Part III: Tyke

Chapter 29: Dave

January passed quickly. I spent some time with Sarah, and tutoring Ashley. She would come over for tutoring in all of her subjects, even though she really didn't need help in all of them.

I talked to Joe and Judy about that. They were of two minds about it; they were happy that her grades, especially her math grades were better. They were also happy that there was now less pressure on them to rush home from work to be there when she got home. Sarah would watch her, but they weren't happy with imposing on her all of the time; in truth Sarah didn't mind. They were upset though that someone else was helping her with her homework, they had thought of that as a parents job. I still found that to be funny.

We kept Sarah happy, by spending time with her. She had pouted, and said that she missed Ashley one Saturday I was with her. All of this time I was starting to get confused. At my house I was Ashley's big brother/sister tutoring her, at Sarah's I was her little or baby sister still tutoring her. There were times when after I finished and Ashley was working on problems, that Sarah would just pick me up and carry me off to change a wet diaper.

The strangest day was after Bob had taught me how to make this complicated shellfish dish. It had turned out pretty good, but I woke up having to run to the bathroom. I called Bob in the morning, he was fine so it wasn't food poisoning. It turned out that while I don't break out from eating shellfish, it does bad things to my digestive track. Unfortunately Ashley had a big test the next day.

Around noon I called Judy to ask for some advice, she wasn't home. Joe told me to drink lots of fluids and maybe ask Sarah. I called Sarah and she told me to come over, because she knew just what to do. I went over and she immediately put me in a diaper, after putting a cream all over my bottom. She dressed me in my pink fleece sleeper, it was the warmest one that she had found for me. Then she gave me a bottle of juice. I finished the first bottle and she gave me another. I sat watching TV while I drank the second bottle.

I went to tell her that I had finished the second and she picked me up and put me in the crib. I protested when she said that I needed a nap, but not too much. I was, not really tired, but not really rested either.

I woke up, having my diaper changed. With another coat of cream on my behind she finished with the diaper. I asked her how long until Ashley got home. She told me that Ashley was already here. When I asked how long I had been asleep, she said about three hours.

Redressed, I toddled out to help Ashley. I still hadn't figured out how she made these diapers so thick. They were the same ones that I had bought for my morning walks, and I didn't walk this way while wearing them. Ashley looked up at me and giggled, I stuck my tongue out at her. I finally realized that she wasn't laughing at me to hurt me, so I could ignore it.

I sat down to help her and Sarah brought me another bottle. I frowned at it, but I was thirsty. She also asked if I was hungry, I thought for a minute. I was, but the thought of eating made me feel nauseous. I explained this to Sarah and she said she knew just what to get me. In between helping Ashley, I was drinking from my bottle. Eventually Sarah brought out two bowls of soup with some crackers. She was right, it wasn't so solid that it made me feel worse, and it filled me up.

We ate our soup and I did my best to make sure that she was ready for her test. I told Sarah that I was still thirsty, so she brought me another bottle and Ashley a Coke. About a half an hour after we finished our soup, I had a bad feeling about what was about to happen. I started to get up and felt something filling the back of my diaper. Well it didn't really fill it.

Ashley looked over at me and wrinkled her nose. She looked as if she was going to laugh, and stopped. Then she gave me a hug and went to get Sarah.

Sarah came and picked me up. I was nearly in tears when she got there. Ashley looked at me and then sat down and began working on some problems. Sarah carried me back to the nursery. I cried, "Sarah, I couldn't even stop it. I tried to, but it wouldn't stop. I didn't know it was going to happen either, one second I was fine, the next I was pooping. What's wrong with me?"

"Dave, my guess is that whatever you ate last night just doesn't agree with you. You don't have a fever, so you aren't sick. By morning you'll be fine. Right now your body just wants to get whatever it didn't like out of your body. That is making you poop so much. I left a message and Judy is going to come over and take a look at you." As she was saying this, I felt more slide into my diaper.

She put me on the changing table and proceeded to clean me up and put on some more cream and another diaper. Still sniffling a bit I went back to help Ashley. We were almost done when Judy showed up, she said hi and then went to talk to Sarah. We finished and I went to talk to Judy.

She took my temperature and asked me about what we had eaten, I answered all of her questions and added that Bob was fine. We went into Sarah's bedroom and I laid down on her bed. Judy poked and prodded my stomach a bit, but nothing hurt me. She told me that Sarah was probably right, and that I should stay the night with her just in case and if I didn't feel better to go see a doctor in the morning.

