It looks like the micro surgeons did a great job though. No scarring from what I can see… which is impressive, because… you know… there’s…” He didn’t seem to be able to finish that thought and gestured with his hands awkwardly. His social skills didn’t seem to be one of his strengths, but Ashley only smiled back. “Because there’s a camera embedded in my eye now?” Stuart nodded and she laughed a little. “Yeah… feels strange to say, but you know the Amazon’s technology. It’s decades at least ahead of our own… even now with everything they’ve been trading to us and all the advances we’ve made since the opening of the portals.” “Yeah… this whole place… building and city too… run off what they’ve given us.” Stuart then rolled back to his monitor. Then, without looking back, he cleared his throat. “But also… Bigs.” Ashely looked at him strangely for a moment. “What?” “Bigs…” Stuart noted again. “You called them Amazons. They’re called Bigs. ‘Amazon’ is almost a derogatory word… especially coming from a Little.” “Oh… I completely forgot about that.” Ashley seemed momentarily stunned and nervous for a moment. “Hey… no big deal here, right?” Stuart leaned back over and looked at Ashley with reassuring eyes. “Just… keep it in mind when you’re going over there.” Ashley frowned and then suddenly looked defensive. “What? I’m not… I…” “Fine, fine,” Stuart said, retreating a little bit back to his monitor. “Don’t tell me about your plans with the tech I just helped set up, but I’m just trying to help. Don’t want a smacked bottom two seconds into your trip over there, do you?” Ashley grimaced a little and then looked slightly embarrassed. “Oh… yeah. Sorry, Stuart. Just… you know how these things go, right? Mr. Swarthout wants doubly sure that all this stays under the radar… at least until publishing. You know how he gets.” Stuart nodded. “Right. I mean, you are talking to the person who sets all this undercover stuff up in the first place for the magazine. Heck, discretion might as well be my middle name these days.” Ashley smiled and Stuart went back to clicking all over his monitor. “Okay… now, let’s check out the feeds. Turn your head up and down and side to side.” Ashley did, but the view didn’t change, and instead still seemed like a 3D experience and not being stuck in one spot. “Good. The feed didn’t change intensity or direction when you did that.” He clicked a few more times. “Now, blink.” Ashley nodded, but this time, the feed popped off and went back to completely blackness whenever she did so. “Oops. Need to… adjust… that… okay, now try again.” Ashley nodded again and blinked, but this time, the feed didn’t black out. “Phew! That could have been bad. Need to make sure you still have a view even if your eyes are closed… or blindfolded.” Ashley only nodded, a small amount of fear seemingly lingering in her eyes over why that would be a top priority that was needed. “Alright… lastly, let’s see if this other feed works… the mental one, I mean. 50-50 shot of this thing even functioning, but… let’s give it a go, shall we?” “Uh, do I need to do something?” Ashley looked around and she blinked a few times and even resorted to snapping her fingers, but nothing appeared to be working. “Hmmm….” Stuart looked closer at his monitor and clicked in a few places. “Let’s try it this way. I’ve increased the number of input feeds. Might feel a little funny, and we might still only capture some of your thoughts, but something would be better than nothing, you know?” Ashley nodded and her face soon relaxed. ‘I hope this works…’ Stuart’s eyes lit up. “Aha!” He seemed near ecstatic over what he was seeing on his screen. “Did you just think ‘I hope this works’ just now?” “Oh shit…” Ashley seemed petrified for a moment that all her thoughts were going to be recorded now, but it was soon supplemented by a look of fascination as well. “Intrusive suckers, those Bigs, huh?” “Maybe… no, definitely if even half the rumors are correct.” Stuart then wheeled away from his desk and came over to Ashley to start getting her ready to leave. “But just think about all those times where you couldn’t speak, and a recording of your thoughts might have helped. I remember you didn’t seem too pleased from that one assignment you had in the Middle East where you had to recall all that stuff for your article weeks after it had occurred.” Ashley nodded, seemingly appreciative of the technology more than worried by it. “You always bring up that assignment, Stuart. I’m still not forgetting how skeptical you were of me when I volunteered for that one.” “Alright, alright,” he said, defensively holding up his hands as he backed off. “I was wrong back then, and you proved to everyone of your skills as an investigative journalist. Just don’t go mucking everything up with this one just because you’re part-cyborg now or whatever. This tech is just a recording device… not a bail out.” Ashley sat up on the chair and waved his concern off. “I know that. Just tell me this… how does thing store data or how do I get it back to you all? Do I needed to do something further?” Stuart nodded and flipped one of screens back to her which soon switched from an MRI scan of her head to one of a process diagram. “Simple really… it has a memory of 400 TBs, but with our modification, it also will attempt to reach out and link to any satellites in the area and send back the feed to a safehouse. Then, if everything goes right, about one to two times a month, they’ll come back here and show us the footage.” ‘If everything goes right…’ The monitor pinged and Stuart looked back at it, and both smiled and seemed hesitant. “Yeah… I’ll admit it’s not the most assured plan using Littles over there to get us the footage, but it’s either that or we send in a person to take it from you, which could blow your cover, or we extract you early, with or without a story.” Ashley rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine. Just… I guess as long as the footage comes back intact for me to do a story after…” Ashley then hopped off the chair and walked over to where Stuart was sitting. “Now… how about that battery life? What am I working with here?” Stuart seemed more hesitant in this answer and then waved his hand around. “Well… difficult to say really. It could last anywhere from two months to…” * * * Day 0 – 12:30 P.M. EDT – Earth The clouds stretched for what seemed like miles as Ashley looked out over the budding metropolis of Philly. The so-called ‘dark times’ had hit the city pretty bad, but with the Amazons… Bigs bump in technology, the city was breathing a long sigh of relief and hope once more. Buildings shined, stonework had been repaired, and the streets now remained clean and devoid of pretty much every gang that once roamed so freely. Ashley was just a kid when all that was going on, and was mostly shielded by her parents, but now, both they and that old festering city were long gone. “Ashley?” Ms. Abernathy called from her desk, to which Ashley spun around. “Mr. Swarthout will see you now.” Ashley nodded and proceeded through the large wooden double doors and into Mrs. Swarthout’s office, the CEO of the magazine here. “You wanted to see me, boss?” Mr. Swarthout was looking at a painting behind his desk but then turned to see Ashley. “Yes… please have a seat.” As he gestured to the open seat in front of his desk, his mouth was grinning, but his eyes bore a heavy aura of dismay and even worry. “Is this about the assignment?” she asked, sitting down and getting comfortable while also trying to maintain a good posture in front of her boss… someone who could pull the plug on all this at the snap of his fingers. Mr. Swarthout sighed before sitting down himself and folding his fingers together. “Well, you are the investigator. I guess I shouldn’t try to hide my intentions of this meeting…” Ashley hesitated by ultimately shook her head. “Very well… I just wanted to check on a few things, but primarily…” He quickly looked like he wanted to puke or curse. “You have until the end of October to get back here and report your story. Beyond that, and regardless of your progress… I pull the assignment. Understood?” Ashley did and nodded, but her face seemed to swarm with questions. “I won’t need that long, right? I mean, if our reports are anything to go off, I should find a story worth all this effort in no time at all and be back before the end of August if my other timelines are anything to go off.” “Maybe…” Mr. Swarthout was a cautious man, but bold as well when he needed to be. Today, his cautious side was showing far more than usual. “It’s just that our reports also indicated that you could encounter no small amount of… trouble. And frankly, Ashley, that’s putting it mildly. I know you’re no stranger to conflict… civil wars, violent dictators, drug trafficking… your resume speaks for itself by now, but…” He trailed off and his eyes hung heavy with something like fear. ‘The pictures… the reports… he must be thinking about the same packet of information we got back from one of our vacationing reporters over there that sparked all this initially…’ Ashley shifted uncomfortably, likely recalling the effects on one such individual that escaped back here, as opposed to their own journalist which had not. “Yes, sir… I know the risks. Those other assignments had their own risks, but at the end of the day, a Kevlar jacket can keep a bullet away. Over there though… not sure how much I can do to stop some even half of what I’ve heard about if it comes to that.” “Exactly.” His words seemed happy that Ashley was showing that she wasn’t going into this blind, but the risks were clearly still sticking around in the front of his mind. “Just remember that most will be out to stop you if you get anywhere near one of the better stories. You will be a target already the moment you step foot on their soil… stats on humans returning from over there who stay more than a week aren’t good. Potentially, with the October cutoff even, you could be over there for over 140 days... more if even the slightest thing goes wrong. Plus, you could be walking right into a trap and not even know it until it was too late.” Ashley sighed, and she was clearly processing everything, but she nearly unbothered by it not long after. “Maybe… but I’ve done that before, and besides… maybe I won’t even deviate from the tour group I’m already signed up for? Could be something interesting there… Diamond Tours I think I heard? Or maybe that was the other one I investigated and then rejected…” The tiny scoff from Mr. Swarthout was audible, but he also didn’t press it any further. “Well… I guess I can’t stop you at this point. You’re stubborn, and that makes you a great journalist, but still, as they used to say… be it on your head then.” Just as Ashley started to stand after nodding in acknowledgement back to him, he then stood up. “Oh, wait… Ashley…” She stopped herself from leaving. “Speaking of tour group… do you have a backstory yet? Your name could be well-known… even to a bunch of Bigs.” This time Ashley smiled with confidence and then pulled out a thick manilla envelope from her bag. “All in here, Sir. Stuart set me up as usual, and I don’t open this thing until I’m locked-in back home. You just never know who could be watching and wind up blowing my cover…” “Hmmm… very diligent of you.” His eyes went down to look over the packet now gripped tightly in her fingers. “I’m sure it will all be up to our standards. Still though…” Worry eclipsed his face once more. “I’m just… I’m concerned about you, Ashley. Would you…” He briefly grimaced. “Would you maybe reconsider? As a favor to an old man?” Ashley frowned at first, shaking her head and then backing away from the seat in front of his desk with a warmer smile instead. “No, sir. I’m not giving up this assignment for anything. I value your concern, sir, but now. Besides, I’ll be fine. I’m not a rookie anymore… so please… stop worrying, will you? I’ve got everythi…” * * * Day 0.1 – 12:30 P.M. EDT – Earth A small room came into view, suitcases and cardboard boxes taking up a majority of the initial frame. Some framed photos were perched nearby, but most of the items besides the main furniture pieces seemed to be souvenirs from around the world, presumably from Ashely’s travels in her job. One could tell a lot about a person looking at just their walls, and Ashley was no different, definitely being the type of person who valued degrees and awards over relationships, and beads from a far-off country to even something as simple as a pet. “Okay… back at my apartment now…” Ashley blinked a few times as she stared into a nearby mirror, temporarily pressing around the feed of her eye. “Still find this strange that everything is recording. Going to the bathroom felt wrong at first… but Stuart assured me yesterday that a filter will be applied before all this stuff gets submitted. Better not be lying about that, or so help me…” Ashley cracked her knuckles and then shook her head. “Whatever… this assignment is going to be a little strange, but first step… pack up the apartment.” She momentarily tapped one of the nearby cardboard boxes perched on a side table of sorts. “Mr. Swarthout is instituting the usual policy of paying for my lease for three months, but after that… the rest of my stuff will go into storage until I get back.” Her face clouded a little in sadness. “Gosh… I still miss my old place before the assignment I took in Germany that lasted another month longer than I thought it was going to.” She then shook her head and looked right into the mirror. “Regardless, I wanted to specifically include this bit for the future for two reasons. The first… well, is me.” She then waved into the mirror. “Not sure how all these angles work exactly, but hey! My name is Ashley Cutters, and I’m an investigative journalist for the magazine, Times Reporting. We cover a lot of local news, but since the ‘dark times’ ended, the magazine has been branching out more onto the country and now world stage.” Ashley then walked into what best could be described as her dining room, though the cluttered table seemed far from sitting anyone comfortably for a meal anytime soon. “So, just to note as well… I requested this assignment. Basically, I was reading a few articles from escaped Littles in the other dimension, plus the one from our own reporter, and I just knew there was a story there waiting to be told. It just felt like too good an opportunity to pass up, so I volunteered right away when Mr. Swarthout wanted to publish a story of some kind from over there. He wasn’t super specific about what, but it gives me plenty of leeway for any type of story I want. Just needs to be compelling.” She then walked over and sat down in front of a large stack of papers. “Now, I also wanted to do this…” She paused and reached for the large and thick manilla folder she had previously received from Stuart and then shown to Mr. Swarthout. “I want to see inside, and I really need to start memorizing everything in here. I’ve got about three days to do this, and if I’m discreet, I can do the rest of the finer details on the bus ride after the portal facility and travel… I hope.” Popping the folder open, Ashley seemed curious as to what was truly inside for this little operation of hers and moments later began to fish out what looked like a passport, cash, personal items, and several other odds and ends. “Well… I guess it could be worse.” She then pulled the ID card close into her face before showing it off at different angles around the room. “Still not sure how this tech works, but I don’t want to take a chance. Guess I need to reach out to Stuart before I leave about the specifics for all that, but for now…” Her finger then pointed to her name. “Looks like I’m now going to be Ashley… Stevens.” She paused and squinted at the ID card for a moment. “Hmmm… first name is the same. Easier to memorize, but not the best for covers.” Setting the ID down with a sigh, she started to read over a thick packet of information. “And it looks like I’m a personal trainer originally from Seattle, Washington. I guess…” she then glanced down at her body, “I guess I could pass for one. Need to check out a few facts and routines maybe first before I leave, but still…” She then sighed and looked at one of the few photo frames in the room. “Sgt. Gideon… Elias could’ve done better….” She picked up the frame and gently caressed the photo within, clearly showing herself and a taller and muscular man geared in desert camo. “Best military contact I ever had. Never worried about ID’s, background, or keeping my butt safe. He did that and more…” She left her words hanging on the air for a second as she lowered the frame to her lap and looked longingly out her apartment window. Looking back down about a minute later, she shrugged her shoulders. “Oh well… I’m sure he’s off protecting someone else by now. Wish he was coming with me, but… oh! And here are the portal tickets.” Ruffling through the spilled-out contents a little more after setting the frame of her and Sgt. Elias aside, Ashley then produced a large rectangular ticket that shimmered in sections underneath the overhead lights. “Good. Three days from now. Plenty of time to get all this memorized for my purposes. And… interesting.” She then pulled the ticket closer to her face. “Leaving from the portal in Philly but going to their portal facility across the country in Niveis… our Nevada. Curious…” Swishing around the finer details of her mission and some further notes on her background packet of detail to memorize for her undercover identity, Ashley finally stood up and began to pace around the room. Each time she made another lap around her furniture; she would switch to reciting another fact about ‘Ashley Stevens.’ Before long, she stopped and went back to the mirror she had started with. “You are Ashley… Ashley Stevens…” She said it, her voice shaking a little at first, and from her tense facial muscles, it seemed to deeply bother her. ‘Go again, Ash… Try it with more confidence… practice makes perfect, right?’ She then gazed back into the mirror. “You are Ashley Ste… Stevens…” ‘Crud! Again, and get it right this time.’ She sighed and took another huge breath. “You are Ashley Stevens.” This time the words came to her much more easily. “You are… Ashley Stevens!” A smile began to creep over her face. “You are Ashley Stevens! Ashley Stevens! Ashley Stevens!” * * * Day 0.4 – 11:16 P.M. EDT – Earth “Ashley Stevens checking in.” Ashley was now dressed more sporty, complete with tennis shoes and a pair of yoga pants as opposed to her previously more typical rugged clothing, born from years on the road and in foreign countries. Her high-top ponytail just seemed to add to her new persona as she handed over her fake ID to the ticket person at the newly constructed portal depot. Working exclusively in glass and steel almost seemed to be a requirement with the design of this building, looking both futuristic and intimidating but welcoming at the same time. For a moment before entering, Ashley hesitated just to look at the newly added structure to just outside of Philly. It was just another example of how everything was changing at breakneck speeds recently. After a second, bringing her attention back to the present, the ticket person looked back at Ashley and smiled. “Oh, yes. Sorry about the wait. Still upgrading from the original systems here. Those old hunks of junk were slow but steady and never crashed. These new ones from the other dimension, well… let’s just say I do a backup of my computer once an hour now… just in case.” “Oh no!” Ashley seemed to feign her concern over such a simple matter. Ashley had a heart for sure, but it was more calculating sometimes when it came to others. Ashley Stevens, though, was a character and needed a more jovial nature to blend in better and form connections which she could later exploit for her story. Stuart being Stuart had laid all that out in detail in her briefing packet. “Don’t you just hate it when that happens! My studio just got the new system last month, and ugh! Never seen so many crashes in my life.” The ticket person smiled while also rolling their eyes. “Oh, that’s just terrible. I’m so sorry.” The computer then whirred to life and a scanner-like noise could be heard followed by a single beep. Smiling back, the ticket person handed Ashley back her ticket. “Alright, hon. You should be all set to go.” The ticket person’s eyes then dropped to their screen. “Huh… portal station to the east of Carson City and north of Prata… strange… Why don’t they just call it Las Vegas like we do? I mean, they call their Philadelphia, Philadelphia as well, you know? Silly Bigs, right?” Ash nodded but she knew the answer and just didn’t seem to be able to hold back. “It’s already Greek. Their dimension pulls a lot from the Greek and Latin. The attendant stared back blankly for a moment, and from a quick widening of her eyes, it was evident that Ashley knew she had pushed her knowledge too far. Sure, a personal trainer could know that stuff, but it might have been more unusual for them to point it out. “At least… that’s what I read in Times Reporting last month!” The ticket person quickly smiled once again. “Oh! That must be it. They do have the most fascinating articles on all that silly stuff.” Ashley clenched her fist temporarily but made sure to maintain her smile above the ticket counter. “Now then…” The ticket person’s finger then pointed to a wide-set hallway with several numbers above it. “Follow pathway 6 and you should be all set to go for your 12:30 departure time to portal station, Niveis 1!” Grabbing the ticket, Ashley smiled broadly back at them, clearly relieved that she had mustered her way out of that slip-up in character. “Perfect! You have yourself a wonderful day!” Waving goodbye like she had once seen in an old movie, the ticket person waved back without incident. ‘Whew! Definitely going to have to get used to this chipper personality that Stuart set me up with…’ In truth, Ashley could have changed it, but by now, she knew that for the moment, she could get more with a more empathetic and bubblier persona than her own. She almost always reverted to her usual self, but she made no more mention of it and proceeded calmly through the newly designed and built portal terminal building. * * * Day 0.4 – 12:26 P.M. EDT – Earth “Next, please!” a stubby and smiling man said, gesturing to the line Ashley was in while scanning everyone’s tickets before sending them off and down the ramp to the large metallic circle at the far end of the room. “Have your tickets out and ready to scan!” Ashley was more than ready by now and eagerly tapped the extended handle of her suitcase. She had shown up early and had spent the past hour getting some coffee and a small pastry. She wanted to eat more, but one of the top suggestions for portal travel was ‘don’t eat or at least eat light’ beforehand. As she scanned her ticket and saw the portal, her face seemed both relieved and content. ‘At least it’s Philly and not one of the ones out in the middle of nowhere. I think they still use the tech that fries your DNA or something and you have to go into medical hibernation for a week… or was it a month?’ She shook her head and kept moving toward the portal entrance… still lying dormant. “Attention!” the seemingly head scientist announced, clad in his pristine lab coat near the top of a platform next to the portal. Everyone below waiting in line immediately turned to him. “Now, I know this will be new for some of you, so just hold on and I promise! Everything you are about to see, hear, and witness is completely normal. Once activated, we will proceed one at a time. But first, please take the pill you are being handed now.” A smaller scientist, dressed in more hospital-like scrubs, came along and handed everyone a pill. Looking down at her palm after being handed one, the blackish green pill didn’t seem to sit well at all with Ashley. ‘Oh boy! Just gotta do this and get it over with. Can’t be worse than the scorpion shot down in Mexico last year, right?’ Wincing a little, Ashley immediately popped the pill into her mouth and visibly swallowed. “And now,” the head scientist continued, “we shall proceed! Activate the portal!” Almost like a performance of sorts, portal travel still fascinated most. For Ashley, the vibrations that started when the switch was thrown unnerved her just a little bit. ‘What the hell is that?’ Everyone had heard what portal travel was like, but seemingly like the universe was getting pierced into two, the whole room shook with tremendous fury. An audible whine and groan of a sound echoed off the walls, and soon, everything just turned to an unsettling hum. ‘God! I can feel it in my stomach!’ Several others groaned, but like the popping of ears after a flight, everything suddenly went still. Briefly everything became fuzzy within view, complete with static on the fringes of the frame by the date and time stamp, but when it snapped back, the portal quickly erupted with a viscous blue fluid. Shimmering and almost magical, it was entrancing to most. Ashley could only stare back in wonder at what was unfolding before her. Then, like a pool of water settling after being disturbed by a rock being thrown in, the liquid-like substance stopped and only briefly rippled within the metal circle device above everyone. “Wow…” Several of the crowd nodded in agreement with Ashley’s short but quite accurate reaction to what they had all just witnessed. “This way! This way!” the head scientist squawked again, looking at his watch quickly as if he had a pressing schedule to keep. The entire room hummed with life and the blue energy coiled through the wiring leading to the perimeter of the metal circle that now contained the liquid-seeming center. It was all quite mesmerizing and… “Feeling nervous, honey?” Ashley turned around to see a slightly taller woman smiling kindly down at her. Ashley wasn’t short by any means, but this woman easily eclipsed her by a good foot at least. Ashley quickly shook her head. ‘Crud! Is she an Amazon? Crud! I mean… Big!’ Everyone knew by now that physical compression between the portals was common. Most Littles over there shrank at least an inch, but coming over here, the same applied to Bigs… just not as well. Most towered over the rest of the population and were pretty obvious once pointed out. “N… no!” she blurted out, a little more defiant and defensively than she had anticipated. “I mean… no. Just… hungry.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t exactly the whole truth either. The taller woman smiled. “No worries, dear. There’s nothing to any of this anymore. Once the pill enters your stomach, you might feel a little woozy on the other side, but nothing a nice nap can’t fix. Just breathe easy and you’ll be right as rain.” “Thank you…” Ashley blushed a little, feeling a little overwhelmed by her presence alone, but at the same time… there was almost something alluring to her voice and overall demeanor. Something inviting… something… ‘No, no, Ash! Not that crud. Stay strong and stay focused. Just keep walking… just keep walking…’ “Ticket please,” one of the scientists requested as soon as Ashley was second in line to the portal. Nodding, she handed the ticket over, which was then scanned, and a small hole was punched into the bar code. “Walk forward and don’t forget to just keep breathing.” Their voice was almost mechanical… definitely without any shred of emotion or sympathy, but Ashley could only sigh and step forward. ‘Maybe complacency just means they do this all the time? More portal travel; less problems, right?’ The unease on her face didn’t seem to mix with her inner confidence, but she just breathed slowly as instructed and closed her eyes for a second, gripped her suitcase tight, and stepped through the… * * * Day 1 – 9:33 A.M. PDT – Earth 2 “Talk about a rough landing, huh?” another one from Ashley’s tour group asked her as he hobbled forward with everyone else toward the sign marked ‘Busses.’ “Yeah… you could say that…” Ashley brushed off the feeling of exhaustion blanketing over her already but just seemed glad to be here now. ‘At least I didn’t stumble… would’ve made a terrible first impression with the Bigs… Lost an inch or two though I think…’ “Come on, everyone!” one of the Bigs directed as they stood erect against the wall along the hallway leading out. “Don’t stop. Plenty more coming behind.” Ashley might have looked to check if the Big was lying or not, but the sheer size and sternness etched deep into the Big’s face made her snap her head back facing forward. ‘Don’t question… don’t poke… at least not yet.’ Getting outside, the sun blinded nearly everyone, and Ashley had to shield her eyes away from its intense glare. Everything felt bigger… more tactile, more dangerous here already… and that included the sun. ‘Man… please don’t burn already. I packed my sunscreen down deep. I thought I wasn’t going to need it until later… Stupid brain! You should have remembered to always be prepared with that kind of stuff after Iran last year!’ “Alright everyone!” another Big announced, stepping up in front of the group. “Per your tickets, you all are here for the Hermes Travel Company, correct? First stop, Alati Lake City?” Almost everyone nodded with the exception of two who then checked their ticket and ran off to the signs listing ‘Prata’ and ‘Carson City.’ A few giggled at their expense. Smirking as well, the Big continued. “Excellent! All good now, I’m sure. Welcome! I’m Miss Ripert, your tour guide.” A few clapped, but most seemed more or less out of it already. “Now, I’m sure you’re all pretty exhausted, so just let me check you in and then hop on board. While you wait, let our driver, Stephen, take your bags. I promise… they will be safe.” Ashley didn’t like to let go of all her belongings here to a complete stranger, but she relented as the portly man ambled up and asked to take her suitcase with a smile. “Ashley Stevens,” she said boldly when asked by Miss Ripert her name and for her portal ticket and confirmation number. ‘Please don’t be an issue… I don’t think I can defy someone this tall on my first day… at least not feeling this tired…’ “Let’s see… Ashley… Ashley… Ash… ah! Here we go.” Scanning the ticket and verifying her number, the little tablet in her large hands beeped. “Perfect. You’re all set.” Ashley nodded. “Thank you.” Climbing on board next, she eventually found her seat. Moments after Stephen popped the bus on and it roared to life, Ashley couldn’t fight it anymore and sleep soon overtook her, blacking out the feed once more. * * * Day 1 – 2:50 P.M. MDT – Earth 2 The bus hit a bump, and everything popped back on suddenly. “Wha…?” Ashley sleepily stirred to life and instantly stretched. Looking at her watch, it showed that she had been asleep for over five hours. “Gessh… guess I really was tired.” ‘At least I memorized more of my backstory before I left instead of relying on the bus ride…’ The bus then started to turn and Ashley shifted toward the window from the force of the pull. It wasn’t major, but it was just enough that it slightly shifted her gaze to the left… which just happened to be the perfect timing to see a large glimmering city just out her window. “Wow… I guess that’s Alati Lake City…” “Yep,” another passenger on the tour bus confirmed. “Miss Ripert just announced that a few minutes ago. Should be arriving in the next hour or so depending on traffic getting into the city.” “Thanks…” Ashley smiled back at her fellow tourer and then looked immediately back at the city. A mirror counterpart of Salt Lake City, the surroundings seemed near identical, but here, due to the advanced technology, the city now almost seemed to shine like silver and gold against the bright sun overhead. The pale blue and expansive Alati Lake could just be made out to the west of the city against the backdrop of the near mountains. ‘I wasn’t so sure about this location… especially in comparison against all the rest… but I don’t think I’ll be disappointed here as a first stop… even if it is for almost a week.’ Minutes later, as if to confirm and elevate her excitement even more, Miss Ripert stood up in front of the bus. “We should be arriving within the city soon, and then it will be about another 15 to 20 to get to our hotel, depending on traffic. For now, though,” she smiled playfully and gestured outside of the lefthand of the bus, “this is Alati Lake City. One of the most populous cities in the state as well as being the capital of Utem. I’m sure in the next few days, all if you will get to explore the wonderful outdoor recreation and hub of religious culture that the city is known for.” Miss Ripert then cleared her throat. “That being said, though, I just wanted to give out a few warnings. Us Bigs are good people, but a few may be more inclined to certain… impulses. To avoid these, there are a few simple steps you can follow. Trust me, you’ll want to pay attention to these. They could just mean the difference of you all leaving back through the portal… or something more… permanent.” A few of the Littles murmured in fear, but most stayed silent and listened closely. “Now, first up, never talk…” * * * Day 1 – 4:55 P.M. MDT – Earth 2 Busses hissed to a halt outside the large and opulent sandstone and blue building that was their hotel. It wasn’t the tallest around, but the buildings on either side from this angle shrank close to the ground. As Ashley stared up at the tall building, she couldn’t help but hold her mouth agape in awe. ‘Wow… technology and art fused around here so seamlessly… and it’s only day one.’ “Okay,” Miss Ripert began to shout over the more populated streets, “we’ve all checked in and offloaded your luggage into your rooms for the night. With this tour, we will spend about six days here and in the surrounding mountains, exploring several sites and visiting several companies I think you might find most… illuminating.” Moving away from the hotel, Miss Ripert began to explain all about the city and its founding. “Founded almost two centuries ago now, a breakaway sect from the mainstream religion at the time settled here to practice as they wished. As a result, laws here became more flexible, and desires flared to make a city that would not only last the test of time but also break free of the shackles of many cities to the east that derived their city planning from Europa’s cities at the time.” Looking around as they walked, Ashley could see the validity of Miss Ripert’s words. While there was almost a neo-classical feeling to some of the buildings and statues around, there was also a clear push for styles corresponding to more retro-futuristic in some parts and touches of Brutalism in others. It seemed an odd combination, but it also gave the city a variety that was missing from most cities back on Earth lately. With many destroyed or in need of heavy repairs, most began to look eerily similar as they were rebuilt. Here though, the uniqueness along with clear city planning and a dash of color everywhere, stood out strongly in contrast. “Now, of course, subsequent renovations to them have closed this gap in recent years, but Alati Lake City stands as a testament to…” “Ophelia! Get back here!” a woman screamed from nearby. The group looked over and saw, with the reaction of many gasps of horror, a Little was running through the streets and away from a Big. “No, sweetie! Not into traffic!” Clearly panicking, she seemed to wilt in seeing the Little dodge cars whose hoods she barely stood over. “Someone! Anyone! Stop her!” Most of the group seemed stunned, but Miss Ripert acted quickly and used herself as a shield to block our movement any closer to the Little now blocking traffic. “Stay back everyone. They need to solve this on their own. Trust me… you don’t want to get involved.” As if right on cue, the crowd began to depart. That, and plus the stopped cars, formed some semblance of a circle around the Little, supposedly called Ophelia. From her expression, some doubt definitely seemed to be present in Ashley’s mind if that was even her name though when she first heard it. “Come on, honey. There’s no way out. Come back to Mama.” The woman Big seemed genuinely concerned about ‘her’ Little, but the whole scene still felt very much out of place and even illegal at times if looked at from the right angles… especially regarding the relationship between Big and Little here. Ashley edged forward, but Miss Ripert blocked her path to get a better look. Ashley’s frown showed she didn’t appreciate that, but not pushing it further, anyone could see that she was trying to listen in, despite her distance away from the scene. “Never! I would rather die than go back to be your baby slave!” The Little wasn’t calm, but was clearly level-headed enough to speak without any signs of mental or physical impairment. ‘I don’t know what would be worse to see… a Little that was mentally affected, or a Little that was so physically affected, that their mentality didn’t mean much anymore. Ugh… best not think about it, Ash…’ Regardless, the scene unfolding was aligning with what about Ashley had read about and then been briefed on before coming here. It was a terrible one, but it was realization of the truth that yes, there was a story here somewhere. Ophelia practically growled in response. “Heck no! You stay back, lady! I can’t even curse anymore because of you!” Ashley looked puzzled for a moment. ‘I wonder what the heck that means?’ She paused but then quickly turned her attention back to the unfolding scene between Ophelia and the Big. “You even forced me into…” An odd sort of look came over Ophelia’s face and her eyes squinted in pure hatred toward the Big. “You know what? I don’t need to wear these anymore.” She stomped her foot and then reached right under her dress… and pulled off her diaper, clearly being a cheap alternative that would even allow for that sort of thing. Most from Earth by now already had heard at least the rumors about ‘unremovable’ diapers, but from the reports, Ashley knew they were much more than just rumors. Still, despite the oddity of a Little even being able to tear off their diaper, it was still a clear act of defiance here and many gasped in the crowd around Ashley. “Take that, lady!” Ophelia hissed back at the Big with more confidence than someone who had just been wearing a diaper ought to have. The Big temporarily scowled. “Mommy! It’s ‘Mommy,’ Ophelia. Remember that?” Ashley seemed perplexed for a moment regarding the Big’s demeanor. ‘Which was she more upset about? The diaper or the lack of term to address her?’ “No!” Ophelia screamed again, this time stomping her foot on the ground and then over top of her diaper. “You’re not my mommy! My mommy is back home and…” Right as she said it though, it was clear to anyone watching that she hadn’t meant to say that… or at least not come across so childish when referring to her true parent back on Earth. Before anyone else could react though, a series of high-pitched whistles rang out through the streets and two police officers ran to the scene. “Ma’am? Is this one your Little?” The Big nodded her head. “I’m very sorry, officer. I promise you that she’s normally not like this. I…” “Ma’am… if she is under your care, then I’m afraid you are both going to need to come to court.” The officer didn’t mince his words at all, now only pointing back to where they had come from, which one could just see beyond the crowds was their police car. “Or… that’s at least what will happen if you can’t resolve this situation in the next minute, understand?” The Big now genuinely seemed fearful, but seconds later, resolved as well. Looking back at Ophelia, she smiled, but now also seemed burdened by the alternative if she failed now. Ashley leaned closer, knowing something was about to happen between them. “I’m sorry, Ophelia…” “Sorry?” Ophelia questioned. “Sorry for wh…?” Before she could speak another syllable though, the Big had rushed up to her, wrangled her into her arms, and then popped a large bulbous white pacifier in Ophelia’s mouth before hitting the front button at least three times. Needless to say, Ophelia seemed outraged and more worryingly, in pain now. ‘Wow… I hope I’m capturing all angles of this… this could be a great story… Poor Ophelias though…’ Ashley seemed sympathetic to a fellow Little, but the journalist in her wasn’t just going to stop and looking at this story from all the angles. Abuse. Being held against one’s will. Infantilization to the highest degree. A corrupt system. The normality of the treatment. Ashley could see all the titles of her next article so perfectly, but as she looked around, her smile of a possible story began to fade. ‘No one’s even batting an eye over this. If they’re not reacting harshly to this, then it’s already at least mostly normalized… which means there’s another story that no one wants to talk about… or even can for that matter. No… this isn’t my story.’ “Good work, ma’am. Just try to keep a closer eye on her. I might even suggest some… modifications, or some equipment maybe,” one of the officers noted swiftly once Ophelia had been pacified and was now being held firmly in place, not going anywhere… even as she struggled heavily… even more so after he mentioned ‘modifications’ and ‘equipment’ being used. “Now… being a parent myself to a Little, I might suggest you rediaper her. Never can be too careful, right?” The Big smiled and bounced Ophelia gently, despite her continued protests. “Oh no. Definitely not. Fortunately, we live right up the street. Absolutely not going to let her ruin the new carpet I just had put in.” A few of the Bigs laughed nearby but Ashley didn’t seem to know how to react. ‘If I laugh, I’m a terrible person without empathy towards a fellow Little. If I don’t laugh… I could seem suspicious. Ugh… well, maybe just roll the dice and see what happens.’ So, instead, Ashley just opted for silence instead of compliance. She seemed to catch the suspicious and maybe even evil glance shot her way by one of the locals, but otherwise, most didn’t comment. “And also… rest assured officer,” the woman Big continued, bouncing Ophelia in her arms, “little Ophelia here won’t be practicing anymore escape attempts under my watch. I can assure you of that.” She patted her Little on the butt a few times as Ophelia let out a small whimper of defeat and most definitely fear. The officer only tipped his hat, smiled, and left. As for the reactions from the rest of the tour group… they were less inclined to say anything. It only took a second though, to realize that most now seemed too petrified over what just happened in front of them. Most grimaced even further when the Big got Ophelia to wave her hand back at everyone and babyishly say ‘goodbye’ for her to the crowd there. It was an unsettling sight to say the least. Still, the scene now over, Miss Ripert glanced back at the group. “Now then… no worries, my darlings. Just a small escapee of a Little. These attempts happen all the time here now, but you have to give their tiny failures a little sympathy at least… and nothing more.” Ashley knitted her hands together, clearly trying to distance herself from all that was happening. It was all terrible to see, but the complacency of every Big now that Ophelia had been taken away was disconcerting. This wasn’t her story, but as Ashley listened on to excuse after excuse by Miss Ripert over what just happened, it felt more like a conspiracy embedded into the very fabric of the society here than anything else… and certainly not the fault of a small and clearly traumatized Little. Ashley didn’t have a story yet, but seeing it was only Day 1 and this had happened literally right in front of her when she wasn’t even looking, her overall confidence seemed to bloom that yes, she would find a story. ‘I vow to myself now… I’m not leaving here until I get the story I’m looking for. ‘Ashley Cutter’ will soon be a name on everyone’s lips back home. The Little that figured out the truth of this terrible place!’ It might have been a simplistic platitude, but it provided the tiniest of smiles. Even in a place like this, it was good to have hope that everything would be okay. So, for Ashley, that absolutely meant that by the end here, she would have her story.

