Undercover Investigation

[baby_snow_white]

"I see. I think I would have told them from the start. That way there would be no misunderstanding about what was going on here."

"I see, I didn't know dollies get thristy. I guess I learned something new today. Yeah she does seem to be very toddlerish when I came in and just now when she came to get another bottle. That is sad news. Who are you going to get to take care of Courtney for the rest of the year? That seems very irresponsible to leave Courtney here without someone to look after her."

[robehouse]

"Yes, well I seem to always be doing the wrong thing, so it doesn't surprise me that I messed that up as well."

"Oh yes dollies get thirsty. So do toddlers. I am going to call the mothers and see if one of them will take care of Courtney. If that doesn't work out, I will take her home with me. I guess her aunt trusted us enough to find someone to take Courtney in."

[baby_snow_white]

"You don't always do the wrong thing. This nursery was the right thing to do. You took in girls who otherwise would have fallen though the cracks."

"Well I knew toddlers get thristy. I didn't know dollies do too. Ok call the mothers and when you find a mother to take care of Courtney come down to my office and tell me. That way I won't worry about her being at her house alone."

[robehouse]

"Thanks. I didn't realize how important it was when we first started it though."

"I think that is mostly in a toddler's eyes that dolly's get thirsty. They don't like to come out and ask for a bottle themselves, so the say their dolly is thirsty."

"Thanks I will let you know."

Rebecca walks with the principal to the door and watches her go back to her office. She comes back to Melody's office and takes out her cell phone. She dials Cassie's phone number

[baby_snow_white]

"Yeah I didn't think it would go over as well as it did. I didn't think many girls would join your group."

"That makes sense. I guess. They don't want to ask for something. So they say their doll or stuffed animal wants something. So they don't have to ask for it for themselves."

"Ok you do that. I want to make sure Courtney has something to stay."

Cassie picks up her phone. "Hello. Oh hi Rebecca. I was about to call you. After the mothers left your class. They went to lunch to talk about what they saw in the room. They have came to a decision. They feel that Mrs. Grainger and her daughter is not going to give up until they get rid of the two of you. They don't want that to happen. So a couple of the mothers and I was talking about it and we have came up with an idea. How would the two of you like a building to run your nursery out of? I know of a couple of school buildings that are not being used by the county."

[robehouse]

"You must have been listening in to Melody and I talking. We want to set up a classroom for the girls. They won't be learning what they are learning now though. We thought sort of a pre kindergarten. Maybe instead of setting up a nursery in the middle school we can have all the babies in one building. That way it will be easier on the big sisters as well."

"The reason I called though, was we have a problem. Do you remember the toddler Courtney that was here this morning? Well her aunt is having to leave on an emergency and she needs someone to take her home with them. I was wondering if one of the mothers would like a toddler to take care until the summer?"

[baby_snow_white]

"No I didn't hear the two of you talking. The mothers thought it would be best for everyone if they got their daughters out of the line of fire. Because they know things are only going to get worse with Mrs. Grainger and her daughter. Well one of the buildings use to be used as a private kindergarten. Before the county bought the school and moved the kindergarten classes down the street to the elementary school."

"Yeah that is a problem. I remember her. She was the messy eater when I was in your class. Well I could take her in if she wouldn't mind sharing a bedroom with Kelly." There is another bed in Kelly's bedroom and I'm sure she would like to have a roommate until summer."

[robehouse]

"That sounds great. When do you think Melody and I can have a look at the classroom? I want the babies and toddlers moved somewhere where Mrs. Grainger and her daughter can't touch them. And I hope that by the end of this week, we can at least have a classroom set up, even if the cribs and high chairs aren't in place yet."

"Let me call Courtney over here and ask if she would be willing to live with you and Kelly. Maybe you can help her table manners while she is with you."

Rebecca sticks her head out the door of the office.

"Courtney, come over here please."

[baby_snow_white]

"You can look at the classroom today if you want to. I can swing by the school and take the two of you to see the school if you want to. If you like the classroom. You can start moving in whenever you want to. If moving the cribs and highchairs is a problem. I'll have get a moving truck sent to the school for you to move you to the new building."

