All My Mother's Rules

Chapter 78: The Wheels on the Bus

The wet pants accomplished what I hadn't been able to find the words to say. I wasn't potty trained and had no business wearing big girl underwear.

From the looks on their faces as they both stared at the puddle on the floor, Amanda and Jodie both now realized that not allowing me to wear a diaper had been a big mistake.

I didn't find myself being embarrassed by the accident. It had been completely expected, as odd as that is to say, about something called an accident. I was more embarrassed by the lack of any protection and the ensuing mess but not by the act of peeing itself.

At least they didn't make me take another shower to get cleaned up. I laid down on the bed as Amanda wiped me clean with a wet wipe. They'd found the changing pad for me to lie on as they cleaned me up.

They should have put me in a diaper right then and there, but instead, Amanda grabbed a pull-up that must have been left in the underwear drawer.

"Why don't we try this instead?" Amanda said. She stretched out the pull-up to slide it up my legs and around my waist. "That's it. I'm sure you'll have better luck next time."

The only true thing about that statement was that the only way I was going to make it to the toilet on time was if there was a lot of luck involved. I acquiesced to their desire to have me wear a pull-up. At least the next time I wet myself, it wouldn't result in a puddle all over the floor.

The next question was what to wear over the pull-up. I got up from the bed. Walking felt more comfortable now that there was at least some padding between my legs.

Amanda led me to the closet. "Why don't you pick out something that you would like to wear?"

My eyes immediately went to a knee-length dress. Long enough to be warm for the winter weather, but it would make changing a lot easier. I struggled with taking my shirt and hoodie off for a moment, and then Amanda assisted in pulling it over and off of my head.

Jodie found a pair of knee-high socks and helped me into them. I was nearly set to venture outside. At the front door, Amanda slid a jacket over me, tugging the hood over my head.

I shivered as I stepped outside and breathed in a breath of crisp air. The yard was covered in sporadic patches of snow. I could see my breath as I walked down the driveway.

There were two cars parked outside. One that Amanda and Jodie had come in, and another for the man who was staying behind at the house. Maybe he would let Mom know where I was, once she got home. Amanda and Jodie had said something in hushed tones to him before they took me outside.

The last time I had been in a car had been that trip to the mall before Christmas. And I had been seated in the passenger seat, not the back one.

I completely forgot about needing to buckle my seatbelt. Jodie ended up doing that for me. Then we were off. My stomach felt a little uneasy around some of the sharper turns, and I occasionally had to keep my eyes focused on the interior of the car to prevent myself from feeling sick.

How far away was the hospital, anyway? I couldn't recall. I hadn't gone there very often.

An empty sensation in my mouth made me realize that I was missing something. My paci. How had I not remembered to bring that with me? I was beginning to suspect that Amanda and Jodie wouldn't have prioritized bringing it with them as they grabbed some extra clothes and things to bring along to the hospital. They had packed a few changes of clothes and some pull-ups and had even included two pairs of underwear but had failed to pack a diaper.

My thumb found its way into my mouth almost automatically. I didn't realize it was there until I had already been sucking on it for several seconds. Amanda was focused on the road, but I caught Jodie taking a peek at what I was doing in the mirror. I didn't remove the thumb even after I saw a look from her that seemed quite close to disapproval.