A Good Psychologist Hello all… it’s been a bit since my last story…but I decided to write another one, I was going for something short but it seemed to run a little longer than expected… I have been working on it for a while, and though it’s not exactly any kind of a new idea, it’s what I like so. I tried to write it in first person and found that to be harder than expected, I really found the past or present tense to get a little confused, but I’m pretty sure there won’t be any publishers fighting over this. I don’t mean to insult anyone’s profession, nor did I do any research or really know anything about psychologists. So to be clear this is a fictional story, that twists the discrimination of “forced” for my own mental health.(I don’t think it’s extremely healthy to fantasize about being forced into regression, but sometimes you like what you like, and try to accept that) Also I do not mean to offend anyone by categorizing groups or particular desires, again just a fake story. I hope that some of you enjoy it, and I do enjoy your comments, unless they’re mean. I don’t mind constructive criticism, but there’s nothing helpful about mean. And!! I think it’s kinda a happy ending. Chapter 1 Hello my name is Jon, actually it’s Jonathan but most everyone just calls me Jon. How to start such a strange story I guess at the beginning… I graduated top of my class with a doctorate in psychology in my early 20s and soon after got married to my best friend and beautiful wife, Maureen. After working for a private practice for a couple years I decided to start my own practice. The first couple years were not easy, and I had to work hard to accumulate patients, and keep money flowing, being on my own was not easy. However I was driven, and very interested in helping people. I soon started writing a book, and through research, and my passion. I found an editor, and got the book published. It turned out to be a huge success in the psychological world. Now in my mid 30s my clients became the “cream of the crop” as they say, and I became highly regarded, and sot after. My patients soon became all upper class people, and with that their highest priority was privacy and quality care, which I was able to provide with my small practice and excellence in the field and attention to detail. I would use many tactics to help my clients and finding the right approach for each client was not easy. I found the most effective approach was to reach my patients was true empathy, and whether my patient was a board house wife to a rich husband or a drug addicted rock star, my main goal was to be able to connect with them at their level and work together to find ways to make our lives better. Even though most of my patients were very first world problems that normal people might find insignificant they were very real problems to my clients. My wife educated with a financial degree soon became my partner in business as well, with book sales and high end patients, we quickly realized I did not need to handle it alone, and we would be the perfect team. Her position initially dealt with scheduling, billing, and supplies, but she slowly developed into helping comfort the patients, and setting up situations for my patients and I to overcome. That may sound deceptive and sometimes it was, but I assure you it was always in my patients best interests and I feel like by the end of the therapy I truly I had a new friend. I always felt like Maureen, and I had a perfect relationship, we shared interests, helped each other, and communicated well. Our sex life wasn’t overly complicated but I always felt like we connected and shared satisfaction. Even though we discussed it, so far we haven’t had any kids. I wasn’t against the idea of being a father and really wasn’t precautious but it just never happened. I always just assumed if it was supposed to happen it would, and I felt like Maureen felt the same. So our lives together seemed as perfect as it could be. We ran a successful business from our house, financially comfortable, we had friends, vacationed regularly, and generally enjoyed our lives, all before our 40s. With all that being said, my passion was my work, I wanted to find more answers, I wanted to be able to share and help those that needed it. So I started my second book. The first book as I earlier mentioned was edited and published by a company and this company was also eager for me to get a another book in the the works, “strike while the irons hot” as they say. But with the new technology of AI, and looking at the publishing fees, profits, and retail costs, I decided that I could not only make more money, but sell the book cheaper online if I did it myself. So last Christmas Maureen and I went to our local Apple Store, and went crazy we not only got new laptops equipped with the latest AI software but also got new phones, watches, and earbuds. This was a huge upgrade, and because we were getting on the same network we were able to have all the devices connected to each other wirelessly and to back it up further there was the cloud. We really got into the whole system, I named my phone Sandy and had her have an English accent, mostly because I thought it was cute. Maureen’s phone was Henry and she had him sound a little thuggish which was also funny. Soon we found ourselves having another couple around the house to talk with regularly, most mornings I would wake up and I simply had to say “Sandy, how did I sleep? What’s the weather going to look like today? What is my earliest appointment” she was always quick to respond and soon it was like having new family members, that were always there listening and quick to respond with accurate information. Now here I am most days either seeing patients or quietly working in my office, earbuds in, thumping across my keyboard of my laptop writing my new book, complete with quick access to Sandy for spelling and punctuation corrections and easy access to the World Wide Web for any earlier studies published. Also being able to compare my clients and experience. It was an extremely productive way to write a book. Another thing that Sandy was able to help with was my health, I am not completely sure how it works but through my watch she established my systems normals, she put out on a daily basis my sleep efficiency, stress levels, mood, heart rate, and system functions. She would also encouraged diet and exercise routines, it was quite remarkable. However I didn’t take her advice usually, but over a few weeks her small suggestions seemed to help. One of her biggest concerns regarding my health was my sleep quality and time, which she would regularly encourage me to go to bed earlier and remind me of high sugar or caffeinated foods and beverages that would interfere. It was kinda like having a mother at times. I found it kinda fun to reply with a snide remark and in some cases straight up rude. She would say something like “Jon it is now 9 o’clock, I suggest you should consider preparing for bed and please refrain from sugar or coffee” And I would reply “ Fuck off sandy” or “who do you think you are.. my mother” or “Sandy I will do exactly what I want so screw you” And she would simply reply “Jon I am simply suggesting things to help you feel better” But over a few weeks I found myself going to bed a little earlier, so I guess the system worked. However I have never been a great sleeper so my sleep report didn’t get significantly better. My wife Maureen on the other hand had her own health report and Henry would similarly report his findings and suggestions to her, but it seems his findings were significantly different than mine, she apparently slept too much, and his suggestion were that she needed to bring her heart rate up more often and her metabolism would follow. Now I don’t think my wife is fat or anything but she’s definitely full figured, and not that size ever mattered in our relationship but she’s a good bit bigger overall than I am, not that I am particularly small either. I am pretty average, close to 5’7” and something like almost 150 lbs. and she’s like just over 6’ and I’d guess 200ish pounds, not that I ever asked or would I. So her conversations with Henry in the evenings while she snuggled into the couch dozing off, would go something like this. “Maureen it is only 7 pm maybe have a cup of coffee it’s too early for bed” And her response was something like this “Henry I will go to sleep whenever I want to so stick it” But just like me over a few weeks she stayed up a little later. And just like me it wasn’t completely effective because she tended to sleep in a little longer. Now one time Henry tried to wake her up a little early but apparently if you make it completely clear that you don’t want to hear a suggestion the AI system will not suggest. So that was that. So here’s where things get a little bit weird. My wife received the call from the well to do family near by. I couldn’t help but over hear her side of the conversation, by this point my wife became very smooth and comfortable with almost any conversation with any of my patients. So it caught me off guard when I heard her stutter her words uncomfortably in response. The conversation went somewhat like this “Hello this is A path psychology how may I help?” In Maureen’s sweet and comforting tone. “Yes this is Jon’s office” “Well unfortunately his schedule is fairly full this week but..” “Well, Yes Mrs Crull I have heard of your family” “Uh… so is this an emergency?” Then I overheard a very strong voice from the phone repeat the question. My wife held the phone a little further from her ear and calmly responded “Can you please describe the nature of your emergency?” And again I heard the strong female voice say “My fucking pansy son won’t quit wearing diapers” Now with this, my wife seemed to be a bit stuck for words but eventually repeated “Diapers?” Which now I was standing next to her as I heard Mrs Crull reply “Yes Fucking DIAPERS” My wife looked confused as ever and continued to respond calmly “Diapers…well I don’t understand what the emergency is” Which was quickly answered by Mrs Crull even more harshly replied “He’s fucking 25 years old” At this point I gestured to take the call by putting my hand out, which my Maureen just raised her eyebrows with a smile and handed me the phone. I quickly replied “Yes Hello Mrs Crull this is Jon how may I help?” Mrs Crull seemed to calm down a tad upon hearing my voice and gave me a quick harsh reply “Yes Jon, my son needs to be seen today, I will make it worth your while, and you need to make this happen” I really didn’t need to spend any more time speaking with this delightful woman so, understanding the influence of the particular family and a reasonable amount of curiosity with a slight mix of greed, I simply replied “3 o’clock “ Which was quickly returned with the sound of a phone disconnecting. I looked at my wife and raised a eyebrow back at her with a quick smile “This should be interesting “ That afternoon in between a few other patients, I had Sandy google adults that wear diapers, even though I have heard of this type of behavior, I wasn’t very familiar with the condition, I just hoped I would find a slightly better understanding. Unfortunately the sites that I found seemed mostly like porn sights, and found really no dependable sources for in-depth information. So with that I decided I would simply wing it, and derive a plan after the first meeting. My wife and I eagerly awaited by the window for our new customer, and at 10 til 3 a Mercedes-Benz Maybach pulled into the driveway, and a bottled blonde woman erupted effortlessly from the driver’s side back seat barely before the car came to a complete stop. She quickly rounded the car in I’m guessing 4” high heels and opened the passenger side rear door and without hesitation or even a struggle pulled a large young man from his seat. I overheard my wife as she directed the man up the sidewalk quietly say “well you don’t see that every day” The man held a blank expression as I correctly assumed his mother directed him from behind by his shoulder. The situation seemed to stick with me for a moment there was a couple of things that caught my attention First he didn’t necessarily look upset, either he was used to being pushed around or he wanted it. Second even though Mrs Crull looked to be in decent shape she could not have actually forced her son to move from the car let alone up the sidewalk. He was a fairly large man. Third he was clearly wearing a diaper. The childish T-shirt he wore was riding up his stomach clearly showing his white waistband of a disposable diaper as his mother pushed at his shoulder and the sweat pants though baggy were clearly sagging off his waist, and puffed out around his hips. Which he made no attempts to hide. I made my way towards the front door as I expected to hear a knock, surprised by the door being pushed open and the young man pushed inside. I quickly regained my composure as Mrs Crull stopped and letting go of her son who stumbled forward a step. I held my hand out as I introduced myself “Hello I’m Jon and this is my wife Maureen and we…” Mrs Crull without even looking at my held up hand interrupted. “This is my sorry excuse for a son, he seems to think he wants to be a toddler or something … I might have fucked him up but you need to fix this shit, I will be back to collect his sorry ass in a hour… and I had better see some progress” She was turning back out of the still open door with no attempt to close it behind her as she finished talking. I was surprised to hear her take any responsibility, for “ fucking him up” but as smoothly as possible I simply turned and looked up at the man standing in front of me, and calmly said. “Like I was saying I am Jon and this is my wife Maureen and this is my home as well as my practice A path psychology” The man blinked firmly and focused his eyes on me with a stoned look on his face simply and clearly replying. “I’m Mike” He made no attempt to shake my still held out hand. I gave him a light pat on his upper bicep and still in a calm and relaxed tone said. “Ok well hi Mike… why don’t we go into my office and get a bit more comfortable.” He tilted his head slightly at least acknowledging I had said something and I turned towards my office a few feet away, I heard a soft crinkle noise behind me, as I held the door open and he toddled by me, I gave my wife a glance again with raised eyebrows as she returned the same look and she shut the front door as I shut my office door. The first meeting went as I expected, if I had any. As I sat into my large office chair and grabbed a legal pad I looked to direct Mike, but as I turned in his direction he had already found his way and with a soft crinkle sank onto the couch. His familiarity with the situation made me think this is not his first therapy session. I went through the typical questions, “Mike how old are you?” He quietly replied “26”….“Do you have any drugs or foreign substances in your system?” “Do you want to harm yourself or anyone else?” “Do you feel like you are in danger or is there anything that might cause you physical harm?” “Do have any physical disabilities or ailments?” “Do you have a job or profession?” “Are you married or have significant other?” “Do you have any children?” In which he continued to answer quietly “no” to each question. He sat comfortably with an occasional shift into the couch, without any look of concern. Mike looked a little messy in a childish T-shirt and sweat pants but I wouldn’t say he looked dirty, he had obviously taken a shower and shaved recently his hair was short, and was just shuffled into place. In fact I would say he was a handsome fellow, probably about 6’2 or so, maybe a little chubby but not fat. So I finally asked about the elephant in the room. So your mom says you wear diapers? Still calm and comfortable he replied “Yep” So I obviously was only going to get one word answers, so instead of pushing to get him to open up about the subject I decided to just go with questions that were easy one word answers, with the little information I got from a limited amount of research I came up with the obvious questions first. “Are you incontinent?” “No” “Do you like wearing diapers?” Yup “Is it a sexually exciting “ “Sometimes” “Do you wear them all the time?” “Yes” “How long have you worn diapers “ “A while” “Do you use the diapers?” “Yes” “Do you think you are a small child?” Mike responded with a slight frown as he answered “No” The next obvious question especially given the slight frown was, “would you like to be a small child?” I again caught an uncomfortable look, but again a short answer “Complicated” with a short sigh. I couldn’t help by try to get a little more out of him, so I had to ask. “Would you like to elaborate?” He answered quickly with again a blank expression “Nope” Which was no surprise to me. Well believe it or not I actually felt like I got somewhere with my interrogation, and decided that was enough. I needed to derive some kind of plan before any pushback could occur, since I still had like 45 minutes left I figured I could just talk for a bit expecting no answers. “So… I guess I’m in a bit of a pickle here. First of all since there is no clear signs of any actual emergency, and second I really don’t see any actual danger or even a problem really, with your choice of underwear, I don’t think I will satisfy your mother’s requirements for improvement. But I think I can deal with that. However I can understand to some degree her discomfort in your choice of underwear, and I don’t think you should make it any of her business. To be completely honest, I really don’t know much about what is called Infantilism. Which seems to be the condition you display. So my first plan is to try to gather as much information as possible on the topic, as to best support you.” I paused for a few moments as he blankly looked back at me. “Once again I particularly don’t care about your bathroom habits or your choice of underwear but, I also feel that your life can become more comfortable if you were to at least consider to conceal your underwear, especially around your mother, and my job is to help make your life better.” I thought about it a few seconds and looked at Mike, who maintained his nonchalant appearance. I felt like it was good advice. However I also realized it was not any solution. I sat quietly for a long minute or so. I really didn’t expect Mike to respond, but at this point I really had nothing else to say. So that’s exactly what I said. “At this point I really don’t have anything to say, if you want to talk or elaborate in any way I am here to listen. We still have about a half hour left so just make your self comfortable, if you should need a bathroom feel free to use the restroom in the entryway.” I gave him a small smile with that. For the next 1/2 hour we sat quietly. I thought about how exactly to help this situation, and even though I didn’t think it was a dangerous situation in anyway, or there was any harm in wearing diapers. I couldn’t help but think a healthy functioning adult would not want to wear diapers. My first thought was why, and I decided that the only way to find out was to try it myself. Soon enough as I pondered, the large sedan pulled back into my driveway I sighed slightly as I turned up to look at Mike now with his eyes closed, saying calmly. “You’re mother is back Mike” I remained seated and watched Mike slowly open his eyes stand up and wobble slowly towards the door, as he got to my entry way he stopped pulled his sweat pants up over the waist band of his diaper and tightened the draw string then pulled his T-shirt down. I thought well that’s a start. I simply said “thanks Mike” My front door was again pushed open and Mrs. Crull commanded my attention as her heals clacked against my hard wood floor. She wasn’t even completely through the front door before saying “At least I can’t see his pissy diaper” as she looked at her son. She continued to walk towards me and past her son with effortless motion as I started to say “Hello Mrs. Crull can I have” but I was interrupted as she grumbled “Go wait in the car” which was obviously directed towards Mike. She stopped in the center of my office and dug briefly into her purse. I couldn’t help but study her as it became quiet for a bit. The best word to describe her was perfect. Her blond hair wrapped perfectly around her head, down just past her shoulders. Her make up was blended perfectly without even the slightest blemish, while outlining each feature perfectly. Her pale pink business suit formed around her body perfectly, leaving just the top of her cleavage exposed, highlighted perfectly by a very expensive looking necklace. Every part of her was manicured or manufactured precisely for her today. I really couldn’t say how old she was, somewhere between 40 and 60 I’d guess. I however wouldn’t use the word attractive. I couldn’t help but think, it must be tough to maintain. I barely started a sentence as I was again interrupted. “You are highly recommended, which comes with high expectations, which will be difficult to achieve. Today is Monday, and I expect for you to see my son again on Thursday at 3 pm and every Thursday at 3 until further notice. I will not be accompanying him. Here is a check for 100,000 dollars, with this I expect to see real results in the next 10 weeks. You do understand who I am. I expect complete anonymity, if I so much as hear my name and yours in the same sentence, or you don’t live up to expectations, let’s just say you’re life will become much less comfortable.” She placed the check on my desk as I stood there dumbly with my mouth still open. Without any hesitation her heals clacked against my hardwood floors as she walked directly out of my house. I collected myself briefly and picked up her check, and looked at the 5 zeros following the 1, realizing the check was as real as the threat. I turned to see my wife with a very surprised look on her face, say “what are you going to do?” My answer was quick “going to the store” as I handed her the check and headed for the front door which was still open. She hesitated slightly then asked “for what?” And I responded “Diapers” as I shut the front door behind me. Chapter 2 A half hour later I hustled up the stairs to my bedroom, with a package of adult diapers under my arm. I quickly kicked off my pants, and underwear as I ripped open the package, flopping onto my bed, and sliding a diaper out of the pack. I could hear Maureen calling ”Jon? Are you here?” As she made her way up the stairs. I flipped the flimsy plastic material this way, and that as I unfolded the thin padded garment in front of me. Finally I slid the diaper underneath me, and struggled to see what exactly to stretch around me. I looked up as my wife stood in the doorway, with a smirk on her face. “Jon relax… it’s not running away!” She said with a chuckle. I fell back in frustration to the bed, as Maureen pushed my knees apart, that hung over the edge. She pulled at the diaper, saying “lift your bum… Jon I know this is important but you need to calm down… you have 10 weeks and I’m sure you’ll work this out” while she spoke, she calmly nudged my butt back to rest on the diaper, before finishing her sentence she folded it over my groin, and I could hear the tapes as she wrapped it around me, and finished the process with a light pat on my penis. I knew she was right, but I wasn’t feeling too patient. I stood next to the bed, and stretched about a bit trying to figure out how to make it fit. I looked down at the garment, trying to understand why anyone would want to wear such a silly thing. It wasn’t comfortable, and crinkled loudly as I moved. I looked at myself in the mirror, it looked medical, and sloppy with a blue line running down the center, and extra plastic hanging off the edges, nothing about it even seemed childish. My wife looked at me still with a light smile saying “what do ya think?” The first response I could come up with was “I don’t think I am going to understand this, I can’t see why anyone would want to wear one of these” her face kinda fell, as she asked “well what are you going to do?” I shrugged in responded “keep wearing them” she rolled her eyes, and turned to leave as she replied “ok sounds like a good plan” with a good bit of sarcasm in her tone. Then on her way down the stairs she continued to say “Why don’t you put some pants on and come down to dinner” I sat down in my normal spot at the kitchen table, as she set my dinner in front of me, and noticed her iPad, and cell phone across the table. My wife taking a more serious tone continued our conversation. “So Jon… I couldn’t help but overhear the delightful Mrs. Crull’s…. Threat? And since this particular situation will most likely impact both of our…lifestyles significantly, and it does seem to have, well let’s just say it appears you may need a little help. I decided to do a little research on this… subject on my own.” Typical I don’t get my wife to involved with therapy techniques, or any kind of diagnosis of my patients. I don’t want to degrade her in anyway, but I am a highly educated psychologist, not to mention quite accomplished, and she is really good at accounting, and business. However she is correct in that this could potentially effect both of our lives drastically. So in this case I have no option but to listen to her “research”, and replied “what ya got?” She started flipping through her iPad as she spoke. “Well I don’t know what our Mikey had to say today, but it seems he is into something they call ABDL, which stands for adult baby diaper lovers. Now it seems there are several sites on the internet that people like him join. Where they actively engage in a multitude of things…like sharing stories, and reviewing products, or whatever. There definitely seems to be quite a few people interested in this, like this site has almost 60,000 members. There doesn’t seem to be any typical age, or sex, looking through a few profiles there’s girls and boys of all ages. It also, looks like there is two different… uh kinks? kinda I mean they’re obviously related, but some are like just into the diaper thing, so they’re DLs, and they don’t seem to be into the baby thing, and others are, like more into, I guess you might say regression, making them ABs. So do you think our Mikey is a AB or a DL?” I was in the middle of chewing my food, and carefully paused a bit. A couple things that jumped in my head bothered me. First I didn’t really like referring to my patient as, “our Mikey” I don’t know why but it just bothered me. Next I didn’t think basing my psychological research on some kinda fetish website was a good idea, we needed actual psychological research done by actual professionals, but there was no way I could tell my wife, that her information seemed irrelevant, not that she would let me anyway. So I thought for another second and answered, as I swallowed my food. “Well given his childish t-shirt, and his answer to the question I asked him. Do you want to be a child? And I quote “complicated” I’d say he’s more AB.” My wife seemed to be processing that information for a few seconds, while again scanning, and flipping through her iPad. “Well I guess we can go with that… but there seems to be a slight divide in this group as well. Some seem to find the uh… situation? As uh well sexy… while others seem to just find it… comforting? Or maybe relieving, and a few of those seem to think it’s… I guess you might say inappropriate to find it sexy. So do you think Mike finds it sexy?” She smiled a touch as she finished her question. My response was pretty quick having no reason to delay. “Well I know it’s not much to go on, because I only got one word answers out of him, but I did actually ask him exactly that, and his response was ‘sometimes’ so there’s that” She stopped looking at her iPad and even had a pleasant look of accomplishment while she summarized. “Well given that, I’d say our Mikey seems to be a adult baby that finds it sexy” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her, thinking very scientific diagnosis, but I didn’t think it would help much to reply. I finished my dinner quietly, then felt the familiar pressure of having to pee. I stood up, and causualy made my way towards the bathroom, when it dawned on me I was wearing a diaper. I turned towards my wife as she cleaned up the dishes, and , said “I have to pee” She gave me a quick so-what look but stopped, and replied “oh…ya…uh well, so what are you going to do?” I knew that the situation was inevitable, but I really didn’t have a plan, besides I had to try to figure out why, or what was so attractive about wearing a diaper. So this is definitely part of that. I gave her a questioning look, and said. “I guess I will use this thing.” I stood there awkwardly trying to figure out what was the best position for this, and slowly spread my legs slightly looking down at my pants. I tried to release the building pressure, but nothing happened. My wife watched with a curious smile, as I tried, eventually saying “well?” My response was immediate. “I just can’t do it!” “What do you mean, you can’t do it?” “I don’t know…it just won’t go” She laughed a bit, and replied “well maybe you don’t have to go” “I sure feel like I have to… it just won’t come out” “Maybe it’s a head thing… go stand by the toilet, and try there” I gave her a exasperated look, and walked up to my bathroom, lifted the seat, and unbuttoned my pants, then felt the unfamiliar plastic where my penis usually is. Finally with a light grunt I felt a stream flow. I turned to see my wife standing at the door now with a wide smile spread across her face. “What’s so fucking funny?” I grumbled. As I felt the warm liquid fill around my groin. She only shook her head and chucked in response. I tilted my head back, and sighed as I heard the weird hissing noise, as pee sprayed against the inside of the diaper. I could feel a puddle forming in between my legs. Then suddenly I felt liquid escaping around the inside of my thigh. I panicked, and tried to stop my flow, but I couldn’t, then I felt pee rolling down my other thigh as I struggled to grab or prevent the diaper from leaking, calling out “it’s leaking!! The stupid thing is leaking!!” My wife laughed out loud as I pulled my pants below my knees seeing the yellow liquid flow down the inside of my legs, and darkening my pants, as I continued to pee. Finally I clinched shut as pee soaked into my socks. My wife laughing, and saying “Oh calm down Jon… it’s just a little pee… we’ll have this cleaned up in no time” I grunted in response as I stepped onto each pant leg, and pull my legs out, then repeated the process with my socks. “The stupid thing leaked.. what the fuck… why would... this is so stupid!” Saying as I released the tabs on the diaper letting it fall with a thunk. I finished undressing, and climbed in the shower as my wife picked up the mess, and asked, “what are you going to do now?” I thought for a moment as I turned on the shower… what was I going to do? The check for 100,000 dollars shot in my head, and the very real threat that came with all that money, I had no choice. I had to figure this out. I had to find a way to connect with Mike, we we’re going to solve this together. I harshly replied “What am I going to do? I’m going to keep wearing them.” My wife again replied with a sarcastic response, “Ya great plan… keep wearing them” The next couple days dragged by. I continued to wear the diapers and gradually was able to wet them without standing in front of the toilet, but it wasn’t easy. I had to try to release my pee, then had to really focus, and not to pee too much. I reduced my fluid intake, and tried to pee as soon as I felt any pressure. So occasionally when I got that right, and I didn’t leak, it felt like I was sitting in a puddle. There wasn’t anything even a little pleasant about wearing a wet diaper. On top of that I searched for any real research on paraphilic infantilism, which is the condition Mike displayed. However there was very minimal research documented, and any studies concluded that it was caused by various underlying issues with no evidence of any cure. So I was going to have to figure this out completely on my own. If this didn’t seem bad enough. I had my wife who seemed to find the situation amusing. Chapter 3 So as Thursday afternoon rolled around, my plan was to show Mike, I was willing to wear a diaper, and see where that went. Not a great plan. I sat in my office feeling slightly anxious as a newer Audi pulled in my driveway. Mike slowly, and carefully slid from the drivers seat, pulled a back pack over his shoulder, and walked awkwardly up the sidewalk with his legs spread out as far as possible. I rolled my eyes as I thought, this couldn’t be good. What could possibly be wrong now. He shoved through the front door, and waddled towards me with a look of discomfort. I quickly said “Hi Mike how’s it” but he interrupted me “Can I use your bathroom?” I pointed to the restroom still in the foyer, and he stumbled by, and shut the door. Then the smell hit me, and it became obvious what the problem was. I shut the front door, giving it a couple waves in hopes to clear the air, and returned to sit, and wait in my office. About 10 minutes later Mike finally appeared. He walked directly out onto the front porch, and left a small, heavy looking trash bag outside, and shut the front door, then he much more smoothly walked into my office, and sat on the couch, without saying a word. I noticed he now had no expression of discomfort, or really any discernible emotion at all. So I started the appointment. “Hello Mike how’s things going?” Which he only shrugged in response. “Well so I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to wear diapers so, I tried it myself, in fact I’ve been wearing them all week” I finally got some reaction from him, and he looked at me as if I poked him with a pin. “You’re wearing one now?” I stood up, and pulled my pants down a bit exposing the diaper, as I replied “Yup” “You’ve been wearing those diapers all week?” Mike quickly asked with a questioning expression Again I said “Yup” “And you have been using those diapers?.. for anything at all?” I couldn’t help but feel a bit concerned, and stuttered a bit “well ya… ya I’ve been uh…wetting them” He paused in thought, and his expression changed again to more of a mischievous look asking. “So you’re telling me that you’ve been wearing THOSE diapers all week, and you have been peeing in them?” My concerns continued to grow, thinking where is this going, but I slowly nodded, and said “Yes” A smile grew across his face like he was a attorney, and just won the big case, and asked “and how’s that been going for you?” I could tell he was definitely up to something, and knew I had to answer completely honestly. “Well to be honest.. horribly, first they’re hot, and itchy generally uncomfortable as hell, then I can’t get use to wetting them at all, sometimes I have to go stand in front of the toilet before I can even go. Then I can’t pee too much because they leak right away, then if I am able to wet them, without leaks they feel like I’m sitting in a warm puddle until it gets cold which is worse. I can’t understand why anyone would want to wear them.” Mike seemed thoroughly entertained by my review, as he replied he started digging into his backpack. “I can’t believe you’re wearing a diaper! That’s so funny…I’ve never had a therapist or whatever do that, and you’re totally right about those cheap ass store brand diapers, they totally suck. I don’t even know why they make those (He held out his hand with what looked like a thick stack of diapers) here try these.. there’s only three of them there, but they last a lot longer and they’re so much more comfy” I was so excited to be connecting with him, I would have taken a handful of used diapers, my plan was working we we’re going to be best friends in no time. I leaned forward to accept his gift, and replied. “Are you sure you don’t need them?” “Nope you’re good. I got cases of them, I’m going 24/7 so it’s best not to run low, but they might be a bit big on you, if you want you can get a smaller size online at medical supply stores, and if you try you can even get them the next day” I took the stack of diapers, and could instantly feel they were much better quality, like thick, and sturdy but the outer cover was soft, I couldn’t believe there were only three diapers, the same size stack would probably be 10 of the ones I was wearing. “Ok thanks I’ll check it out” I paused for a second, and wanted to keep the conversation going so I needed something more to discuss, and asked. “24/7 what’s that mean?” “Oh 24/7? That means wearing a diaper 24 hour a day 7 days a week…everything in a diaper” “Geez that’s quite a commitment, I don’t think I could do that.” “Ya it’s tough… this time I’m going on almost 2 months, but I can’t say that a few times I didn’t think that regular underwear would be easier, but this is the longest I’ve made it yet.” My mind cheered with enthusiasm, not only were we really connecting. but I could see a real possibility that he would get back into underwear soon. I had to keep my cool though I couldn’t push too hard, but I needed more information. “I have a hard time just being able to pee in the diaper, it would be real hard to do this for two months” He was eager to share his experience and quickly answered. “Well confidence in your diaper goes a long way, just drink lots of water, and it gets easier over time. I can pretty much pee whenever ….but also I use hypnotic recordings, I just listen to one as I go to sleep. I am not certain they work, or maybe I haven’t found the right one, but you can find tons of them for free online” My mind just hoped to the next question I had to keep him talking, and he seems really interested in helping me. “Hypnotic recordings? How would that help?” “I think the key is to actually need your diaper, so you have to wear diapers, it’s supposed to do that, but I don’t think I have had a actual accident yet.” I looked at him in shock realizing he was trying to become completely incontinent. The next sentence just feel from my mouth. “Why would you want that?” I regretted it as soon as I said it, and it wasn’t just the question. It was my facial expression of disgust, my ridiculing tone of voice. I totally fucked up. I could see his face drop, his realization that he was talking to a psychologist, then he said the word that I hated to hear. “Whatever” I tried to apologize but I new it was over. We sat quietly for the rest of the appointment, and about 10 til 4 he slowly picked himself off my couch, and slowly walked towards the door. I had to say something before he left, but the best I could come up with was “Mike I’m really sorry… I didn’t mean to offend you” Mike slowly turned back, and gave me a sad look “I know Doc… maybe I’m just a little sensitive… I’ll see you next week” I just nodded in response. As Mike backed out of the driveway. I just sat there in thought, I had to fix this, how could I be so stupid, I had to find a way to reconnect, at least I think he’s giving me another shot.

