Trailer Park Baby

Part I: Infant

Chapter 1: Dave

I had just finished college and was looking for a cheap place to live, when I saw the ad for a mobile home for rent. I had lived in the dorms and an apartment and was tired of either seeing everyone’s or having everyone see my comings and goings. I went to see about renting the place and was surprised by the owner. She was about six-two, I on the other hand was just under five foot and didn't weigh one hundred pounds soaking wet. Inside the office I said, "I'm here about the mobile home for rent."

She looked at me, and said, "Sorry, I can't rent to a kid."

"Wait, here's my drivers license, I'm 21 and just graduated college. I'm looking for someplace cheap to live. I know I look like a twelve year old, but I'm not. If you don't believe it you can check with state."

She looked me over again, "I guess that I can believe you, but there is a slight problem, I don't own any of the trailers here except my own and the one for rent. It was abandoned and I got the title from the state for the owed rent. The trailer is only partially furnished. There is a couch, dinette set, but the bedroom set was trashed before the previous couple left. There is a second bedroom set, but it was for their four year old daughter. I can't supply another bed or anything else, which is why I'm having a problem renting it. You, though, might be small enough to use the bed that's there."

I was unsure, but the rent was less than half that of anyplace else I had checked. "Let's go look at the place then."

We left the office and walked next door to the trailer. The trailer looked solid and seemed to be in good shape. I examined the bed and was worried about sleeping in what was a toddler bed, a pink toddler bed at that. I looked over at the owner, and sheepishly took off my shoes and got into the bed. I got comfortable curled up in the position I slept in and found that the bed was just big enough for me.

I got out of the bed and slipped my shoes back on. "I'll take the trailer," I said, figuring at worst I could either sleep on the couch or floor until I got my own bed.

“You do have a job, right? I don’t want to rent to you and find out in a month or two that you can’t make rent. That happened to me once.”

Yes, I do have a job, a good one too. I write for a magazine,” when I said this she got a look on her face like, ‘Sure you do, some crappy pulp magazine at a penny a word.’ I continued, “Here let me show you,” and I pulled a copy out of my car, thank god there was still a copy there.

She looked at the magazine, Historical Aviation Monthly, and flipped it open. I got up on my tiptoes, “See there I am, Dave Wilson.” She looked; the blurb said ‘Dave Wilson gives his usual insights, this time with the B- 17 Flying Fortress.’

“Okay I guess you’ve got a job. Let’s go get a lease, and you can go over the rules for the park.”

We went back over to her office and home. I looked around, everything looked neat and clean, and I could see some kids running around playing, no parents watching them though. If the parents trusted the safety of their kids without having to watch over them, it must be pretty safe here. The only that worried me was that I could hear a dog barking.

We sat down at her desk, and she gave me a copy of the rules, which I read, while she filled out a lease. As I read the rules, I found out that all of the dogs had to be on leashes. Good that dog I heard shouldn’t be bothering me then.

“Dave, I have a question for you.” I looked up. “Normally, I require that tenants keep their own lawns mowed. I pay someone; well actually discount his rent, to mow the common areas. A couple of others pay to have their lawns mowed also. I was wondering if you wanted me to have yours mowed too. I figured that because of ... ah, your size that you well, might want that. You don’t own a lawnmower do you?”

“No, I don’t. Sure, I’ll pay to have it done. I never did like mowing lawns and my father made me do it all the time. It was difficult.”

“Ten dollars a month, while they’re mowed. Okay?” When I nodded she continued. “I’ve got the lease ready, have you read all of the rules?” I nodded again; there weren’t many of them. “Good, if you’ll just read and sign the lease.”

I quickly read the lease, it was pretty simple. I pay this a month; she supplies that, blah, blah, blah. “No problems.” I quickly signed and pulled out my checkbook and wrote a check for the rent and deposit.

"Just make the check out to me, Sarah Johnson. I'll help move the furniture if you want," she said.

As we walked back to my trailer, Sarah asked, “So how did you get the writing job, it looked like that wasn’t your first article?”

“That goes back to my freshman year. Actually earlier, ever since I learned about the first supersonic plane, and rest of the X-planes and their designers, I always wanted to be the next great aircraft designer. Unfortunately, I was not a very good engineering student, I would have graduated and probably gotten a job, but I would have been help, not really a designer. Fortunately, one of my other freshman classes was a history class. One of the assignments was a term paper; mine was on one of my favorite airplanes. The Corsair, you know the one from the Blacksheep show.”

“I remember that show, with Robert Conrad right?” She interjected.

“Yeah, I always thought that was one of the coolest looking airplanes. Well a couple of days after I wrote and turned in the paper, I got a call from my adviser. In his office I saw him, the Dean of the Engineering College, my history professor and someone I didn’t know.” By now we were in the trailer and started moving stuff around. I waited until we finished.

