A Friend in Need...

[Ishigreensa]

Cassandra waited on the toilet for him to come back, and nodded.

When he came in to talk to Heidi, Heidi looked up at him and frowned.

"I'm eleven years old, now, sir.  I... I usually take a bath by myself, or sometimes just me and Cassie take one."

She looked down.  She was soaked and really needed a bath though.

"Um... wait!  I... I guess, this one time... I can go in there with you.  But I want to wash myself, okay?"

She gave him a small shy smile.  It was a start, but he had a long way to go before she would open completely up to him again.

Susan smiled up at Erick.

"That will make it a lot easier for me because I need to change the baby."

Amy hugged her mother as she looked for a place to put her down to change her.

[GuardianWolves]

"That's fine, sweetheart, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me and if that means it's gonna take some time for you to warm up for me and wanting to have as much independence as you can get, then I'm fine with that. Just know that I'm not gonna be going away again, not ever, I'll be right here with you three and your mother, I promise." He said as he went back into the bathroom leaving the door open for Heidi to come in, in the meantime however, he just got Cassandra off the toilet and then started to undress her for the morning bath, he hoped that at least with Heidi, this would be a good first step to re-establishing at least some confidence in trust in him and starting to build the relationship they had before he had left for the military and his 20 year career.

[Ishigreensa]

(He couldn't have been in for 20 years though, not if he knew Heidi at an age where Heidi would have started to trust him, at say 6 years old, and Heidi is now only 11 years old....  He would have been in max of 5 years?  Maybe his IBS was a reason the military got rid of him?)

Heidi followed the man a few steps behind him.  She really wasn't sure what to think at the moment.  She stood at the open door while he started to undress her younger sister.

"I ready for bath now?" Cassandra asked when he had her clothes off.

Heidi finally came in.

"I can take off my own clothes," she said looking up at him.

Then she started to take off her shirt.

She did trust that he wouldn't hurt her in anyway.  A long time ago, when he sometimes babysat them when her parents had a date night, she remembered him giving her a bath, and she didn't think he would have changed that much, so she knew he was trustworthy in this sense.  He might have left her, making her feel upset for all those years, but he had never done anything bad to her.

Cassandra was only about the age that Amy was now, when he had left, so she didn't have a clear memory of him.  Still, he seemed like a nice person, and mommy and big sister trusted him.  Heidi even took off her clothes in front of him.  She wouldn't do that unless she trusted him.  So she let him lift her into the bath and to start washing her.

[GuardianWolves]

(True, so let's say about 6 years then he got out)(Also, we can do the potty schedule thing that we did for the Carmen and Denise RP, where it had the modifier of dark soda's adding to their rolls to see if they needed to pee and added onto their checks for if they had an emergency or not or if they wet themselves, I believe you called it Posts between pee (PBP) I could be wrong though)

"Alright then, I'll focus on your sister then. The bath should be full in a second, can you turn off the water for me when it does please?" He asked her calmly as he turned to Cassandra and nodded "Your ready for a bath now, if you need to potty during the bath just say so and I'll take you out and put you on the potty okay?" He told her as he lifted her up and placed her into the bath and then released his grip on her letting her get used to the water for a little bit, he can't imagine that they've been able to take many baths while living in the car and with their mother being away so much.

[Ishigreensa]

(Actually, I have a different system now, that I'm using.  It is not as predictable as the pbp thing because actually, other than your morning pee, how often is it really that predictable?  But yes, dark sodas or certain other things will influence them needing to go stronger and faster).

Heidi nodded and walked over and turned off the tap.

She then stepped into the bath and sat down eventually.

When Cassandra was put in the bath, she stood there a moment or two, and then started to sit, but it took her a few squats before she got used to the water and then finally sat down.

While they were in the bath, Susan had finished getting Amy cleaned up, and then walked over to the bathroom.  As it was closed, she just stood outside there, and suddenly relaxed her bladder and started to pee her pants just outside the door.  When she was nearly half empty, she half heartedly knocked on the door, but she was still peeing....

Amy didn't think anything about it, as her mom was holding her in one arm.

Heidi and Cassandra were facing each other in the tub, and they started to play some kind of word game where one would say a word, and then the other would respond with a word and then they would giggle and the other would respond....