Here is the first chapter of my brand new story - Elysium! Just a heads up... the first chapter is kinda heavy. But it's needed. There will also be content warnings throughout the story, but I'll make sure to flag them whenever possible. Now... Elysium... This is what happens when I put a lot of myself into a story. Infernum and Arbitrio were the first ones where I put a lot of myself into it... but this one feels a lot more personal than any of my other stories, so I really hope you like it. It's also a lot longer than my usual stories (Probably aiming somewhere around the same length as Little in Love or Love in Dimensions). It's different in a lot of ways, so I hope you enjoy all the differences to my usual stories. I know this genre is a little overdone in our circles... but this is a story I needed to write. You'll see why as it goes on. Enjoy! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them! Especially when it comes to new stories! Chapter 1: The Edge Elysium – LittleFallenPrincess ------------------------------- Tw: Depression, suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide ------------------------------- Just one more step. Just the tiniest bit of momentum. That was all that was needed. Was I being selfish doing this? Maybe. But it’s not like people will care for more than a week at most. They’ll get over the initial shock and go back to living their normal lives. I was always just a background character to their stories anyway. Always was. Always will be. At least since I lost Mum anyway. They’ll be like ‘Oh, did you hear about Noah? He jumped off the bridge and died. Such a shame. Had so much life to live.’ The same useless shit people say whenever someone dies. Everyone says the same rubbish especially whenever someone kills themself. That ‘they wish they had seen the signs’, ‘wish they had done something’, ‘they were struggling’, ‘at least they’re not suffering anymore’… and it’s all bullshit. They don’t care. They just feel bad that they didn’t give enough of a fuck about someone who was struggling to do anything before it was too late. It takes the tiniest amount of effort to reach out to someone struggling like this, but none of them can be bothered. I bet they’ll say the same things about me. But I think I gave them enough signs. If they can’t read them… that’s their fault. I pretty much plastered them on the walls in bright red paint in all caps… but they were still oblivious to the message. Even if they did read them though… At this point, when I’ve reached rock bottom… what could actually help me at this point? Therapy? Ha… sure… I’ve tried like four different therapists and not one of them could help me. Meds? Doc won’t prescribe anything else because nothing seems to be working. Mental hospital? I’d rather di-... yeah… that’s why I’m here on this ledge… I stared out at the empty road below. Thankfully… no traffic this late at night. No one’s oncoming car to accidentally fall onto. Which is good, because I already feel pretty fucking guilty for ruining the day of whoever finds me… But hey, at that point I won’t have to worry, I won’t be around. Part of me worried that maybe this isn’t high enough. Because I had heard somewhere that people had survived large drops… and if I do take that final step, I want it to be exactly that… final. I don’t want to survive it. That will just lead to… complications. Locked away for a while ‘for my own safety’. The thought of that sends a wave of terror through my whole body. One of my biggest fears is being locked away, unable to escape. It’s why I’ve put this off for so long. I could’ve attempted something before… but I was worried of failing and what would happen if I did so. But now I’ve reached absolute rock bottom and I’m like 99% sure I’m done with this life now. So as my foot hovered over the large drop in front of me, my hands tightly gripping the railing behind me, balancing precariously on the edge of the bridge… I tried to mentally prepare myself. It wasn’t too late to back down though. No one would know… it’s the dead of night. There are no cars, no people… it’s a quiet little English town after all. And I picked this spot in particular so that no one could stop me, that there would be no-one around to stop me. But if I backed out… I could just go home, and no one would have any knowledge of what I planned to do. Which means no-one is doing anything drastic to keep me safe that would end up with me getting much worse. No… I’m ready. I’ve contemplated this for years. Even before I lost my Mum in my teens. Even before I told my Dad about all that stuff… before he kicked me out. I was always depressed. Always wanted to stop existing. It was never a ‘I want to die’, it was more of a ‘I don’t want to exist’, or ‘wish I had never been born at all’. Now it’s different, of course, I mean it’s why I’m balancing here on the edge of a bridge. It wasn’t all bad though. I loved my childhood. Mum made it special. She was my support… my best friend. I loved her so fucking much. Then… she was just gone. Dead. And I was left with Dad. That’s when it all went downhill. Grades slipped, Dad got aggressive. Never violent, but definitely more aggressive. You could tell he didn’t love me the way Mum did. I was just this dumb kid of his, some failure of a son. And he loved to remind me. Then when I told him about all the things going on with my life… he reacted a lot worse than I’d hoped. Kicked me out. Haven’t talked to him in years, but hey, good riddance I say. Mum hated him anyway, it’s why they separated when I was very little. When I had to move in with Dad after Mum died… I think another little piece of my soul died. I’m still surprised I got into university despite all that. Barely scraped through too, earning myself a useless degree that may have actually hindered my job prospects afterwards. So my education was ruined, as was any job I worked after I left Uni, as were all my relationships. Relationships… Ugh, this is the worst timing for me doing this, isn’t it? So close after Abigail broke up with me. She’s… she’s going to blame herself for this. Sure, she broke my heart into a billion tiny pieces, but she didn’t push me over the edge. Even if she did turn all our friends against me. No, I was ready for this for a long time, even back when we were dating. I just didn’t want to hurt her. And now look at me… I liked her. A lot. But I was always holding myself back with her, keeping a large part of myself locked away in fear of how she’d react. Hell, pretty sure that’s part of the reason she broke up with me. She said I was always so ‘mopey’... which she’s not wrong about, but I think she knew I was bottling things up around her, keeping her from seeing what was going on with me. She always had this big plan. She wanted me to propose soon, then we would get married, have kids… typical heteronormative crap you see on TV, with me as the loving husband who comes home after a busy day at the office. White picket fence and all that. But I didn’t want that. Well no, that’s not entirely true, I like the idea of it… but it wasn’t… me. I’m not that kind of guy. I’m not even… No, but anyway, I wasn’t right for her, she deserves her dream. So I’m glad she broke up with me. She deserves better. I just hope she doesn’t blame herself for what I’m about to do. No. I’m ready. One final breath. One final step. One final thought. Better make it a good one. …Nope. Can’t think of anything. Mind is racing too much to pin a thought down. Ah well, go out the same way I came in, eh? And with that last deep breath, I released my tight grip on the guard rail, the blood rushing back into them after they had turned white just moments ago. Momentum took over. It was out of my hands now. A stillness radiated my entire body. I was ready. This was actually happening. This is it. “WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YE’ DOING?” Something that felt like talons dug themselves into my shoulders, gripping tightly onto my shirt, and yanked me backwards back over the guard rail, tossing me like a ragdoll onto the pavement behind me. I crashed onto the pavement with my arse taking the brunt of the impact. Then my mind and thoughts rushed back, realising I wasn’t dead. “I…” Everything was spinning. I couldn’t focus or think. I had been at peace, ready to end it all, but then something, or someone, came along and literally yanked me from my fate, and now my mind was trying to catch up with my situation. “Hun… were you seriously about to do what I think you were about to do?” came a soothing voice, from who I assumed was the woman who just prevented me from doing something very stupid. At least I assumed it was a woman from what her voice sounded like, with the slightest twinge of a Scottish accent in there. Though it must have been some woman to have been able to throw me back over that guard rail… “I…” Adrenaline was coursing through my body, and I couldn’t figure out whether I wanted to admit the truth, lie, or simply just run away. My vision was blurry and I couldn’t focus. All I could hear was this soothing voice. So I couldn’t even put a face to it. “Sweetie… are you okay?” she said, crouching down in front of me. “I… umm… I’ll get back to you on that one…” I replied, finally managing a full sentence. “Hopefully sooner, rather than later… because you were one second from ending up as paste on the road below!” It was weird hearing such a lovely, almost maternal voice form such crude imagery, but it made me laugh a bit. “What’s so funny?” she asked. “Paste…” “Is your head okay? I didn’t knock it too hard, did I?” “No… I…” My vision started clearing as I looked up at who would normally be called a ‘saviour’ in this situation, though right now… I saw her as more of a hindrance to my overall goal. Freckles. That was the first thing I noticed. Well that and the very red hair. Like… proper ginger. She couldn’t look more stereotypically Scottish if she tried. Her voice definitely matched her appearance, dressed in jeans and a simple amethyst-coloured blouse under her black denim jacket. “Good. Because sometimes I don’t know my own strength. Now… are you going to tell me your name first?” “N… Noah.” “Well N-Noah,” she replied, imitating my stutter, “Care to tell me what you were about to do?” “I think that… is pretty obvious,” I replied, smiling awkwardly. “I guess it is. And why in the world would you do something like that?” “Because…” “‘Because’? Just ‘because’? Oh come on, sweetie… give me a better reason than that!” It was always hard to tell people this. To admit what I want. “I… want… I mean… I don’t want to be here anymore…” “And why is that? Did something happen?” “No. I mean yes. But I… I’ve been wanting this for a long time. Please. Just let me go. You shouldn’t stop me…” That’s when she took my hands into hers. “Sweetie, I’m not going to let you do anything drastic right now. You’re not in the best place, and I’m here to help, okay?” She sounded so… genuinely nice? Like sweetness personified. Even her words in her soft spoken accent made me instantly drop my guard around her. Which somewhat scared me… I nearly always have my guard up. “I… don’t think you can help.” “Try me.” “No. I… I don’t want…” “...To bother me? Shush. Now tell me, precious, what happened to cause such a little cutie like you to take the most drastic action he could possibly take?” I really don’t know what it is about this woman. She… she melts away whatever protection I had guarded myself with. Her voice, her mannerisms, that cute freckled face of hers… “Come on, petal…” “I… don’t even know your name…” “Ceres,” she replied, smiling down at me. “That’s a very… unique name.” “Well I’ll take that as a compliment then, but only because you’re cute,” as she said this, she sat down in front of me, not letting go of my hands as she parked herself on the cold pavement below. “I’m… not…” “Not cute? Lies. Look at you. I bet your girlfriend is all over you.” “D… don’t have one…” “You don’t? Well sorry, sweetie, but I find that hard to believe.” “I’m too depressed for her,” I replied, hanging my head in shame, trying to look anywhere but at her face. “Her? So there was someone? Is this what it’s all about?” “No. Yes. I mean… part of it.” “Then tell me more.” “It’s just… I’ve felt like this for a long time. Since…” “Since what?” “Since I lost my Mum,” I sighed. She went silent for a second. “Ah. Yes. I know how much that hurts. No Dad to help?” “No. He… didn’t like who I was growing up to be. I wasn’t his clone, so he didn’t care. I was always too much like my Mum.” She squeezed my hand, causing me to look up into her beautiful green eyes. “Oh sweetie. I understand your pain. But that doesn’t mean you go taking a step onto the motorway below like that. Are you in therapy? Missed your meds?” “None of it works. Tried it all.” She looked at me, no smile on her face anymore. As if she was trying really hard to read me. She was thinking about something, but I couldn’t even begin to guess what it was that was going on in that head of hers. “Right. Come on. Come with me.” Okay… I wasn’t expecting that. But hey, as long as she doesn’t call the police or for an ambulance… maybe I can get away with just slinking off home once she’s given me a talking to, and no-one in my life will be aware of what nearly went down tonight. “I… okay…” “Good boy. Let’s go sit on a bench and you can talk about what’s bothering you. Spare no details.” ------------------------------- “So depression, dead end job, no girlfriend, bad degree, shit dad, lost your Mum, facing homelessness, and nothing the doctors are trying is working? Is that everything?” “That… is pretty much it,” I replied, shrugging at her, not knowing what else to say. Ceres had found a nice little bench in the nearby park. It was just as dead as the bridge was, probably due to it being like… 3am. She had sat me down, wrapped her jacket around me (as I had been stupid enough to come out wearing just my t-shirt and jeans. Sure, it’s only the start of September, but it’s still pretty bloody cold at 3am in the UK, no matter what time of year it is), and barely released my hands from hers the entire time. I hesitated at first. I didn’t want to go and bother this complete stranger with all my issues, even if she had just technically saved my life. Despite wishing she hadn’t done so. But something about this woman, who looked not much older than 30, made me feel so… safe… that I eventually just blurted out everything, just one big stream of consciousness. I was worried maybe I had overwhelmed her, but clearly with her little summary… she had listened to everything. Not that I told her everything. There’s some stuff that I’m not even able to talk to myself about, let alone a cute stranger who just prevented me from ‘becoming paste on the road’. “Right. Well whilst I can see why you’d want to do what you were about to do… I still think you’re an idiot for attempting it.” “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be all nice and reassuring? ‘Idiot’ isn’t very nice, is it?” I asked, smiling cheekily at her, the first smile I had managed since she saved me. “Excuse me…” she said, trying her best to hold in her laugh, the one you could clearly see bubbling at the surface. “I’m very good at what I do. Not my fault some cute idiot decided to do something stupid and change my plans…” That’s when a wave of guilt hit me. The one I had hoped to have missed… after I had done the deed. “I… oh… sorry…” I replied, hanging my head in shame. “Oh shush. I was only on my way home from work.” “Still… sorry. You should be home right now.” “No, Noah… none of that bullshit with me, okay? You were in a low place, I understand that. Hell, I understand getting to the point where you’re teetering over the edge… but I will not have you putting yourself down just for slightly inconveniencing me. I’m just happy I got to stop you before you became vulture-chow.” “We don’t get vultures in England…” “And apparently you also don’t get jokes…” she said, nudging me playfully. “Sorry…” “What did I just tell you?” “S-... ah… yeah… Fine. No more apologies. For now,” I replied, pouting slightly at this cute girl. “Good boy.” Shivers ran through my body when she said those two words. And for a moment there… I swear she could tell. But it wasn’t good shivers. It wasn’t bad. It was like… a mix of both? “Now, sweetie. I’m a bit worried about leaving you alone right now. Have you got anyone you can call?” “No,” I snapped back at her, maybe a little too quickly. “No one?” “I… no. Sorry. I’ll be fine, you can just let me go home.” “Via the motorway?” she replied, pointing in the direction of where I had nearly jumped. “Oh I don’t think so, sweetie.” “I’ll be fine…” I groaned. “Look, I’ll give you my number. If you need someone to talk to, or have a drink or something, you just call me, okay? You’re not a bother. And I want you to be okay. You’re a cute guy.” I grumbled a bit, before she finally released her hands, reaching into her shoulder bag with both of them, before pulling her phone out with one of them. “Right, come here. I’m giving you the biggest hug ever. That way you’ll want another one, and be a lot less likely to go stepping off bridges…” Hey, I wasn’t going to argue with this woman. First off, she’s cute. Secondly… she gives off this vibe of ‘do as I say, or you’ll regret it’. Thirdly… I was still calming down after everything, so if I was going to try this again… I’d need a few days, I think, to get my head back to normal. And fourthly… and most importantly… she hadn’t called anyone. She hadn’t called the police. Hadn’t called to get me locked away for my own safety. She was just… letting me go. This was the best thing that could have happened once she saved me, and I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. As I stood up, she held out her arms, creating an opening for me to hug her. Slowly shuffling forward, I got closer and closer until she took the lead and stepped forward, wrapping her rather strong arms around me, squeezing me tightly. I wrapped mine around her waist and embraced the hug. With my head pressed against her chest like this, this hug felt like the best thing in the world right now. The best thing I had experienced in years. I felt all the sadness I tried bottling up, all the anger, all the pain, everything… come rushing forward, flooding my body with emotion. I began to cry into her shoulder. “There there, Noah, let it all out. You’ve had a stressful life from the sounds of it. Just let it all out. Forget about it. You don’t have to be big and strong with me.” Her words, along with the soft, comforting accent of hers… made me feel smaller than ever. Even as she stroked my blonde hair, which must have come untied from the ponytail earlier, I felt smaller than ever, despite her only being a couple of inches taller than me. And I’m 5’9! Yet I felt two feet tall compared to this woman somehow. “I… sorry I’m such a mess. You… you shouldn’t have to comfort me like this.” She squeezed me tighter, then moved her mouth closer to my ear. “Sweetie, I am so glad I ran into you tonight. I think fate brought us together. Because I think I can help you.” A small little pinch. In my upper arm. That’s all that was felt before the world… and my body… got really heavy. Before the world started spinning. Before everything felt… almost good for once. And then… the lights went out. ====================================================== Sorry for the really heavy start to this story. I promise you it gets easier. It's a very emotional story, and may have some darker moments like this. But I promise you, it's worth it. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, despite this! Like I said... I put a lot more of myself into this story... Don't forget I'm on Subscribestar! Subscribers get 2 weeks early access to chapters, and exclusive short stories (Nessa's Tale is currently the only available one). The next four chapters of my new story posted on my Subscribestar! ======================================================== I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them! 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This is first one i started in almost 10 years and i plan on finishing this and my other 2. I hope you Enjoy! Prologue "Elizabeth I cant do this anymore, at first I loved the idea of being your sub and doing stuff together but I just cant, you refuse to even try age-play with me. I'm done were done I've tried time and time again to work everything out with you and you don't want to do it so I'm done Bye." "SARAH WAIT! PLEASE DON'T GO SARAH I'LL CHANGE, I'LL BE A BETTER PERSON PLEASE I'M BEGGING YOU, what have I done the only person I've ever cared for and shes gone, she just gone" Chapter 1 The beginning Emily Garcia. Had a hard life nothing liked to go her way, her parents where killed by a drunk driver when she was 5, she ended up staying in a orphanage tell she was 13 and runaway ware she never looked back. I'll give a Little back story about myself, I'm 4 foot 1 I haven't really grown at all sense I was 13 I'm now almost 16 and I've been living off the streets trying to survive. It's getting to the point where i think I need to find a place to hide, cause winter is almost here and once it gets here, I'm good as dead if i don't have shelter. I see a small run out building I think I'll hide inside it for a while it's starting to get cold out, I'm just happy I still got the few things in this world I need my photo of mom and dad and the stuffed animal they bought me, Sharky the cat. I really need to find a way to fix him and clean him up hes all dirty and I think his eye wants to fall out. I hear people and duck and hide inside the building, I don't want to be seen. I'm better off on my own the orphanage was hell compared to this. MY Clothes are almost shreds and I'm really hungry I'm not sure where to go now I think I am gonna have to look in the trash cans for food, and maybe find something warmer to ware. I have been looking for hours and all I found is a coat that has seen better days no food yet, i cant keep going like this but I'm not sure where to go for food, every so often I'll see people walking but no one takes mind me, I'm a dirty short girl and no one wants to be near and II miss my mommy and daddy we were so happy now I'm just alone my old buddy Sharky. Hello I am Elizabeth Kelly. But everyone just calls me Lizzy I use to be a Meteorologist but I retired when I found out how u can tell how much rain will fall on any given day using some math. I patented it and sold it, to farmers and some rich people so I can relax now in life. I am 6 foot 4 taller then normal women but sadly I do feel like something is missing but I have never been sure of what. I've known it not long cause my last girlfriend just did not seem to understand me and did not like me being in change, it was a change to I really liked her, I guess I just need to find something worth it in my life. I have been thinking lately maybe I need to adopt I really want a child but at the same time I have worry's, I cant show my dominant side to a child I adopt. I will think up something I always do. I look outside and notice how hard the snow is coming down now, they said we were gonna get 3-4 feet but that is no surprise and crap I forgot to take the trash out today I better do it before it gets worse. now where did I put my coat, there it is grab the trash and off we go. I make my way out back to the alley to dump the trash when I notice what looks likes a coat covered in snow. Hmm who would leave a coat next to the trash can guess I should toss it in. I start to pick it up when I notice it's really heavy. "Huh? oh dear god that's a girl. Sweet sweetie can you hear me are you ok? sweetie shit sorry baby your coming inside with me" I grab her small cold body and run inside as fast as I can and head straight to the bathroom, I turn the water to a warm level and make sure it's not too hot. "ok sweetie I am gonna put you in the water and farm you up ok?" I slowly take off her coat, then I lower her into the bathtub, clothes and all hoping none are frozen to her body and hope she wont be missing any toes or fingers. Elizabeth says if a soft voice "come on sweetie stay with me are you warming up can you talk?" Emily slowly starts to regain consciousness and starts to look around scared wondering where she is. She notices how cold she is and she feels something warm around her. " where am i?" she try's to say as her teeth are chattering. Lizzy answered her in a soft voice "sweetie it's ok your in my place you were passed out in the snow, now don't move ok lets warm you up first" I start grabbing towels and some scissors, I am gonna have to cut her out of her clothes to get them off her and hope I can find something she can wear. The only thing I can find after looking for a while is the stuff my ex used, and I am not sure if this sweet thing will be ok with that. Elisabeth says trying to calm the poor wet and cold girl down"ok Sweetie I am gonna cut your clothes off it might hurt a bit cause parts still look frozen on you but bare with it ok?' Emily closes her eyes and nods her head yes. she slowly starts to feel the nice lady taking her clothes off and cutting her pants so she doesn't have to move. Elizabeth says it a calm mother like voice "sweetie my name is Elizabeth but you can call me Lizzy ok? I'm gonna have to take off your bra and panties ok do be scared I'll be as gentle as I can" Lizzy starts to cut the girls bra off and sees her shake a bit so she stops for a second, before she works on her panties making sure the girl understands shes not trying to hurt her. Emily answers Elizabeth quietly" my name is Emily a..and thank you for doing this" all Emily can think about right now is the angel who saved her from the cold outside, and that hopefully will let her stay tell at least the storm passes by. Elizabeth starts to dry Emily off the best she can, she knows the only stuff she has that might fit is what her ex left but at this point she doesn't have a choice she needs to keep this little girl warm, so she can get better. Elizabeth try's to talk to the sleepy Emily as best she can " Emily dear I am gonna get you dressed ok? after that I want you to rest for the night and we will talk more in the morning ok?" she noticed after shes done that Emily is sound asleep not hearing a single word. "ok lets get this little girl into something warm" Elizabeth grabs the tote that has her ex's stuff inside and she opens it and pulls out a fresh pink diaper some baby powder some cream and a sleeper. "I hope these are not too big my ex was really small to" she says out-loud. Elizabeth starts to slide the diaper under the girl making sure to add lots of powder and cream and rubbing it in to the girl and her Sensitive area, knowing that this girl will need to see a doctor soon as possible. she then slowly tapes the diaper as tight as she can hoping it will fit ok, she then starts to lift Emily into the sleeper and zips it up her back making sure she is nice and warm. "I'll lay you down on my bed you sweet little angel and I hope u can get a good nights rest for tomorrow we talk and go to the doctors."