Judy and Ashley left, and I spent the rest of the evening on the couch with Sarah. She kept giving me bottles, and she changed my diaper a couple more times. Eventually when I was falling asleep on the couch, Sarah carried me to the nursery, changed my diaper and put me to bed.

I woke some time later, and realized that I was wetting my diaper. I tried to stop, but I had to go so badly that I couldn't stop. Finally when I did stop, I was wet; not just my diaper, but my sleeper too. I called out for Sarah, and eventually woke her.

She came and turned on the light, I was standing in the crib. She looked at me and came over and gave me a hug, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure, I woke up peeing and I just couldn't stop. When I finally did, my diaper had leaked all over."

"It sure did. Do you have to go anymore?" She began to take off the sleeper.

"No, but why did I go so much?"

"The juice that I gave you was for someone with diarrhea. It replaces fluids and electrolytes. So it stays in your body better, but eventually it all comes out." She finished undressing me and took off the soaked diaper. "Boy is this heavy. Stand there, I'll be right back."

I stood there waiting, shivering a bit. I heard her in the bathroom, and she came back with a washcloth and a towel. "You can take a bath in the morning." She washed me off, and dried me then put a clean diaper on me. A clean sleeper and she looked down at the sheets, they were all wet too.

She set me in the playpen, and started changing the sheets. The next thing I knew it was morning and I was soaked again. And I was still in the playpen. I looked around and stood up, I couldn't see any light and I needed to go again. I called out for Sarah.

Sarah came and lifted me out of the playpen, and carried me to the bathroom. She helped me get undressed then began filling the tub, I pulled off the diaper and jumped on the toilet. She looked over at me. "I know you don't want me to take off my diaper here, but it was either that or flood your bathroom floor. What was that, that I was drinking yesterday?"

"Pedialyte, it's for little kids with diarrhea. It helps replace fluids, but when you don't need it any more you just start going. How does your tummy feel?"

"I'm starving, and I, uh... don't really need to go anymore."

"That's good. You take a bath, then meet me in the nursery when your done. I'm going to go make some coffee, and figure out what to make for breakfast."

"Ok," I said. Then I jumped into the tub. I could hear Sarah moving around while I got clean. Finished, I got out, drained the tub, and dried myself off. I headed into the nursery, where she was waiting. She lifted me onto the changing table. I asked her what was up. She told me that she wanted to put more cream on me just in case, and that I should wear a diaper for a while, then change into normal underwear.

We ate and I got ready to leave. "Hey did Thor come by?"

"Yes, but I shooed him away. He somehow looked a bit disappointed."

"He probably was," I laughed. "I'll make it up to him."

As I pulled the door closed, I saw her shaking her head. I knew that was because I treated Thor like a person. I'd been paying more attention to people with pets, and I noticed that most of them either treated their pets like dumb animals, or like they were their children. I treated Thor like a person. He isn't human, but he isn't a dumb animal. He is my best friend.

I stayed in that diaper all morning, although I never wet it. I had the impression that Sarah didn't want me to, but that it was just in case, and to keep from getting the cream all over. It was weird wearing them at home, in the quiet they made a lot of noise as I moved around. It made me wonder about when I wore them out. Could people hear them?

The rest of the day was uneventful, I was over whatever had affected me the day before. I continued to drink lots of water and I ate a big lunch and dinner. Ashley called me and told me that she thought she did well on her test. Over all it was a good day.

Chapter 30: Bob

When Dave called me that morning, I was surprised; I felt fine. I told him that, and ran through in my mind what we had done. Everything should have been fine, so it must be some sort of allergy on his part. I told him to call Judy, if he didn't feel better soon.

It wasn't until later that Sarah told me what she had done. I accused her of being mean to Dave. She answered that, after having this problem with a baby Judy had told her to do this. So she wasn't being mean, just keeping him healthy.

I looked at her, and she confessed, that while she had babied him a bit. It was certainly no picnic on her part. Changing those dirty diapers was not fun, as she put it. That got a chuckle out of me.

Saturday we got together to watch the University's basketball team play, the conference games had just started and the team had been playing great. I apologized to Dave about the other day. He said it was okay, just no more shellfish. I agreed.

I noticed something else that was a little strange, when I got there Dave and Ashley were outside playing with Thor. I would have sworn that there were two kids playing with Thor. Even when they came in, it was like they were two kids. As soon as we started watching the pregame, it was like someone flipped a switch. The little kid was gone and there was an adult with a passion for sports sitting there analyzing the show, like he was on ESPN.

