A Little Therapy - (Private with diaperboy187)

[diaperboy187]

"I don't understand. I gave her a bottle and a sandwich for lunch" Ellen told Miranda as she took Haley and burped her. She then offered the girl the other bottle not surprised when she began drinking it down as well. The girl's parents had never said the little preschooler needed extra vitamins and tried to make sure she didn't get much sugar. Ellen sighed and waited for Haley to finish her second bottle of formula.

"Yes go right ahead. What seems to be the problem ?" Sandy asked Miranda as she put her in her lap so she could reach the phone. She hoped whatever the issue it wasn't too serious but knew it likely was. If one of her employees had caused some trouble for her new worker they would be very sorry. Sandy waited for Miranda to explain the situation feeling a bit like she was in the way.

[BabySofia]

Miranda was not happy about being on her lap, but accepted the large phone she could now reach. On Sandy's wall in big numbers was the number for CPS that she was now legally obligated to call. She felt like she should at least give Sandy the reason for the call.

"I was getting Haley Simmons for her therapy appointment... There were some odd things going on with her shyness at that point. She's not behaving like a four year old should... but I put that off partially to her speech issues. Kids often times have issues communicating and become shy to avoid embarrassment. On our way to my office when I coaxed her away I saw she wasn't going to last without a diaper change. When I was changing her I noticed I can clearly see her ribs. From what little she said I have more than enough reason to believe she may only be getting breast milk... and a very limited supply of solid food here at the daycare. Combine that with her very odd behaviors I feel I am legally obligated under the mandatory reporter laws to call CPS."

She sighed, "And my first day on the job at that..."

Miranda worried a bit at what Sandy would say about it, so she didn't hesitate and began dialing the phone to call.

[diaperboy187]

Haley took a bit longer to finish her second bottle of formula but still looked a bit hungry. She could probably eat at least half the serving of oatmeal set out before finally getting full. The poor preschooler let herself be burped and put on her teacher's lap. Haley didn't eat the oatmeal as fast but still Ellen struggled a little bit to keep up with her.

"Haley Simmons. I read about the instructions her mom left for her. With that little sugar going into her body I thought she just had some nutritional issue. I never imagined that the situation was so serious" Sandy told Miranda her voice indicating that she was in fact telling the truth. She let the speech therapist call CPS not even trying to stop her. Once they were done she would have a talk with the little girl's teacher to see if she had noticed anything. Above all Sandy just wanted Haley to be safe and healthy.

[BabySofia]

Miranda knew she was fortunate in a way that she didn't have as much emotionally invested in a kid she just met... but she had become a therapist because she cared! She wanted to help kids... and she hated that in this case helping meant looking out for a kid who literally seemed to have no way to speak up for herself. 

When she finally had someone answer she said, "Hi, my name is Miranda Evans, I'm a speech therapist at Learning Time Preschool. I need to make a report of possible neglect of one of the kids I'm treating." She listened as the person on the other end seemed a bit skeptical, even asking, 'Does your mommy know you're calling?'

She sighed, "I have YouthLock, that's why my voice sounds like a kids. Here, let me have the manager confirm that with you..."

[diaperboy187]

Once Haley was finally full for probably the first time in a long time she curled up in Ellen's lap. She quickly fell asleep from exhaustion not caring that she wasn't in a crib or bed. All her time with the teacher had given her a strong bond likely stronger than the one with her parents. Ellen let Haley sleep trusting her assistant to watch the class for a bit.

Sandy fought back a chuckle as she heard the person on the other end asking if Miranda's mommy knew she was calling. She quickly cleared things up though stating "Hi. I'm Sandy Kensington. The woman you are speaking to is an employee of mine with youthlock" Once it was cleared up she gave the phone back to the tiny employee. Sandy listened as Miranda explained everything to them who assured them they would be right over.

[BabySofia]

Miranda sighed as the woman on the line said she was sorry. "We have a little four year old girl here, her name is Haley Simmons, who I feel is probably not being properly fed at home. She's emaciated at this point, and from what little I heard from her, may only be getting breastfed still." 

