Richard and Katherine Grow a Family

[Shy-Diapers]

Alice tensed up when Richard spoke to her. She wasn’t too happy about being left alone with Katherine. She did her best to sit still while he was gone, though she was a little fidgety. She also wasn’t quite sure if she believed that Samantha wasn’t in trouble. Nothing good ever happened when a grown up wanted to talk to you privately, she knew that from experience.

Katherine tried to make conversation with the little girl across from her, but Alice was clearly trying to avoid it so she stopped.

Katherine nodded and rubbed Sam’s back soothingly. “It’s important to talk about your feelings honey and what goes on inside your head. If you don’t talk about your feelings then they get bigger and harder to handle.” She explained calmly. “It’s true for adults too. Whenever I’m upset I talk to Daddy or a friend about it so it doesn’t get bigger inside.”

Shortly after Richard and Samantha had returned, the food came out. Katherine helped direct the waitress as to who ordered what.

Alice stared at the chicken pot pie and potatoes in front of her. She looked up at Richard and a little around the table. She was absolutely starving but didn’t know if she was allowed to eat.

Once it seemed like it was okay to start, Alice started scarfing down her food at a rapid pace, barely taking time to breathe. The small girl seemed worried that if she didn’t eat everything immediately then it would disappear.

”Sweetie try to slow down.” Katherine suggested gently as she started eating as well. “You’re going to get a stomach ache.” Though Alice didn’t seem to listen to her and kept at the same pace. 

[Ishigreensa]

Richard frowned when he noticed that she was eating like she had not eaten in days.

"Hey, sweetheart, you can slow down," he whispered to Alice. "We don't want you to get a stomach ache.  If you are still a little hungry after you eat that, we an order you another side, but you have a cheese sandwich that you wanted, too, sweetheart."

Richard reached an arm around her to hug her and try to comfort her.

 

Samantha started to eat her ravioli.

 

"Honey, you and I need to talk when we have some time," he looked directly at Katherine.  "Both of our babies are in some kind of trouble, sweetheart."

He smiled at both the kids.

"I know I might just be over-reacting, which is why I want to talk to you before we decide on what to do about what've personally heard from both Alice earlier while we were shopping, and what I think Samantha was trying to tell me though she probably doesn't understand exactly what she's feeling."

[Shy-Diapers]

Alice frowned a bit when Richard tried to get her to slow down. She let him put his arm around her to comfort her without issue though she didn’t lean into him at all.

Despite both adults warning her to slow down, Alice couldn’t help herself. She hasn’t had food this good in a long time. She wasn’t going to risk her food being taken away from her now.

When she finished her plate she looked up at Richard. She didn’t want to ask for the grilled cheese and be bad, though she was still very hungry.

Alice tensed a bit and gripped the bottoms of her overalls to try to hide her worries when she heard Richard say she was in trouble. She didn’t understand what he had meant and assumed she was in trouble because she did something wrong.

Katherine nodded and sighed. Things were not going as smoothly as she would’ve hoped. 

”How’s everyone’s food?” She asked cheerfully, trying to change the subject and get the family in a better mood.

She just hoped that the rest of the day would go smoothly and they wouldn’t have any major issues. 

[Ishigreensa]

"It's good, mom," Samantha said with a smile.  "I understand when you said to talk it out, but what if you don't know what you are talking about because you don't know why things feel strange to you?"

Richard let the matter drop for now.  He didn't think talking anymore about the situation was a good thing at the moment.

He saw that she was already done with her chicken, so he pushed the grill cheese sandwich to her, and he ordered her some more french fries thinking she must still be hungry.  He couldn't believe how quicky and how much she was eating.

"I don't think she's eaten all day," he whispered to Katherine.

Samantha saw the way she ate, and she remembered feeling the same way, that she had to rush through her food, or fear others would start taking from her plate on her.  She didn't say anything to Alice about it though.  Every time she had tried to talk to her, it seemed to just go nowhere, so it was probably time to give her time to decide to come to her on her own.

"The steak is great," Richard replied about the food question she had asked.  "And judging by the way she's scarfing hers down, there mustn't be any complaints from her either."