Emily takes everything for granted, not least her wife. But how bad can a wife possibly act? Well, it turns out, pretty bad. --- Every update I post is available on my Ream and SubscribeStar pages one week before it is posted everywhere else. For $5 you can see everything I post before the rest of the diapered world. For $10 you can see every update early plus EVERY exclusive story I have written. That's 35 stories available ONLY on my subscription pages and nowhere else! I rely on my wonderful subscriber's support to be able to write like I do. Writing is my only income and the money I earn goes to help paying the bills, food and everything else my wife and I need. Everyone's support is HUGELY appreciated, without it I would have to find other work and I wouldn't be able to write nearly as much as I do, maybe at all. So thank you to everyone who checks out my subscriber pages and considers supporting me ❤️ https://reamstories.com/elfy https://subscribestar.adult/elfy --- Regression Therapy By Elfy Emily stretched out horizontally on the couch. The television across the room was on and playing some trashy day time talk show at a loud volume. On the table between Emily and the television were several empty soda cans, chocolate wrappers and empty chip packets. She belched as she picked up her handheld games console and resumed the game. “Emily, could you clean up the table, please.” Amelia asked as she hurried past the doorway. “Meh.” Emily grunted with indifference. Emily didn’t move from the couch. She didn’t look away from the screen she was holding above her and she didn’t really intend on going anywhere unless she absolutely had to. It was a typical day for the twenty-seven-year-old woman, one in which she was so motionless she might as well have been part of the couch. “Did you hear me?” Amelia asked as she walked into the room. “Yeah… I’ll do it later.” Emily lied. Emily heard Amelia sigh with frustration. After a couple of seconds Amelia walked over, bent down and started to pick up the detritus of Emily’s all-day snacking. She made a lot of noise as she did so, making sure that her displeasure was well known. “It would be nice to have some help round here.” Amelia complained as she stood up. “I said I was going to do it later!” Emily rolled her eyes. “Right…” Amelia replied sarcastically, “Just like you were going to take the trash out later.” “I did it, didn’t I?” Emily lowered her game with a frown. “Yeah.” Amelia shook her head, “Two days later, AFTER the trash had been picked up.” Emily grunted and lifted her game again. Amelia walked out of the room muttering darkly. People might’ve been forgiven for assuming that this exchange was between a mother and their difficult teenage daughter, but that wasn’t the case. In truth Emily and Amelia were married, in Emily’s opinion the marriage was a happy one despite some difficulties. Having first met shortly after college Emily had been a very different person at the start of their relationship. She had been born assigned male at birth and was still presenting that way when she met Amelia. It was only a few years into the relationship that she had realised who she really was. It had been a shock for Amelia but she had been great in helping Emily through the changes which followed and their relationship only strengthened helped by the fact they were both bisexual. Emily had now been on hormones for a few years and, by the time they got married, presented female all the time. She hadn’t had “the surgery” and wasn’t sure if she ever would, she felt like she had a lot of time to decide. She was still young; she didn’t see any need to rush anything. Emily had never had a proper full-time job. Amelia had managed to get reasonably highly paid employment in business right out of college whereas Emily had spent more time looking for work and doing the chores at home. It soon became apparent that Amelia’s job could financially support them both so Emily’s job searching became less vigorous. It was eventually decided that she could stay at home as a housewife and do all the chores and cooking, something Emily was more than happy with. For the first couple of years of marriage Emily had held up her end of the bargain. She did a decent job making sure things stayed clean and whilst she wasn’t the best cook in the world she could make some passable meals. That changed when the pandemic hit. Amelia started working from home more often and slowly, over time, she started doing some of the chores. By the time the pandemic was dying down Emily had managed to hand off basically all of her chores on her wife. A situation she was happy to keep up. Emily didn’t see any problem with how everything had developed. Amelia seemed fine working and doing the chores meanwhile she was delighted to be semi-permanently attached to the couch. Even if her wife wasn’t overly happy as long as she didn’t complain Emily wasn’t going to do anything to upset the status quo, as far as she was concerned this lifestyle could go on forever. It was several hours later before Emily was disturbed again. She was still on the couch when Amelia came in to tell her that dinner was ready. Emily could see that she was looking a little flustered but that was nothing unusual these days, she was always rushing around doing one thing or another after all. She always told Amelia she should slow down and relax but for some reason that just seemed to annoy her wife even more. Emily stood up with a groan and after stretching her back started walking through to the dining room. Amelia was already sitting down. Emily sat down and picked up her knife and fork. Without a word to her wife, she started eating but quickly stopped. The meat was slightly overcooked. Emily sighed in disappointment and used her thumb and forefinger to pull the bit of meet out of her mouth and drop it back on to the plate. Amelia hadn’t started eating but she looked up as Emily licked her lips to try and get rid of the taste. “It’s burnt.” Emily said simply. Emily saw her wife’s hands curl around the cutlery until her knuckles were white. She didn’t pay it too much mind though, Amelia often reacted like that when she was criticised. Emily thought it was always good to let her wife know when things weren’t up to standard though, it helped to make sure she didn’t make the same mistakes again. She brought some of the vegetables up to her mouth. “Ugh, you know I don’t like broccoli.” Emily said as she put the fork back down. The table shook slightly and Emily wondered if it wasn’t a small earthquake. When she looked across to her wife, she saw that she seemed to be shaking slightly. Her eyes seemed to pierce through Emily who had no idea what the problem was. Surely it wasn’t an issue to remind Amelia what she didn’t like, it was just helping her in future. Emily carried on with her dinner. She picked up the drink Amelia had made her but absent-mindedly let it slip through her fingers. The glass hit the edge of the table and the liquid inside poured all over the food. Emily let out a groan as she picked up the glass, it was already far too late to save anything. “Ugh, now it’s all ruined.” Emily said before continuing with a mumble, “Not that it was that good to begin with…” There was a sudden clattering of cutlery hitting the table. Emily looked up to see Amelia pushing her chair back, the legs scraping loudly on the linoleum floor. She stood up and stared down at Emily for a second, it looked like she was contemplating saying something as her lips twitched. Finally, she wordlessly turned away and stomped upstairs. “Why is she being so moody?” Emily muttered to herself as she stood up. Pouring the uneaten food into the trash Emily got a frozen pizza out and cooked that instead. Emily didn’t see her wife for the rest of the day, she didn’t go upstairs since she didn’t want Amelia nagging her about stuff but, as evening turned to night, she remained alone on the couch watching television. She ended up falling asleep there and without having her wife waking her up to go to bed she remained on the couch all night. --- “You need to get a job.” Amelia said. Emily was still waking up. Sprawled out across the couch her eyes half-opened as she looked up at Amelia who was already dressed in her business suit. Her make-up was done perfectly and with her hair tied back she looked very austere. “Huh?” Emily grunted sleepily without moving. She could feel a small puddle of drool underneath her cheek. “You need to get a job.” Amelia repeated, “I’m serious.” “But we’re doing fine, aren’t we?” Emily said tiredly. “No. We’re not.” Amelia replied, “You are not the person I married. We agreed that you would do the housework but you do nothing but lay on the couch all day.” “It gets done, doesn’t it?” Emily said as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. “By me!” Amelia exclaimed, “Look, I love you but you’re not pulling your weight. I want you looking for jobs whilst I’m at work, OK?” Emily mumbled something and shrugged her shoulders. She hated the idea of working and making a commitment to find a job was the last thing she wanted to do. “OK?” Amelia repeated. “Fine.” Emily rolled her eyes. “Good.” Amelia smiled. It was the first time Emily had seen her smile in some time, “Don’t forget you’ve got therapy this afternoon. I’ll pick you up afterwards, alright?” Emily again remained noncommittal. Amelia leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead before picking up her bag and leaving. Emily remained slumped on the couch with a sizable pout. She didn’t want to look for a job, she didn’t want anything to change. Why did Amelia have to mess everything up by telling her to work? Emily opened up the laptop on the table and placed her fingers on the keyboard. She didn’t really know what to do or where to go so she just typed “job search” in a search engine and clicked the first link. She soon became dizzy as she looked through thousands of vacancies from every profession under the sun. It was all so… daunting. After a few minutes Emily gave up. She shut down the browser window feeling stressed out from the small amount of scrolling she had done. Sure, she hadn’t fired off any applications, really searched for relevant careers or even registered with the website but she had scrolled through a couple of pages. That was good enough for a job search in her opinion. With her promise to Amelia fulfilled Emily instead opened up a video game and started playing. The hours flew by as she ignored all her real-world responsibilities in favour of playing games. It was only when her phone vibrated and an alarm went off that she finally looked away from the screen much later in the day. She groaned as she looked at the screen which was lit up with the word “THERAPY” on it. She quickly swiped at the phone to shut it up and let out a sigh. Emily had been going to therapy for some time. It was the first place she had felt comfortable discussing her feelings about being a woman and was also a useful outlet for her other emotions. She wasn’t really sure if she still needed to go but Amelia insisted. The therapist was actually one of Amelia’s old friends from college. There had been some concerns about a conflict of interests but Catherine, the therapist, had always remained totally professional no matter what Emily had told her. With a groan Emily stood up and put her phone in her pocket. She considered skipping the session but she knew Amelia would only moan at her if she did, the same way she did after Emily didn’t go to the last two. Dragging her feet as much as possible Emily got dressed and headed out. It was only a short bus ride to the therapist’s office but it still felt like too far. “Emily, good to see you.” Catherine said as Emily walked through the door of the office. “Hey.” Emily replied as she walked over to the couch. “How have you been?” Catharine asked with a friendly smile. Catherine was a good therapist and despite Emily’s reluctance to make the effort to see her it wasn’t long before she was opening up. For the next fifty minutes Emily talked about her life, most notably how she was frustrated that her wife had demanded she get a job. “You don’t want to work?” Catharine asked. --- Amelia stepped out of her car and walked into the therapist’s building. She smiled and gave a little wave to the receptionist as she walked past. She had been picking Emily up after her appointment every week for a long while so was able to just walk through to the waiting room. There were still a few minutes to go in the appointment so she sat down and looked at the selection of magazines on offer on the table in front of her. “Want to work!? Of course I don’t!” Amelia froze. She looked at the door to Catherine’s office and could see it was open just a tiny amount. Combined with the suddenly raised voice she could hear what was happening. It was Emily and she sounded belligerent. Amelia bit her lip, she knew she was intruding but wasn’t sure what to do. Before she could make a decision, she heard more voices. “But why not?” Catherine asked. “Why would ANYONE want to work when they don’t have to?” Emily asked in response, “God, I don’t know why Amelia has to mess everything up. We’re happy like this!” “Are you both happy with the way things are?” Catherine asked, “Or is it just you who’s happy?” “I haven’t heard Amelia complain.” Emily responded. Amelia’s hands balled into fists. She couldn’t believe she was hearing this from her wife. She had asked for more help around the home or for Emily to get a job more times than she could remember. Was Emily just lying to the therapist or had she outright ignored her all this time? “Look, Amelia does everything and, you know what, I think it makes her happy.” Emily’s voice said, “She likes looking after everything and being in control. She might think she wants me to do more but I think we’re all happier carrying on as normal.” Amelia didn’t know whether to be angry or upset. As the therapist’s room either went quiet or voices were lowered Amelia slumped in her seat. She loved Emily and always had, but she had never felt quite as despondent over the state of their marriage as she did right there and then. She had made it clear, many times over, that she didn’t want to have to do all the work in the relationship. Emily either hadn’t listened or didn’t care, she wasn’t sure which was worse. For the next five minutes Amelia sat in the waiting room staring straight ahead. The longer she waited the angrier she became. In some ways she felt bad, she wasn’t supposed to hear what was said in therapy, but she had and she couldn’t change that. She had genuinely thought she was getting Emily to start picking up the slack again but it seemed that wasn’t happening at all. For the first time she started to think about divorce. “Ah, hello Amelia, nice to see you.” The door had opened and Amelia had been so lost in her own head she hadn’t even noticed. “Oh, Catherine, yes, sorry I was miles away.” Amelia said as she stood up. Amelia noticed Emily was looking quite surly with her shoulders slumped and eyes turned towards the ground. Knowing that she wasn’t supposed to know about what her lazy wife had said Amelia walked forwards and hugged her. She planted a little kiss on her cheek as she always did. “Are we still on for drinks this weekend?” Amelia asked the therapist. “Of course.” Catherine replied with a smile, “I’ll give you a call later, alright?” “Sure thing.” Amelia replied. She walked over and hugged her good friend. “Can we go?” Emily asked rather rudely. Amelia gave Catherine a small smile and then turned to lead the way out of the building with Emily right behind her. She felt like there was tension in the air, in truth there had been tension between them for quite some time. She decided to break the silence once they got down to the car. “How was therapy?” Amelia asked. “Alright.” Emily replied. She had her arms folded across the chest and was looking out the side window. “What did you talk about?” Amelia asked lightly, “Of course, you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.” “Stuff.” Emily grunted in reply. “Suit yourself…” Amelia muttered to herself as she drove out of the car lot and on to the road. If Emily wasn’t interested in conversation, she wasn’t going to force the issue herself. The drive was completely in silence. Amelia was constantly wrestling with what to do about Emily and the knowledge that she had no intention of stepping up to be an equal partner in the relationship. She was desperate to find a way to make their relationship work again, she considered suggesting couples therapy but it was a big enough struggle to get Emily to see Catherine once a week as it was. “I’m going for a nap.” Emily said as soon as they got in the front door a little later, “Call me when dinner is ready.” Amelia sighed through her nose with her lips pursed as her wife when straight up the stairs without even a thank you for picking her up. Of course, Amelia would be expected to cook dinner, even though she had been at work all day and had only just stepped in the house. She kicked off her shoes rather forcefully before stomping through to the kitchen. --- If you enjoyed this and would like to see the next part of the story RIGHT NOW you can do so on my SubscribeStar and Ream pages: https://reamstories.com/page/lpjgftb4y2/story/m1cuafz5dm/chapter/6af1e1c0-cbba-4cfc-981b-37cb05a70f77 https://subscribestar.adult/posts/1508581

This story follows a 13 year old boy from England, who’s life is about to head in a totally unexpected direction. Tommy’s Trials Chapter One - Calm before the Storm Tommy was like any other 13 year old boy in England. He went to school, played video games, loved football, and had few cares in life. The boy lived a very normal life, but all that was about to change. “Wake up Tommy, it’s time for school!” shouted Mum Groggily, the lad rubbed his eyes and threw off his covers. He pulled off his grey Pokémon pajamas, allowing them to pool on the floor, with Pikachu’s yellow figure smiling back at him. Tommy loved Pokémon, even if the other kids thought it was too babyish now. He grabbed his grey school shorts, white shirt, clip on tie, black blazer, and prepared to put on his regular ensemble. It was the first day back at Riverside High School, and the summer break was over. The boy had so much fun, and now was the return the monotony of secondary school. “I made you boys some toast” said mum, as Tommy walked into the kitchen. “Thanks mummy!” squealed Tommy’s little brother Riley. The 7 year old boy was always full of energy, despite the fact it was 8am. The boys ate breakfast and prepared to leave, their emotions greatly contrasting each other. “Let’s go Riley, we’re gonna be late” exclaimed Tommy, grabbing his little brother’s hand. So they set off, with their first stop being Riverside Primary for Riley. Tommy was a good big brother & walked his annoying sibling to school every day. They arrived at Riley’s school, just a five minute walk away from Tommy’s. The boys hugged and said goodbye, but not before the supervising teacher stumbled upon them. She was new, the boys had never seen her before. “Okay boys, come on, school starts soon, get yourselves inside” said Miss Lisa, ushering them inside the great gates. Tommy instantly realised what was happening. The uniforms were similar and his secondary school blazer was in his bag, the teacher had mistaken him for a primary school kid. Tommy was small for his age, often mistaken for much younger than he was. The two brothers were similar in size, and many adults believed them to be twins at first glance. “I don’t go to this school” Tommy glumly replied, “I’m in high school”. “Oh I’m so sorry, I thought you were another one of our boys” apologised Miss Lisa. “Apology not accepted” thought Tommy, he was sick of being mistaken for a little kid, wondering when he would finally have a growth spurt. So Riley marched in excitedly, and Tommy left for Riverside High. His eyes set on the familiar ancient blue gates, a lighthouse guiding the way for ships of tired sailors in the dark morning. He mentally prepared himself for the first day of school, unknowing of the crashing waves which were about to sink his life into a totally different direction.

This is a new story entirely based on fantasies that I have written with 22 chapters. Translated from another language. Here are the first two chapters. African experience By Sandman Chapter 1 - Africa Rob stretched out his legs on the couch and enjoyed an extra cup of coffee. The apartment that he rented was really something very special. Not least the large roof terrace where he sat and enjoyed his new life. The tranquility, the pleasant tropical heat, the view of the leafy pool area. Everything felt good. That he hadn't done this before! Rob almost got angry with himself when he thought about it. Financially, it wasn't a big deal, and he could do his job just as well here, if not better. It was still a bit nerve-wracking to have moved to a completely different part of the globe, but it had been a much-needed change of scenery. Now he was in place. Far, far from home in a continent where he didn't know a single person. Rob had landed yesterday, Wednesday. The journey had been stressful with unnecessarily long waits at three different airports. Passport control at the arrival had not impressed and the same with the baggage handling, but in the end, he had at least sat in the taxi with all his luggage. But it had been a struggle. For a long time, Rob had thought that his luggage was delayed or even completely lost. A small "bonus" to an employee at baggage handling had solved the problem. The first thing Rob had done when he arrived at Palm Court was to throw his bags into the apartment and buy a cold beer at the pool bar. After just a sip or two, Rob felt that the travel fatigue was starting to subside. The area felt calm and nice, and he had enjoyed watching the two African women sitting on the table next to him, drinking a cup of coffee. The move to Africa had come at a good time. His best friend and training partner Dan had also moved. Quite far away as well, which meant that they wouldn't be able to see each other very often. When Rob had been given peace that Dan was going to move, he too had started to play with the idea of replacing the safe everyday environment with something new. Something exotic. Pretty soon plan A had become Africa. A gigantic continent that Rob had only read about. Now he was there, and his apartment would be the central point of his new life. The interior designer had done a good job. The apartment was fully equipped and even the fridge and pantry were stocked with the basic items that he had specified. He was already starting to feel at home. Palm Court was a large condominium. A gated community. It was an oasis in the middle of the city with walking distance to incomparable beaches, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, you name it. Rob was in paradise. The only thing he really lacked right now was love, a girlfriend. He didn't need any other company. In that respect, he was very different from his best friend Dan, who could barely stand himself for an entire evening. Rob, on the other hand, needed to be completely by himself quite often. That was when he sat and wrote his books, but he also liked to roam around all on his own. Aimlessly and anonymously. Especially when he was in a city. However, Rob was not a lone wolf, and after a period of writing, he often had a pent-up need for socializing. Lately, Rob had started to think a lot about the future and thoughts about starting a family, but so far, he was not ready for family life with a house and dog. Being single still had some unbeatable advantages, which Rob made sure to take advantage of. He appreciated being free as a bird and being able to enjoy casual sexual acquaintances, but he didn't want it that way in the long run. Rob's plan was to take it easy for the first few weeks. Acclimatize and get to know the surroundings. He had also decided to put work aside completely for a while and treat himself to a soft start. The goal was to find a balance in life where a central part of everyday life would be about physical exercise. The training served as lighter fluid for Rob. It was during the training sessions that the ideas rushed forward and gave him a boost in his writing. A well-functioning home was also important. The less he had to think about simple everyday problems, the more focus he could put on his book projects. He had come a long way with the apartment, but he needed to hire someone who could clean and do the laundry. Apparently, it was a popular second work because Rob had barely landed before he ran into the cute girl at the pool bar who immediately offered her services. They had agreed to meet today, Thursday and she seemed perfect for the job. Above all, because she worked in the area and was already safety audited and approved. Rob had just finished a quiet and nice breakfast when there was a knock on the door. The bartender girl stood there with a smile on her face. ” Hello Mister! Do you remember me?” ” Hello Esther! Of course I remember you. Nice to see you again.” The answer from Rob was not a standard comment that flew out of him just to appear polite. The black woman in front of him, who was both socially gifted and sexy, appealed to him in many ways. She seemed to be somewhere in her 30s and after just a few minutes she had wrapped Rob around her little finger. Rob should of course have asked Esther for references at similar jobs, but you only live once, Rob thought and let his eyes choose. Esther was hired on the spot. A while after Esther had left the apartment, Rob had gone out onto the terrace and looked out over the pool area. He could both see and hear that there were a lot of families with children on Palm Court. These were families who seemed to live a privileged life, quite different from the much poorer families outside the fence. Rob could see that many of the housewives had nannies who played with the children, while their husbands were probably out at some well-paid job. Chapter 2 - Medical examination When Rob eventually went out on his first walk outside the gates of Palm Court, he had unexpectedly received a minor culture shock. Rob had in his wildest fantasy not imagined that there would be so few Westerners living here, but now he understood better. Esther had told Rob that expats in the area very rarely came from outside Africa. The same thing with the tourists. In other words, Rob was an odd bird, but it was one thing to hear someone else say it. Now he experienced it with his own eyes, and it was clearly a bigger adjustment than he had expected. Locally, people would refer to him as "the white man". The pale face. No personal name was needed because he was the one and only. The locals didn't mean anything bad by calling him "the white man". It was just a well-intentioned and apt description of his appearance, but Rob still found it a bit difficult. He wished he had been anonymous and discreet, instead of lighting up the sky like the pole star with his pale complexion, but deep down he felt that he would adapt. He would just have to give it some time. Because even though he stood out, he was met by smiles and the city and life on the street felt both harmonious and pleasant. Certainly, he could see that there were large gaps between rich and poor and that it was best to avoid certain areas, especially at certain times of the day. But it was nothing unique to this city, but a typical metropolitan phenomenon. One of Rob's first reflections on strolling around was that the women looked different from what he was used to. It wasn't the color of the skin that he was thinking about, but the anatomy and their sexy tits and asses. The girls were simply a little curvier here. But just like at home, it was a blissful mix of women with different looks. The difference here seemed to be that they were very proud of their bodies, even though they had a BMI far above ideal. Everywhere he saw upright women who unabashedly and naturally emphasized their feminine attributes. Over the years, Rob had had some hot relationships, but his paths had never crossed with a black woman. It had only happened that way because he had grown up and lived in environments where everyone had been white. Now it was just the opposite and only the future could answer whether this was where he would find the love of his life. The dream of a romance made him feel elated and he walked straight towards the beach. The tropical heat was oppressive, and he tried to walk slowly to avoid getting soaked in sweat. Down by the beach, Rob found what he was looking for. A simple lunch restaurant overlooking the sea. Rob took a deep breath and looked out over the green-turquoise water. Life felt like a luxury holiday. Gone was the gray everyday life, the stress and the scheduled day. Rob enjoyed seeing and hearing how the waves rolled in towards the beach, he enjoyed seeing all the happy people, who, just like Rob, appreciated the relaxed life with sun and sea. Pretty soon, Rob received renewed confirmation that he stood out with his pale skin. Some passing women had taken a detour near Rob's table, where they had discreetly stopped and straightened their bikinis or bent over and seemingly brushed off a grain of sand on a toe. It was women who wanted to show off their beach-clad bodies. Women who wanted Rob to look at them and Rob liked what he saw. He met their eyes with a happy smile. Rob marveled at how quickly humans took a liking to a person of the opposite sex. A quick glance was all that was needed for the blood to flow in the crotch, which then triggered hopes and feelings of pleasure. Rob was reminded that he longed for physical closeness to a woman. Life in Africa had started well and the lunch gave Rob another push forward. He was happy to be able to live this life. Pleased and satisfied after the lunch on the beach, Rob felt ready to make a visit to the gym. He had quickly walked past and looked in from the outside and it looked promising. The well-equipped gym was just a small part of the Micasa Health Club at the Palm Court pool area and membership was included for adult tenants at Palm Court. Rob was keen to continue with the training program that he had been doing regularly for the past few years, but there was only one small detail he had to investigate before he could train. Rob had read that you had to show a medical certificate before you could train. There must be some formality that they don't apply, Rob thought as he opened the front door and stepped into Micasa. ” Hello Mister! Welcome to our Health Club! I’m Faye, the gym instructor. What can I do for you sir!” ” Hello! Thanks! I’m a bit interested in starting to train in the gym.” ” Perfect! Please allow me to demonstrate our facility.” "Yes, please do!" The gym seemed well equipped, and the area was large and fresh. After showing Rob around, Faye asked if he had any questions. "Eh, I read something about medical certificates. Can I just show my certificate from home?" "Oh, no, unfortunately it is not possible. We have a requirement that you must be examined here at the club by our own staff. Should I book an appointment for you?" "Uh, .. Yes, please, that would be nice." "Let me see. We have an appointment free today at 14:30.” "Okay, that’s fine. I'll take it." Damn shit, Rob thought. For some reason, he hated health checks. He was fit as a fiddle but still there was something about being examined that he didn't like. A little frustrated by the bureaucratic rules at the gym, Rob went back to his apartment. Just before the agreed time, Rob walked down to Micasa, dressed in his gym clothes. His hope was to be able to do a proper workout immediately after the examination. "Hi Faye! Now I'm here for the health check. Where should I go?" "Hello! Come with me, I will show you where Fatima is housed." They walked in the opposite direction to the gym and at the end of the corridor was the examination room. "Hello Darling,” said a very beautiful woman. Rob had seen her before both at the bar and in the pool area. "Hello" he replied happily and was a little surprised that he suddenly started to feel very shy. "Are you closing the door on the way-out Faye?" said Fatima. "Yes boss! He is all yours" Faye replied with a smile and left the room. "Okay. Then we will start by filling in some information in the journal. "Fatima took out a tablet and logged in to an app. Then Rob had to answer an insane number of questions between heaven and earth. Every single vaccination was documented, as was basically every patch and cold he had had since he was an infant. It was as if the questions would never end, but suddenly Fatima said. ” Baby, please be so kind and take of your shoes, socks and t-shirt for me.” Okay, now it was apparently time to examine the body for real, Rob thought. He did as she said and wearing only sports shorts and underwear, he was thoroughly examined. She listened to her heart and lungs. Checked his blood pressure. Pricked his finger and took a blood sample. Rob even got to ride an exercise bike with a heart rate monitor around his chest for 10 minutes. Everything seemed to be normal. It was now that Rob thought Fatima was done, that all that remained was to print and sign the certificate. That he would get the green light to train at the gym. But the examination was not over at all, and Rob did not see it coming. Fatima took him completely by surprise by resolutely pulling off both shorts and underwear in one quick movement. What happened next almost made him go underground. The latex glove, the Vaseline, none of that he had paid attention to. No..she can't.... Upff.. Her finger had quickly found Rob's little hole, and she hadn't hesitated for a second. Now he stood there with her finger deep in his ass and was so ashamed that his cheeks had turned bright red. ” Relax baby.” Rob was far from relaxed and felt extremely embarrassed. However, Fatima seemed to enjoy the situation. ” Okey Darling. Does it hurt?” "Uh... no" "You like? " "Eh, well, .. uh.. I was not prepared for eh.." ” Baby, don’t be shy, just relax and be a nice little boy?” Her free hand cupped around Rob's balls, and it felt a little too nice to avoid erection. Rob's cock was growing and he really had to bite his tongue to try to limit the "consequences". ” Look at that!” said Fatima and caressed Robs semi-stiff manhood. “Someone’s babymaker is waking up!” Fully aware of what was happening, Fatima now began to slowly move her finger inside his ass. She quickly found a point that elicited insanely nice tickles and Rob found it difficult to stand still. ” Do you have a girlfriend, Darling?” "Eh, no" ” Why? Don’t you like ladies?” "Eh, yes I love women, absolutely. I'm 100 percent heterosexual but right now I don't have a relationship. Uh, oaaa.." Fatima caressed his balls and almost weighed it in her hand. Damn it. Now Rob could no longer control himself and his torpedo blossomed to its full length. ” Yes darling. That’s my baby! When was the last time you had pussy darling?” "Eh , but,, .. It was... okey, unfortunately quite a long time ago." ” Well, ... but when was the last time you used your right hand?” "But eh it..... If you absolutely have to know, I'm actually left-handed and did it a couple of days ago." ” Oh, you naughty little boy!! Well darling. Just so you know, it takes a couple of weeks to have your medical certificate ready. I hope that’s okey for you but ... you should know that there are ways to speed up the process.” She caressed Rob's cock as she said it. Rob couldn't help it, but his cock now stood like an iron skewer. "Uh...? What does that mean?" ” Well darling. You just need to be my little baby boy for a while. Me being your new master putting on a diaper on your white little ass......” Fuck! Rob hardly knew where to go. ” Relax darling, I’m just kidding but make sure you meet me at Ocean view restaurant at six o’clock tomorrow night.” Fatima did not expect an answer and ended the investigation of his now not so private areas. Slightly shocked, Rob put on his clothes while Fatima wrote something in her journal. ” See you later my little baby boy!” ”Eh... Yes Mom!” Damn it, Rob immediately regretted answering like that. It just flew out of him. Fatima raised her eyebrows and looked at him a little superiorly. ” Don’t be late darling, otherwise I will force you to bend over on my lap and spank your white little ass.” ” Okey, I get it!” On the way back to the apartment, Rob realized that his heart was pounding and was so excited that he was in a cold sweat. Fatima had made him feel inferior and the strange thing was that he couldn't decide if he liked it or not.