Cassie laughs. "From what I saw. She is going to need alot of help with that. She has terrible table manners.

Courtney looks at Rebecca. "Ok Rebecca," She looks at Dolly. "Set right here and I'll finish telling you the story when I get back ok?" Courtney smiles. "Good girl. Mommy Courtney is proud of her little girl." She gets up off the floor and skips over to where Rebecca was standing. "What did you want to see me about?"

[robehouse]

"Okay, I guess we can do that. Maybe you can do it at the end of the day when you pick Kelly up. If we like it, we can hire a truck to get the cribs and other furniture moved over. I'll call my mom and tell her I will be a little late."

"No one said it was going to be easy. Mothering never is."

"Cassie said she wants you to take you home with her. You would be sharing a room with Kelly and have your own bed. I think she would be a great mommy for you to have for the rest of the year. Do you think you would like that?"

[baby_snow_white]

"That sounds like a good idea to me. I'll bring the keys and the code to the alarm when I come to pick up Kelly at school. Oh I forgot to ask Do you know if Courtney is allergic to pet dander? We have two cats and a dog in the house."

"You are right. Mothering is not easy. With Kelly it was even harder. She wouldn't listen to anything she was told."

"Is Cassie the mother who was here at lunch and the one who knows something with a newspaper? I think I would like to share a room with Kelly. There is one thing for sure. I would be able to get a word in edgewise? I don't know why she doesn't talk. When I'm in a class with her. If you didn't see her in there. You would never know she was there. At lunch time. She picks the highchair farthest from everyone else and the crib farthest from the other babies."

[robehouse]

"Okay. Hmm, I don't know I'll ask her."

"Yes, that's Cassie. I am not sure why she doesn't talk. She could still be inside a shell or something. Maybe you can help Kelly if you are living with her. Are you Allergic to pet dander? They have two cats and a dog."

[baby_snow_white]

"Ok ask her. I'll wait in the answer." Cassandra does some paperwork while Rebecca asks Courtney if she is allergic to pet dander.

"Maybe she us inside a shell or something. I haven't seen her carrying around a shell like a crab does." Courtney shakes her head. "No I'm not. I have a cat of my own at my apartment."

[robehouse]

"It's not a real shell, Courtney. It just means she draws within herself. Okay, I will tell Cassie she needs to stop by your apartment to get your cat and your other belongings."

Rebecca gets back on the phone.

"No, Courtney isn't allergic to pet dander. She says she has a cat at her apartment. You might want to stop by their later and get her cat and whatever else Courtney will need from her apartment."

[baby_snow_white]

"Oh I see. I thought you meant a shell like a crab or a turtle has to protect them from being attacked." She looks down at the floor and moves her foot in a circle. "Hmm. I don't know if that is a good idea. There are hmm things on my walls. That wouldn't be good for her to see." She was referring to her numberous awards from her news reporting.

Cassie nods. "Well that is good that she is not allergic to pet dander. Ok I'll stop by Courtney's apartment and let her to pick up her cat and her belongings."

[robehouse]

"What kinds of things do you have on your walls?"

"Okay, I guess I will see you after school then. bye."

Rebecca hangs up the phone and then dials her home phone.

[baby_snow_white]

Courtney takes Rebecca outside of the office so Melody wouldn't hear. "There are plaques and awards I have won from my news stories. If Cassie sees them with my names on them. She is going to know that I am not the toddler you told her I was and she is going to figure out that the story I wrote was meant as a big girl story not one written by a toddler to get others to see what was really going on the classroom."

Cassie nods. "Ok I'll see you later Rebecca."

Amy hears the phone ringing and picks it up. "Funny Farm. Farmer Chuckles speaking. Oh hi Sis. Mommy isn't here right now. She is outside in the backyard watering her plants. Mommy said I couldn't help her because I would get more water on myself than I would the plants."

[robehouse]

Rebecca listens to Courtney and thinks.

"Do you want me to run by your apartment and take the plaques off the wall and keep them for you? I may have to hide them in my car or something until you are ready to take them back. I will need the key to your apartment and the address."