[Shy-Diapers]

“We can talk more about that at home later.” Katherine said, trying to redirect the conversation. She didn’t want any more meltdowns or tears at least until they got home.

As soon as the grilled cheese was in front of her, Alice started scarfing down that as well. At one point when she was one hundred percent sure nobody would see, she took half of the sandwich and wrapped it in a napkin, putting it in her overalls pocket. Once she’d done that and made sure everyone else was distracted, she finished the first half and started eating her fries, starting to eat at a bit more of a normal pace now.

Katherine smiled and was happy that things seemed to be going a little smoother now. “Once everyone is finished we can pay and start the drive back.”

She stood up after she finished and looked at Samantha. “I’m going to go to the bathroom before we leave. It’s a long drive and I don’t want to go at a rest stop.” She said, hinting that maybe Sam should try to go as well, just to be safe. 

[Ishigreensa]

Samantha stood up when her mommy said she was going to the bathroom, and started walking with her.

"I lied," she said as they walked away from the table to her mommy. "You probably going to be mad, but I lied."

She walked into the bathroom and looked at the cubical doors, and was willing to wait for mommy since mommy said she wanted to go first.

Richard just sat with Alice, watching her eat her fries.  He wanted to make sure she was done and full before they left.

He did decide, once it looked like she was done, to take her to the bathroom, not to force her to go, but so he could go, and he took her into a private stall, and had her stand where he could watch her, while he went, then he called her over.

"You can try to go now, if you want," he told her. "But if you don't want to, it's okay."

[Shy-Diapers]

Katherine sighed a bit under her breath but turned to Samantha. “What do you mean?” She had no clue what her daughter would’ve lied about or why. She was confused, especially because Samantha knew how much her parents valued honesty.

Katherine used the bathroom quickly and started washing her hands while she waited for Samantha to go.

Alice looked a little nervous when Richard decided to take her to the bathroom. She tried not to show it and obediently waited while he went.

She shook her head at Richard and seemed a little frustrated or upset. “I don’t gotta go!” She insisted unhappily. She was getting annoyed with Richard for what felt like constantly trying to get her to go. So far he’d asked her three times in the past two or so hours.

”I want my dinosaur.” She mumbled quietly, trying not to be heard. The girl was overwhelmed and trying to adjust but it was difficult. It had been a very long day so far. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Alright, sweetheart.  I was just giving you a chance since I just went. I'm not trying to force you, sweetheart."

He took her out to wash his hands and then took her to the car so she could cuddle with her dinosaur.

Samantha knew very well how important honesty was, not only with Katherine, but with everyone she'd ever stayed with, so she felt it was important to tell on herself, even though it was really, just a lie by omission caused by embarrassment and trying to cut down on her mom's work, but still, felt guilty.

"Well, the last two months at school, when you didn't find as many wet clothes?" she looked up at her mom with a small sad frown.  "I... I just stopped going to the nurse to change at school.  The kids were making fun of me all the time when I came out of the nurse office, and then, I saw that you seemed to never get done with laundry when I kept messing up all the clothes all the time, so I... I stopped changing my wet pants at school," she looked down.

She scooted into a stall right after she told her to give herself a moment before her mommy would scold her or maybe want to hit her with a hanger or something, but mommy hadn't done that, yet.  That was something that would have happened more than two years ago, not now.  She knew Katherine wouldn't hit her, but she did expect to be scolded.

[Shy-Diapers]

Alice let Richard buckle her into her carseat and immediately grabbed her dinosaur. She clutched it close to her chest and looked out her window while they waited.

”Are we going to your house now?” She asked curiously. She had many questions running through her little mind but she was doing her best to keep them inside. She didn’t want to be annoying and pester them with her questions.

Katherine sighed and shook her head. “Samantha.” She scolded gently. “That’s not okay honey. You can’t be wearing wet clothes all day at school and you’re going to ruin your clothes if you don’t let me wash them.”

She shook her head and directed Sam out to the car. “We’ll talk more about this at home. Right now we’re going to go to the car and have a peaceful drive home.” She said in a tone that showed she was serious but not mad. “You’re not in trouble but we need to have a serious conversation about this with your father.”

She got into the front seat and looked over at Richard. “We have a lot to talk about when we get home.” She did her best to keep her tone even and calm though Richard would be able to tell she was getting a little frazzled.

