It started as a lark. Steve just wanted to see if he could do it and he did - easily. Breaking into a house was against the law but not taking anything made justifying his actions a little easier and it remained that way right up until Sally's place. It was drinking the milk out of Susan's baby bottle that would change things - and speaking of changes...   Primate - Part One - Got Milk? By Mary Beth Sanford

Got Milk?

Mission Impossible inspired Steve's antics which found him, on this particular night, in the kitchen of Dr. Brooks home. Steve was sitting records, if anyone was keeping records, and he was sure the police were, at least on the number of homes he'd broken into so far. He was also beginning to love the coverage by the news media. Even better this night, because he found a fresh baked, five layer, dark chocolate cake as he opened the refrigerator for a glass of milk.

Steve took a long swig from the baby bottle of milk after twisting the top off. His mouth was full of fresh moist chocolate cake and icing. That baby bottle was the only milk in the refrigerator as he bit into the cake again. A few minutes later he yawned, and a few seconds after that his head lightly settled on the kitchen table. Steve didn't snore, but in only a second his breathing was much deeper than usual.

Dr. Sally Brooks froze for only a second, listening. There was something wrong as she stiffened defensively just after entering the house. There was someone in the house, her mind told her, tensing into a tighter defensive posture. There, she said to herself. In the moonlight through her kitchen window a shape that shouldn't be there. Someone was in her kitchen she realized defining the dark shape at the table. Someone definitely was there, but not moving she also registered as she found the light switch.

"Don't move," Sally said in a cautious tone dripping with warning. Whoever it was didn't so much as twitch.

A young man, smallish, perhaps a teenager was sitting at the kitchen table, head down and, clearly, sleeping soundly. It was one of those 'what's-wrong-with-this-picture' kind of things as Sally moved quickly to his side to take his pulse just as her medical experience kicked in. He was just a boy she thought when she pressed two fingers against his neck.

Good steady pulse, slow, but steady, blood pressure seemed OK. His pupils were fixed but responsive when she struck them with her pen light. It took Sally less than a minute to realize what had happened although she had no idea why the boy was in her kitchen. Susan's baby bottle was nearly empty, the nipple and cap had been removed and with it a good third of the chocolate cake was also gone.

"Got milk," Sally said out loud, but with a sarcastic snicker.

"Stupid boy," Sally also said out loud as she felt again for his pulse. He'd used the milk in Susan's bottle for his raid on her kitchen and that fresh baked cake he'd taken liberty with. Trouble was Susan's baby bottle had been spiked with a tranquilizer as Sally began to calculate how much the boy had taken against what he weighed.

"Stupid, stupid boy," Sally said as she eased her arms under Steve's to lift him for a second. She wasn't going to move him, she just wanted to estimate his weight. That tranquilizer was adjusted for weight. Ninety to ninety five pounds, give or take, she mused, as she again test lifted Steve in her massive arms. Dr. Brooks was rarely off by more than a couple of pounds.

The boy was actually twenty pounds less than Susan, Sally noted, as she eased him back down onto the chair carefully so his head went back down on the table. Thankfully he hadn't taken all of the milk.

Given the difference between Susan and the boy's sizes, only half of that bottle would have been enough to put him under. He'd taken a third more than that. Sally made a rough calculation in her head based on the boy's weight. It wasn't nearly enough to make it fatal or even risky, so no medical emergency was at issue. She did another calculation before deciding it was four more hours, minimum, before the boy would wake.

He'd be OK, maybe a slight headache and very dry mouth, which left Sally to decide on what to do next and who the hell was he?

It took only another few minutes, given the way he was dressed in his camouflage, to realize he'd broken in. She also found the note already sitting on the table. Given the note, she also knew who the boy was now, or could be. She didn't know him by name or even where he lived, but the newspapers reported at least three more recent break-ins like this one, and the last not far from Sally's house. A teenager most likely the paper had read and they had dubbed him the Snack Sneak.

The Snack Sneak broke into homes and simply snacked on whatever was available never taking anything other than the food he ate. Most likely just one person and most likely a kid, the papers noted. Remarkably nothing was ever taken except for food and drink. Whoever it was, broke in, ate and left leaving just a thank you note.