The lady asked some questions about why else she felt there was a case there, "She's seriously behind developmentally. I believe she's nearly five years old and is still in diapers full time. She has a thumb sucking habit and a manner about her that makes me believe she's most likely being at least neglected, if not abused at home. There may be valid reasons for some of it, but all of it as a whole leads me to believe she may be in danger at home."

Miranda listened to her as she said they would send someone to speak with her and her teacher in a couple hours, and then they would pay a home visit later in the evening or the next day. She assured her that they would in fact look into it.

She hung up the phone and felt her heart was heavy for the poor girl. All they could do now was wait and see what an investigation would turn up. From a couple encounters during her internship she knew that could take up to a few weeks before it would even make a preliminary conclusion.

 

[diaperboy187]

Ellen considered putting Haley in a crib but thought she could use the human contact. She thought the girl was looking a little better but couldn't be certain. The little preschooler was sleeping peacefully for now though was sucking on her thumb. Ellen considered giving Haley a pacifier but her mother had forbid it.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with this on your first day. Ellen and I have noticed Haley was having trouble keeping up but I never imagined it might be this bad. By the way how has your day been ?" Sandy asked Miranda as she hoped Haley would recover. She wondered if the new speech therapist had anything else to discuss with her. The petite lady was still in her lap a fact that seemed to have escaped both their notices. Sandy would gladly listen to any other concerns Miranda might have about another child or an employee.

[BabySofia]

Miranda looked up at Sandy and blushed as she realized she was still sitting on her lap. She sighed, "Well... it was an interesting first day. I know I'm always going to struggle to be taken seriously because of my size. It's going to be an adjustment for both the staff, and the kids, to understand I'm not a toddler... But I expected that since I get that all of the time."

Miranda would not burn bridges by throwing Zorina and Ellen under the bus with their boss, even though she was still irritated at Zorina for making her eat in that damn high chair! It was a bit rough with Jamie, but she felt like she made progress with her too.

She paused, "But I also feel like I already have made some connections with the kids. I feel like my size can also be an advantage because I'm not so threatening. If they see me as a playmate then maybe they'll feel less intimidated. I think I had some luck with that with most of them. I'm really curious to meet the other eight kids I have tomorrow," she told her. "And if we save Haley from a neglectful situation and get her help that's a win too!"

[diaperboy187]

"Well it sounds like you're doing quite good. I will say it is different having you here as we've never had a person with youthlock here before. Your resume was very good though. Just be careful around the kids" Sandy told Miranda while giving her a warning. She was certain given the woman's size if she let slip up too much around the kids they would see her as a playmate rather than an authority figure. While her smaller size could be an advantage she worried it might be a bigger disadvantage. Sandy had taken a big risk hiring Miranda as the new speech therapist and could only hope she didn't blow it.

"Would you like to get off my lap now or just wait until the parents come ?" She politely asked the tiny adult as she remembered she was still in her lap. Hopefully the new employee wasn't too upset over being left in her boss's lap. The parents would arrive soon but they still had a while to talk. While Miranda might find it humiliating Sandy might get a few chuckles over hearing how she had been tricked into eating lunch in a highchair.

[BabySofia]

Miranda blushed and pushed herself off her lap. "Sorry about that..." 

She slid down and brushed at her slacks, noting there was definitely a need for a dry cleaning trip in the near future! Fortunately she had a cleaners a block from home, and a total of three pantsuits and two skirt-suits she'd had custom made for her. Sadly anything in her actual sizes tended to be very much more appropriate for one of her kids here! Seeing there was another chair to the side of the desk she climbed into it.

She was debating on breaking the awkward silence when Sandy started to speak.  

[diaperboy187]

"So Miranda did anything interesting happen at lunch ? Because I received a cute photo I think you'll enjoy" Sandy asked Miranda as she pulled out a picture of her in the highchair. She looked at the girl in it with a bib around her neck, a sippy cup on the tray, and some snacks to the side. If the owner hadn't seen the new employee before she would have sworn the person in the picture was an actual toddler. Sandy gave a few giggles before showing Miranda the picture to see for herself.

Zorina had already been warned by Sandy to not try it again without a good reason. According to what the teacher claimed she needed someone to watch the kids and there had been no other empty seats for the speech therapist to reach the table and watch the kids. While the boss had to admit it made sense she wondered if there was more to the story. "So what happened ? If you want to sit in a highchair and behave like one of the toddlers I can easily have you enrolled here" Sandy warned Miranda while waiting for a good explanation.