Katherine shook her head and looked out her window. She wondered if the family would ever be able to have a normal outing. Even after Richard and Katherine had tried to change the subject to less serious things and keep things light, Samantha had to bring up negatives. She thought they’d made amazing progress over the two years of having the girl, but sometimes it seemed like she’d never trust them. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Yes, baby, we are going home as soon as the other ladies get in the car.  And if you have any questions, it's okay to ask.  I know if I was going somewhere new, I'd like to know a thing or two about it."

He got her settled in, and then got in the driver's seat.

Samantha frowned and nodded.  She knew that it was bad to lie and to hide bad things that she did.  She knew she was lucky that Katherine didn't want to hit her.

When Samantha got into the car, she settled down and put her belt on, and then closed her eyes.  She was emotionally drained, so it didn't  take more than five minutes before she fell asleep.

Richard put on some soothing music, hoping to lull the children to sleep at the very least.

[Shy-Diapers]

“How many kids do you have?” Alice asked curiously once she was told it was okay to ask questions. She was used to foster homes having at least two or three other children in the home before Alice would join them.

”Do I have to go to a new school?” She asked a moment later. She hadn’t gotten to go to school the past week since being removed from her mother. She wasn’t in one place long enough to get to go. Luckily the girl lived in the same school district that the JFords did, so she’d be able to go to the same school she was used to.

Alice made it a point to stay awake the whole drive back. She was tired and I overwhelmed for sure but she wasn’t quite comfortable enough to fall asleep around everyone yet.

When they got home, Katherine looked in the backseat to see if the girls were asleep. She was surprised that Alice had stayed awake the whole time, and couldn’t tell if Sam was still asleep.

“We’re home!” She said in a cheery tone. “Let’s all get the bags taken in and we can see if Alice needs help to get settled in.”

[Ishigreensa]

"Well, I don't know how long you've not been able to go to school sweetheart," Richard frowned.  "But as it is still early August, school doesn't start again until near the end of the month, baby.  I'm not really sure where you went to school before, but we'll be taking you to school the first couple of days to make sure you know the way from our house and to make sure the school knows anything they need to know about your situation so you don't have to try to explain difficult things, okay?" 

Her other questions were answered, that at the moment, she and Samantha were the only ones, but was made aware that they do sometimes take in kids that need to stay a short time if they have nowhere else to go.  He was a bit surprised that Alice made it all the way home without sleeping since it was an hour and a half drive, and it was getting pretty late into the evening.

Samantha was still asleep, and when she was startled awake, she started to cry.

 

The girl was in the classroom, trying to read the board, but the board had stuff all over it that made no sense to her at all.  It wasn't just the squiggly lines that she was used to, that show words, but rather, it was something so alien, that no one else should be able to read it either, only they did, and she felt her face get hot and she was embarrassed as people called her stupid.  She got so nervous, she felt herself peeing in her pants, but she couldn't move to even raise her hand.  She looked up for a clock, but the only thing she found was something directly on the wall that looked like it had fifteen symbols on it, and it had five rotating slender hands.  She shivered in her sleep as the dream continued, and she felt herself pee some more as she was in another class, one that she couldn't understand at all.  She had no idea what they were supposed to be learning.  And then when Katherine chirped back at them, waking her, she woke up and her hands went directly to her crotch, where she was still leaking into her pants in little squirts, and thus she had started crying.

 

Richard got out of the car and walked around to Alice's side, and he opened her door and then saw Samantha, sitting there, peeing on herself and crying, and he sighed.

"Baby, it's okay," he whispered over to Samantha as he started to get Alice out.  "Just go stand by the door so we can let you in the house, sweetheart."

Richard carried the younger one.  "I'll put you down once we are in the house.  I really don't want you wearing shoes for a couple of days, and even after that, only when you go outside, for at least a week, okay, honey?  We will set up some appointments to get you to see a doctor to look at your feet and anything else that we find you may need as soon as we can."

He carried Alice to the front door and waited for Katherine to open the door.

"Why don't you try to get the girls settled a bit, and I'll bring in their new things.  And I think it might be a good idea to put Samantha in a diaper for the rest of the night.  It seems she's having a hard time today staying dry."