Another stupid kid doing a dumb prank Sally whispered.

"Stupid boy," Sally said, again, louder this time. This time not over the tranquilizer, but over the risk this boy was taking. He might not be so lucky one day and end up getting shot as she also added, "and damn our laws."

Sally was also convinced that some of what kids did nowadays was in knowing they could get away with most of it. Too soft on crime and that was the laws fault. A slap on the wrist, which would most likely be the worse case punishment for this boy, wasn't much of a deterrent as Sally considered her own choices. She would love to teach this young man a lesson.

Given the current state of the law, and how permissive it had gotten, she herself might even be in trouble for not taking more precautions with Susan's tranquilizer. She grew more angry as she thought about it. She could end up getting sued for allowing this boy to break into her house and having access to that baby bottle. Imagine that, she cursed.

"Damn it," Sally cursed again as she agonized over what to do with this boy. Calling the police would be the obvious solution, but the thought of this boy getting away with what he did angered her, and then she laughed. She laughed hard for a moment then caught herself. She moved again to the boy estimating his size and laughed again. OK, if the boy wanted to play games so be it Sally thought to herself as she worked the plan out in her head.

Sally had four hours at least. More than enough time and that's when she sat and laughed again. She laughed till she couldn't laugh anymore. The boy didn't stir in the slightest. He wasn't going to either, she knew that and laughed a little more.

Actually, it was Susan's baby bottle that gave Sally the thoughts she was having. Susan's things would easily fit this boy, Sally also decided, as she removed the boys backpack and allowed him to rest against the chair. The boy's face was covered in camouflage and chocolate cake. A wash cloth took care of the cake and a lot of the camouflage as Sally eased his head down to the table again.

Dr. Brooks moved to the red wall phone, grabbed it up and dialed the clinic, "Jennifer, it's me, let Nancy take over for a little bit and come up to the house. No, it's not time yet. I'm going to need your help with something else, and I'll explain when you get here. How's Susan doing? Great! No, just let her play and we'll take care of her later. OK, see you in a couple of minutes."

"And as for you young man... Let's go get you're room ready," Dr. Brooks said moving back to the boy and checking his pulse again, then his eyes once more before making sure he was comfortable. She left him there and walked towards Susan's room. Susan's room was the perfect place for what she planned.

The cribs side was down as Sally fixed the fitted pink sheet over the mattress. Susan loved her crib and often played in it when she woke. The sheets always suffered first when Susan played. Dr. Brooks had spared nothing in decorating Susan's room. It was all little girl, pure sugar and spice and everything nice. Of course Susan was growing so fast that she'd outgrow the room before long, but until then it was a cute room.

It really was the perfect setting for what she wanted to do. Sally was teased often over this room, but it was nothing compared to the teasing she got over what Susan sometimes wore, but that wasn't her fault. Sally had rescued Susan a year ago from a circus and in that year Susan had become the little girl Sally would have wanted if she'd had kids. Albeit an odd kid, but she loved Susan all the same.

"Dr. Brooks," Jennifer's voice rang out from close proximity to the back door. Jennifer saw the boy sitting there, froze and wondered immediately who he was and why he was sleeping at Sally's kitchen table. She grew panicked and yelled, "Dr. Brooks, are you OK?"

"In here Jennifer, in Susan's room. It's OK Jennifer," Dr. Brooks called out as she cleared Susan's changing table.

"There is a boy in your kitchen," Jennifer yelled.

"I know, come on back," Sally said.

"Who is he and what is he doing here," Jennifer asked coming into the room looking very concerned. Like Sally, Jennifer wasn't expecting to see anyone else in the house, and definitely not a boy as she added, "is he OK? He's out like a light."

"He's OK, just sleeping. Listen, have you read about those break-ins we've been having in the area? The ones where someone has broken in, doesn't take anything, but eats and leaves a thank you note," Dr. Brooks asked.

"Yes," Jennifer said and added, "they suspect it's a kid? I think they are calling him the Snack Sneak or something like that. Wait, are you telling me that guy broke in? Is that the Snack Sneak? So what happened to him? Is he all right?"