[BabySofia]

Miranda debated about what to say... but she figured the truth was the right answer here. "I think I made Zorina mad on accident. I needed to go back to my office to get the shake I eat for my lunch, for YouthLock issues, and case files if I was going to help her out with watching the kids. I told her I needed that, but she thought I was just trying to get out of helping her I think. She got her revenge by forcing me to sit in that high chair..."

She tried to be diplomatic, but couldn't completely, "She claimed it was because it was the only place to sit, but there were clearly empty seats at a table I was going to." She sighed, "She apologized later, so I'd ask that you not make a big deal about it..." She was about to try and tell her about her PTSD kind of issues from her attempted kidnapping by her roommate when there was a knock on the door.

Ellen was letting them know that Haley's mom had come and picked her up a few minutes earlier. She was joined at the door by a CPS investigator.

[diaperboy187]

Sandy listened to Miranda's explanation and was about to talk when the CPS investigator showed up beside Ellen. She quickly introduced herself to the woman and talked with her in private for a few minutes. Once they were done she let the teacher then the aide speak to her both in private. Janie Dally, Ellen's aide was very nervous as she talked to the CPS investigator in private.

Wendy Rogers, the CPS investigator, had a scowl on her face as she entered the room. She glanced over at the speech therapist mistaking her for a kid but didn't talk to her. Clearly even the news of a child being mistreated was something she took very seriously. Wendy grilled Sandy, Ellen, and Janie with all the questions she had concerning Haley's health, development, mental state, and signs of any mistreatment before finally finishing with them and going to Miranda's office.

[BabySofia]

She was sitting at her desk and looking over what little notes had been left by the previous therapist on Haley. The thing was there wasn't much. She'd glanced at all of the kids folders and none of the notes really followed the training she'd received. Without knowing more she was beginning to think her predecessor was lazy and incompetent. 

Miranda looked up as a knock came at the door. "Come in!" she said to the person standing by the already opened door.

She looked up at the CPS investigator who seemed to be in just as foul of a mood as she had been when she entered Sandy's office earlier. It was clear she didn't think she was in the right place because she took a double take back and forth across the office and looked skeptically at her sitting at her files.

[diaperboy187]

Wendy looked at Miranda in disbelief then the office then back again to Miranda. "You're the new speech therapist ?" She asked the tiny woman still unable to believe she was the right person. Once the CPS worker had confirmed that she was in fact the right person she went right into her questions she reviewed the notes on file for the small preschooler. "I've talked with Sandy, Ellen, and Janie. Now I just need to ask you a few questions. In your short time working here have you witnessed any signs of abuse, neglect, or anything else from the daycare employees towards Haley ?" Wendy asked Miranda as she seemed eager to make sure the issue wasn't coming from the daycare itself.

[BabySofia]

"Sorry, I know I'm short, I have YouthLock." Miranda said and motioned her to sit down in a chair across from her desk. She had used the hydraulics of the chair all the way up on her seat so she could see across the desk just fine.

"No, I don't believe it's the daycare that's responsible. It's definitely from at home..." Miranda sighed, "Look, I know I look like I should be one of the kids here, but I've studied long and hard to become a therapist. My coursework and all of my experience leads me to believe there is definitely something wrong here. According to her file there is no diagnosed conditions that should result in her being in a delayed developmental state to the point she is. Not being potty trained, major speech issues, trust issues, and how skinny she is all add up to something not being right there. When I was changing her earlier she referred to 'Mama's Milk.' I see nothing wrong if a parent continues longer breastfeeding for nurture purposes, but past age one it shouldn't be the only nourishment. I have this gut feeling that may be the only food she is really getting at home. Here at the daycare they feed the kids, but if she's missing multiple meals a day there's the problem right there."

Miranda continued explaining a couple other things she'd documented from their short time together earlier and was grateful when the woman left her office twenty minutes later.

She looked at a clock and began gathering her bag and things to walk to the bus stop outside.

[diaperboy187]

Wendy seemed a bit more relieved as Miranda answered her questions reassuring her the daycare wasn't the source of the problem. She was just about certain that the situation was coming from home and decided a meeting would be necessary. After giving the speech therapist her card and promising to keep in touch she left the daycare. Wendy had made certain to get a copy of Haley's file before leaving the daycare to file a report.