Heyo folks! Sorry for a bit of an absence... I could just blame work, but while that was definitely a factor, this time it was for another reason. This one-off story right here! Or, well, that and the idea behind it. See, I came up with an idea for... a game! Basically, I'd been thinking about dating sims lately, and suddenly an idea popped into my head. Basically, what if one were to take the elements of a dating sim, but instead apply them in a different way... In this case, I'm calling it a Found-Family-Sim, and I'm gonna try to make it a point-and-click visual novel with plenty of choices! The player character, who can choose from several backstories as well as pick their gender and species, finds themselves in the beautiful and mysterious town of Cherry Lake. As they explore the town and get to know the townspeople and potential adoptive parents/families and begin uncovering secrets, they may notice that they seem to be... getting younger?! Players will find that their choices and actions have consequences, some small, others quite large, and that there are multiple outcomes to be found! It's an ambitious project for someone who has never programmed anything ever, and knows next to nothing about coding, but it's still something I'm gunna try nonetheless! Anyways, this little one-off is to introduce you to some of the characters to be found in Cherry Lake as well as a little bit of the town, and to highlight some choices to be made. Okay, rambling over, and I hope that you all enjoy it! Welcome to Cherry Lake by Panther Cub "Maybe I should pull over," Tyler mumbled to himself while he squinted to peer out his windshield. The windshield wipers were going as fast as they could to wipe away the torrential rain coming down, but it was only barely enough. As far as he could tell, the black winged cat was still on the road. His headlights illuminated the dark trees on either side of the road and lit up the dotted white lines in the center. He took a quick second to check his GPS, and huffed as it read No Signal still. Then, the sky briefly lit up, and there was a crack of thunder that sounded like a gunshot. "Holy crap! That sounded close!" Tyler fidgeted a little, wondering again if he should pull over. But looking again at the sides of the road, there really wasn't much of an 'over' to pull off to. Then, he rounded a bend and his heart leapt. Lights! The twinkling lights of a town, hopefully his destination, lay just a few miles ahead. As he drew closer and closer to the town, the rain started to taper off, quickly becoming just a light drizzle, and then dispersing entirely. Looking up a little, he could see some stars and even the bright full moon starting to come out from the cloud cover. The glow of the moon lit up the drenched surrounding area a bit, just in time for his headlights to shine on a big wooden sign on the side of the road. "Welcome to Cherry Lake," Tyler read aloud, his green eyes now wide open, "the hidden gem we're all looking for." He felt that that was a bit of a strange slogan, but just shrugged. It was at least painted in beautiful paw-crafted calligraphy in a bright green on the white backing. Passing by it filled Tyler with a sudden sense of giddiness, so much so that he let out a happy giggle. He quickly got himself back under control, figuring that it was just relief at not only being out of the storm, but finally making it to his destination. And hopefully, the place he could finally get a fresh start on life. The streets were still soaked as Tyler entered town, his tires splashing through the occasional puddle. He stopped at a red light and pulled out his notepad with the directions written down on the first page. He noticed a sheriff car pass by and briefly felt worried that maybe this small town might not be so welcoming of him. But he quickly shook that thought away as he looked again at the directions to Mr. and Mrs. Marble's house. With his dwindling savings, he couldn't believe he'd found a room to rent at such a low price. And calling up the couple to see if it was still available... something about how they spoke just put Tyler at ease, which had not been an easy feat considering how badly he was doom-spiraling at the time. Driving around a little more, he spotted a street named Joy Avenue, and quickly turned down it. Slowing down a little to read the house numbers, he came to a stop in mild disbelief. It was a white two-story Colonial-style, with large bay windows, large white pillars, an impressively manicured front lawn and squarely trimmed hedges with a gravel driveway leading to a two-car garage. Thankfully, despite it being nearly eleven at night, there were plenty of lights on inside. With a nervous gulp, Tyler turned into the driveway and put his car in park, hesitating before killing the engine. He reached over to the passenger seat where his two suitcases and laptop in its carrying bag were stacked, and started grabbing them. After shutting and locking the car door, he looked back up at the impressive house and steeled himself. Worst case scenario, he'd have to leave and park somewhere to sleep in his car for the night. Tyler was halfway up the front steps when the front door opened, and he was bathed in a soft yellow light. "Ah, there he is!" A smiling brown-furred rabbit wearing a blue polo shirt and khaki slacks stood in the open doorway, his blue eyes twinkling. "Glad you made it here in one piece, son!" "Is that Tyler?" A soft feminine voice asked, belonging to a light gray rabbit in a bright blue dress, a frilly pink apron tied around it. Her brown eyes lit up with excitement as they beheld the winged cat. "Oh my goodness! Look how big you are!" "Uh..." Tyler stood there, stunned at the friendly voices he quickly recognized, being just as warm and welcoming as they had sounded over the phone. "Mr. and Mrs. Marble? It's, uh, n-nice to meet you!" He set down one of his suitcases and held his paw out to shake. Mr. Marble shook his paw and chuckled some more, startling Tyler as he pulled him into a hug. "We're huggers around here, son," Mr. Marble said, letting Tyler go and giving his headfur a ruffle. Tyler could feel his cheeks reddening beneath his black fur. "Harold, help the boy out of the cold! And sweetie, you look like you're absolutely famished. Please, let me make something nice and warm for you." "Uh, th-thanks, b-but I can carry it--" "Now, now, son. It doesn't hurt to let someone lend a helping paw once in a while," Harlod said, grabbing the suitcase with a grunt and herding the feline into the house. Tyler looked around, spotting a large family portrait. Mr. and Mrs. Marble were sitting under a tree on a bright sunny day, sitting in their laps were three young kits, two boys and a girl. Everyone was wearing their Sunday best and clearly in the middle of laughing. Seeing the picture brought back memories, bittersweet ones that he'd been trying to forget. "We took that picture last Easter," Mr. Marble said, causing Tyler to jump. "It was right before the big Egg Hunt!" "O-oh?" Tyler remembers scrounging around bushes and looking under rocks in search of colorfully dyed eggs to put in his basket, excited for each and every one he did find. "Yup! Here in Cherry Lake, it's actually a pretty big festival! And it's not too far off if you think you'd be interested in it." Mr. Marble gently clapped Tyler on the back. "Wait, do you mean helping set up and hide the eggs?" "Well, yes, we certainly can always use a helping paw when we're setting up for a festival around here," Mr. Marble chuckled while herding the winged cat down the hall and towards the kitchen. "But I also meant to join in on the fun! There's an Egg Hunt for the kits, and then one for adults." "Really?" Tyler felt the faint embers of excitement at the idea that he might get to be able to play the game again, after all these years. "Yup! First prize for adults is usually a gift certificate or voucher from one of the shops here in town. The kids basically compete for baskets of candy and toys, though the winner gets a really big one." "Oh, Harold, I know how excited you are for community projects, but Tyler just got here. Let's let him decompress after such a big trip and then get some shuteye. Then you can start trying to recruit him into helping out his new community!" "Yes, Clara," the bunny man chuckled and gave Tyler a mischievous wink before setting the suitcase down next to a pulled-out chair at the table. Tyler sniffed and winced as his stomach audibly growled. Mrs. Marble giggled as she stirred a pot on the stove, using her free paw to flip something over in a skillet. "Sounds to me like you could use a nice warm meal before bed, young man. Go ahead and take a seat, I'm almost done." "You don't need to fuss over me, Mrs. Marble, honest," Tyler said, feeling his cheeks flush at the sound of further giggling. "Oh hush now. I love cooking and we're not gunna let our special guest who'd just been out in the cold and the rain go to bed without something warm and tasty in their belly." Not wanting to be rude, Tyler sat down. A few seconds later, a bowl of steamy tomato soup and a plate with a golden brown grilled cheese sandwich, cut into triangles, as set before him. "Dig in, honey!" His tail giving a happy swish, Tyler picked up one of the triangles, feeling a little giddy at the sight of the stringy cheese, before dipping it into the soup. After letting it soak up all that tasty tomato goodness, he raised it to his mouth and took a bite. Tyler actually had to fight back tears, as the flavor washed all over him. Memories of being small and home sick, with a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich always helping to make him feel better. "Oh my goodness! It's just so wonderful to know that it's not just my family that likes my homemade tomato soup!" Clara Marble said, clasping her paws together. "This is homemade?" Tyler asked in amazement, dipping some more of the grilled cheese into the red steamy liquid. "It sure is, hun!" Clara looked like she was about to say more, but froze, her ears twitching. Her smile never wavered, even as she started to put on a stern-looking face, her paws on her hips. Tyler briefly worried he had done something to offend the kind rabbit lady. "Alright you three! It's rude to spy on our special guest. Come on out now." Tyler looked confused until he heard some snickers coming from around the doorway. In trotted the three children from the earlier family photo, now all wearing pj's. "Everyone, this is Tyler. I expect you all to be on your best behavior and make him feel welcome in our home." The trio nodded, all gazing curiously at him. Admittedly, it made the winged cat feel a little nervous. Almost like they knew something he didn't. Clara then gestured to the tallest of the bunnies, a girl with mostly white fir with a few caramel splotches. "This is Claire, our oldest at age eight." "Nice to meet you, Tyler!" She said with a giggle. Next to her was a gray-furred bunny boy, wearing a bright red cape attached to his deep blue pajama shirt. "Here is Jonny. He can be a bit of a ball of energy, but what six-year-old isn't?" Finally, the smallest of the trio stepped forward. He had all-black fur, was hugging a purple teddy bear that matched the color of his footed sleeper, and he had a bright blue pacifier in his muzzle. "And this is our littlest, Colin. He's a bit shy, which can be pretty normal for a two-year-old. He's also just the most inquisitive little guy you're ever gunna meet!" There was a lull in the conversation, and Tyler quickly realized that everyone was looking at him expectantly. Feeling his anxiety start to rise a little, he tried to think of what to say... "Yo, wassup l'il homies!" He internally shook his head at that, figuring that would just result in them pointing and laughing at him. H-hi there, guys! Tyler winced a little at just imagining how awkward he felt he was going to sound. "How's it goin', ya weird little munchkins!" He frowned, thinking that one sounded a little too mean. Deciding on the second option, Tyler smiled, doing his best to sound more confident than he did in his head. "H-hi there, guys!" He winced again, feeling even more awkward than he had been expecting it to feel. The children giggled, with the littlest bunny boy smiling up at him before walking up and wrapping his little arms around Tyler's leg in a hug. There were some coos from the parents and Claire at the sight. Blushing a bit, Tyler reached down and ruffled the little kit's headfur, not knowing what else to do. Colin beamed up at him with bright blue eyes. "Alright you three. It's time to head back to bed now that you've all introduced yourselves." Colin reluctantly detached himself from Tyler's leg and gave a wave, one which the feline was quick to return. Tyler then froze when Mrs. Marble turned towards him. "And don't think I've forgotten about you, young man. As soon as you've finished your meal, you'll be needing some shuteye, alright?" Tyler was quick to nod, his face heating up a little. He jumped a bit when he felt a paw clap his shoulder. "As soon as you're all finished, I'll show you your new room," Harold said with a twinkle in his eye. Tyler nodded and sat back down. Reflecting on the interactions was quite the surprise. Having spoken to Harold and Clara over the phone when he'd found the advertised room for rent, they had both been pleasant and polite, but he hadn't been expecting something as... warm and inviting as this. Thinking back to his own childhood household... yeah, on second thought, probably best not to go there. Soon enough, the soup and remaining grilled cheese is all gone. Making sure to rinse off the dishes in the sink before heading up. Only now did he notice the soft eggshell blue of the wallpaper, offset by the earthy chestnut brown hardwood flooring. The staircase leading up had a white bannister, with photos of the children at different events and stages of life lining the wall up to the next story. "Thanks for rinsing off your dishes, Tyler." Harold praised, making the winged cat jump and his fur stick out in surprise. "Uh... n-not a problem, Mr. Marble." Tyler blushed at his mumbling. The gentle pat on the back made him look up at the bunny man. "Now, now, please, call me Harold!" "... O-okay, Harold." Harold's eyes twinkled again in amusement. "Now let's get you to your room! It's the one at the end of the hall." As Harold led the way, Tyler followed behind, his wings gently flapping a little. The first door they passed was open, showing a bathroom, with two little colorful stools sitting next to the sink, presumably for the boys. Next door was closed, with Claire posted on it in bright pink and glittery wooden letters. Catty corner to her room was John's door, as his had the same wooden letters sticking to it, in red and blue. Next to John's bedroom door was little Colin's. His was halfway open, green and orange letters spelling out his name. Inside, Clara was sitting in a rocking chair next to a solid oak crib, the little kit in her lap, hugging a blue plush dragon and sucking on his binky. She was quietly reading him a bedtime story, the entire scene just tugging at Tyler's heartstrings. "Here we are, Tyler," Harold said, pushing open a soft white door. Tyler smiled, the room painted a deep forest green, which went well with the hardwood as well. There was a desk resting under a window with a matching green curtain covering it. Tyler's luggage was set on top of an old-fashioned steamer trunk set at the foot of the queen-sized bed. Off to the side was a door that opened to a private bathroom, with an indoor closet close to it as well. Above was a ceiling fan with lights and a small lamp on the bedside table. "Now I know that it's a bit spartan, but I'm sure we can make it much more comfortable for you as you get all settled in." "N-no! It's fine as it is!" Tyler said, meaning it. "Are you sure? I mean, before, it had been decorated by Claire for a little sleepover she had with some of her friends... and we figured that you might not appreciate all the bows and ruffles and lace and glitter." Tyler tried to repress a shudder at the thought of him sleeping in such a room. "If you'd prefer a change, don't be afraid to let us know... even if you'd like us to put it back to its pretty princess theme." Tyler rolled his eyes, and shook his head. "Uhm... thanks, but yeah, I think I like this best." "Okay, Bud! Now if you need anything, feel free to come and get us, we're just upstairs." "Will do, Harold." Tyler smiled. "Goodnight, Tyler," Harold said, heading to the door. "Goodnight." Finally left to his own devices, Tyler went to his suitcase and unzipped it, unfolding his clothes and hanging them up in the closet. He stopped and looked at his dark blue suit, considering wearing it to his upcoming interview. It was his best suit, one of the last gifts his father ever gave him... and yet his eyes were immediately drawn to some tears down the right lapel, stitched together the best he could, but noticeable nonetheless. His frown deepened as he took in the left side, in the midsection, where there was a large slice also stitched closed. Despite the dark blue, he could still see some of the bloodstain. His paws started to shake and his breath became more rapid as looking upon the suit brought him right back to that terrible night... NO! He won't think about it tonight. Getting it on a hanger, he hung it up in the closet. Next to it was a bright green polo shirt that would go well with a pair of khaki slacks. While a suit and tie were typically considered more professional for a job interview, the shabby state of his only one did not sit well for Tyler, On the other paw, the green polo and khakis was a look that also seemed professional, and the fact that these were new and devoid of any cuts or blood stains... The winged cat took a moment to consider it, and decided to lay out the polo and khakis for the interview. He let out a yawn and changed into his favorite pj's, a simple gray tank top and matching shorts, Tyler went into his new bathroom and brushed his teeth before slipping into bed and turning out the light. He had just closed his eyes, when he heard a quiet creak from the bedroom door opening. Cracking open his eyes, he saw Colin try to tiptoe into the room, his arms behind his back. "Colin?" Tyler said in a quiet voice, sitting up. Startled at being caught, the little black bunny jumped a bit before looking down at his feet, covered in his purple footed sleeper. Still sucking on his binky, the bunny approached Tyler and pulled his purple teddy bear out from behind his back. He pushed the plush towards the grown cat, eyes wide and hopeful. Tyler thought about his options. His first option would be to gently refuse the toy, but he got the feeling that it would make Colin upset. He could accept the plush friend and worried about anyone finding him with it. Would the Marbles' assume he'd just taken it from the baby of the family? Or would they find it weird that he'd sleep with a stuffed animal? Looking back down at Colin, Tyler sighed and smiled, taking the teddy-bear from him. "Th-thanks, little dude. I'll hold onto him for a little while, okay?" Colin happily nodded and practically ran back out the room, letting out an excited giggle. Tyler felt good about making the little guy so happy, but then looked down at the purple teddy bear. It had black button eyes, a bright pink nose, and a small smile stitched onto its muzzle. Something about the plushie just felt so... familiar. Getting back under the covers, he turned the bear over, that familiar feeling really starting to bug the feline in the back of his mind. Just as he was about to set it on the bedside table, Tyler let out a large yawn, and curled up, unaware that he was hugging the bear to his chest now, and drifted off to sleep. The Next Day... Golden sunlight shone down, causing the dewdrops to twinkle as Tyler slowly drove by. After a quick, yet delicious, breakfast of oatmeal with some fresh raspberries added in, Harold and Clara wished him a good day just as they started to get their kits ready for school, and in Colin's case, a playdate. The more he observed the Marble family, the more Tyler felt a pang of hurt. Pushing those feelings aside and concentrating on the directions that Harold had given him to get to his interview. After leaving the quaint neighborhoods behind, Tyler stopped the car at an intersection, his breath catching in his throat. Houses and buildings gave way to the sight of the lake that the town took its name from. It was massive with crystal clear waters lapping against a nearby dock. Practically ringing the body of water were cherry blossoms, in full bloom. Reluctantly, as he felt he could just stare at the picturesque scene for hours, he turned right and headed up the main street. It was actually pretty quaint seeing all the little businesses he was passing by. He spotted a surprisingly large raccoon man in a green apron sweeping the sidewalk in front of a bakery. He spotted Tyler and smiled, giving a hearty wave, which the feline returned. As he drove on, in the direction of his upcoming interview, he once more couldn't believe his sudden stroke of luck. Having been looking down the barrel of homelessness, now here he was, in this idyllic little town, renting a room with the last of his dwindled savings, about to give his all to land a job at said town's local candy factory. Cresting a hill, he could see it, a large building built right next to the water, a giant water wheel turning in a river feeding into the lake. The building seemed to be made of brick, and was painted a bright cherry red. "Here goes nothing," Tyler muttered to himself, briefly checking to make sure his fur still looked brushed and presentable, and that his polo shirt and khakis were wrinkle free. Giving his reflection a nod, he continued on towards the unknown, feeling a burst of confidence bloom in his chest. Let me know what you guys think of the idea so far!

Long time lurker. This is the first story I have written. Writing isn’t my strength, and It takes me forever to write, re-read, and rewrite. I have already written 20 chapters. I hope everyone finds this story different but interesting. This is a slow burn, but it does get into the diapers and regression. It will take a few chapters to really get into it. I can see this going for at least another 20 chapters on top of the twenty chapters already written. Chapter 1: The New Intern Avery let out a deep sigh of relief as he read the email he had just received from the biomedical technology department. He was finally being recognized for his hard work and dedication. His complex calculations and programming to demonstrate the interactions between a relatively new drug and a person's DNA had proven correct and valuable, leading to him being hired over a month ago - despite the doubt and ridicule from his colleagues. He leaned back in his chair, feeling overwhelmed with emotions. On the one hand, he was elated that his efforts were beginning to be acknowledged, but on the other hand, he felt uncertain if this would lead to further respect or more challenges from those who never believed in him. A sense of pride mixed with apprehension began to stir within him, thoughts of the potential applications of this research tumbling through his mind. Ever since Avery Sage was a little boy, he has experienced problems with keeping his pants dry. Maybe it had something to do with the car accident that claimed the lives of his parents. Perhaps the foster homes he cycled through caused him stress, or maybe he would have always had this problem. All he knew for sure was that he needed to wear protection when out in public because when he got stressed, his bladder gave way. As a result, whenever he left the security of his home, he wore pull-ups, which made him feel like a little kid and dampened his confidence. His confidence wasn't helped because he was only five foot and one inch tall for a young man. These anxieties certainly didn’t help his mental health. He suffered from depression, anxiety, and insomnia. He regularly saw a psychiatrist and was on medication, but life could still be a struggle. He thought back to his first week of work. Avery graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Biochemistry at the age of 18. A year later, he was offered an internship while working on his master's in Biochemistry and Genetics. Avery stepped through the doors of DNA Pharmacia, feeling equal parts nervousness and excitement. He had been preparing for this moment his whole life – the chance to finally earn some respect and prove all those who had doubted him wrong. Flashbacks filled his mind of all the running between foster care families he had endured; it had made his self-confidence falter, but nonetheless provided the motivation for him to finish high school years early and break free from the wings of his current foster family. Now was the time to show what he was made of. As Avery sat in the HR office, he wore his dress clothes for his first day, which was saying much– a little too large for his slim, small frame – but still managing to make him feel small and helpless against the world around him. People seemed to look through him everywhere he went as if he were invisible, yet he couldn't shake off the nagging sensation that all eyes were upon him. His shoulders sagged under the weight of defeat that shrouded his self-confidence. His wavery, untamed hair was combed back the best it could be. “Ok, Avery.” Julian, the HR representative, said. “You're done. You're officially an employee of DNA Pharmacia.” “I won’t let you down. I promise.” Avery smiled as he stood up and reached across the desk to shake Julian’s hand. Julian's expression was warm and encouraging as he shook Avery's hand. Julian was a tall, distinguished man in his late thirties, wearing a navy blue suit and a striped tie. His brown eyes twinkle with kindness, and he has a slight, friendly smirk while speaking to Avery. His handshake was firm but slightly frail, making Avery feel nervous that he had no idea if he could uphold such a promise. Doesn't everyone think that on their first day at work? Avery thought to himself. Julian just smiled back at him from his kind face, like he could read Avery's mind. “Great, I am hoping for good things from you. Shall I show you to your new desk and department?” Julian returned the smile. “Yes, please,” Avery followed Julian out of the room. They took two flights up in the elevator to a department called “Chemical DNA Sequencing Department.” and walked side-by-side down the long corridors of the main building. They passed glass panels on every wall and Avery marveled at how modern this building was. He watched sensors scanning vials of chemicals and equipment, feeding data into computers across the room. It was clear no money had been spared in making DNA a cutting-edge company. Every window they passed made him want to stop and ask what was happening; it all looked so exciting, and he couldn’t wait to start. All this made him forget that he secretly wore a pull-up underneath his clothes as protection was needed. It was down one of these corridors that Avery met an older man. The man had a strong jawline and sharp features, aged but wise. His eyes were a deep blue, crinkling at the corners when he smiled. His gray hair was neatly trimmed, and his beard was flecked with silver. He wore a crisp white shirt with black trousers and polished black shoes. He towered over Avery with an air of authority, yet his demeanor was warm and friendly. Avery recognized him from some of the interviews he had gone through to land this job. “Welcome! You must be our marvelous new intern. I am Bryan Wells, and you'll report directly to me! At your desk we have a laptop and a corporate iPhone with the works waiting there for you. From your resume and job interviews, my colleagues have noticed your peculiar knack for math and biochemistry, so we have an exciting task ahead for you! On your desk is a folder that outlines our challenge: debug a computational logic program that looks at DNA to determine designer drugs for fighting cancer. It's a riddle waiting to be solved - think you can do it? Report back any bugs as soon as possible, and we'd be grateful!” Bryan said cheerfully as he led Avery to his desk. “Yes, sir,” Avery replied. He would have agreed to do whatever Bryan needed. He was eager to impress. Bryan continued to talk to Avery. It was a one-sided conversation. Avery was too in awe of everything he was seeing to really contribute much. For him, this place was like a dream—top-level research with some of the smartest people in the world where his work could actually help people. Avery looked around the room. A long row of cubicles ran down one wall with a dozen or so scientists already hard at work on their projects. Avery's desk was tucked into the corner by an emergency exit. The light blue walls were sparse, containing only a few motivational posters and pictures of animals from Earth. Bryan led him to his chair and showed him how he could adjust it to fit him since the chair was probably to tall for him. Avery blushed a little but said nothing about it. Bryan reviewed with him how to log in to the server and the IT policies on using company-issued equipment. Bryan also went over where the relevant programs were located; he would review the folder with all the notes on the development of this program. “If you need anything, come to find me over there,” Bryan pointed to his private office. “The other scientists and engineers should be coming around to introduce themselves to you today.” “Ok, sounds good… And thank you for this opportunity,” Avery said as Bryan returned to his office. On that first day, he met a few scientists and a few engineers. They all seemed friendly enough, even though Avery didn’t have much to say. He wanted to just focus on the task at hand. He felt he had something to prove. Avery had been dealt a tough hand; growing up in the foster care system meant that he was constantly met with obstacles and negative comments. He was told time and again what he couldn’t do, but instead of accepting those limitations as his fate, he used them as motivation. Everyone’s doubts about him only strengthened his desire to prove them all wrong. The rest of the day was slow. Avery needed help concentrating on the program he had been asked to look at. Quite frankly, it was dull, and after seeing all the other scientists and engineers doing much more exciting things, Avery was keen to do something that felt more meaningful. This need to do something drew him to the thick handbook about all the research involved with this program and more. He was fascinated with it. Avery brought the program to his apartment that night. He abstained from indulging in his usual nightly video game escapades. Instead, he spent hours poring over the computational intricacies of DNA's involvement in cancerous growths, absorbed in deciphering the energy states of cancer cells. The realization that this program was an amalgamation of these complex calculations completely captivated him, particularly as he examined how the drug had to be manipulated to match the energy state of the cancer cells so that it would interact effectively with them. It was nothing less than astounding. As he delved deeper into the notes, he discovered a vexing inconsistency in one of the mathematical formulas that disrupted the programming and prevented it from reaching a conclusion on what drug was needed for treatment. Avery closed the notebook for the night, satisfied he knew what he could start looking at and he was glad to be out of the pull-up for the day. As he lay in bed, his mind kept running through what he had read. His insomnia medication meant he wasn’t awake for long, but even in sleep, it felt like his brain was searching through everything he had learned the previous day. The morning came too quickly as his alarm went off. “Ugh, I hate mornings,” Avery muttered as he hit the snooze button repeatedly. The alarm kept ringing, and every time it did, Avery reached out a hand and hit the snooze button again. It was an almost instinctive reaction to the annoying noise. His brain wasn’t clicking into gear. All he knew was that he wanted more sleep. At one point, as the alarm went, Avery pawed at the snooze button yet again but only ended up knocking his phone off the bedside table. “Oh shit,” He said as he looked up at the clock. It was 7:30 a.m. He was supposed to be at work at 8:00 a.m. His alarm had been going on and off since 6:00 a.m. this morning. Avery quickly removed his boxers and slipped on new pull-ups, light gray tan dockers, and a maroon golf shirt. He quickly wet down his hair and combed it back, knowing it would still look like a mess when his hair dried. Avery quickly left to grab the bus to work at 7:30 a.m. and hopefully be at work at 8:00 am. It was a rush, and Avery didn’t feel particularly ready, but as he walked out of the front door into the early morning air. He didn’t know how anyone could be a “morning person” when he always felt… tired. That morning, when Avery got to work, the first thing he did was get a large cup of coffee. Afterward, he sat down at his desk and began to take a look at the code. The code wasn’t easy to follow. It didn’t follow too much of a logical path in his mind. Two hours later, John Taylor, the most Sr, Engineer on the project and project lead, stopped by his desk. John was a 45-year-old engineer with a commanding presence and an ego to match. He stood at an imposing 6'2" and had a burly build that spoke of years of physical labor. Despite his advancing age, his muscles were still firm, and his torso remained taut, reflecting an unwavering commitment to physical fitness. Avery thought John's walk exuded confidence, each step resonating with a deliberate thud. His posture was impeccable, with his chest puffed out and his chin held high. He had a square jaw and piercing blue eyes that seemed to bore through any obstacle in their way. This made Avery very anxious to be around him. He was very much the opposite of Avery, who was dressed in a pair of tan dockers and a collared maroon shirt That he had quickly thrown on minutes before leaving the house. If someone were to judge Avery. They would say he dressed not to cause a stir and just wanted to blend in. The differences between the timid Avery and John, who exuded machismo and confidence, couldn’t have been starker. John wore an expensive suit that hugged his broad shoulders and accentuated his chiseled physique, a testament to his attention to detail and his love of the finer things in life. “Impressive work on one of my projects, huh?” John scowled as he snatched the notebook off his desk. “I wouldn't waste your time with all the irrelevant data scribbled in here. It'll do nothing but distract you.” He flicked it to the other side of his desk like an afterthought. Avery noticed John's hazel eyes were framed by creases that spoke to years of meticulous research studies and calculations. “I tried to get a grip on it, but honestly, I stumbled over the complex calculations necessary for developing designer drugs. Despite that, I was still captivated by the work yesterday." Avery sighed, not convinced of his own abilities to do this kind of research but determine to make a difference still. “Well, just weed out the bugs and get the program working. My team and I will take care of the rest.” Johns said with a condescending smile. “If you do that, you will do good here, kid!” “It’s just….” Avery started. He wanted to prove his knowledge by suggesting a change to the handbook. “Seriously, don’t worry about it.” John cut Avery off with ease. Avery felt a little put out by this overconfident man. He had been hired to be equal to all the other scientists, and yet John was acting like he was somebody hired to do data entry. He knew he could make the program run better and make the handbook better; he just needed John to listen to him. “I’m just thinking that if we…” Avery tried again. “If you have any suggestions, just write them down and slip them under my door,” John said as he started walking away without looking over his shoulder. The rest of the day went on without a hitch. A few people came by and tried to introduce themselves to him, but he kept the small talk to a minimum and just wanted to look over the program. Avery took a lot of notes that day. At the end of the day, he decided to retake the notebook home and leave the laptop at the office. He left the office at 4:30 p.m. to catch the bus at 5 p.m. If he missed the bus past 6 p.m., there wouldn't be another bus till morning. He was hungrier than normal because he skipped lunch all day to work on debugging the program. He stopped by a McDonald's and ordered a Big Mac. As he stood in line, he couldn't help but notice the Happy Meals on the counter, offering small Lego kits to children. It was a cruel marketing strategy to exploit parents and make them buy more Lego sets for their already spoiled kids. He knew this well, but it only reminded him of his own childhood, one filled with deprivation and lack of affection. He watched as the children played with their toys, ignoring the food in front of them - something he would have cherished as a child. But no, he was never allowed such frivolous things growing up; his foster parents made sure to remind him how unworthy he was of such luxuries. The memory brought back painful emotions that festered deep within him.