[Shy-Diapers]

Alice nodded and was happy that all her questions had been answered. Being only eight and having no real concept of time quite yet she didn’t really realize how long it had been since she’d gone to school. She also didn’t quite get the difference between regular school and educational summer programs they had at the school which she went to when she could, even if it was just to get out of the house and get some food.

She allowed Richard to carry her inside but she didn’t really like the idea of him just leaving her there. She wanted to be with him and not alone with Samantha and Katherine.

Katherine frowned and unlocked the house, letting the rest of the family in. She headed upstairs with Samantha and sighed a bit. Usually the girl only wet herself while she was awake so while this wasn’t out of nowhere, it wasn’t typical.

”Go get cleaned up sweetheart.” She said gently. “You can take a bath or just wash up with a rag.” She suggested. “Daddy also thinks it might be best if you wear one of your diapers for the rest of the night since this is the second accident today.”

Seeing Richard leave even if it was just to carry her new things in scared Alice. She was suddenly alone in the living room. She stood right by the door, thinking she wasn’t allowed outside since Richard didn’t want her walking out there. 

[Ishigreensa]

Richard made his first trip into the house with one bag, and he looked down at Alice who he almost bumped into.  She was frozen, it seemed, and hardly dared to move.

"Baby, don't you want to see where you will be sleeping?" he asked her not quite catching on to her problem until he saw her standing there, and a shiver seemed to overtake her for a moment.  "Are you scared, sweetheart?"

He squatted down and rubbed her cheek with his hand.  

"Look, we'll turn on the lights for the porch so you can see your way to the car, and you can help me carry stuff in.  Will that be better for you right now, honey?"

He put an arm around her once he put the first bag of things in the living room.

"Come on, you can help me carry things in, baby."

He started to lead her to the car, and let her take her stuffed animals for the first trip.  Honestly, he didn't need her help, but he didn't want her blocking the door either, as he didn't want to step on her foot or trip over her.  So this was his solution for now.

 

"Am I in trouble?" Samantha asked.  It had been a while since she had wet once she was allowed to get up, and a while since she had wet herself inside a store, though she had wet in car trips before when she had held it a while, but Katherine did try to get her to use the toilet at the restaurant before they left, so it was definitely strange, maybe not that she didn't have to go at the restaurant, but certainly that she had wet in the store the first time.

She listened to Katherine, and nodded.  As she walked towards the bathroom, she whispered out so it was barely audible.  "I'm sorry, mommy."  She wasn't really sure she wanted to wear a diaper until bedtime.  What if Alice saw it?  But she understood her mom and dad's point, so she tried not to let her disappointment show.

[Shy-Diapers]

Alice shrugged a little when asked if she wanted to see where she’d be sleeping. While she did want to of course, she didn’t want to be alone.

She seemed to beam with excitement when Richard asked her to help. She very happily nodded and helped Richard carry the bags in. She felt like she was doing a good job and being helpful to him. Even if she was only carrying the lightest and smallest things, this was a big confidence boost for the little girl.

“You’re not in trouble sweetheart.” Katherine reassured her. “I promise you that you’ll never get in trouble for accidents.” She repeated for what felt like the millionth time.

”I know you don’t want to honey but it’s already getting dark and you can just put your pajamas on now along with the diaper. It’s just to be sure, you know you can use the bathroom even if it’s on.” She reassured Sam, wanting to help her feel better but not let her get out of wearing the diaper. 

[Ishigreensa]

Samantha nodded understanding her mommy.

"I didn't mean to cause you trouble and embarrassment.  I'm going to take a full bath, if that's okay, since I'm putting on pajamas now.  I know I'll probably wet again in the morning, but...  I don't want to smell bad in bed."

She walked towards the bathroom.

 

Richard smiled at how helpful she tried to be, so he carefully lightened bags for her, to make sure she didn't get anything too heavy for her body and frame.  And once they had the bags in the house, he took her to the kitchen, and sat her upon the sink counter.

"Are you hungry, sweetie?" he asked her.  "I do want you to drink some water even if you aren't hungry.  I don't know what they've done to you over the last few weeks, but I do know that you haven't used the bathroom in the last several hours, and while I might be over reacting, I want to make sure you are getting enough water, okay?"