"Yes, he's OK, just tranquilized! He was sitting at the kitchen table just like that when I came in. I found Susan's baby bottle next to him, nipple off, milk almost gone. I didn't have any more milk left so he obviously took Susan's bottle and used the milk in it for a very large piece of my chocolate cake," Sally said snickering.

"Susan's milk? Wait a second, you mean the milk you were going to use for tonight," Jennifer asked.

"Exactly! He didn't know that the bottle was spiked with a tranquilizer. Found him out like a light," Dr. Brooks said as she looked around the room.

"Did you call the police," Jennifer asked.

"Actually no. I mean I was going to when I got sort of an idea. Think about it? Damn kids only going to get a slap on the wrist anyway," Sally said.

"Most likely," Jennifer nodded in agreement.

"So, I thought I'd do something that might teach him a better lesson than he'd get otherwise. Came to me when I saw Susan's baby bottle nearly empty." Dr. Brooks said as she began to walk out of the room as she added, "Come on and give me a hand with him."

"To do what," Jennifer asked curiously.

"He's going to be out for about four hours. I need to get him into Susan's room and dressed in some of Susan's things before he wakes up," Sally said with a laugh.

"Susan's things? Did you just say Susan's things? You're not serious," Jennifer said in shock.

"I am," Sally said and added, "he's been medically tranquilizer which puts him under the critical purview of a doctor and guess what, I'm a doctor. Besides, he's going to be out for four hours and I can't catheterized him so I'm going to diaper him anyway, and since he's going to be in one, or maybe two of Susan's diapers we might just as well put him into the rest of her things."

"You're serious," Jennifer said suddenly beginning to realize what her boss was planning. Jennifer looked at Dr. Brooks with surprise, then Jennifer laughed but added, "As much as I like the idea, I think it's illegal though."

"Illegal? No, actually it's not. As long as I am in fear of grave bodily harm, I can defend or protect myself, and I'm very afraid of what he might do when he wakes up. Listen, we don't know what he's like. He might even be a serial rapist for all we know. This is easily justified. Remember, He broke in. Anyway, I've simply decided to place him in 'reasonable restraints'," Sally said snickering.

"Reasonable restraints," Jennifer repeated in confusion.

"Susan's crib," Dr. Brooks said smiling as she added, "nice thing about Susan's crib is that it has a top and where better to keep him till he's awake?"

"You sure? Last thing I want to have happen is for you and me going off to jail instead of him," Jennifer noted.

"Not going to happen. Come on, think about it. It's perfect. We let the punishment fit the crime or in this case, since I believe that Susan's shoe may actually fit, he really should wear them. The way I see it, that boy took Susan's baby bottle of milk, so I'm guessing he's going to enjoy the rest of Susan's things," Sally said.

"Then what? I mean what about the police," Jennifer asked.

"If I did call them, do you seriously think, when they see him, that they are going to have a problem with what he's wearing," Sally asked.

"Oh this is going to be hilarious!" Jennifer said walking behind her boss as Jennifer asked, "so how long before he wakes? I mean literally? Is it really going to be four hours?"

"At least four hours give or take. More than enough time for mommy to get her new little baby girl into her baby girl things," Sally said as she stepped into the kitchen.

Dr. Brooks grabbed her digital camera on the way into the kitchen from her desk and began taking pictures of the boy sleeping soundly in his drugged induced state. She took several at different angles leaving no doubt how he looked before and what he'd been doing. Dr. Brooks found the door he'd come in by and took a few more pictures. Dr. Sally Brooks, satisfied, sat the camera on the counter and smiled.

Sally went though the boy's backpack and found a wallet. According to his license, Steve was the boy's name and given that he had a student body card he was also in college.

"Doesn't look eighteen but his license says he is," Sally said as she eased her hands under Steve's arms and added, "go on and put his wallet in the kitchen drawer."

"Does mommy need help," Jennifer asked happily noting the expression on her bosses face as she pushed the drawer holding the boy's wallet, closed.

"Yes! Interested in becoming a co-conspirator," Dr. Brooks asked as she slipped her arms further under the boy's arms once again.