Hey there, readers! This is... kinda awkward, but it happened again. A new idea for a cute story popped into my head and, well... here's the beginning of a new story! I hope that you enjoy it! Back to Basics (Part 1) by Panther Cub "Alright, Ma'am, I'm gunna need you to pull over into the inspection lane." The tuxedo cat looked down at the jackrabbit lady, the sunlight reflecting off his aviator sunglasses, his mouth a hard frown as he pointed at the lane he had just instructed her to drive towards. She looked up at him from inside her small brown car, a look of confusion on her face. "Please don't start with me this early in the morning," the tuxedo cat mumbled under his breath as she opened her mouth to speak. "Is this some kind of a joke?" The jackrabbit lady didn't even try to keep the giggle from her voice. Tristan hated the fact that he could feel his black and white cheeks starting to blush. From where he sat perched on his special work stool, Tristan bit back a growl and simply frowned deeper, making sure to speak authoritatively. He could feel the snow white feathers on his wings starting to fluff up a bit. "Ma'am, you need to pull over into the inspection lane right now. I won't ask a third time." His paw was already settled onto his radio. "Are you playing inspection officer, cutiepie?" She cooed up at him. The cat felt his blush deepen and his tail began to swish faster in his aggravation. The fact that he could hear a faint crinkling as it did so didn't help. "Charlie 54 Delta, code 11." The jackrabbit looked away from the kitten sitting in what was very clearly a highchair painted black to match his cute little uniform, to see several officers dressed similarly approaching. A large brown and white spotted female owl took up position in the booth right next to Tristan and looked the driver dead in the eyes with a hardness to her own steely gray ones. "Driver! Pull into the designated inspection lane now. This is your final warning!" Lieutenant Haelga was not one to mess around, and the jackrabbit lady immediately knew it. "Wait... am I in trouble?" "He, like every other inspection officer here, radios in a Code 11 when a driver is not complying and driving into the inspection lane after being instructed to do so. Failure to comply can lead to detainment in addition to the inspection of your vehicle as well as count as resisting arrest if you continue to fail to comply." "Now wait just one second... you mean that that... baby is actually working here?! That can't be legal!" Tristan rolled his eyes at that, feeling some satisfaction as the lady was then asked to step out of the vehicle by Officer Skyson. While a bit on the portly side, the vulture was still very intimidating when he wanted to be, like when the jackrabbit lady started to object to her being detained, until he gave her his patented glare. Another officer climbed into the car and drove it away from the booth and into the inspection lane. "Y'know, Tristan," Haelga said with a smirk as she looked down at the kitten, "it really impresses me how much you're able to not lose your cool when these drivers pull this crap." Tristan smiled, feeling his blush fade a bit as he sat up a little straighter in his work stool that was totally not a high chair at some point. "Thanks, boss!" "And remember to call in if you need a quick change." His ears splayed flat at that while his blush returned in full force. "Understood, Lieutenant..." "Oh! And one more thing!" Haelga turned just as she was about to shimmy out of the booth, smiling down at her protege. "Yeah?" "I'm putting you in charge of helping to train the new gal when she starts next week." Tristan had sat in on the interview and gotten to ask a few questions. The new hire's name was Mia, and she was also a tuxedo cat, though she didn't have wings like he did. Also, she wasn't trapped in the body of a two-year-old. Well, to be fair it was more like the body of a one and three-quarter-year-old, but Tristan preferred to round up. He liked how she had been professional and not immediately fawned over him the moment she saw him, like so many applicants had already. That or just ignored him and his questions. He suspected that that was partly why he was selected to help with the interview process, to help weed out some of the less-professional ones. Overall, Mia's qualifications were just fine and she answered all of their questions professionally and succinctly. If he recalled correctly, she was twenty-eight, nine years younger than himself. "I won't let you down, Boss!" He said, resuming his duties as another car pulled in next to his booth. "Good morning sir." "... Is this some kind of a joke?" Tristan sighed and looked at the alpaca in the business suit just staring right at him with a slack-jawed expression. "Sir... I'm gunna need you to pull into the inspection lane up on the right here." * * * Tristan sighed as he watched the forested landscape pass by. Seeing the ever burbling creek going under the little bridge the car quickly passed over always made the kitten smile. But today he just wasn't feeling it. It wasn't a long drive home from work, but when you have to carpool because legally you can't drive anymore... and you have to sit in the back in a car seat, it can make the trip feel like it takes a bit longer than it should. "You line up a ride for next week?" Frank asked from the driver's seat. The gruff old bull looked at the winged kitten in the rearview mirror. "Yeah. I'll be carpooling with the new hire. She already agreed to it, and said that since she lives close by to where I live, it won't be an inconvenience to her." "Good..." Despite sharing a ride to and from work with one another for the last six months, Tristan still found talking with his older coworker to be very awkward. "Yeah... so this is really it then?" Tristan asked as they passed by into the town outskirts, a few houses dotting the now grassy and hilly landscape the forest gave way to. "Yup. Been looking forward to retirement for awhile now." Frank cracked a smile as he came to an intersection and took a left, driving past the bar and grill. The local grocery store flew past next, followed by the elementary school shortly after. Seeing the old school brought back some fond memories to the kitten. A few more turns later, and Frank was pulled up right in front of Tristan's house. It was a simple ranch-style layout. He winced as he took note, yet again, of how badly the old white house was in desperate need of a new paint job. The black and white kitten had to wait for the bull to get out and come around to the backseat door Tristan was looking out of. Opening said door and using his hoof fingers, Frank pressed the big red button in the center of the five point safety harness that was keeping Tristan safe and sound in his carseat. The diminutive feline hopped down and grabbed the bright blue and red child's backpack he used to carry around his lunch and other stuff for work inside, watching as the bull grunted and snorted in frustration, trying to get the carseat all disconnected from how it had been installed. Finally, it came free, and Frank carried it over to the front door, setting it down. He walked back to the car and shut the backseat door, ruffling Tristan's headfur as he did so. "It's been fun, kiddo. Good night." Tristan frowned and batted away at the hoof, giving Frank a sour look. "I'm not a kid... but thank you Frank for the help. Good night, and... goodbye, I guess." Frank smiled and got back inside his bright white car, driving off. The late afternoon light reflecting in the rearview mirror. Tristan walked towards the house, looking left and right, hoping none of his nosy neighbors would bug him today. He knew that they meant well, like old Mrs. Dorrington. "Last thing I need is for someone to call CPS over here again," he muttered under his breath as he fished out his keys from his pocket. He had to reach up a little to get the deadbolt, but after that and the doorknob, and a bit of a shove, he was inside. "Home sweet home." Tristan sighed as he grabbed his carseat and dragged it through the door, which he then shut and locked. Glad that it was the weekend, he undid his tie and unbuttoned his uniform shirt. They were casually tossed aside, along with his pants. Walking by the full-length hallway mirror, he saw a little black and white kitten with stark white wings, wearing a swollen white diaper with green trim. It was after he saw his reflection that Tristan realized he was waddling more. He let out another sigh as his waddling continued on into the bathroom. He looked at the pack of Snuggies and saw he was already halfway through it. He made a mental note to walk on down to the grocery store in the next couple of days to restock. Looking at the other changing supplies and the changing mat laid out on the tile, he briefly reflected on how, thanks to his new height, he had to move everything to a reachable surface, or even just put things on the ground. The exception to this would be his stool in the kitchen. Stripping off his used diaper and balling it up to toss into the awaiting trash pail, Tristan opened his shower door and stepped inside. Dinner that night was a can of Pasta-O's, heated up in the microwave, with a box of juice on the side. As Tristan parked his padded bottom, that may or may not have required some additional adjusting of the tapes in the mirror in the hallway after he had powdered and diapered himself once he had dried himself off; in the old armchair, having to climb up onto it, he carefully pulled the nearby tv tray closer. He tucked a paper towel into his shirt, and scooped out a spoonful. Grimacing at the bland tomato soupy flavor and the chewy and mushy pasta, he reflected on how good a steak, done at medium rare, or some burger patties cooked on his grill tasted. He then frowned and huffed, that having been the first reason a neighbor called CPS after his transformation. Sighing, he started flipping through channels, stopping on some kind of documentary about the new wave popularity of that old boy band Small to Big, rebranded after they got a similar change to Tristan. He let out a growl and quickly changed the channel. "Stupid Regressus Inc. and they're stupid rejuvenation formula... and stupid me for taking that crap." His ears splayed flat on his head as he remembered how excited he'd been when he'd found out that there was an actual legit drug out there that could reverse the aging process. Doing some research, he learned that people could pick their ideal ages and then age regularly again. Tristan had spent almost all of his twenties, his physical prime, taking care of his sick parents. He spotted a picture from back when he was around this age the first time, coincidentally wearing the exact same shirt he was now, being held by his Mom and Dad. She had been a tuxedo cat like himself. His father, being a bald eagle, was where he'd gotten his wings from. Though he suspected it was Mom's fur coloration that caused them to be white. He smiled at the happy family in the photo, trying not to think about how first his father had been the one to get the Big C... and then his mother. They had both insisted that he finish school and get his degree, which he thankfully did. But after graduation, the roles had reversed, and he had started taking care of them. The few friends he had made in college all lived out of town, and he slowly lost touch with them... including Caroline. The sweet tigress had gotten her degree in marine biology and couldn't wait to get out on the ocean. They'd... no, he wasn't going to think about that, and he certainly wasn't going to cry about it. They had made their choices, and even though it had taken a decade when all was said and done, and left him practically penniless, at least before he managed to get a job at the checkpoint. But still, could he really be blamed for wanting to just reclaim that section of his life back? To get to actually be in his twenties? Looking down at the Snuggies with the happy diapered chibi baby lion smiling up at him, he felt that apparently some aspect of fate felt so. As it turned out, there was a small percentage of the population, about 7% overall, who were allergic to the Rejuvenation formula. Rather than get tested, Tristan figured the odds were in his favor. And for a month, it had seemed like they were. Minutes after taking the formula, which turned out to be a spray you inhaled, he had felt a tingling sensation spread out from his face to all over his body. After a few minutes, his clothes felt a little looser, and looking in the mirror, he saw a face he hadn't seen in too long. He'd tried going out to some clubs in the city, which had been... ok, at least in his book. He'd gone down to the coast to try wind-surfing, which had been pretty fun, but wasn't really his thing. He'd tried taking up a bunch of different hobbies, ranging from woodworking to beekeeping, but, aside from a slight pain in his back now being gone, he more or less felt the same. Still, though, he was younger and now had more time to think about what he wanted to do with his life. Then came the morning he'd woken up after having a terrible dream. It was something about being in a neverending daycare, but it was all dusty and covered in cobwebs and empty. The more he'd walked through it, the more he felt a tingling in his whole body, just like when he took the formula. When he awoke, he learned two things. The first, was that he'd shrunk to the size of a toddler, which was right around when he tried getting out of bed and fell on the floor. He bumped his head in doing so, and couldn't stop crying for a good few minutes. The second thing he had learned shortly after was that he seemed to have lost his potty training. That made him bawl outright. It had taken some time, some doctor visits, some proving he knew who he was, knew what year it was, and that he was still mentally an adult, and some thinking on his superiors' superiors part before he'd been allowed to continue working. It was after the first couple of months after his change, when he noticed something odd when he would measure himself with an old yardstick he had found. Not only was he not gaining any new height, he seemed to be shrinking still. Terrified that this meant he'd be transformed into a newborn or something, he had gone to his doctor. After another round of tests, it was determined that while Tristan was shrinking, that was simply because the formula was only finally almost finished. Physically, he'd been hoping to be around the age of three. Instead, his doctor placed him as being just under two. Tristan finished off his Pasta-O's and drank his juice, grape, his favorite, and continued watching TV until he started getting sleepy. He huffed when he saw that it was only 7:37, but knew that his much smaller body would just be getting more tired. He switched off the tv, grabbed his bowl and juice box, and hopped down to the floor. Walking into his kitchen, he used the stool to put the dishes in the sink and run a little water in them. He put his juice box and paper towel into the trash, huffing in frustration when he saw that there were some red splotches on it. Feeling around his mouth and chin confirmed that he'd dribble... again, and so wet another paper towl to clean around his mouth and chin. He then brushed his teeth, checked to make sure all the doors and windows were locked, checked his diaper to find it only a little damp, and then made his way into his bedroom. There, his mattress lay right on the floor, sheets and blankets strewn about on it. Falling out and bumping his head had become a bit of a problem, and this had been his solution. Climbing in, he curled up under the blankets, remembering how his Dad had loved to read him stories when he was this little for bedtime, and how Mom always tucked him in. He let out a little whimper as he listened to his silent and empty house, and started to drift off to sleep. The next day... "Let's see... I'm feeling like... OH! Your Mom's orange chicken recipe!" Mia purred while pushing the cart through the aisles while talking on her phone. The panthress would stop and grab something off the bright yellow list her wife had written. She rounded the corner, and stopped. She spotted a cute little kitten with dark black fur like her own, with a splash of white on his muzzle and chin that matched the color of his wings. He was wearing a pair of denim shortalls over a red shirt. She wondered where his parents were, looking around to spot who might be accompanying the little boy. Then she saw him start climbing the shelves, clearly going for the Cocoa Bombs at the top. "Woah there!" She said, walking up and plucking him off the shelves, turning him around to face her. "That was too dangerous, little guy! You could have fallen and gotten hurt." She said this in a gentle yet firm voice, seeing his ears droop and a blush form on his cheeks. "Mia?" He squeaked out in embarrassment. It was right then that the panthress realized where she recognized this specific kitten from and set him right down. "M-Mr. Granna?" Now it was Mia's turn to blush, practically matching his own, despite her dark fur. "I am so sorry! I didn't know that it was you!" Tristan held up a paw. "It's alright, it was an honest mistake. And please, call me Tristan." Internally he cringed at how her light scolding had made him feel ashamed for what he'd been caught doing. "And... maybe it was a bit... ill advised of me to try and scale the shelves there. I guess I could have gotten an employee to help me get down the Cocoa Bombs." Mia had to choke back a coo at how adorable Tristan was when she first met him in the interview. She had heard of some people having an allergic reaction to the Rejuvenation formula, and thankfully his condition had been explained right before she had entered the room the interview was conducted in, but still. He was a little kitten with wings. She just wanted to pick him up and cuddle him nonstop right then and there! And now, here he was, looking guilty and chastened and just served to enhance his natural adorableness. "Well, since I'm already right here," Mia said, easily grabbing the box of cereal with the chocolate bat advertising the chocolate balls filled with marshmallow goodness. She handed it to him and her heart practically melted at the look of excitement on his face as he took it from her, practically hugging the box before he set it in a nearby shopping basket. Looking inside, she could see several cans of Pasta-O's, some packages of juice boxes,a jar of extra chunky peanut butter, and a loaf of bread. Thanking her for her help, Tristan started to push the basket down the aisle, leading Mia to suspect that he couldn't carry it. "Wait, Tristan!" She walked over to him, smiling as he looked up at her with those big blue eyes of his. She reigned herself back in, remembering that he had the mind of an adult, just in a toddler's body. "Yeah?" "That... looks like a lot for you to try and carry, and pushing it around seems like it'll take forever." "Okay? It's not like I've got much choice. I can't push a cart around." Tristan began to suspect what Mia was getting at. "How about I help? We can put your things on the left side of the cart, and I can grab anything else off the high shelves for you?" Mia was worried that maybe she'd overstepped. Tristan mulled it over for a bit. "Well... okay, I guess that could work... but I am NOT riding around in the baby seat!" He crossed his arms at that, trying to look stern. Mia again almost cooed at the kitten before her. "Deal!" She then bent down and grabbed his basket, gently putting his items on the left inside her own cart, and scooting a few things over to the right. Walking side by side, they continued shopping, with Mia getting looks at the items on Tristan's list. She couldn't help but notice that a lot of his food seemed to be meals already made or in cans. "Oh my goodness," an elderly female coyote said with a happy smile. "Your little one is just so sweet and well-behaved! You must be so proud!" Tristan had to fight the urge to correct this lady and inform her that he is indeed an adult, just one that was regressed, and most certainly not Mia's child. "Uh... thank you so much!" Mia was polite and blushed a little, looking down at Tristan and shooting him a pleading look. He just sighed and waved his paw dismissively. When the old lady was out of earshot did they resume speaking. "Sorry about that, Tristan." "It's okay... better than someone picking me up and carrying me to the manager to report a lost child... again..." "Do things like that happen often?" Tristan blushed. "Yeah... I mean, I know that they mean well, but it really stinks regardless." They rounded a corner, and Tristan's blush deepened. It was the baby care aisle. At first, Mia didn't get why he looked so embarrassed, until; it clicked for her just where in the store they were. "O-oh! We can just go around another aisle..." "Can't... I... kinda need to get some things here." Tristan kept his voice even as he walked past a row of bibs and a row of pacifiers. Mia followed behind, watching the kitten slow down in the diaper section. He looked through all the different packages before grabbing a big red Snuggies pack. His cheeks now almost crimson, he avoided looking at the larger feline, and set it on the little shelf under the cart. This was followed by a tub of wipes and a canister of baby powder. "Okay, I'm done here," he said, starting to walk off. Mia followed behind. just wanting to pick him up and hug him and let the downtrodden kitten know that everything was going to be okay. As they walked to the register area, Mia felt a need to cut through the sudden tension. "Y'know, I love cooking. Maybe Sally and I can have you over some time for a nice home cooked meal." "Uh... that sounds nice," Tristan said, trying to sound polite. They reach the checkout in silence, apart from another nice older lady, this one a mouse, again complimenting Mia for how well-behaved Tristan was. Mia started setting Tristan's items onto the belt first, followed by her own. Despite knowing better, Mia felt guilty about letting Tristan pay for his groceries. She smiled as the teenaged border collie smiled and handed him the bags, until he started to struggle, and then took the heavier things and set them back in Mia's cart. Tristan wanted to object, but elected not to, blushing in silence instead. With Mia's items paid for and bagged, the two exited the store. "Did you get a ride over here?" Mia asked, looking at Tristan expectantly. "Oh... uh... no. Fuber doesn't have many drivers out here, and only one of them has a carseat." Tristan began to rub the back of his head, something Mia was beginning to guess was a tell for when he was feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Wait... you walked all the way here?" Mia asked, suddenly terrified at the thought of the little kitten all by himself, where anything could happen. "How are you gunna carry all your groceries home?" "I brought something to help." Tristan pointed over to one of the decorative trees in front of the store. There, secured with a bike chain, was a little red wagon with a handle. "Tristan, please can I just drive you and your groceries home? It'll be much faster." Mia offered, hoping he would say yes. "That's real nice, Mia... but the law says that I have to ride in a car seat, and we haven't installed mine yet..." The panthress perked up at that. "Oh! But I have one installed already! Me and Sally watch our niece all the time!" The panthress' smile was so bright that Tristan couldn't bring himself to say something that might make it fade. "Uh... w-well, I guess if it isn't an inconvenience..." "Great!" Mia waited for Tristan to unlock and grab his wagon before the two walked in the direction of a powder blue minivan. Unlocking it, Mia slid the door open to reveal a bright pink car seat that Tristan rolled his eyes at. "She loves that unicorn princess cartoon!" Mia chuckled. She smiled as she picked Tristan up under his arms and gently set him in the soft cushiony seat. She hummed while securing the five point harness and gave a test tug, making sure that Tristan was nice and secure. This was followed by Mia going to the trunk and loading up the groceries and Tristan's little wagon before putting the cart in the cart corral, and then getting into the driver's seat. "Okay, Tristan, ready to give me directions?" Mia's voice took on a slightly cutesy tone that Tristan chose to ignore. "Yup." With the engine fired up and Mia pulling out, Tristan started directing her to his home. Mia looked at the ranch-style house and frowned a little. She saw that the paint was peeling and cracked, and the front yard's lawn looked very shaggy. Helping Tristan out and grabbing his groceries and wagon, she followed the kitten up to the front door, which he had to shove after unlocking it. The first thing she noticed after being invited inside was how the light socket in the ceiling just inside the door was missing a bulb. She spotted his uniform clothes strewn on the floor, and could see some dust had started to build up on some surfaces. "Uhm... I know that the place is a little bit of a mess..." "Your house is lovely," Mia said with a cheerful smile. She grabbed some bags and walked down the hall, looking into the first open door on her right. She looked inside the bathroom and instantly spotted the changing mat and supplies on the floor. Her heart started to hurt at the realization that Tristan was truly living alone. "Do you... have any family?" "No..." Tristan didn't mean for it to sound curt, but he walked past Mia with some grocery bags in his paws. He headed towards the kitchen, and Mia spotted the open door to his bedroom, seeing the mattress on the floor. Mia helped Tristan to put away the groceries, letting him take his diapers into the bathroom himself. Sighing, Mia smiled at him when he came right back out. "You know, I'm planning on making some homemade orange chicken for me and Sally tonight..." She noticed how Tristan's ears perked up at that, but he frowned and shook his head. "Thanks, but I've got dinner planned for tonight..." "Maybe I could bring some over later?" Mia offered, looking down at him hopefully. Tristan felt conflicted, but the idea of orange chicken sounded so good. It had been so long. "Well... okay... if you really don't mind." "It'll be my pleasure!" Mia felt her heart warm knowing that the kitten she was looking at wasn't going to be eating only Pasta-O's tonight. With a goodbye, and double-checking that he was okay by himself, Mia left, closing the door behind her. On her way to the car she immediately dialed up her wife. "Sally, hun? I just ran into my new coworker, the one who's gunna train me." "That nice older badger?" Sally's voice asked. "No, the little cutie!" "OH! The little kitten with the mind of an adult?" "Yes! The poor little guy lives all alone!" "Wait... no one's helping him take care of himself?!" Mia heard Sally let out an involuntary squawk. "Yeah! And he seems to mostly eat canned food! I promised him that I'd bring over some of our orange chicken tonight!" "Oh the poor little guy!" "I think he might need a little help..." And there it is folks, the first part of a new story! Let's see where it goes!

18-year-old Benjamin has just been evicted from the college dorms after he has failed out of college for the semester. He sits in the student lounge with his bags while he figures out his next moves. His former professor Megan is talking to her faculty friend and sees him sitting alone. She is confused because he is supposed to be in her class for the semester. "Hi Ben. I missed you in my class this semester. Are you okay?"

Hey everyone and welcome to my new story! It has the same title as a story I began a few years ago and since deleted as I wasn’t satisfied with it. Completely different story apart from it revolves around British characters visiting the US. Hope you enjoy! ————— Chapter 1 “Have you got everything?” Kerry said as she joined her son Ben at the end of the airport security scanner conveyor belt. “Yeah all good, I’m glad my bag didn’t get pulled to the side for any searches!” Ben said as he picked up his suitcase and set it down on its wheels. “Oh they rarely do. Shall we go and get some breakfast?” Kerry suggested as she led him towards the vast duty free area of Heathrow Terminal 5. Although it felt like it, this was far from a holiday for Ben. Only a few months after his nineteenth birthday, his mother had decided now was the right time to look at out of the box solutions to a problem that had plagued him for most of his life. At least 4 or 5 mornings a week, Ben would wake up either with wet bedsheets or a soaking adult nappy. They had visited multiple doctors and specialists and none of them could get to the bottom of why he was having trouble staying dry at night, and it was becoming a real concern for Kerry who realised he’d soon want to be moving out and starting a life on his own. For this reason, and after days of research, she’d found a clinic in the US that specialised in bedwetting in teens and adults that seemingly had a 90%+ success rate. Luckily for her she worked as an accountant and was also boosted by generational wealth so it was no problem paying the associated fees to get her son to this clinic. After some pushback he reluctantly agreed to take the trip and she decided she’d accompany him to make sure he was buying into the treatment. “So looking at the itinerary, I think the clinic has a taxi ready for us when we land at JFK!” Kerry said as she held her phone in one hand. “That’s cool. Mum are you absolutely sure about this? I looked up the clinic and they don’t have much information on their website. Is it definitely legit?” Ben asked. “Ben don’t worry sweety. I’ve spoken to them on the phone quite a few times and they are definitely real, and the results speak for themselves. This could really change your life. Now come on and finish up your breakfast, we’ve got to get you ready for the flight before we go to our gate” Kerry ordered. Ben scoffed the remains of his beans on toast and him and Kerry made their way to the nearest toilets. As Ben was about to head into the men’s toilets, his mum grabbed his arm and stopped him. “I think it’ll be a good idea if I give you a hand, let’s go in here” Kerry said as she led him into the disabled toilet, with no fight from Ben. Kerry grabbed Ben’s bag and opened it up, revealing a stack of Goodnites next to a stack of Tena Slip Maxi’s. Ben’s mood dropped when she saw him pick up the latter. “It’s a long flight and you’ll probably fall asleep so I think it’s best you go with a nappy Ben okay?” Kerry explained. “Mum don’t call it that!” Ben snapped back. “Sorry, I mean a ‘Tena’. Hop up on there” Kerry corrected herself as she pointed towards the changing table. Ben reluctantly hopped on and allowed his mum to strap him into a nappy. This had become a regular occurrence most mornings and he was beyond the point of embarrassment. Once he was strapped in he stood up and pulled his grey joggers over the top of the nappy. His bum looked slightly flat but thankfully it wasn’t overly obvious he was wearing a nappy. They then left the toilets and took the long journey over to their gate ready to board the flight. There was already a queue but Kerry had purchased priority boarding so it wasn’t long before they were heading down the walkway towards the plane door. “Welcome onboard” the air stewardess said in her American accent. Ben couldn’t help but slyly look her up and down and admired her tight pencil dress and he thought how incredibly hot she was. He nodded and she smiled back, which made him blush. “Here we are Ben, do you want the window seat?” Kerry asked as she placed both of their bags in the overhead locker. “Yes please” Ben replied as he shuffled over the aisle and the middle seat before plopping down on his seat. Kerry saw his nappy poke up over his joggers as he shuffled across the seats. Ben then quickly got to work scanning the in-flight entertainment and discovered that there were loads of new movies he hadn’t seen yet and smiled at the thought of watching a few. The plane quickly filled up and before he knew it they were preparing for takeoff. All of the pre-flight rituals were being carried out and he just stared out the window waiting to watch the plane take off so he could get a view of the English countryside disappear into the clouds. Once they had taken off, Ben was preparing to settle down to watch Deadpool vs Wolverine. He looked over at his mum who was reading one of her many novels she loved reading. “Mum I’m going to watch a film now so don’t expect me to respond if you try and talk to me!” Ben said as he nudged his mum’s arm. “Okay sweety” Kerry replied not even looking up from her book. Ben placed his headphones back onto his ears and he locked into the film. After about 45 minutes or so he began to feel his eyes getting heavy and despite fighting for another 20 minutes or so, he succumbed to tiredness. They had had a very early start getting to the airport and his lack of sleep had caught up with him. Despite his eagerness to watch the film, he just couldn’t stay awake. He was jolted awake by a crescendo in the third act of the film, and simply opened his eyes as if he’d not missed any of it. As the credits rolled, he sat up from his slunched position and looked around the plane to see everyone preoccupied by the screens in front of them. As he sat up straight, he noticed an all-to familiar sensation and his exploring left hand confirmed his suspicions. His crotch felt puffier than it did when he first sat down and he concluded that he must’ve wet himself after falling asleep. It wasn’t completely soaked but his Tena was noticeably bulkier than before. Annoyed with himself but not at all surprised, he looked over to his mum who had now also fallen asleep. After debating in his head, he decided to nudge her arm a few times to wake her up. “Mum. Mum!” Ben whispered. Eventually she woke up. “Yes Ben? Is your film finished?” Kerry asked. “Yeah it has. But it’s not that” Ben said quietly. “Oh, did you fall asleep?” Kerry said as she looked down at his lap. “Is it that noticeable?” Ben asked as he looked down as well. “No no I just know what you’ve got on underneath! How wet is it?” Kerry asked. “Doesn’t seem too bad but I definitely wet it” Ben said quietly, trying not to catch the attention of anyone around them. “Well we’ve only got just under 2 hours until we land and the toilets are too small on here for me to change you so you might have to just sit in it until we’re in America. Can you manage that?” Kerry explained. “Yeah okay mum” Ben agreed. For the rest of the flight, Ben made sure not to fall asleep again in order to avoid any further wettings. Once they had landed, both Kerry and Ben headed to the toilet where she changed him out of his wet nappy and back into some stripy red and grey boxers, which he much preferred. After a good hour getting through security, they retrieved their bags and headed to the exit of the airport. “Oh look there’s our ride!” Kerry said as she pointed towards a tall brunette woman holding up an iPad with their names on, and the logo of the clinic underneath. “Kerry and Benjamin Chandler? Welcome to the United States! Ready to go?” The woman greeted them. “All good, great to be here. Thank you so much for picking us up” Kerry replied. “Our pleasure. It’s all part of the package! Let me take your bags” the woman then placed their bags on a trolley and they headed to the parking lot, where they were bundled into a large black people carrier. As they got in the back they marvelled at the lavish interior complete with leather seats and an ice bucket with bottles of water inside. They also noticed a screen just in front of the front seats. “You guys get comfortable, we’ll be at the clinic in an hour or so. As part of onboarding, the clinic have created this welcome movie for you guys to watch. It’ll set it to play once we hit the road” the woman explained. “That’s amazing thank you so much. I never caught your name?” Kerry enquired. “Oh of course. My name is Maria. I’ll let you guys relax and let you know when we arrive. Enjoy the journey!” Maria replied. A pane of glass then hummed from the ceiling and shut them off to the front seats and the TV screen booted up. After a few minutes it began to play a video. “On behalf of the Rockaway Clinic, we’d like to welcome you to the United States. My name is Dr Luna Jones, lead doctor at the clinic. This video is to put any nerves at ease and help you get to know what we’re all about” the tall, beautiful blonde woman, who looked no older than 40, explained as she stood in front of the futuristic white building. For the next 45 minutes, both Kerry and Ben watched a tour of the clinic. It looked like a super modern version of the private clinics they’d been to in England and they were shown case studies of other ‘residents’ varying in age and gender. Admittedly it did what Dr Jones said and it did calm Ben’s nerves, it looked quite nice and everyone seemed very friendly. Before they knew it the car eased past a set of big security gates and the clinic came into view. “Here we are, welcome to the Rockaway Clinic!” Maria said as she pulled up to the main entrance. As Kerry and Ben stepped out, two members of staff opened the boot and took their bags as Maria guided them into reception. As the doors opened, they were met by the sight of Dr Jones herself. “Kerry and Benjamin, welcome were so glad to see you! How was the flight?” Dr Jones asked as she shook both of their hands. “It was very smooth actually, this place is incredible!” Kerry said in awe of the building she was in. “Thank you, we’re very proud of it! I know you guys are probably tired but would you like to start the induction process? How does that sound Benjamin?” Dr Jones asked directly. “Yeah okay, thanks Dr Jones” Ben replied. “Let’s get this show on the road then! And please, call me Luna” she replied as she led them into one of the induction rooms. It looked like an doctors office with a desk and some accompanying chairs. Luna sat at the desk and Kerry and Ben sat on the chairs to the right of her. “So hopefully the video you watched on the journey here has done some ground work for me but I’ll cut to the chase. As you know our clinic specialises in treating, and hopefully curing, nocturnal enuresis. Now you’ve obviously been super helpful filling in all the necessary paperwork prior to arriving but I’d just like to ask a few questions” Luna explained. “Benjamin are you happy to answer a few for me?”. “Yep happy to” Ben replied. He was used to this considering the amount of doctors he’d seen. “First question. How often do you wake up with a wet bed, or wet protection?” Luna asked as she began making notes. “Maybe 4 or 5 times a week” Ben answered. “Okay. And you were protection every night? What type of protection?” Luna continued. “I do. And sometimes I wear Goodnites, sometimes Tenas” Ben answered confidently. “Great. And on a scale of 1 to practically unconscious, how deep do you sleep?” Luna asked. “Probably an 8 or 9” Ben estimated. “Brilliant thank you so much Benjamin. Those were helpful answers, but you’ve also shown maturity and acceptance of your condition. That’s sometimes hard to get from some of our residents” Luna explained. “So a few things you need to know during your stay. Firstly you’ve been allocated a twin dormitory on site which has everything you need for your stay. Full catering is available, as well as fitness and entertainment facilities” Luna elaborated. “Wow sounds amazing! Weird question, but what’s expected of me during treatment?” Kerry asked. “No problem. Of course you’ll be providing moral support to Benjamin, but we also like partners and parents to be an active part of treatment so you’ll be getting involved at certain points. When you are not needed, there are plenty of others here in your position so feel free to socialise with them” Luna said. “So Benjamin a few things for you as you’ll be the one receiving treatment. In order to encourage our other residents to feel at ease and equal to others, you’ll be provided with clothing that you’ll be expected to wear during your stay, which are in the changing room next door”. Ben was slightly surprised by that. He’d packed two weeks worth of clothes which have now been rendered useless and he was anxious to see what this ‘uniform’ looked like. “Okayyy” he said rather nervously. “Your treatment starts officially tomorrow, but part of that includes providing you with certain supplements and nutritional extras so your diet will be controlled as part of treatment. It’s totally harmless and everything we do will be to help treat and cure your condition. I understand you signed the contract before arrival?” Luna enquired. “Yes we did. That’s all covered” Kerry replied on Ben’s behalf. “Perfect! So next steps are for you to get changed Ben while I go through some of the boring legal stuff with your mom. It’s just through the door there” Luna pointed at a wooden door on the opposite side of the room. Ben looked at Kerry, who looked back at him with an approving nod. “See you in a second” Kerry said lovingly. He then stood up and walked towards the door. As he opened it he was met with the sight of a changing room not to dissimilar to a changing room in a clothes shop back home. It had a mirror, bench and a coat hook which had a hanger with a suit bag hung on it. He slipped off his shoes and began to unzip the bag. He saw a white tracksuit with white trousers, a white t-shirt and a soft zip up jacket all emblazoned with the clinic logo. The trousers and jacket had a grey stripe down the arms and legs. As he pulled out the clothes he noticed that there was a pocket which had a pair of plain white underwear in it. He was surprised that the uniform included underwear but accepted it for what it was. But as he pulled them out he noticed they were briefs, which he was absolutely not used to. Back in Britain, men his age did absolutely not wear briefs and they were seen as childish and infantile, he hadn’t worn them since he was a little boy. After some hesitation, he began to undress himself and put on his new ‘uniform’, complete with his new underwear. It was quite comfortable, apart from the briefs which felt weird. As he looked in the mirror, he actually looked pretty cool he thought; as if he was an athlete getting ready to walk out onto the pitch. After one final look he folded his own clothes and walked out to see Luna and Kerry going over some documents. “Looking good Benjamin! Maria is waiting outside to take you to your dormitory. I’ll see you in the morning for your first day of treatment! Have a lovely evening” Luna said as the door opened to the sight of Maria. “Thank you so much Luna, we can’t wait to get started can we!” Kerry said excitedly as Ben nodded along. Maria then led them down multiple corridors, some with doors that had signs on such as ‘Treatment Room 1’, ‘Communal Room 3’ and ‘Transition Room 6’. Some had red and orange labels on them and some didn’t. Additionally, some corridors had sights of outdoor spaces and gardens. They also passed couples varying in age, with some clearly parent and child and some husband and wife. What was consistent is that one of the pair was wearing exactly the same tracksuit as Ben, but some had different red or orange pin badges. He wondered what they signified. “Here we are. You’re room 056. Inside is a manual and all the timings and dates you need. Dinner is served at 6pm, so you’ve got an hour or so to get settled. See you there I’m sure!” Maria explained as she turned and walked back down the corridor. Kerry unlocked the door with the key card and they were met with a spacious white room complete with two double beds, a living area with a TV and a huge bathroom. There was also another door next to the bathroom door but it seemed to be locked. “Wow look at this Ben! Incredible!” Kerry said. “Our bags are here too”. “I shotgun this bed!” Ben said as he jumped on the bed closest to the floor to ceiling window, which looked over a vast garden complete with a pond and loads of benches. He saw more couples and families walking around and enjoying the clinic. “Okay okay. I’ll unpack, are these the clothes you were wearing?” Kerry said as she picked up the pile of folded clothes he had just taken off. “Oh, are these your boxers? Did they give you some new ones?” Kerry asked as she saw his stripes boxers on top of the pile. “Oh yeah they did. I thought it was a bit weird too, they aren’t even boxers” Ben explained. “What do you mean?” Kerry asked. “They aren’t boxers, they are briefs. I think the Americans call them ‘tightey whiteys’” Ben joked. “Ha ha ha that’s so funny! Let’s see” Kerry asked. “No way!” Ben said as he stood up at the end of the bed. Without warning, she yanked down his white trousers. “Aww they are so cute! You’ve not worn pants like that since you were a little boy!” Kerry teased. “Mum please!” Ben said as he quickly pulled up his trousers. “I’m only teasing you, I’m just excited to be here. I think this is the answer to all our problems this place!” Kerry said as she picked up the laminated piece of paper on the desk which was labelled ‘Daily Schedule’.