He took down a plastic cup and put some water in it for her, and then he lifted her up again and carried her up the stairs to show her around the house.

"You can go ahead and drink while we are touring," he told her.  "Don't worry if you spill.  Samantha has accidentally dropped cups of water one place or another since we've had her, many many times, and she still sometimes does.  It's part of being a kid, sweetheart."

[Shy-Diapers]

“You didn’t cause trouble or embarrassment sweetheart.” Katherine reassured the girl. “Enjoy your bath, don’t worry if you need one tomorrow morning again.”

Once Samantha was in the bathroom she went to go tidy up downstairs, figuring she’d leave Richard and Alice alone.

Alice shrugged when Richard asked if she was hungry. She wasn’t really good at knowing if she was or wasn’t, but she rarely turned down food lately.

She nodded and contently sipped her water and let Richard carry her around. She was doing her best to take everything in around her. “You have a big house for three people.” She said observantly.

”I sleep in a room by myself?” Alice asked a little surprised. She had gotten used to the other foster homes where three or four kids slept in one room, just in different beds. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Yes, sweetheart.  You can sleep in here by yourself.  If that scares you, that room over there is the adult room, and we won't mind if you come in and tell us you are scared.  And that one...," he pointed at the one across from the bathroom, "Is Samantha's room.  It might be best if you two don't go into each other's rooms unless you are invited though."

He patted her back.  

"It sounds like someone is in the bathroom right now, so when whoever is in there," and though he could guess it was Samantha, he decided to not let on so as not to give Alice any hints.  He didn't know how much she had noticed, and didn't want to embarrass either kid anymore than needed to be.  "...whoever is in there gets out, we'll let you get a bath, okay?  It might be better if Katherine bathes you?" he looked to see her reaction before he went on, "... or I can do it.  I'm sure you are a big girl, but someone hasn't let you bathe in a while, and so I just want to make sure you get clean this time, okay?"

He walked her down to the living room and showed her the children's books as well as the books for the elder people in the house and the television.  When they stopped in front of the computer, he turned her to face her, face to face, and got serious.  "You can play with the computer, when you have someone near by to supervise, okay?  Samantha has the same rule, sweetheart."

Then he took her outside, and showed her the backyard.

"This is where you can play, probably in about a week, after we let your feet recover some from all those blisters, okay?"

[Shy-Diapers]

Alice shook her head. She was used to having her own room at home. She was just a little surprised to have one in the new foster home.

She wanted to protest taking a bath but she knew she was dirty. “No!” She said quickly, not quite realizing she was a little loud. She wasn’t fond of the idea of Katherine bathing her. She didn’t love the idea of Richard doing it but he was a much better option than Katherine.

“You have a computer?” She asked in surprise, not used to seeing a computer that was available for anyone to use. Her mother had a laptop she used for work, but Alice wasn’t allowed to touch it.

”Wow.” She said aloud, being surprised by how nice the house was in her mind. “Your house is so nice!” She said honestly, used to her small two bedroom house that was fairly run down and dirty. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Well, Katherine is a teacher in the school year, and I have a nice job, so we are able to provide a nice home for some children that need it, and for our very loved little girl, Samantha.  You don't have to worry about anything here, honey.  You are safe here."

He noticed how scared she was when he told her it was best for her to do it, and how she relaxed slightly when he said he could do it.

"I'm sorry, but one of us do have to bathe you sweetheart.  You don't have to worry though.  We just want to get you healthy again.  You need to eat better than you have been, you need to be kept cleaner than you have been, and you need someone to listen to your worries a bit more, you know?  I know it's not your mommy's fault since she is sick, but I am disappointed in those other homes that should have been taking care of you."

He hugged her.

"Now, I think I hear Samantha getting out of the tub upstairs, so let's go get you that bath, sweetheart.  Don't worry if you  have bruises.  I'm not here to judge those, other than to help them if you hurt.  The state has already decided what to do about any neglect or bruising you have, by putting you with us, sweetheart."

He carried her past Samantha who was wrapped in a towel going to her room to wait for her mommy to help her get the diaper on.  She wasn't good at putting it on by herself, and if when she did try to do it, it always leaked all over.