“Well the other person was the Dean of the Journalism school. They talked for a while, I listened and nodded. The next thing I knew they had designed a new major just for me. I have a degree in Aviation Journalism and a minor in Aviation History, probably the only ones on the planet. Looking back it was kind of funny, I had no idea what was going on and just agreed, because I thought that they might kick me out otherwise.”

We walked back to the office, where she gave me the keys and I continued, “My class load was strange, I had Journalism classes, History classes, and Engineering classes. But I didn’t do the real engineering work. I had to write two papers a semester for the engineering classes summarizing what they were about. I found out later that those papers, cut down a bit, are used as syllabuses, syllabi, whatever. My junior year I was put in touch with the editor of the magazine, and he offered to buy a few of my papers to be published. He knew the Engineering Dean and they had been sending him copies of my term papers, well I accepted and have had around ten articles published already.”

“That sure was nice of them to help you that way,” Sarah said when I had finished.

“It sure was, and I don’t know why they did it. I mean it was a lot of work on their parts, all just for me.”

Sarah looked at me for a minute and shook her head. I left wondering what she meant by that. I went back to my apartment and started to load my stuff to move in. It took a couple of days, but I finished. Then the other necessities, I stopped at Office Max and bought a computer desk and chair. I arranged for it to be delivered the next day. A couple of phone calls and the utilities were all on in my name.

I sat waiting for my computer desk watching bad daytime TV, while working on the outline for a new article for the magazine I was writing for. Of course just as I decided it was time for lunch the delivery truck pulled up. I stopped what I was doing and showed them where I wanted the desk set up.

The two deliverymen quickly and efficiently got the desk set up. They finished and I signed for the desk. The whole time I was getting strange looks from them. I had completely forgotten that the rest of the furniture in the room looked like a little girl's room. Oh well, I wouldn't see them again.

I finished my lunch and got my computer up and running. I proofed the article I had already written and sent it off to my editor along with the ideas I had for future articles. Then I started web surfing, looking to see how much I would need for 'real' bedroom furniture. And checking out the news.

I'd been there about a week, sleeping in the bed, the floor was too hard and the couch just too uncomfortable, when I went out to check my mail one afternoon. I locked my door and started walking down to the mailboxes when this huge dog comes charging at me barking up a storm. I froze as the dog got near. My neighbor growing up had sicced their St. Bernard on me all the time. The St. Bernard had never really hurt me, other than some bruises and scrapes when it would knock me down, but it always scared me. Now it was all coming back, this wasn't a St. Bernard, but it was big enough to knock me over, and it was charging me, barking like mad. As I stood there, I could feel my pants getting wet. Shit I was wetting my pants; I hadn't done that in a long time, since that St. Bernard had scared me.

Fortunately the dog did not jump on me and knock me down, but instead just bounced around me barking up a storm. Sarah came out about then and chased the dog away. She walked up to me, as I stood there unable to move. I was still terrified, not of the dog any more, it was gone. If she was anything like my father she was probably going hit me. She didn’t seem like she was lazy, so she’d probably beat me for a while.

When she grabbed me and led me into her trailer, I started blubbering about how the dog had scared me and how the St. Bernard had scared me when I was a little kid and that it wouldn’t happen again. After a while she calmed me down enough, so that she could actually talk to me. Then she offered to help me clean up. I accepted not thinking about what it meant. I was still surprised she hadn’t hit me yet, maybe she was waiting to spank me after I was clean.

She pulled me into the bathroom and helped me pull off my wet pants, socks, shoes and underwear. I realized then that I was now standing in front of her wearing only a T-shirt. She left with my wet clothes and said, "I'll find something for you to wear, just stay there, Dave."

"All right." Like I was going to wander around half-naked. I got a washcloth and started to wash up, when she returned. Now once I’m cleaned up she’ll probably spank me, I thought.

"Here let me help you." She took the washcloth and started to wash off my legs and groin. I was so embarrassed that I just stood there not moving. "There you are all clean. I found something for you to wear, but don't be worried, it was the only thing I could find that would be near your size."

I looked as she grabbed a diaper from behind her. "I can't wear that. I’ll just put my pants back on and run home.” All thoughts of her spanking me had fled.

"I've already thrown your clothes in the washer, and you really can't run around naked, can you? Besides I promise that no one will know. You can sit in the living room and watch TV till your clothes are clean."

I could hear the washer in the background and was stuck. I certainly could not go out naked and I guess as long as no one knew, I would be okay. "All right but make sure no one else knows." Maybe she wasn’t going to spank me. Now that I was calming down to where I could really think, I started to. She can’t spank me, she isn’t my mother or father or anything like that.