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.

Hope you enjoy this story I created back in 2023. At that time in my life I was going through a breakup and finding Mommies online. Lately I’ve been getting back into reading diaper stories and I wanted to share my own. Rereading it has been baffling with some mistakes I’ve found, but my battles with dyslexia is real since with my regular job has me staring at Excel spreadsheets all day. This 6 part story has been on Fet for a while I never really got any feedback I was hoping for besides couple of hearts. I’ve been contemplating picking the pen back up. Enjoy 😁 —————————————- Four contracts in one day. I was pooped. As I finish off my work week on Friday afternoon I begin to pack up my things to head home. The Wi-Fi in my apartment died the night before so I was forced to go into the office. Usually, we only are required to come into the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so the office was a ghost town on Friday. Since I knew that the office would be barren I thought now would be a good time to have some fun and go to the office in my favorite Tykable diaper. Before I left in the morning I even through a booster pad during my change since I knew I would use it to its max. Before I shutdown my laptop I wished Vanna (the girl from Marketing two floors above me) goodbye via our chat on Teams(internal company messaging). Before she could reply I closed my laptop and stuffed my notepads in my backpack. As I stand up the unmistakable sound of a badge scanning the door beeped and the door popped open. My eyes raced over to see who was there since nobody had scanned in all day. In came Vanna from Marketing and my heart jumped to my throat. Vanna was a self-made woman who took no shit from anyone. If you worked with her you would not find a more loyal and determined colleague, but if you were on the opposite side of that coin then she would either eviscerate you or roll right over you. She was 31 and never mentioned anything about relationships or social life. She was a mystery besides her loving cat that she had framed all around her office. Her passion has always been her work. Like everything in life there are two sides to every story, little did I know her determination at work was only a fraction of what truly made Vanna her wonderful self. Vanna was an absolute bombshell of a woman who looked like she inspired Victoria to start having secrets. She had an hour glass body frame that she never used to her advantage in her ruthless climb of the corporate ladder. I was easily head over heels for this woman but I couldn't find a way to express this to her. Now this Goddess was looking right at me and all I could think was, "How do I get out of this?" My heart raised as I shift in my chair resulting in crinkles for all to hear in the ghost town office space. As she walked through the door reality hit me hard and fast. There was nobody on my floor besides me and I'd been sitting in a soaking wet diaper that I could even smell while I was working. The combination of being alone and smelling like a wet toddler made my heart race as she came closer and closer. "Hey Frankie" Vanna sang out as she walked over to my cube. Luckily I had my do not disturb drawer pulled out that blocked others from entering my cube. This was done strategically earlier so no one could see me humping my chair making cummies in my diaper like a dirty baby. She noticed the block and made hand gesture like she was going to leave and catch up with me later. I sprung out of my chair like someone threw hot coals down my back to greet her and tell her to come by. She turned around and approached my cube while I came to terms with what I just did. "How are things on the smelly 2nd floor?" She said waving her hand back and forth as if she had smelt a soaked baby boy. "Ha, no change from the usual. Hey, I thought you worked from home on Fridays." She rolled her eyes," Ya I'm closing this giant deal and all my colleagues are too scared to make moves without me so they keep pestering me. I come in when it is quiet and I can get work done." Vanna looks me up and down, "Oh, is that a new shirt?" Confusion hit me like a ton of bricks because I rarely buy new clothing. What is she getting at? She was staring directly at my waste line so I began scanning my waistline wondering what she could be referring to. Then...I saw it. One of the wing tips from my diaper was poking out from my Hawaiian shirt that I was wearing specifically so this WOULD NOT happen. In an instant I felt all of my blood rush to my feet. I was frozen with embarrassment as I tried to muster a response. "AHHUH, ya it's new and I haven't taken the tag off," I said as I tried to shift around in my seat to make this "new tag" shift under my clothes. "Well it looks like the purchase has been finalized, lets get that tag off." Before I could react Vanna slithered past my useless pullout drawer that was supposed to keep others out and grabbed the wing of my diaper with pinpoint accuracy. She moved so fast that I had no time to react. When she pulled it and the "tag" didn't come off but instead got bigger, she let out an audible gasp. My face was now on fire as she began to put together what she just discovered. Here I am staring at the most sought-after woman in the company and she just realizing that I am in a diaper. "Is...Is that a DIAPER?!" She asked. My jaw literally hit the floor as I contemplated jumping up to running out the door. As I tried to form words all I could do was breathe heavier and heavier until it sounded like I was running half marathon. "And is that stale smell I'm sensing coming from...YOU?!" The sound of my heart pounding was all I could hear and it felt like I was on a wooden rollercoaster with my adrenaline going through the roof. "Are you wet? Are you peeing right now??" I braced my chair, "NO! I...we are so close to the bathroom." She cut me off, "You bring up a good point. You are close to the bathroom and yet here you are in a diaper." As she said "diaper" I could feel the blood start to pump in a very focused direction. My squishy wet diaper began to have solid formation that was poking towards the voluptuous figure in front of me. How could I be aroused in a time like this? As I shifted around to hide the tent currently being pitched in my pants the sounds of a crinkly diaper emerged. Vanna giggles, "OMG you crinkle!!" She said as her face lit up. She covered her face and pointed at me as she started to laugh. The excitement I felt from her pointing out my diaper suddenly went away in one heartbeat. It dawned on me that my chances with this incredible woman of my dreams were now shattered. "Why would any woman want to be with a 33-year-old stuck in diapers?" was the thought that was shooting across my mind. Vanna continued laughing as she turned her head to soak in what she was witnessing. A feeling of hopelessness came over me as she turned away to compose herself. My vision started to become blurry as tears began to overrun my eyes. As she turned back around my head started to sink into my chest as a low sob began to slip from my lips. "Ohhhh noo...Frankie!" she expelled as she started to move closer to me. I felt her hand gently rube across my arm and another caress my cheek. "I'm so sorry you poor little thing." The tone of her voice hit my ears which unlocked a feeling of comfort that is rarely felt outside of a loving mother/son relationship. This juxtaposition of feelings was so extreme that it caused me to lose focus for a second. Her hand continued down my cheek to the back of my neck which sent shivers down my spine. In a moment of euphoria I felt this genuine sense of vulnerability as I looked into Vanna's mystical eyes. It triggered a warm sense of love and security that I hadn't felt before in years. I never wanted this feeling to go away as I lost myself in this paradise. It was so intense that I could feel the warmth building inside until I noticed another warm spot but it coincided with giant wet spot on my pants. "OH MY GOODNESS FRANKIE!" I open my eyes and Vanna is right in front of me hands over her mouth as she looks at the very visible stain on my jeans. My vision became blurry again as the levey broke in my eye ducts. Vanna grabbed my chin and made me look into her eyes. "Do you want me to find a way to make things better for you?" My head began to bounce up and down as my noise began to bubble up in conjunction with my eyes cascading tears. Vanna took my hand and said, "Ok baby, you are going to follow me ok?" She grabbed my hand and pulled me up from my chair where she threw a jacket around my waist. "Everything is going to be ok you just need to follow me and do as I say ok?" I nod my head again and try to prepare for the unexpected.

Hi guys! I finally got a Subscribestar. All of my stories are being uploaded there, plus a lot of new content, including in-progress content like Diapered Stepmother, The Regression Act, and Like Mother Like Daughter. Check out my Subscribestar: https://subscribestar.adult/thelittlewriter/collections Melissa’s Re-Potty Training It was a beautiful day. Boys and girls were playing in the park, teenagers were hanging out at the mall, and twenty-one-year-old Melissa was stuck inside her nursery. If there was anything that made the whole baby treatment unbearable, it was how time seemed to slow down as the day grew older. She sighed. By now, her friends would be at the beach or with their boyfriends. But not Melissa. No. Babies have no boyfriends. Babies aren’t allowed out of their playpens when Mommy’s busy. And her stepmother was busy. She was busy with her real daughter. Three-year-old Amelia had already been potty trained and was allowed to do more things than Melissa. And she was twenty, almost twenty-one. An adult. But here she was, diapered and wearing a ridiculous baby girl dress. If her friends could see her now, would they laugh? Would they help her? Would they change her already-soaked diaper? It had been weeks since she was last allowed to wear big-girl panties. Weeks since she tasted the sweetness of freedom. Independence was now out of the question. She doubted she could make it without someone looking after her, changing her, bathing her, feeding her. Was this to be her life now? No longer an adult but a baby. Chapter 1 The Re-Potty Training Idea As Melissa entered the elegantly appointed dining room, her heart raced with apprehension. With each step, her unease grew heavier within her chest. The once familiar surroundings now felt suffocatingly foreign, as if she were a stranger in her own home. Her gaze drifted toward the large portrait hanging above the fireplace, where the stern visage of her stepmother, Helen, stared back, conveying nothing but disapproval. Melissa had always felt that Helen saw her as an inconvenience, a constant reminder that her husband had had a full life before her. And Helen was a jealous woman. She had always belittled Melissa, and now that Melissa's dad was gone, she was alone with no one on her side but her best friend, Dana. Sadly, Dana didn’t live with her, and she needed an ally. "There you are, Mel," said Helen as Melissa entered the room, "I've been waiting for you." Helen's presence filled the room with an air of menace, casting a shadow over Melissa as she took her seat. As they sat together at the polished wooden table, the silence grew heavy between them, broken only by the soft scraping of silverware on porcelain. Tea, as Helen called it, was a constant ritual at home. “How you been?” “All good.” “How’s job hunting treating you?” “There’s not much out there unless I want to work for KFC or something like that.” “I see. Anything else you’d like to share with me?” Melissa shook her head, thinking about one thing she didn’t want anyone to know. But her step-mother reached across the table and gently placed her hand upon Melissa's trembling fingers, her eyes cold and calculating. “I think it's about time we addressed your... little issue." Melissa didn't know what to say. She had been having the same problem for about a month. It started as something small, but it had spiraled out of control, and now she had no idea what to do. She had wet herself so many times so far that it was a miracle no one had found out. "What issue?" asked Melissa with a soft and doubtful demeanor. Maybe if she played dumb she could end this awkward conversation. "Look, if you want to pee yourself, that's okay," said Helen, "But you won't do it in my house. Not when I'm working so hard to potty train your sister." "Step-sister. And it's not your house. It's my dad's." "And according to his will, it's now mine." "And mine!" There was a short moment of silence. "Look," said Helen, grabbing Melissa's hand, "I want us to stop fighting all the time. Your father would've like that. What do you think?" Melissa nodded, hesitant, though. She wasn't fully convinced by Helen's intentions, and rightfully so. In the past, Helen had shown no kindness towards her. Helen leaned closer, her voice softening, "I don't want you to feel ashamed anymore. We can help you fix this." Melissa glanced down at her hands, gulping, "I don't know what to do." "Well, I was thinking. Amelia is going through potty training. She's still too small to understand much, right? So, why don't I potty train you alongside her?" Melissa almost choked on her own saliva. "What do you mean, potty training me? I'm an adult!" "I know. I know you are. But listen to me, it's easy. We just need to teach your body how to hold it until you go potty. That shouldn't be too hard. As you said, you are an adult, and I bet a couple of weeks should be enough. Because if you cannot control it, I'm afraid diapers will be the only way." Melissa's jaw dropped, "You're kidding, right? I'm not... there's no way I'm wearing diapers. I'm an adult, remember? And at twenty-one, I get my dad's money, and I'll be out of here." "True. But you aren't twenty-one yet. And you are here, ruining your clothes and my furniture and setting a terrible example for your sister." Melissa didn't really have an argument; she just knew she didn't wanna be back in diapers at twenty-one. “Step-sister,” she said, “What do you mean potty training me?" “I think that part is self-explanatory, right? We take you potty on a schedule until you stay dry in between potty trips. Then we decrease the frequency until you earn your big girl panties again. Eventually, your body will get used to it, and you'll go by yourself. How does that sound?" "How does that help me now? I mean, I will still," she paused, blushing and ashamed, "Wet myself until we get it under control." "We can do what I'm doing with Amelia," she said, smiling, "Protection under your clothes." "No! I told you, no diapers." "Pull-ups aren't diapers. They are protective underwear." "What's the difference?" "For starters, they don't use tabs. They are easy to hide under your clothes. They are less bulky and noisy. They are completely different and they are very helpful during potty training..” "I don't know," said Melissa, thinking about how awkward it would be to have that "protective underwear" around her crotch. And what if someone found out? She was already not popular with people her age. Her only friend, Dana, was a little odd herself. Maybe she wouldn't mind. But there was no way she would tell her about it. "I just want to help you," said Helen. "Besides, this could be an excellent way for us to connect—you know, have that mother-daughter experience we never had.” Melissa sighed, ”When do we start?" "What about right away?" Helen wasted no time. She grabbed Melissa by the wrist, softly leading her deeper into the house. Through halls and corridors and stairs until they were in a room painted soft pink. It was Amelia’s room, and she wasn’t there. “Amelia is playing outside," Helen replied, "In her sandbox.” “She won’t know?” “She will. But she won’t care. She’s only three.” Helen grabbed some white underwear with the design of some Disney princess on the front. It was small, but then again, Melissa was quite thin. Tall, yes, but thin. “Try this on,” said Helen, placing the pull-up in Melissa’s hand. It was defiantly thicker than regular underwear, and the deign was childish. But Helen was right, they didn’t look that much different from her panties. “A little privacy, please.” Helen left the room, leaving Melissa in the nursery. She carefully dropped her pants to notice her underwear was already damp. Sighing, knowing she actually needed the protection, she took her panties off and cleaned herself with some baby wipes she had close by. Finally, the moment of truth. She slid into the pull-ups, feeling the soft thickness of them against her smooth crotch. She didn’t dare to look at herself in the mirror. She rushed to get her pants on again, and when she was sure her protective underwear wasn’t visible, she left the room. Chapter 2 Potty Time While Helen prepared lunch, Melissa sat at the dining table, staring blankly into space. Each clink of the dishes sent a shiver down her spine, reminding her of what was around her crotch. The pull-up wasn't as uncomfortable as she thought it would be, but it was definitely not something she liked. She had kept it dry so far, though it had not even been an hour yet. Helen entered the room carrying a tray laden with fries, nuggets, and fresh salad. She smiled gently at Melissa, something the young woman wasn’t used to. Next to her was her younger stepsister, Amelia. At three, she looked like a mini version of Helen herself. It was obvious she was destined for popularity, unlike Melissa, and somehow, even if Amelia had always been nice to her, she always resented her. “Mel's potty training, too, Mommy?" asked Amelia as she grabbed a handful of fries. "That's right, hun." Melissa tried to smile back, but it seemed forced. Helen noticed her discomfort and quickly added, "Don't worry, sweetie. We'll take it slow, and I'll be there to help you every step of the way." Feeling slightly more reassured, Melissa nodded. "Thanks." As they all sat down to eat, Melissa couldn't help but notice the subtle shift in Helen's behavior. Helen seemed to genuinely want to help her, but she wondered why. "It's time for the potty," Helen announced once everyone was finished with the meal. Helen gave them no time to argue as she grabbed both their wrist, pulling them towards the living room, where a plastic potty awaited. "Is that really necessary?" asked Melissa in shock. "It's just part of the process. Show me you can use the plastic potty, and you can move onto the toilet. It shouldn't be difficult. Should it?" Before Melissa could continue arguing, she was interrupted by her stepmother. "Who wants to go first?!" asked Helen again with a devilish smile. Amelia raised her hand. Within minutes, the younger of the three had done her business like a professional. "I'm a big girl!" said Amelia, smiling from ear to ear, "I'll be potty trained first!" Those words weighed heavily in Melissa's mind. The little brat was as competitive as her mother. It had been cute a few years ago, but now, she was just annoying. Melissa felt her rage growing stronger, fueled by the constant tease. But she fought back against it. After all, Helen was only trying to help. And Amelia needed the encouragement. "Yes, you are," said Helen, "But I think Melissa will surprise us too, right, Mel?" Melissa nodded. Despite her frustration, she decided to give it a try. If nothing else, she owed it to Helen since she helped her when nobody else did. Taking a deep breath, she lowered herself onto the seat of the tiny plastic potty. In contrast to Amelia's confident demeanor, Melissa felt vulnerable and exposed. However, knowing that she must prove her mettle, she closed her eyes and focused on relaxing her muscles. But nothing. A minute passed. And then another. She pushed harder. Nothing. She pushed again, and a loud fart echoed in the room. Melissa blushed as her stepmother and stepsister giggled. One more minute passed. Another. And nothing. "Alright," said Helen, "I don't think it's going to happen." "No, wait!" said Melissa, pushing harder now, "I can do this." "Honey, you're going to give yourself a stroke if you push that hard. It's okay. You didn't make it this time. Let's just try again later." "I made it to the potty, Mommy. I'm winning!" said Amelia, happy as just a kid could be. But as Melissa pulled her pull-up and pants back up, she couldn't help but feel pathetic and like a failure. She was an adult, and she couldn't even control her body enough to pee by herself. "You'll make it next time. It's okay. It's the first time you've tried. I'm sure you'll make it," said Helen, and for the first time since Melissa met her, she actually felt as if her stepmother cared about her. Perhaps this potty-training idea wasn't that bad after all. With her first time on the potty a failure, Melissa had nothing left to do but wait. She was to call for Helen's help if she felt the need to go, but the thought of having to ask for help to pee was too embarrassing to even consider. She was a big girl. She could make it to the toilet without any help. And so she waited. "Potty time," said Helen an hour later as Melissa worked on her resume. It wasn't looking that good, but she wasn't twenty-one yet, and she needed the money if she wanted to go out that summer with her friends. "One minute," said Melissa, staring at a blank page. Maybe tomorrow, she could try again. It's not as if she were in dire need of a job. If only being an adult weren't that difficult. She stood up and went straight to the living room, where Helen and Amelia were waiting beside the plastic potty. "Your sister's dry," said Helen, "What do we say?" "Congrats," said Melissa, pretending to care enough to form a smile. Helen approached Melissa with a gentle, almost motherly demeanor. "Now, let's check our big girl." "What are you...?!" Helen's finger found their way to the elastic band of Melissa's pull-up. The young adult blushed, trying to get away but failing. "My dear," said Helen, removing her fingers from Melissa's crotch, "You're wet. "What? No. I'm not!" Melissa rushed her hand to her padded crotch, only to notice it was bigger and warmer and obviously full of urine. It couldn't be. She didn't feel it. She was a big girl. She should be able to make it to the potty. Her eyes turned watery, and her knees began shaking. "I'm sorry," she said, fighting back the tears. Helen embraced her with no hesitation—a warm embrace—the sort of touch only a mother could provide during times of distress, and for a second, Melissa felt less of a failure. "It's okay, honey," Helen said, patting her back carefully, "That's what your pull-ups are for. You'll make it next time." It sounded familiar, like some of those truisms parents tell children to encourage them. As much as she despised admitting it, her stepmother's kind words did help. Perhaps Helen was right. She might very well make it next time. It was just one accident. She would make it to the potty next time. There was no way she would lose the race for potty training against her younger stepsister. But for the entire week, Amelia outperformed her. “I’m a big girl!” She would sing as she made it to the potty. Meanwhile, Melissa sat there, and nothing would come out. As if her body was actively working against her. Every day she would have to use three pull-ups or more while her younger step-sister was about to graduate to big girl panties. “Maybe we started you too early,” said Helen as she checked Melissa’s underwear. “It doesn’t seem you’re making any progress. If anything, it looks like you’re regressing.” Melissa blushed at her words. “We’ll keep trying tomorrow. But we might need a different approach if things keep going this way.” Melissa said nothing as she got ready for bed that night. Now alone in her room, her thoughts were flooded with the idea of failing her second potty-training. What would she say to Dana? She had been avoiding her best friend all week in hopes she could get her accidents under control. Melissa sighed, closing her eyes, hoping the next day would be better. However, when she woke up, she noticed something new as she moved in her bed. The padding between her legs was heavier and colder. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi guys, here's one of my latest stories. You can read it now on Amazon Kindle Wife's New Boyfriend Is My New Daddy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DSR2VKVB or check my Subscribestar: https://subscribestar.adult/thelittlewriter/collections Claire's Regression: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DS2S4FXW You can also read Daisy's Perfect Summer: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DLVJYHH5 Here's a link to The Diary of a Diapered Cuckold: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPFLGMNJ

The child was just like any normal 9 year old child, he was in 4th grade in which she loved to read and is very good at long division. He likes school and seeing her friends but likes the weekends at home too where she doesn't usually have homework. His/her favorite color is pastel green. He/she loves watching Netflix and has a secret love for watching tv show for very little children even if they are "baby shows". He/she's currently working on reading an old book his mommy gave her called "harry potter" but still gets caught up on some big words. He/She also has a bit of an entitlement issue with being seen as a big boy since he's only about as big as the first and second graders and only just stopped sucking his thumb at night a few weeks ago. (Our RP starts as the little boy is doing his homework in the living room with train playing on the TV, the door bell rings his mommy answers the door to see the babysitter she had called for the night. This babysitter was different though and has promised to get her little boy to relax and enjoy being a "little" kid more.... I will play the adult characters. If you want play with me you can contact me privately)

***This story is an alternative time-line to ours about the post covid pandemic era. *** -Prelude Setup- "The year is 2022, the last 2 and a half years Covid 19 has reaped havoc on society, but now with things opening back up and every day taking more and more steps forward from quarantine and masks more questions arise. The one on our table today is schooling. Now the switch to E-learning was not fast nor easy, many kids didn't learn what the needed too, or the way they needed too. We have many kids who regressed in not only their studies but in maturity, social face to face, and in unfortunately many cases out of the house habits. We currently have statistics of grades k thru 12 on the screen behind me. As you can see these are the most common issues students are having. In k thru 6, most students have regressed in mathematics, reading and writing. They also have a steep up tick in bathroom accidents and other social behaviors such as thumb sucking, whining, and "wanting mommy". We believe these are all related. Also with grades 5 thru 12 we are seeing issues with confidence, low test scores, unpreparedness, and social awkwardness." The sharped dressed woman at the front of the meeting room stood tall as she took off her glasses looking at the screen behind her. "I, Dr. Jasmine Hartwell propose this... (she lays out 13 tests on the table in front of her labeled pre-k all the way thru 12 grade) These are placement tests. Every student in this district will take these tests and their scores will tell us where they are at academically, in addition each student will be sent a packet at home to be filled out by their guardian to get the full scope of how both mature and socially stable each child is. This school district along with 4 others have been chosen across the US to participate in this to see if a wide roll out is what this country needs. Now there are limits to placements from these results current 16, 17 and 18 year old may not place below 8th grade if then need to we will have a special class set for them. 12 and up may not be placed below K under 12 is fair game. Now on the flip side of this NO student will be moving up due to test scores. This is to see if they need help or not. And in addition we will have multiple staff members here to help in transition down graders will need, either maybe a councilor or a trained specialist to help them calm down and fit in better with their new grade and age range. If there is any questions email them to me. And please keep you emotions at the door during these tests this is the best for us and them. Thank you tests will start tomorrow." Dr. Hartwell says closing her book putting her glasses away and walks out of the meeting leaving all the teachers, principles and faculty in a gasp. The next day as soon as it hit 10am every student across Willow's Green School District was sat down for the test about the same time all the parents were also filling out their packet about their sons and daughters being as honest as they can. By 4pm that same day most families were back home discussing the day, some over dinner, some in a quiet room, some scared, some over confident. But all had the weekend to think, enjoy, and prepare for what Monday brings with the test results. All weekend long teachers and government appointed educational professionals would be grading and judging test and packets a like. By Monday the kids were back in school in their usual classes. The district of a little over 8 hundred kids was ready and waiting for how crazy the day was about to become. Busses were outside the high school, middle school, and elementary waiting to bring the kids who were labeled as down graders where they needed to go. Parents all got text messages at the same time as the schools were giving out the results to the kids. In total two thirds of the kids were being down graded! The senior and junior classes didn't see much loss, sophomore and freshman classes had almost half drown graded at least one grade. The middle school was hit the worst over half of the current middle school was being down graded to elementary. While half the elementary was being down graded, 65 kids across k thru 5 were send back to pre k (most of the kindergarteners) and only a few preschoolers fell out of pre k. The busses gathered the kids some in hysterics, some angry, and a few in just shock. This story will follow 3 family's effected by this government test in Willow's Green school district. I'm sorry this intro was so long, but I've been wanting to write this story for a while and I have a lot of thoughts. I might also post this on writing.com as an interactive depending on feed back. Stop by seen for chapter 1! Thank you!