He put the little one down and went to the tub to start the water.

"You can take your clothes off on your own," he told her.  "I'm sure you're a big enough girl to do that much."

[Shy-Diapers]

Alice nodded along with everything Richard was saying. She wasn’t thinking too much about if what she was saying would get her in trouble or not, being more relaxed at this point.

When it came time to take her bath, Alice looked a little embarrassed. She carefully removed her overalls first, making sure the half of her grilled cheese didn’t fall out. She blushed and looked down at the floor when she had completely gotten undressed.

Though she didn’t have any obvious signs of bruising or injuries, Alice was very clearly skinny and underweight.

When she thought Samantha had finished, Katherine went to her room to help her get the diaper on. She made quick work of it before patting her daughter’s shoulder. “Remember, I promise I’m not mad. Once you’re dressed you can go watch TV or play or something.” She said with a smile. 

[Ishigreensa]

Richard was glad to find that the little girl at least had not suffered at the hands of rough abuse, but he didn't like how skinny and small she was.

"Good girl," he told her when she was ready to get in.  "How about we do it this way," he said to try to encourage her.  "I'll sit over her and watch you wash, just to see what you need help with, and when you are done, then I'll help you with where you miss.  Is that alright?  And don't forget to clean your pee and pooping places, you know, because I am sure you don't want me cleaning there for you."

Then he took a seat and watched how she cleaned herself up.  She was really dirty, and he wanted to make sure she did know how to bathe herself.

As he sat there, the tried to talk to her so as to make it a more getting to know her so she might be less embarrassed.  As he sat there, he started to absently pick up her dirty clothes to fold them neatly, and he noticed that the pocket of her overalls was sort of off.  He reached in, and he found her sandwich.

"Were you saving this, sweetheart?" he asked her.  "How about next time you want to take something to go, you let us know, and we'll get the waiter to put it in something a little cleaner.  I'm afraid this sandwich is ruined because your overalls are really dirty, baby."

He looked at her for a moment to study her.  "Don't worry, baby.  We have more food if you are hungry, and if you want a grilled cheese, I'm sure we can make you another one.  I just don't want you to get sick."

He then continued folding her clothes and watching her until she thought she was done.

 

Samantha nodded and once her diaper was on, she climbed on her mommy and sort of forced her to sit on the bed and she whispered to her.

"I love you mommy.  Thank you for helping and being nice about my... embarrassments."

She then got off her mommy, if she let her, and started to put on her pajamas.

"I'll just watch television in case you and daddy wanted to talk to us again before bed."

She was soon in her sleeping shirt with the sassy cats, and she put shorts on to cover up her diaper so the new girl wouldn't see a visual of the older kid in a diaper.  Samantha didn't think that Alice did wet the bed by now.  Alice was certainly different from what she remembered it being like, and she seemed nervous and scared about certain things, but she wasn't squirming all the time and making as much trouble as Samantha used to.

After a while, Samantha could be found watching the Disney channel in the living room.

[Shy-Diapers]

Alice was kind of embarrassed to have Richard watching her. She squirmed uncomfortably for a bit before she started to wash, not used to being supervised.

She took the washcloth and dunked it in the bath water, running it down her body once. She didn’t scrub or use soap and didn’t really pay any extra attention to her privates or sweaty places. She was only eight after all and even so had never been taught at all how to clean herself.

The small girl seemed to go pale when Richard found her grilled cheese. She swallowed hard and her mind raced. “I’m sorry!” She blurted out first, clearly distressed and scared. “I’m sorry! I’ll be good! Don’t send me back please!” She pleaded as tears welled up in her eyes. She was used to having to ration her food, never fully knowing where her next meal would come from. Because of this, she hid food away in her pockets or backpack sometimes so she’d have something to eat later in case there wasn’t any more food.

“I love you honey. And you didn’t embarrass any of us.” Katherine reassured Samantha. “But you need to be dressed before cuddling or hugging, remember?” She reminded gently. She didn’t think it was very appropriate for a girl Samantha’s age to try to sit in someone’s lap or hug them when she only had a diaper or underwear on.