[GuardianWolves]

(Okay, sorry this took so long)

Terrance just let them have their fun while he did his best to wash up Cassandra without making her upset, making sure to be very gentle and washed her as such, he avoided her privates for now because he didn't know if she was okay with him washing her down there, or if it would just be too uncomfortable for her and make her less likely to wanna be around him or like him for that matter. He didn't wash Heidi, but rather just handed her the items she would need to wash herself, since she said that she could wash herself and didn't want him to wash her, he was after all respecting what she had asked him to do. Once he had finished with Cassandra and she was finished in the bath, he just got her out and put her into a warm fluffy towel and waited to see if Heidi would need his help washing places that she couldn't get too on her own, when it seemed like she would be indeed fine on her own, he simply went with Cassandra out of the room and over to their room and got some clothes out from the stuff he had bought yesterday that she had picked and started to help her get dressed in those clothes.

[Ishigreensa]

When Terrance came out of the bathroom, he could see Susan standing there, her hand halfheartedly on the doorknob, her pants soaked by now, and a lake under her feet.  She had finished peeing her pants, and stood there, as though not sure what to do about it.  She shivered as she saw him come out, and she frowned.

"I'm... sorry," was all she could say for herself.  Honestly, she didn't know how to tell him anything else.  She stood there, and peed, somewhat on purpose, as if it was natural at the moment to do so, but now, she felt shame not because she had done it, but because she was caught.  Not that her position wasn't a prime place to be caught at.

She sighed.  She probably should come clean and tell Terrance everything going on with her.  But she wasn't sure if he would be understanding.  She wasn't a young child.  She shouldn't be doing this on purpose.  But... she couldn't explain it....

[GuardianWolves]

"Cassandra, why don't you go into your room and get dressed okay?" He told her as he went over to Susan and instead of saying something bad or something that would let on to what Susan was going through with her bladder to her kids, he instead just got a towel from inside the bathroom and put it over the lake of pee before any of the other kids could see their mom's accident. He then looked at her and asked "Okay, what's going on? I know that you weren't like this before, has something happened that's preventing you from getting to the bathroom without this happening?" He asked her "You know I won't be mad or won't shame you, so why don't you just please tell me what is happening. All I want is an explanation and the truth, if not for me, then for the future of your dignity so that your kids don't get the wrong idea about their mom." He said as he looked at her, not with shame or disgust, but with concern.

[Ishigreensa]

Susan looked down as if he was scolding her.  She didn't know how to explain what was happening to her.  She wasn't even sure if she was doing it on purpose or not, but she did know that it wasn't right.

Tears came to her eyes.

Cassandra had done as Terrance had said, and went into her room to find something to put on.

Heidi was in the bathroom still washing herself.

Amy had her fingers in her mouth, and looked up at the man that was talking to her mom.  She didn't really understand what he was saying , but she felt her mom's change in demeanor and it was for a more gloomy state, so that made her lip start to quiver and her eyes to start to water.

[GuardianWolves]

"Oh....I'm sorry. Really, I didn't mean it like that. I didn't mean to make you upset Susan, I was just wondering was all. You don't have to say anything about it or explain anything to me if you don't want to. I'm sorry that I made you both upset. Forgive me?" He asked them both as he tried to hug them, hoping that the weren't mad at him for bringing up something so sensitive and delicate like that, especially with Amy right in the room too. How could he have been such an idiot, he had hurt his really good friends feelings that he had connected with and now she was gonna wanna leave and go somewhere else away from him. He had made her embarrassed and that wasn't right of him to do and just left them alone, going downstairs and sitting on the couch and deciding to watch some TV as he would wait for the one thing he knew was coming.

[Ishigreensa]

Susan calmed down while he was down stairs, and Heidi came out of the bathroom and saw her mom standing on a soaked towel.

"It happened to you, again?" Heidi asked.

"Yeah," Susan said.  "And I don't think Terrance is very happy about it.  He kind of wants an explanation, but...."

"I know..." Heidi said looking down.  I can't explain it either, but I kind of feel the same way.  It's not easy to stop doing what I've gotten used to for so long...."

"I know, sweetheart," Susan said.  "Whether Terrance wants us to stay or not, I will never be mad at you for something that even I can't control."

They hugged each other.

After a few minutes, Heidi and Susan walked back down the stairs, Susan still in her wet pants.

"Uncle... um... Terrance?" Heidi called for him.  "Can... can we talk.  Please?"

She went over and got in front of the television.  She thought it was important to figure out why he would be mad at them, and if they really had to leave.  She knew her mom couldn't find any work in this area doing what she had been doing, and she was worried.

Susan was worried, too.