"That sounds like a good idea, Amy. On the other hand, it might get you out of a bath tonight. The reason I called is to let you know that I am going to be late coming home tonight. I need to take care of something that will be beneficial to the babies and toddlers. Can you tell mommy that I won't be home right after school?"

[baby_snow_white]

Courtney looks at the clock. "No I should have time to go to my apartment and take the plaques off the walls and hide them in the other bedroom. Then get back here before Cassie shows up.If she gets here before I get back. Stall her by making something up." She opens her backpack up to get her keys out. "Dang, my keys aren't in my backpack. I must have left them in my car this morning and the doors are locked."

"You was suppose to go clothes shopping with us after school. Can't what you have to do wait until tomorrow? I waited all day for you to get home. So we could go clothing shopping. You promised me that you would be home right after school so we could go shopping for me some new clothes."

[robehouse]

Rebecca listens to Courtney and frowns. She goes into the office and gets her purse. She comes out and then gets her keys out and holds them out to Courtney.

"Go ahead and take my car. But you better be back before school lets out for the day. Otherwise, we will both be in trouble."

"I'm sorry, Amy, but this is important. I'll explain it all when I get home. I promise you we will go clothes shopping when I get home."

[baby_snow_white]

Courtney nods. " Thank you Rebecca. I'll try my harder to be back before school out for the day. I don't want either of us to get in trouble. It wouldn't look good if anyone found out that you let a toddler have your car to run an errand." She leaves the room and goes out to where Rebecca is parked. Courtney goes to her apartment and takes down all the plaques and awards that has her name on it. She stashes them in the other bedroom in the closet." Courtney rubs Snowball's head. "I'll see you in a little. Don't be afraid when I come back. Because I will have two other people with me. They are nice and friendly." She grabs her spare carkeys and goes back out the door. Courtney drives back to the school and gets back just before Cassie gets there. "Here is your keys back and here is the keys to my car. I don't know what we are going to do with it. Since a toddler isn't suppose to drive themselves to school."

"What could be more important than your little sister and her need to go clothing shopping?"

[robehouse]

Rebecca waits for Courtney to get back. She looks anxiously out the window until sees Courtney walk up to the nursery and come in.

"We will find someplace to keep your car. Maybe we can say it is your aunt's car and she left it here before she went off on her emergency. We better get you dressed like a toddler before Cassie get's here."

"I'm sorry, Amy. It has to do with all the babies and Courtney and yourself. Let's just say you won't be a high school student much longer."

[baby_snow_white]

"That sounds like a good idea and hopefully everyone will buy that." Courtney looks at herself. "I don't see anything wrong with what I'm reading now. So it isn't toddler clothes. It is just as good and Cassie wouldn't notice the difference."

"I'm not a high school student anymore. I'm a toddler and toddlers don't go to school. They stay at home with mommy."

Rebecca hears mom in the background as she comes in the door. Amy hands her the phone and goes upstairs to play with Eggbert. "I don't know what you said to her Rebecca,but she didn't look happy when she left the living room."

[robehouse]

"Well if she wasn't sure that you would find someone to take you in, you would need a way home. She could have taken a taxi or something to the airport."

"Well, if things work out, we will have a school for babies and toddlers. You need somewhere to stay while mommy is at work and I am at school."

"Yeah, I told her I wasn't going to be home right after school. I think I have a school building away from this high school that we will be able to use as a classroom for the babies. Cassie, one of the mommies, works on the school board and she is taking me to see the building after school today. It shouldn't take too long and then we can go clothes shopping."

[baby_snow_white]

"That sounds good to me. Will the principal let the car stay here in the parking lot that long without having it towed away?"

Amy starts to whine a little bit. "I don't want to go to school. School is boring for toddlers. Mommy works at night and you are at school during the day. So there is always someone here to watch me."

"Has things got that bad at school for you and the babies that you think you need to take them away from the high school and put them in a separate school? I'll try to smooth out Amy's ruffled feathers. They looked pretty ruffled when she walked off to go upstairs."