His comments during the game and halftime were better than the paid analysts also. Then when the game ended he went right back to being a kid again. It was a little scary, almost like he was two different people. He and Ashley went down to her room to play, and I brought it up.

"Have you noticed anything strange about Dave?"

Judy laughed, "Other than a grown man playing with my daughter and her dolls?"

"Or maybe a grown man that spends a couple of weekends a month being a baby girl?" Sarah added.

"All right I asked for that. No I meant the way he switches from being Dave to being Sissy. He probably does the same thing when he becomes 'Baby' Sissy too, but I haven't seen that switch."

They all sat there with a stunned sort of a look on there face. Finally Joe spoke up, "I probably see the least of him, and never really paid attention. But now that you mention it, when he came in today we talked a bit about the game. Ashley came in and asked if he wanted to play with Thor, and his expression changed. It was weird, his face lit up and he practically ran outside."

Judy cut him off, "I had to remind him to put on his coat just like you would a little kid, but I hadn't been paying attention to him before that."

"Yeah, I laughed at that. It was like when Ashley was even younger. We haven't needed to tell her to wear a coat out to play in a while."

We, Joe, Judy and I, talked about it for a little while. Bringing up other instances and comparing things that we had seen. Sarah sat there just listening. "Sarah, don't you have anything to add, you spend the most time with him."

Sarah looked over at me, "Yes, but I've just been thinking. I do spend the most time with him, but his transitions to Sissy or 'Baby' Sissy are a bit different. He comes over and we talk for a little or a long while, then we start playing. Once we start he is, for lack of a better term, in character.

He is 'Baby' Sissy, or Toddler Sissy is a better term. He uses smaller words, but he doesn't use 'baby talk.' He speaks clearly and coherently, no tantrums, nothing you would expect from a real baby."

"So you haven't noticed the switch between Sissy and Dave?"

She answered, "No, but I can't see the switch. Usually I pick him up and carry him back to the nursery when we start. When we're done, I leave him in the bathroom and he switches back while showering or taking a bath. I am a bit worried though. Could this be dangerous?"

All three of them stared at me while I thought about it. I ran through all I had read about multiple personalities, and similar problems. "Well, I think I know a way to check. I'll be right back."

With that I got up and went down to Ashley's room, "Excuse me girls."

They both turned to me and Ashley spoke, "What is it?"

Very carefully I spoke, "Sissy, tell me all about yourself."

There was no change in his expression, "What do you mean?"

"Tell me your name, where you live, you know all about you."

His voice was a little different, but he started talking, "Okay, my name is Dave Wilson. I live down the street next to Sarah. I write articles about airplanes for a couple of magazines. I have a Bachelor's Degree. I help Ashley with her homework. Anything else you want to know, like your dog is one of my best friends?"

"No, that's fine. What are doing right now?"

"Playing dolls with Ashley, why?"

Ashley got this weird look on her face and started to speak. I cut her off, "One more question, who is playing dolls with Ashley?"

"Sissy."

"Okay, then who is Sissy, you just said you were Dave?"

"I am Dave, silly. Sissy is me when I'm playing with Ashley."

"So where does Sissy live?"

"I thought you said one more question? Sissy doesn't live anywhere, she is pretend."

"Oh, okay. Have fun." I took a couple steps down the hallway and listened.

Ashley spoke first, "What was that all about?"

"I don't know, sometimes Bob asks me weird questions like that. Can you hand me that blue dress?"

"Here, but are you sure you want the blue one?"

"Yes, I like the blue one better."

I finished walking back to the others. They all looked at me questioningly. Sarah asked, "Well what did you learn?"

I paused for a moment before speaking. "I don't think Dave is any trouble, he knows that he is Dave, and that Sissy is pretend. I just can't figure out how he switches between the two of them."

Judy looked over, "Is there anything that you think we should be doing?"

I stood there and thought about it. I was certainly not a trained professional. I tended to agree with those that didn't believe that Multiple Personality Disorder really existed, but what could happen is that Dave could switch over to Sissy and stay there.

"Well I think that we should keep an eye on him. Make sure that he is being Dave most of the time. I don't think he's in trouble, and I think that he might really be having fun for the first time in his life."

Sarah spoke up, "I think you might be overly worried, I asked him what he was doing next weekend. He told me that he has to work, he is trying to get ahead in his writing. He seems to be fully adult when he needs to."

We talked on for a while about nothing important, but I decided to have a talk with Dave the next time I went over to teach him more cooking.