[GuardianWolves]

"Oh sure, we can talk. But, if it's about what happened with your mother than, just know that I'm not mad and I don't want her or you 4 to leave the house at all. I just felt like I had made her really mad and upset with me, so I just came down here to give her some space from me. I thought she might wanna leave and not be around me because of what I said and stuff. So, I just wanna say that I'm sorry to your mother and the rest of you and that I really didn't mean to do that to her." He said as Heidi would have noticed that his eyes were starting to tear up and he was looking away from them, but not out of embarrassment or anything, these tears were more from shame, shame of what he had done or thought he had done to his childhood friend and that he couldn't stand to see her hurt and hadn't wanted to hurt her in the first place. He just couldn't look them in the eyes anymore, not after what he had supposedly done to her. 

[Ishigreensa]

Heidi looked down because it was.

They both heard him out, and suddenly, Susan walked over to him and hugged him.

"I... I was afraid you were ashamed of me, and mad at me for ... well, doing that," she said.

Heidi frowned.

"Mom's been wetting her pants lately, even if there is a toilet right there.  But it's not what you think.  She's... I don't think... it's not on purpose.  It's... we can't help it."

Susan looked at him, her face as red as a ripe apple.

"I'm so used to letting my kids go first when we get the chance, and well, there are other reasons, too, but I don't even understand them.  It just.... I don't know what happens."

Heidi nodded.

"Yeah.  Me too.  I mean, when I pee the bed."

Cassandra was in her room, and Heidi had coached mom to put Amy in with her for now so they could talk to Terrance.

[GuardianWolves]

"It's okay you two, I would have never been mad at you. I just said something that was really bad and I couldn't look at you two the same way like I did before." He said

He looked at them both as he did his best to stop the tears, which he managed to do and looked at them both. "Thanks Susan and Heidi, I'm so lucky to have re-connected with your family again you two." He said as he looked over to Heidi and used one of his arms to open up a space for her to come and get hugged if she felt like she wanted to that was.

He then asked them "Would you two like to help me make breakfast, I was just about to make some for the family if everyone's hungry and maybe we could all go clothes shopping and maybe then go and do something fun afterwards." He asked as he looked at them and waited for their answer.

[Ishigreensa]

Susan frowned and looked up at him.

"Well, actually...." She looked down.  "What you asked... it... it wasn't out of line.  I just... I don't have a good answer for you.  It just happens.  It's sort of weird.  I'll try to explain it when I understand it more myself.  But I can't... I just... I just don't feel like using the toilet sometimes even though I know I'm about to pee."

Heidi nodded.

"That's how it feels sometimes at night with me.  I just wet the bed, but I know I'm doing it.  Promise you not mad?"

 

When he reached his arm out to her, Heidi came over for a hug.

 

Susan looked down when he mentioned they could help him make breakfast.  Susan wasn't sure if he was treating her like a child, but she decided not to ask or to make a mountain of a mole hill again.

Heidi gladly smiled really liking the idea of helping to make breakfast.

She pulled away and led the way to the kitchen, skipping a few steps to get in front of the adults.

[GuardianWolves]

"Oh, I'm sorry Susan, I didn't mean for that to come off like you were something your not." He said as he realized the way he had said what he had just said about them helping him with breakfast would have made it sound like something that he hadn't meant to say. He simply got up and followed the young 11 year old to the kitchen, he then started getting out the pans he was gonna use and asked Heidi to "please set the table for everyone for breakfast." He then looked to Susan and asked "if you wanna help me by getting the eggs, it would be nice." He said as he turned on the fire and then got some butter to use in the pan and put the pan on the stove that he was gonna use to cook some eggs, bacon and french toast for everyone to eat.

[Ishigreensa]

Susan started to get the things he asked for and helped him anyway that he directed her to do so.

Heidi nodded and went to work setting the table.

Susan had soon forgotten the awkwardness that had happened earlier and it was kind of like having her old friend back.

"So, after we get some clothes, what were you thinking?  Remember, we have a little one with us, so we can't do anything too extreme."

Heidi looked over at them as her mother started to talk to him normally again.

[GuardianWolves]

"I was thinking we could go and get something to eat and then after that, we could try and go to the park or maybe we could go to that new public bounce house place that's open and let the girls have some fun on the trampolines." He told her as he cracked the eggs and put them into the pan to cook the eggs. He also got some bread to use for the french toast and started to use the time to quickly make the french toast ready to be cooked. He then just smiled and took the eggs once he had finished and put them on the the plates for all 4 of them, leaving a little bit on for Amy since she was still a toddler and wouldn't be able to eat as much as the others would be able to do.