"So I couldn't help noticing you don't have a car. The next bus isn't going to be around for at least an hour. How about I take you home so you don't have to wait ?" Sandy suggested to Miranda when she saw her packing up her things. She didn't mention she had a pink Minnie Mouse carseat with a five point harness in her car for her niece. The tiny adult would definitely fit in it with no trouble whatsoever. Sandy waited to see if Miranda would accept her offer as she was done packing and ready to lock up the daycare.

[BabySofia]

Miranda made sure she had everything one last time and closed the door, reaching up to the door knob to lock it with the key Sandy had given her. She looked at the time on her watch again and whispered, "Shit..." when she realized she had missed the 5:30pm bus and would have to wait for the 6:30pm bus. It wasn't an uncommon thing for her to deal with, but she wasn't a fan of sitting around at a bus stop on her own for long periods of time.

"Oh... Yeah I know I missed the last bus while I was talking with her... I don't want to be any trouble though? I'd hate for you to drive to the opposite side of town or something?" 

'I want to accept... but I don't want it to seem like I want to take advantage of her either,' Miranda thought to herself.

[diaperboy187]

Sandy gave Miranda a sharp warning look when she heard her cuss. She was glad no children had been around to hear it this time but hoped it wasn't a habit. While the boss had no idea where her new employee lived she didn't seem to mind if it was out of her way. "Nonsense. I'm sure you would do the same for me if you had a car. Now come along my cousin will be fine watching my niece for a bit" Sandy assured Miranda as she took her hand and began to lead her out of the daycare.

She would easily carry the speech therapist if she needed to not willing to have her wait outside for an hour to catch another bus. The owner had already used the bathroom before leaving but didn't think to ask if the small lady had as she locked the door. It would be hard to refuse an offer by someone who could easily pick up the girl with only one hand. Sandy waited for Miranda to accept her offer before opening the back door of her car revealing the Minnie Mouse carseat for Miranda to ride in.

[BabySofia]

Miranda blushed when Sandy opened the door and revealed a toddler car seat inside the car. It was pink and reminded her of the car seat that she had fought to finally get out of on her twelfth birthday... It was only then that she convinced her mom to let her sit in a booster seat instead. None of that had ever helped the mean girls at school stop making fun of her as a baby though. 

If it had been Zorina or anyone else who had suddenly revealed another plot to baby her she was pretty sure she would have lost it that day. Given it was her boss she just looked at her and asked, "You don't happen to have just a booster seat, do you?" 

Seeing the shake of her head she climbed into it and began trying to at least strap herself in to avoid some of the indignity of being in a seat meant for a toddler.

[diaperboy187]

"Sorry she's not ready for a booster seat and honestly this is the safer option at your height" Sandy told Miranda upon being asked if she had a booster seat. She let the short woman get into the carseat and struggle with the buckles. It was cute watching her try to figure out the carseat only to fail repeatedly. "Here let me do it for you baby" Sandy told Miranda as she accidentally slipped up by calling her a baby.

She hoped the new teacher didn't make a big deal of it as she had her buckled in the carseat in under a minute. After the daycare owner adjusted the straps to be a little tighter she got in her car. Trying to avoid a fit from the adult if at all possible the taller woman tried to change the subject. "So where do you live ?" Sandy asked Miranda as she got ready to punch in the address on her phone's GPS.

[BabySofia]

Miranda sighed at the baby comment, but figured it was instinctual with someone her size that Sandy felt like she had to help into a car seat. Knowing there wasn't anything she was going to managed to do about it graciously she just sat their patiently and waited for her to get into the drivers seat. When she asked for her address she gave her apartment complex's information to her.

She'd gotten the job before getting her apartment and moving out from her parents house two weeks before. Her parents and her best friend Amber had helped her move in and decorate it to her tastes. One of the reasons she'd chosen it was that it was relatively near the daycare center - being only a five minute bus ride. It had also been one of the few with a YouthLock policy that didn't discriminate!