She let Samantha off and headed back downstairs to finish tidying up, figuring she’d talk to Richard after the kids went to bed. 

[Ishigreensa]

When Richard found her cheese sandwich, and she started to get scared and cried about being bad, he shook his head.

"Baby, I know you've had it rough.  That's what I'm trying to tell you.  You don't need to do this anymore.  You'll make yourself sick eating sandwiches straight from the pockets of dirty clothes.  Just ask next time, and we'll get it wrapped up for you if you want to save something for later.  And we have bread and cheese here, so if you want a grilled cheese later, we can certainly give you one.  Matter of fact, I think I'll make you one anyway after your bath.  You definitely don't look like you've eaten enough in days."

As the little one was watched and got into the tub, looking at him, Richard knew that uncomfortable look, but as uncomfortable as the little one was, there was no telling how long it had been since she had been properly cleaned, and her health was more important than her being uncomfortable for a moment and he was right.  She didn't even wash her privates that well, and she didn't use soap.

"Okay, baby, here is what we are going to do, because I don't want to touch you inappropriately.  I'm going to wash your back and your chest and stomach," he told her.  "When I'm done with those areas, and the attached areas meaning under your arms and what not, I'm going to hand you back the cloth, and I'm going to teach you to wash your privates, baby."

He looked at her for a long time, and waited for her.  He knew that he needed to give her time to process what he was saying.  He was not going to let the child go another night dirty, but he wasn't going scare her, either, if he could help it.

"I want you to understand something, sweetie," he looked into her innocent little eyes.  "You are a child in this house.  Not even Samantha washes her own clothes yet.  Do you understand?  You are not responsible for washing your clothes.  You take them off, and leave them by your bed or by the bathtub, and then mommy comes by later or daddy, and we pick up after you and put your clothes in the wash.  Just do it in your room or the bathroom so you are not making big messes around the house, okay?  And because you are a little kid, and I can see right now, no one has taught you, you take a bath with either Uncle Richie in here to help and teach you, or with Mrs. K, or Samantha, even.  Samantha does know how to get clean, but I understand if you rather not her show you.  She is a kid."

He waited a few minutes even after he explained his rule.

"Are you ready for me to wash your back, sweetheart?  I'm not going to touch you anywhere before I ask.  You have the right to say no, but you are not getting out of the tub until you are clean, okay?"

 

Samantha nodded.  "I remember your rule, on that.  I just forgot for a moment because....  I just felt....  I'm sorry.  I know it was bad, but I just wanted a hug suddenly.  I'm having all kinds of... my mind... I can't explain what is happening.  I guess.  I mean, I know, I'm acting like a little kid, but I can't help it," she told her mommy.

She got up and did what her mom told her to, and then went and started to watch television.

Things had calmed down now, so she was a little more peaceful and a little better on top herself now.

[Shy-Diapers]

Alice felt her eyes sting with tears more and they threatened to overflow. She was so scared she was going to get yelled at or sent back. “Please don’t send me back.” She pleaded softly, whimpering now. “Miss Maria said if you don’t want me I’m going to a group home with tons of kids and I’d never get to go back to Mommy!” The tears started falling down her face now, actually crying for the first time since arriving with the JFords.

Alice nodded and handed the washcloth to Richard. She didn’t put up a fight and didn’t seem to get more uncomfortable when he said he needed to wash her. She was a little surprised he had chosen to have her try to wash herself if she was honest. Even though she bathed herself at home, she thought he’d want to clean her up.

Alice was a little confused as to why Richard was saying she wasn’t allowed to wash her own clothes. Maybe he just didn’t want her doing it wrong and making him look bad. She didn’t understand that it was because she was still a little kid.

She nodded at Richard when he asked if she was ready. Though inside she was a little confused, even though she didn’t let that show. She didn’t really understand what he meant by she could say no. She’d never been allowed to tell a grown up no before.

”Samantha.” Katherine corrected gently. “It’s not bad, and you’re not bad. It’s okay to forget things. You’re not acting like a little kid.” She repeated calmly, though inside she was getting increasingly frustrated by having to repeat herself so much that day. “I’m just reminding you is all.”

After that Katherine had gone to tidy up, not wanting to continue the conversation.