"Definitely," Jennifer said as she moved to the boys feet. Jennifer lifted his feet easily with Sally taking on most of the weight. Sally was a formidable woman and could have easily lifted the boy herself, but didn't mind the help as they walked the dead weight of the sleeping boy to Susan's room.

"So what are your thoughts," Jennifer asked as she helped lay out the boy on Susan's large changing table. The room was definitely a nursery but proportional to Susan's size or at least her size almost a year ago. She was growing well past the nursery now, but Sally hadn't had the heart to change things around yet.

"Sponge bath to clear that camouflage paint off his face and give him a nice baby smell. Then one of Susan's night time diapers. No, make that a night time diaper and soaker then most definitely something very cute and sweet over that diaper. I'm also thinking of one of Susan's fancy dresses. I want to get some pictures of him before and after he's dressed then a few more of him in Susan's crib," Sally said.

"A dress! You are really going to dress him in one of Susan's dresses," Jennifer asked getting even more excited at the prospects of this.

"Absolutely. They should fit him easily," Sally said.

"Oh, I know they will fit him, but are you sure you want to put him into a dress," Jennifer asked.

"Of course. I was thinking we'd try that little pink dress you got for Susan on her birthday last year," Dr. Brooks said as she began to ease the boy's shirt from his shoulders. Jennifer began with the boy's combat boots and Sally then worked on his pants. Jennifer took the boy's socks off as Sally began to tug down the boy's pants. With Sally's help his pants went quickly and then his shorts followed.

"Her pink dress? Oh gosh, that's going to be perfect!" Jennifer said taking the boys pants from Sally then his shorts before folding them neatly.

"Definitely the pink dress and Susan's fancy panties as well," Sally said as she added, "can't be a little sissy baby without the outfit now can he?"

"He's going to faint dead away when he wakes," Jennifer said as she looked down at the naked young man.

"Mr. Macho here is definitely going to have a very rude awakening. So, why don't you go get his sponge bath ready and I'll start laying out his clothes, but first I want to start taking some pictures," Sally said.

"On it," Jennifer said walking into the bathroom that connected to Susan's room.

Sally returned when Jennifer did and took a couple of pictures with Steve naked. When she was finished Jennifer began scrubbing the young man with a baby bath scented pan of warm water.

"When you're done there grab the dress, oh and that slip hanging next to it and then see if Susan's shoes really do fit. They actually should," Dr. Brooks said as she moved to the pink diaper stacker and tugged one of Susan's night time diapers free. Those too had been made for Susan.

"You want to use one of the slips as well," Jennifer asked as she lifted the skirt of the dress they were talking about.

"One of the rules growing up. Grandma always made us girls wear a slip when we wore dresses," Sally said.

The mood was festive as Jennifer returned Steve's bath water to the bathroom before sliding the closet door open. She lifted the pink dress she'd given Susan for her birthday. The slip followed. It really was an adorable set and, best of all there were panties. An adorable pink chiffon dress over an underskirt of taffeta with loads of lace and ribbon trims. The perfect little girl's dress.

"This dress might be too short," Jennifer said holding the slip and dress together but with an outstretched hand as she sized them with her eyes.

"Too short? And your point is," Dr. Brooks said laughing as she rolled the boy by the hip before laying the diaper under him. With Steve still on his side she added a doubler over the diaper and set it in place.

"Definitely going to need the ruffled panties," Jennifer said laughing as she hung the dress and slip on the edge of the crib. She removed the slip from it's hanger and draped it on the crib's edge before going to the dresser for Susan's ruffled baby pants.

Jennifer laid the ruffled baby pants down for Sally then headed for the closet. The diaper Sally was fitting over the boy clearly fit as she twisted open the baby powder. She closed the double thick diaper with one of two pink diaper pins. The diaper pins were decorated with bunnies where the pins locked.

Jennifer returned from the closet with the Mary Jane shoes and moved to the boy's feet to try one. Dr. Brooks stopped for a second to give Jennifer that moment to test the shoes as she lifted the boy's foot.

"I'll be darned. Slightly bigger but only a little wider size wise, otherwise they fit," Jennifer said as she sat the shoes on the rocking chair to fetch a pair of lace socks.