[Ishigreensa]

Susan smiled.

"Sure, I think the bouncing place would really fascinate the girls, and even Amy might be able to play a little bit in there without getting hurt."

She smiled at him as he handed her the plates.

"Do you think we should diaper Cassandra before going to the bouncing place?  I wouldn't want to make a puddle for anyone to fall into while playing."

She looked down and wondered if she should wear one, too.  Heidi was probably safe since she mostly just wet the bed at night.

[GuardianWolves]

Do you think Cassandra is gonna have that big of an accident that would cause someone to get that wet while she's having fun on the trampolines?" He asked Susan, wondering why she had even brought that up to begin with, since it seemed that the girls were potty trained, they just needed a place that had an actual bathroom for them to use. "I mean, I think we should diaper Cassandra and Heidi during the night and Amy if she doesn't already wear a diaper to bed." He said as he looked to Heidi and said "can you please go and tell Cassandra and get Amy that breakfast is about to be ready and can you three go and wash your hands before breakfast please?" He asked Heidi and then turned to Susan "can you get me some of the bacon from the fridge, so that I can put it on the frying pan and then cook it for everyone. I think I'll make 10 or so slices for everyone to eat and some extras left over if anyone wants them." He said as he finished up with the french toast and put them on the four plates and as soon as he got the bacon, he started to cook the bacon so that it had a good mix of both chewiness and crunchiness, before he put them on the plates and put the extras on a separate plate in the middle for everyone to take if they wanted one. He then got out some drinks for everyone to drink.

 

[Ishigreensa]

Susan looked down.

"Well, she does sometimes wet her pants some.  She... she doesn't do it as bad or as much as I do, but it does happen."

She frowned.

"I'm not sure, but... I'm afraid Cassandra might even be... sort of... getting to the point of being... well, unpotty trained, and it's my fault."

She sighed and looked down.

Heidi had already gone off to get her sisters when Susan answered him about Cassandra.

[GuardianWolves]

"Maybe we should try and take the effort to maybe get her to be potty-trained again. I can do that if Cassandra would let me, I don't know if she'll let me though. Since she, like you said, might be used to it by now." He said as he looked at Susan and said "it's nothing to be ashamed of, you were in a situation, where if the girls were allowed to leave their hiding place, they most likely would have been taken away from you and I don't think you would have wanted that." He said as he looked at her with concern "Do....you maybe think you might need a diaper at night?" Like you used to? He asked her as he looked at her with definite concern like he had back then.

[Ishigreensa]

She looked down.

"I... I... I don't want one, but more like, I probably need one in the day time," she said.  "I don't usually pee in the night, but I pee my pants a lot during the day."

She sniffled as though about to cry.

"It's.... it's really embarrassing."

She sighed.

"But I hate the idea of wearing a diaper in the daytime.  I'm supposed to be a mother with three daughters, and be the example, but I can't even keep my pants dry in the daytime."

[GuardianWolves]

"You don't have to be embarrassed. I know your supposed to be the example for your daughters, but you don't have to worry. As long as we can both be here to support each other, than there should be no reason that your ability as a mother should be called into question at all and I swear, I will never allow them to take your girls away from you and I will make sure that you are able to not be embarrassed around the girls and help you be able to show that you can be a good example in every other way to Amy, Cassandra and Heidi." He said as he brought her close to give her some more comfort. He knew that she really needed it, especially after what she had been through and she would take a while to maybe regain her confidence and be able to not feel sad when she has something bad happen to her.

[Ishigreensa]

Heidi brought her sisters down and saw Uncle Terrance hugging their mother.

Heidi went over and sat at the table.

Cassandra took Amy by the hand and directed her to mom, and then she went and sat down.

After a bit of a hug, Susan realized her daughters were back, and she picked little Amy up to put in her lap as she sat down.

"Uncle Terrance made us all breakfast," she told the girls.  "And with his own food, so what should we say to him?"

Heidi and Cassandra caught on right away and said "Thank you" at the same time.

Amy caught up about the middle and said "nk you."

Susan then looked over at him and nodded.

"We mean it," she told him.  "We really do appreciate you helping us like this."

Heidi nodded.  She didn't trust him yet, but she still knew he didn't have to do what he had done so far, so she did appreciate it.

Cassandra nodded every enthusiastically.  She really liked Uncle Terrance, and she hoped he would let her sit with him later.