✅ Over Protected

27. Mum Comforts her Little One

"Alice?" Sarah asked, her voice filled with concern. "Is something wrong?"

"I... I..." I stammered, not knowing what I could say. I'd never expected it to be so powerful, or to make me feel so helpless.

"MUMMY!" Sarah called. "Something's wrong with Alice!"

"I..." I gasped, and then forced myself to take a breath before continuing. But I still wasn't making that much sense. "How did that happen? I'm not even asleep, it's not supposed to..."

"It's okay," she told me, after a glance at my diaper told her what had happened. It hadn't been swollen enough to sag before, but I was sure it would now; and there was a slight colour change visible through the print. "It's okay. They say the virus only causes... things to happen when you're asleep, but I've heard that for some people it can happen during the day as well. It might be because your immune system makes the muscles twitch while it's fighting the virus, or something. If I understand it right?"

"Thank you," I mumbled, trying to get everything straight in my mind. Of course, Sarah had tried to hide her daytime accidents. I hadn't been in the room when Mum last scolded her, so she might believe that I didn't know. So she was saying it was something she'd heard about rather than personal experience. I couldn't blame her."

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Mum said, dashing back from wherever she had been cleaning. "Have you been–"

"Alice had a little accident," Sarah told her. "I think she needs some help."

"It just happened," I said, and Mum nodded.

"Don't worry about it. Let's get you cleaned up, then. You can finish your breakfast later." I nodded, and tried to regain my composure as best I could as she lifted me up and carried me up the stairs. The diaper was sagging so much now that I knew there was no way I could possibly have hidden it. It would probably have been hard to walk without it falling down, but now Mum knew how to hold me so that it stayed in place until we got to her room.

"Looks like my little baby girl had a big accident," she said. "I didn't expect it to get you so quickly. You might be hypersensitive to lysentripase. I don't know if you heard, but there was a girl who had problems like that a couple of years back. That's what led to the warning labels on the pack."

"I might have seen it in the news," I mumbled. "I expected you'd be... talking to me like a baby. Teasing the little girl who can't help it, or insisting that I'll have to start wearing diapers all the time."

"I don't want to hurt you," she said. "I didn't expect it to have any effect this quickly. And I already feel guilty for putting you through this."

"Mummy?" I said, and then thought about what else I had to say. "I told you I'm okay with this. I was just surprised, I didn't think it would happen like that. I'm not upset."

"Sweetie, you wet your diaper in front of your sister. That could be emotionally traumatic, nobody should have to go through that."

"You wanted to put Sarah through that. You did it on purpose. Just because you wanted her to agree with you. But it's not... I don't think it can be traumatic if I don't mind. And when you called me your baby, I felt so... It was like there's a real connection. To me, that's worth it. I mean it. If it's okay with you, I'd..."

She looked at me a few seconds before replying.

"You're okay?" she asked. "You still want to be subjected to this, even now you know how it feels?"

"Yes," I squeaked. I might have been nervous this morning. I might have been wondering what was wrong with me for liking this a few minutes ago. But when she asked, there was no doubt in my mind. "I want to be your baby. And I want you to push me into it. Surprise me, don't let me know what's happening. I promise, I won't mess with it again."

"You didn't take the TNK did you?" she asked, suddenly more nervous than ever. I'd never seen her so anxious before. "That stuff can be dangerous. It's like–"

"No, no," I said, waving my hands and trying to convey through gestures that I wasn't going to put my health at risk. "It's just... it's been a week, and I didn't feel anything. And I just... I guess I was kind of nervous. I think I kind of wanted to know how it feels when I still have the choice. Both the... you know, the sensation against my skin, and the emotional side of it. I was curious, so I thought I could fake it. I... poured some water on the diaper and put it back on. I thought that would be like a test, so if it feels really bad I could change my mind before I have a real accident. But I think it did something, I don't know really. I was just eating and then suddenly I was peeing, and those muscles, it's like they weren't there."

"I think I understand that," she said, with a slight nod. "The lysentripase crystals are absorbed when they get wet. After every little accident, you get a full dose. And sweating through the night will give you much less, so you get a dose after a couple of months. But if you put on a wet one, when your bladder hasn't just emptied, maybe that first dose can have a more immediate effect. Like using the Babij Orchid wipes in the morning. I mean... I know some people online who understand this stuff a lot better, I can ask them what they think. It does worry me that you lost control so easily, so I think you'd better have some protection today. But I wouldn't recommend wearing those ones again, not until we understand what's going on."

"Okay," I nodded, and blushed. Mum put me in a new diaper, talking and cooing like I was a real baby, and completely obliterated any doubts that had still been in my mind. Then we talked a little, about the serious things that Mum thought needed to be said. She would be in charge of choosing what diapers and wipes I used from now on. If I was putting my own protection on, I could grab one at random from a set that were arranged under my bed. I promised myself that I would just take the first one that came to hand, and I wouldn't look to see what Mum had put down there, so I could always be surprised. The only wipes there were the 'safe' supermarket brand ones. But in a drawer in my room were a few more kinds of diapers, and quite a selection of different wipes, which Mum could choose any of when she was changing me. That meant that instead of having the same dose for a week, like Sarah had, Mum could adjust what I was getting every morning and every night, allowing a lot more flexibility. And more surprises for me.

The diapers I was wearing today were Girlzz Classic, a completely different brand. And compared to all the ads I'd seen on TV, these ones really did look like regular underwear. I thought I remembered reading the name somewhere, but I wasn't quite sure, so I had no idea if they would have any effect on me or were just for protection. I was about to put on my school clothes as well, but Mum took my hand before I could pick out a skirt and led me back downstairs. Sarah was just about ready to go now, and I found myself wondering just what Mum had in mind. She wouldn't want us to be late.

"Morning, Sarah," she said. "Your little sister's not feeling so well today. It might be that virus flaring up, and I don't want to pass it on. So she'll be staying home. Can you make it to school by yourself today? I think it's about time I started trusting you a little more."

Sarah said something just a little sarcastic, but Mum didn't get mad about it. And when I saw my sister smile, I knew that I wouldn't have to worry so much in the future. I'd done the right thing, and it seemed like everybody was happy now. Even Mum, who was starting to get into treating me like a baby. She turned to me and smiled once Sarah was out of the door.

"You look adorable like that, you know. Just a diaper and a tee, easy for Mummy to check. Now, I think you said something about Disney movies. How do you feel about a day on the couch, getting over this nasty virus?" I nodded, and she continued: "Well then. I'll have to nip to the shop quickly. How about you try to read a little bit until I come back, and show me what a big girl you are?"

When she handed me the book, and turned to a bookmark somewhere in the middle, I could only smile. I knew I wasn't going to have any responsibilities today, and maybe my big thoughts would start to fade as well. Sitting in Mummy's lap, watching cartoons while she took care of everything I could possibly need, and finding independence slip out of my grasp. It was everything I could possibly have hoped for.