Watching Sandy pull away from the preschool she turned and looked out the windows at the bus stop and noticed a few people standing around that didn't look all that good to be around. 'The ride was probably a really good idea...' she admitted, even as she looked down at the harness that kept her locked in. 'I just hope she doesn't have a problem with where I'm living or something...' she thought worriedly. It was a nice enough apartment inside, but she did have to admit the neighborhood could be better.

[diaperboy187]

"I'm sorry about the carseat but unfortunately it's either this or I have to risk getting a ticket" Sandy apologized to Miranda as she knew it was probably very embarrassing for her. She typed in the address and began following the GPS instructions. It was a good thing her new employee hadn't tried to fuss over her mistake or her boss would have scolded her like a naughty toddler. As Sandy continued driving she had to constantly watch out for potholes in the road.

Soon enough they arrived at the address and the daycare owner found herself looking at a building of apartments. The neighborhood didn't seem very safe though as most of the street lights were broken and there was graffiti everywhere. She sighed and went to help the tiny adult out of the carseat knowing the childproof mechanism made it impossible for her to get out of by herself. "Miranda are you sure you want me to drop you off here ? I could take you home and you could stay with me until you found a better place" Sandy offered Miranda as she released her from the carseat but was very worried about her.

[BabySofia]

Miranda was annoyed, but did her best to be gracious. "No thank you, I know the outside looks kind of bad right now, but my apartment is really nice. They're willing to lease to a YouthLock too... I'll probably move in a year when my lease is up, but for now I'm so happy to finally have my own place." She paused, "I promise you I'm safe here."

She smiled at her and said, "Thanks for the ride, I really appreciate it!"

Miranda could see the look in her eye and it worried her that she would force her to go with her. So she gave her a quick wave and walked to her apartment that was not far from the office. She had appreciated that there were cameras all around the property, as well as a constant security watch. The problem wasn't the apartment complex, it was the surrounding neighborhood. All of the neighbors she had met had been friendly enough. 

She found herself walking down the sidewalk and came to the door of her ground floor apartment. Placing her key into the lock she turned it and closed the door to lock away the world. Miranda grabbed her phone from her bag and then set it down on a table by the door. She walked through her living room/dining room area to her her bedroom and pulled off the shoes she had worn all day and rubbed her feet. Looking at the clock she saw it was already after six and decided a frozen pizza was as good as dinner was going to get. Walking back to the kitchen she climbed onto a step ladder to turn the oven on to warm up, and then walked back to her bedroom to get out of the suit.

Looking at the back of it she grimaced, there was dirt from the playground all over it and she knew it would have to get cleaned at the cleaners! She found a pair of yoga pants and a cami to put on and looked around her bedroom. 

She'd spent what savings she had to get into the apartment and get started in her career. As such she had brought most of her furniture from home. Her bed was a custom bed her dad had made for her when they found out she wouldn't grow anymore. She'd still been in a princesses and pink stage, so the beautiful wooden frame had a tiara cut into the headboard and it was painted a light baby pink color. Amber had given her a lot of grief over it, but it had been the right price when she moved in! The mattress was a crib mattress - her dad never seeing the point in buying anything bigger since she didn't need it. There were still holes on all of the sides of the frame from the crib rails that she'd been forced to accept when her mom put her back in diapers as a kid. Fortunately she'd left those back home!

The couch was her parents old one, but a lot of the rest of her furniture was specialty YouthLock or kids furniture so she didn't have problems reaching. Her dining room table was a kids table and chair set. It didn't embarrass her though, rather she felt empowered by having 'her' sized furnishings.

A couple hours later she found herself watching TV for a bit after letting her parents know how her first day had gone. Her mom had asked about the apartment complex some more, also apparently having some misgivings when she'd dropped her daughter off. Finally she took a soak in the bathtub before calling it a night. 

[diaperboy187]

Patricia was watching the door to the daycare the next morning when Mrs. Kindle came in with Marc. She remembered the new speech therapist wanted to talk with the woman and asked her to stick around for a minute. Without wasting a minute she hurried to the woman's office and gave her the news. Patricia then rushed back to the door as it was her day to watch it during drop off and pick up times.

The boy's mom agreed as she signed him in on the sign in sheet. Mrs. Kindle wondered what the new speech therapist wanted to talk to her about as she waited for Miranda to show up.