ALICE Alice is 25 years old. She is a tall girl and has a stature to carry with a remarkable presence. Her bright eyes are like the sky on a clear day, captivating one's gaze and rendering a person a feeling of depth and calm. Red waves flowing around her face frame it, expressing her lively and passionate character. She has a well-toned body, acquired only by a constant devotion to physical exercises, which is visible through her well-developed muscles. The large breasts add a touch of femininity and prettiness to the already prominent figure of hers. SARA Sara is 24 years old. She has black hair and her eyes are dark as the night; with it, she has a quite mysterious and intriguing charm. Compared to Alice, she is of a smaller stature, though her presence is equally significant. Her slender body is almost fragile, with thin lines that, however, stress her natural elegance. Sara has a deep quality of reserve and gravity, usually reflected in her compelling gaze. Her type of beauty is sophisticated and discreet, as well as her character, which often has small notes of quiet inner strength and determination. MELISSA Melissa is 22 years of age and thus the youngest. Youthful, fragile features of her face give the girl a somewhat babyish air and make her instantly lovely and cute. Her eyes are shining with innocence and curiosity, reflecting her lively and playful character. Melissa is slightly above 1.5 meters, and her very small breasts are in perfect correspondence with the slender figure. Even though her body is small, the spirit is big and the energy is contagious to bring joy and lightness wherever she goes. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- " No, I'm not going to wear that just to pay less for our vacation!" Said Melissa, stamping her feet on the ground. "Come on, you were drawn, Sara and I had the same odds as you," said Alice holding up the diaper-it was an adult diaper with childish designs. "I know but it's not fair that in order to pay less for the cruise I'm forced to spend all my time dressed like a 2 1/2-year-old." "Either you put it on yourself or we'll put it on you! " said Alice approaching threateningly. Melissa huffed and took the diaper from Alice's hands. She went to the bathroom, took off her panties and tried to put on the diaper herself. It was a genuine feat: she had to lean her ass against the wall while she held the base of the diaper in place with her legs. After a few minutes She managed to get it in. The diaper was very tight around her, at the top it reached above her belly button in front, tightened at the level of her thighs and then re-opened around her bottom. The decorations were savannah-themed, in the front was a drawn lion while behind the fabric had a lush design of plants, fruits and other African animals. She stopped to read the brand name on the package: 'Reaz Safari'. Who on earth could have worn these things voluntarily. She paused to feel the feel of the diaper on her: it was thick and soft; she could feel the plastic touching her skin. She turned to look at the back. The diaper also covered her bottom, in fact the diaper was so loose that it covered her almost completely, leaving her with the typical look of a padded bottom. Probably if she had fallen she would not have been hurt at all. She turned red when at the first step she heard the typical creak. "Here's your dress," said Alice irrupting into the bathroom. Melissa instinctively put her hands in front to cover the diaper; but then she realized it was quite useless. She did not even try to protest when she saw the little dress; she would have been obliged by Alice anyway. Then there was hope that she had covered the diaper. The dress was white with a black bow at breast level, the skirt was wide and seemed to cover the diaper quite well. She did not realize that if she bent over she would show her rear to everyone. "I hate you," Melissa said as she climbed into Sara's car. Of course, she was sitting in the back. The vacation consisted of a month-long all-expenses-paid cruise. Children up to age 3 were not paid. The plan was to pretend Melissa was the adopted daughter of sara and alice, who in turn would pretend to be a newly married couple. Soon they arrived at the boarding gate where the stewardess was waiting for them. "Well welcome! Your room is on the third floor at the family deck," She said, handing the key to Alice. Then She lowered himself looking at Melissa " hello baby, what is your name?" "Melissa," She said blushing and looking down. " I see the baby is still wearing diapers, no problem our baby care has already put some in your room and will provide you with as many as you need, I hope to see her soon at the baby club" Melissa tried to open her mouth but Alice promptly shoved the pacifier into her mouth to silence her. "Perfect, see you at the presentation, " Sara said, taking Melissa by the hand and heading for the room. It was not easy for Melissa to keep up with Sara's quick pace; her diaper forced her to hold her legs open and walk swaying. Upon arriving at the room, all three were amazed: they had been assigned an entire suite! There was a living room with a sofa and a plasma television, a small bar area, a room with a double bed, and another room was made especially for a child: a crib decorated with a maritime theme, a cabinet full of toys and a carpet with puppets, and finally there was a cambina armadio full of baby clothes suitable for melissa. "Well I guess this is the baby's room," Alice said, patting the bottom stuffed with lemon balm. "Kill yourself," said Melissa, spitting the pacifier at her. Alice laughed, then the three headed for the bathroom. The bathroom had a huge tub, in which all 3 of them would fit easily. At the back was also the changing table: it was a tall, white cabinet with padding on the part Melissa would lie on. On the sides were drawers full of diapers: there were ones for the pool, for the night and for the day, all decorated with different patterns. Finished the sweep Sara undressed completely, putting on a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, then went to lie down on the couch. "Well it says that we can't leave the room until the ship sails, so we can unpack," proposed Alice. "Can I take off this diaper?" Melissa asked annoyed. "No way, if someone from room service came in? It would blow up everything," Sara replied "At least take off this dress," Melissa said, raising her arms "Aren't you able to do it yourself?" Said Alice. " children don't change themselves," replied melissa. Alice did not respond; she simply removed Melissa's dress and replaced it with a T-shirt. "Aperitif?" Proposed the girl in bundles. "Sure," replied the other two. Sara went to uncork a bottle of white wine and soon returned with glasses. Alice, like Sara received a goblet, while Melissa got her drink inside a baby bottle. Melissa stopped and looked at him for a moment, immediately noticing that the figures drawn were in tone with his diaper. "Why do I have to drink from this thing?" Melissa asked in disgust. "Children don't know how to drink from adult glasses, " Alice said, sticking her tongue out at her. Melissa sighed but decided to give it a try, holding him with two hands at head height, she grabbed the teat with her mouth and tried to suck, immediately her mouth filled with the sweet taste of wine. "I thought worse," She thought. "So child? How is she?" Sara asked, noticing that Melissa was not responding. "Well it's not so bad, I can drink lying down," replied Melissa as she detached herself from the bottle. Soon the conversation of the three veered to the schedule about the month of vacation, which left Melissa on the sidelines-she did not feel much like doing the things that were planned especially when dressed as a child. Solo, however, was happy when Alice ordered more wine. Another half hour passed, Melissa had almost finished her second bottle, when she felt a sensation she never wanted to feel: she had to pee. She tried to resist, but the pressure on her bladder increased more and more. At a certain point she could not resist got up and walked toward the bathroom "What's going on? Where are you going?" Said Alice " according to you? I'm going to the bathroom," Melissa replied. Sara laughed:" your toilet is on you," she said referring to the diaper. " There is no way I am going to pee in this thing" shouted melissa. "Of course you will, and you'll have to get changed, too, since those diapers are designed not to be taken off by the wearer." Melissa could not believe her ears, had no intention of peeing herself like a baby, tried to pull one of the rips in her diaper but did not move "Hurry up so we can get back to chatting " continued Alice. "You're a bitch," replied Melissa, trying to open her diaper. "If you behave and have a tantrum, I will change you baby right away," Sara said. Melissa couldn't take it anymore, she felt drops of urine coming out already. She had no choice but to use her own diaper, like a 2-year-old. Melissa opened her legs slightly and began to pee, felt the flow hit the plastic of her diaper and settle between her legs. She could feel the diaper expanding and becoming warmer, heavier and wetter. But eventually the dampness disappeared, leaving only the warmer plastic. I've already published the next parts to my ream account. Subscribe to get early access to the new adventures of Anna and Melissa. https://reamstories.com/scrittoreanon Also there exclusive stories for my subscribers

Microfiction (noun) A complete story told in 300 words or less. Multi-chapter novellas like Weekend in the Mechanical Nursery or Bella's New Punishment both started as 2,000 word shorts, and I wanted the chance to push myself to be more concise with microfiction. Follow along as I aim to tell complete and compelling stories of discipline, humiliation, and regression in less than 300 words. If you want to support my writing and get access to exclusive stories and works in progress, come and hang out with us on Ream. -------------------------------------------- She sat in her playpen in his office that normally smelled of mahogany and bourbon, but now carried the sweet, lingering scent of baby powder. Jess needed a change, but would need to wait on her friend Morgan for that. Mr. Franklin was old-fashioned and thought it improper to have an intimate connection with an employee. But he was into weird shit. That was undeniable. After the audit exposed her embezzlement, Jess tried to blackmail her boss with the weird diaper shit she found on his computer, but the older man surprised her with a proposal. That’s how Jess found herself doing office work in pull-ups and sucking on a pacifier. For weeks, they were pleased with the arrangement. Then both wanted more. For an extra $3,000, Jess agreed to ask permission before going to the potty and stand in the corner for any sub-par work. For $3,000 more, she stopped wearing pants altogether and occasionally had ‘accidents’ earning herself a few sad faces on her new potty-training chart. It was weird, but had effectively doubled her salary. Diapers were the next obvious step, but Jess struggled with diapering herself and recommended her friend for the new part-time assistant role. That role quickly grew to full-time nanny status until the blonde’s job description consisted only of filling diapers and looking cute, for which Jess had received a bonus in her latest performance review. Mr. Franklin looked at his pigtailed and pacified manager and she smiled and waved from her playpen. Today was Morgan’s quarterly evaluation and she was late. Again. Overhearing the woman’s financial troubles, Mr. Franklin wondered what it might be like to have two adorable playthings at his office and made a note to hire a contractor for the new office nursery and find a new assistant. -------------------------------------------- Get instant access to most of my stories with new exclusive chapters every week and at least three new stories each month on Ream.

Sara was gripping the armrest tightly as the plane's nose bent down and the pilot signaled their descent was beginning. Her stomach twisted into a knot and she nibbled on her lip, she was grateful for the noise cancelling ear buds her parents and bought her before the trip because her seat near the engine was loud. She would peak occasionally out the window next to her, seeing the lights of the city come closer into focus. She was as anxious as she'd been in her life, a few years ago she thought she might be able to live a normal life at home like any other girl, but the last year things had been getting worse and worse until her parents decided for her own safety and well being she needed to relocate even faster than they'd originally planned on. Mom and Dad still hadn't found new jobs or a new apartment out of her old state yet, but fortunately her aunt was going to be able to take her in until the whole family could move up. The last few weeks had involved a lot of tearful goodbyes at school and some packing. Most of her stuff would come up in the main move. All she had with her for now was a backpack and a carry on in the compartment above her. There were a few cheers and some scattered clapping as the plane landed. The person who had sat in the window seat beside her, a young man in maybe his mid twenties who hadn't said anything to her the whole flight still helped her get her purple duffle bag out of the overhead. Being short was in some ways a blessing, or it at least it probably would be in the future. Right now, blockers were holding off a traumatic growth spurt which meant even at 15 Sara was standing at 4'10. She stuttered out a thank you and stood while waiting to deplane, fidgeting with her sunflower lanyard as she slightly swayed in place. The terminal was fairly quiet at this time of night, she'd had to change a few time zones to get here. It wasn't empty but it was significantly less crowded than her departure. Since all she had was the clothes in her bag, a Switch, her laptop, and some personal possessions, she didn't need to pass through baggage claim. Her parents had told her that her aunt had no problem helping get her situated and when they were able to move up to her in a few months, they would bring all of her stuff to their new home. The small girl walked towards the arrivals area, her canvas sneakers squeaking slightly on the floor, each time making her flinch a little bit from the sound. She thought about going to the bathroom now that she was back on the ground but anxiety spiked in her at the thought. Ever since she'd been kicked out of the girls bathroom at school, the idea of using a public toilet made her uncomfortable and a little afraid. She fished into her jeans pocket and brought out her phone, texting out: "I'm here Aunt Hannah, where can I find you?" and sending it off to her aunt.

Laundry day. The day everyone dreaded during the week. Even just living by himself, that basket sure got filled fast! And Ravio didn't consider himself particularly messy....of course, no Little could afford to be. ...No free Little anyway. Every Little knew the rules, it was driven into your head by family and friends the instant any Little child was old enough to comprehend it. Be mature. Be polite. Never fuss or protest anything out in public, no matter what someone's saying to you. Be very careful how you dress....too cute was dangerous. Too sloppy meant you didn't know how to care for yourself. Too formally dressed up, and then someone might just accuse you of playing adult like a child dressing in their parent's oversized shoes. Don't show weakness or too much emotion when among the bigger folk. Never ever let anyone have any reason to doubt you were anything but a responsible mature adult. When you were a child....well. When you were smaller anyway....most Littles were pushed to try to skip past childhood as quickly as they could, all training to avoid a permanent second childhood. But when you were small, there was the fear that breaking the rules would put your parents at risk. An Amazon or even a Tweener child could throw a tantrum in public and the worst their parents would receive was a few dirty looks or the shake of a head. Little parents on the other hand...they could oh so easily be accused of clearly not being able to handle raising a child of their own. Perhaps they were too immature themselves.... Maturosis. The oh so beloved disease for Littles from Amazons. Do anything that would imply any level of immaturity and be branded with that label until the day you died. A disease that supposedly meant Adult Littles would turn back into toddlers or even further....and so they required the help of someone else to step in. Adoption. The biggest fear anyone who wasn't tall enough to be an Amazon faced every single day. Even Tweeners weren't fully safe. Littles though...Littles were always in danger. And so....Ravio followed the rules. He'd been pottytrained and threw the last tantrum so early in his life, he couldn't even remember it. Given up any stuffed animal or toy before he was finished elementary school. He finished school quickly and avoided the dangers of higher education. He couldn't afford to move to any Free Little country....or even a city primarily occupied by "progressives" where Adoption was far more rare. But he'd found a somewhat midsized town to move too, and made his home in an apartment with relatively okay rent prices. Sure it was sized for Tweeners, but it could be worse. Far worse. He even worked from home-editing with art and design commissions on the side-so he wouldn't risk the very common workplace Adoption. He either got his groceries delivered or made sure he did all his shopping during the late afternoon. Avoid people eyeing him for being out too late...and avoiding any stay at home mommies who might want a new sibling. He didn't go out drinking. He didn't risk seeing any movies or public events. He paid his rent early, and did his best to avoid any need of a repairman or a landlord needing to pop in. Ravio played it very safe. He followed every single rule, and so at twenty one, he was still a Free Little. How joyful, how wonderful, how lucky he was, truly. He shouldn't take it for granted. But...oh did it get tiring. Spend your entire life looking over your shoulder, and eventually you wondered what the point was if you were missing everything in front of you. He lived a safe boring closed off life. But it was a Free one. And still.... Ah. Those were the bad thoughts, the ones he never dared to let fully form. But would it be so bad to be... ...It was just the work getting to him. Laundry wasn't fun for anyone, never mind someone the size of what most the world had decided to see as a toddler. His basket and clothes were sized for him and easy to carry. But...the elevator button was far above his head. There was a button for Amazons. There was a button for Tweeners. Anyone sized below that either didn't need to worry about silly things like button pressing or had to get very good at jumping. That took a lot of time and energy! Trip down, and a trip up. And of course, once he reached the laundry room, all the bottom washers were already taken. Yep, a tiring day it was. Ravio resisted the urge to sigh, feeling nothing but resignation. Alright. Get to work then. There was one machine in the corner he could somewhat reach once he dragged a chair over to it. Then it was just the task of slowly climbing down and up the chair to drop his clothes in. Luckily he always brought his own detergent. Didn't have to worry about pouring a jug bigger than his own head that way! Just get that all set up and all he had to do was... Well. Reach as far as he could to reach the start button. Nothing he hadn't done thousands of times before throughout his life. But-well. His luck really was lacking today, because as Ravio strained juuuust a bit further to reach the button, he... Slipped. One little stupid foot too close to the edge, and he was plummeting right off the chair with nothing more than a squeak. ...Maybe he should've put laundry off for another day.

Kelly is cruising through life. She doesn't work, doesn't have a social life and is happy to sit at home all day doing absolutely nothing. Beth is Kelly's mother and unfortunately a bit of a push over. However, Beth has found herself a younger boyfriend called Craig. Craig isn't one to allow Kelly to do whatever she wants and after a dinner table announcement that horrifies Kelly the house finds a new dynamic emerging that not everyone is happy with... --- This story has been available on my Patreon page for the last week and with a $5 a month pledge you can see all my updates a week before anyone else. For $10 a month you can get early access plus access to THIRTY-TWO stories that only my patrons get to see. If you are interested please consider giving my Patreon page a look https://www.patreon.com/Elfy88 --- Disciplining Kelly By Elfy “Hurry up and get dressed!” Beth exclaimed as she poked her head around the living room door. Kelly was doing what she always did. She was sitting in front of the television and munching on some snacks, she didn’t move when her mom yelled at her and simply rolled her eyes. She took a big gulp of her soda and then let out a loud belch. Despite her unhealthy snacking choices she was actually quite small in terms of both height and weight. The thirty-year-old woman had spent half her life lying idly on this couch, it was almost permanently indented with her body shape. “It’s just Craig.” Kelly scoffed when Beth’s head appeared around the door again, “It’s not like royalty is visiting. I don‘t know why you waste your time on him anyway…” “That’s not the point!” Beth was almost frantic as she rushed around straightening pictures and clearing dust, “You know this is a big evening for us.” Kelly huffed. She didn’t like Craig at all and the fact he was moving in was a major source of frustration for her. Craig was twenty-years-old, a decade younger than Kelly and yet he was dating her mom! Kelly was unemployed and lived off her mother. She had no aspirations or motivation and that suited her just fine. She was happy living with her fifty-four-year-old mother and didn’t expect to ever move out. Kelly was delighted with the status quo which was why she was so annoyed when Craig came on to the scene. With all of her needs catered for she had no reason to go anywhere else and she wasn’t going to let her mom’s boy toy walk on to the scene and mess it all up for her. Craig was so much younger than her mother and Kelly found it disgusting. The twenty-year-old was very well built and Kelly thought it was such a waste of muscle, he could have his pick of women and he chose Kelly’s mom of all people. The age difference was huge but that wasn’t the only thing that Kelly found distasteful. Craig was always moving or doing things, he always had little projects or jobs to do and he was the antithesis of Kelly. He was like a spinning top, he just never stopped. “Kelly, please!” Beth was practically pleading with her adult daughter, “For me?” Kelly finished her snack and slowly sat up causing crumbs to fall to the floor. She was very light and despite her lack of energy she sprang to her feet and left the room. She was halfway up the stairs when the doorbell rang. She paused and looked over her shoulder as Beth squealed in excitement and hurried out into the hallway. Kelly continued up the stairs without looking over her shoulder even as her mom called her to go back down. She went straight to her bedroom which was at the furthest end of the hallway. She almost tripped over a box on the floor but that was hardly surprising because her room was a mess. Kelly didn’t believe in cleaning up since it would all just get dirty and cluttered again. She dropped on her bed and wished for a different life where her mom wasn’t going out with someone old enough to be her son. After several hours of pretending not to exist Kelly was starting to feel hungry. She could smell cooking wafting up from downstairs and knew dinner was coming. Occasionally she would hear snatched pieces of conversation or laughter coming up and it did nothing to help her mood. She was in the mood where anyone else’s happiness caused her to feel miserable. When Kelly was eventually called down for dinner she hadn’t got changed and was still in the stained clothes her mother had begged for her to change out of earlier. She walked into the dining room with a scowl across her face, there was a plate of food waiting for her and her mom sitting with Craig on the other side. “Hello Kelly.” Craig said, “So good to see you. Was just starting to think you were hiding up there because of me!” “Imagine that…” Kelly muttered sarcastically. Kelly started eating just as it seemed Craig was about to propose a toast. She was keen to get this over with as soon as possible and certainly didn’t want Craig to feel welcome. Her greatest desire was that she would be a roadblock to the relationship. “Your mother tells me there’s been some disciplinary problems.” Craig said halfway through the meal. He looked across at Kelly with a very stern look on his face, “She tells me you’ve been acting up a bit.” Kelly shrugged noncommittally and continued to eat without looking up from the table. She didn’t really care what her mom or Craig thought of her behaviour. It was true, Kelly had always been a handful. When she had been at school it seemed like she spent more time suspended or skipping than actually in the classroom. Whilst she had never been in trouble with the law she was hardly a model citizen either. “You are allowed to talk to me. I don’t bite, well, outside of the bedroom anyway.” Craig said with a little laugh. Beth nudged her boyfriend playfully and joined in the giggling as her face went red. “Gross…” Kelly put her knife and fork down. Her appetite had evaporated. “Oh, she does speak!” Craig acted surprised. “Why don’t you just… go away!?” Kelly’s temper was getting the better of her and as the red mist descended, “Mom and I were fine before you arrived.” “You’re acting like a child.” Craig retorted. The twenty-year-old was full of the confidence of youth. Kelly was getting more and more annoyed. This man ten years her junior was coming in to her life and messing everything up. She couldn’t stand this disrespect for much longer. Her legs were shaking as she did her best to avoid a scene. “Come on! You’re overreacting…” Craig snorted, “You must’ve had boyfriends, right? You know what goes on behind closed doors.” “None of your business…” Kelly growled. “She hasn’t been on a date in years.” Beth said to Craig, “I keep telling her to sign up for a dating app but…” “Mom!” Kelly exclaimed in outrage. Her face flushed red. “You’ve got to find yourself a man… or a woman. I don’t judge.” Craig chuckled, “You don’t want to live under your mom’s nose all your life.” “Stop trying to change things!” Kelly angrily spat out. She knew Craig living with her would be insufferable but she didn’t think things would go this far south so quickly. “Well, Craig wanted to talk to you about that, didn’t you?” Beth had been sitting quietly to the side but now she spoke up to distract her daughter who looked like she was about to lunge across the table. “About what?” Kelly asked. “We’ve been talking and there’s going to be some changes.” Beth said. She looked almost apologetic but stiffened up when she met Craig’s eyes. “You are lacking in discipline.” Craig continued. “What are the changes?” Kelly asked with a hint of concern. She hated change, “What’s going on?” “It’s time for you to act your age.” Craig said, “You can help with the chores, you can get a job, you can start paying rent, you can-” “Mom!?” Kelly turned to her mom in shock, “Are you just going to let him do this?” “I think he’s right.” Beth smiled nervously. “Whatever.” Kelly waved her hand dismissively and stood up. She looked at Craig, “Mom and I are happy with how things are. If you don’t like it you can leave.” “Kelly! Come back!” Beth stood up and reached out but it was already too late. Kelly stomped out of the room and up the stairs. Craig and Beth were left at the table looking at each other. Beth seemed shocked but Craig had a “I told you so” look, Kelly’s behaviour seemed to confirm everything Craig thought. When the sound of a slamming door echoed down the stairs Beth winced. “I’m sorry.” Beth said quietly, “She doesn’t like change…” “She’s thirty-years-old.” Crag replied as he picked at the last bits of food on his plate, “She has to grow up sometime.” --- Kelly huffed and puffed as she flopped on to her bed. She was willing to tolerate Craig marrying her mom despite how weird she found it but she couldn’t stand the idea of him bossing her around. She couldn’t believe he would come into their house and start changing everything. In Kelly’s opinion he had no right to tell her what to do. For the rest of the day Kelly stayed in her room and only left it when she absolutely had to. She made sure to avoid her mother and soon to be step-dad, she was beyond annoyed by the pair of them for trying to make her do anything. When Beth had first said she was marrying Craig she had thought it was a joke but it was now clear they were serious. Kelly could only rest her hopes on the two of them splitting up as soon as possible. When Kelly woke up the next day she resolved to make sure she didn’t change anything. She got dressed in some dirty clothes that were laying on her floor and then went downstairs to sit in front of the television just like she always did. She saw Craig poke his head around the door a couple of times as the hours passed but he didn’t say anything. Kelly smirked victoriously, when push came to shove he wasn’t willing to force her to change. By the time dinner came around Kelly was feeling very confident and cocky. She strolled up to the dinner table feeling like the queen of the house again, she smiled across at Craig who remained silent and stone-faced. When they started eating it was in silence but with Craig and Beth sharing pointed looks. “Did you do any job hunting today, sweetie?” Beth eventually asked. “Nope.” Kelly replied confidently. Kelly looked up from her food when she didn’t hear anyone saying anything. There was an air of tension and she was waiting for both Beth and Craig to capitulate. She had won, she knew and they would know it soon if they didn’t already. “Right, the television is off-limits.” Craig said as he placed his cutlery down, “No more computer in your room either.” “Excuse me?” Kelly’s eyes widened as she looked from Craig to her mom. “If you’re going to live like a teenager you’ll have rules like one.” Craig replied easily, “You’re thirty-years-old for Heaven’s sake.” “That’s ridiculous.” Kelly’s face scrunched up in disgust at the idea, “I refuse.” “You can’t refuse.” Craig shot back, “If you want the computer and television then you’ll have to follow the rules.” “This isn’t fair!” Kelly yelled as she stood up. She looked at her mother, “Tell him!” “Honey, it would be a good time to start spreading your wings…” Beth smiled nervously. “No!” Kelly stamped her feet on the floor, “This is bullshit.” “Don’t swear!” Craig’s voice was full of authority, “You’re acting like a baby. Just do as you’re told and you won’t be punished. All we’re asking you to do is look for a jo-” “I’m not a baby!” Kelly shrieked as she stamped her feet again. “Right, I’m going to get that computer out of your room.” Craig said as he stood up, “You can get it back when-” “No!” Kelly tried to block the door but the muscular and tall Craig had no trouble moving her out of the way. Kelly looked anxiously at her mom who was still sitting at the table. She meekly shrugged her shoulders, she wasn’t a disciplinarian and had gladly handed those duties to Craig when they discussed moving in. Craig had made a point that Kelly had to grow up and although Beth agreed she had been unable to make it happen up till now. When Kelly heard footsteps moving down the landing she suddenly realised what was happening and bolted out of the dining room and towards the stairs. She ran up the stairs two at a time and down the hallway to her bedroom. The door was open and as she turned the corner she saw Craig at her desk pulling the wires out of the computer. “You can’t do this!” Kelly was on the verge of a full blown tantrum. Her eyes were watering her screechy voice was cracking with emotion. “I can and if you ask me this is long overdue.” Craig replied. He may have been ten years younger but he certainly acted more like an adult. Kelly tried to stop him but she wasn’t strong enough to stop him doing whatever he wanted. He simply batted her hands away as she tried to make the man stop. Kelly sat on her bed and started loudly crying, she looked over to the doorway to see her mom standing and watching anxiously. “Here we go.” Craig said as he lifted up the computer tower, “You can have this back when you start acting responsibly.” Kelly lost all control and dropped on to the floor. She felt so persecuted and oppressed and she just couldn’t deal with it. She hit and kicked the floor as she cried loudly. Craig looked down on his future step-daughter and was shocked, he knew she was immature but this surprised even him. “We might need to go even younger. She’s acting like a baby.” Craig said dispassionately as he looked down at the thirty-year-old having a tantrum. “She’s always been immature but I’ve never seen this…” Beth said in shock. Kelly didn’t stop until long after the door had closed. She looked at the empty space where her computer had sat and felt anger coursing through her. The last words of her mother and Craig kept repeating in her head. She heard them calling her a “baby” and “immature.” “They want immature, do they?” Kelly said to herself through clenched teeth, “I’ll show them immature. If they want to treat me like a kid I’ll make them regret it. They’ll beg me to take the computer back to stop me!” Kelly laughed at her own deviousness. She stayed in her room for the rest of the evening and thought about the best way to get her revenge and prove her point.

Hi this is a role i had in mind its almost like the movie coraline if anyone has seen it where coraline goes through this door and ends up in a world with the other mother and other father etc. Here would be my idea and bare with me as i try my best. Valeria is 16 and small for her age but that never stopped her from being a typical teenager, as she lives with her parents and even though she loves them they are just always too busy for her and often times forgets that she exists and has wondered if they ever would miss her if she were to just leave and never come back which she doubts they would as they rarely are ever home with how busy there work schedules were. One afternoon valeria was exploring the home that her parents and her have moved in to and upon exploring it she found a random key and decided to see what door it could unlock. As she gone through the home she happen to come across this door in her closet that was locked so she placed the key in and went to unlock it, and to her surprise it revealed a tunnel and so she decided to crawl through it but little did she know what would be on the other side that would change her life for good. Valeria gets to the end of the tunnel as there was a door at the end and once she passed through it and ended up in some house and when she had second thoughts about this the door she came from suddenly is gone.

In the hustle and bustle of a small town almost everyone knew each other. I was new to the area and was trying to find work as i did feel a bit out of place as i didn't really have much of a work history but i was willing to learn thinking a job working at an office desk couldn't be that difficult to do. I finally landed an interview job at a company building as i was sitting in the lobby waiting to meet with the hiring manager but not knowing the ceo of the company would be interviewing me instead.

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.