I lay down on the floor; she knelt beside me and proceeded to diaper me. I got up and went into her living room. Every step I took I could hear the diaper rustling, or maybe I just imagined it. Something weird was going on though, she hadn’t yelled at me or hit me or called me a big baby. My father did all three whenever I had wet pants because of the dog. Of course he yelled and hit me whenever I did something wrong.

As a matter of fact, I think she may have hugged me. No one ever hugged me before, except those cheerleaders and they were teasing me. I wish I knew what was going on.

She walked into the room, looking at me and asked, "Do you want anything? Soda? A beer? Milk?"

I shook my head and said, "No. Do you know how long my clothes are going to take?"

"Ninety minutes or so, why?"

"Shit. I'm expecting an important E-mail soon that I need to answer right away. I really can't afford to sit around here for an hour and a half."

"Well what are you going to do? Go out wearing that diaper?"

"If I have to, I have to get and answer that E-mail. Hey you don't have a computer that I could use do you?"

"Yes, I do, and I guess you can use it. Is it really that important?"

"It's for my job. My editor is doing a final check on an article I wrote. Where's your computer?" She got up and led me to her computer and I checked my E-mail. The message was there, but there were several facts that my editor wanted me to verify and I only had an hour.

After reading the E-mail and sending back a note that I would have facts back to him as quick as possible. God I hate deadlines. "I don't have a choice now, I have to check those facts and get back with him."

I logged off, got up and headed to the front door. As I was peeking out the window, she said, "If you’re leaving, I've got some errands to run. I'll drop your clothes off later when they're finished."

I couldn't see anyone or that dog out there, so I opened the door and headed back over to my place as quick as I could. About half way there I heard a car door slam shut and a car start. I turned to look and saw her pull out. I got up to my door and went to open it and realized that I had locked it. I went to reach into my pants pocket for my keys and there were no pants. I looked and I could see Sarah’s car disappearing in the distance. I was locked outside wearing a diaper and T-shirt and nothing else.

I looked around for a place to hide, but there weren't any. I ended up just sitting on the ground next to my stairs. I had been sitting there for five minutes or so when the dog came back. It bounded up to me and there wasn't anything I could do, I sat there whimpering in fear and humiliation. As dog started to lick my face, I realized that I had just wet the diaper I was wearing. After licking and sniffing me for a few minutes the dog took off.

I saw my landlady returning, so I jumped up and ran over to her trailer. Actually it was closer to a waddle, than a run, with the wet diaper. She walked up and looked at me, "I thought you didn't like the diaper?"

Blubbering, "You kept my keys, and the dog came back, and I couldn't get in, and I couldn't hide, and I was scared, and I had another accident, and you were gone, and I didn't know what to do."

"Well I'm back now," she said. "And we'll get everything straightened out for you. First let’s get you inside and into something dry." She unlocked her door and pulled me into a room, which I realized after a moment was a nursery.

She picked me up and laid me down on a changing table. There was a safety strap that she fastened over my arms trapping me on the table. "I'll be back I have to get some things out of my car."

I lay there waiting for her to come back. When she did she had a jumbo package of Size 6 Huggies. "I got these for you," she walked over and undid the tapes on the wet diaper I was wearing and pulled it off me. This time she cleaned me with some baby wipes and put one of the new Huggies on me.

She lifted me off the table, and I asked for my keys. With my keys clutched in my hand, I again went out into the open wearing only a diaper and a T-shirt. I got over to my home and went in. Over to the computer I quickly checked my reference material and e-mailed back the citations to my editor. Checking the time I realized that I still had fifteen minutes. Looking down at the diaper I was wearing I walked down to bathroom, took off the diaper and took a shower.

After getting dressed and sitting down to watch some TV, there was a knock at my door. I answered the door, it was my Sarah. "I see you've changed. Here are your clean clothes, and your wallet. I was joking about those diapers being for you."

"What? Oh that I wasn't really paying attention then. I got my e-mail off on time. So I should get my paycheck soon and then I can go get a new bed," I rambled on. "I want to thank you for the help earlier."

"Oh that was nothing," she answered giving me an odd look.

Chapter 2: Sarah

I left his trailer and thought a lot about what had happened. In reality I hadn't bought the diapers for him, but for one of the kids in the park that I baby-sit. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought about how cute he had looked crying about the dog after he wet the diaper. I was surprised that he didn't argue more about wearing the diaper in the first place. I thought more about him, how cute he had looked and decided to see if I could him back into diapers on a more regular basis.

The more often I went over what happened, the more I realized that there was something odd about the way he had reacted especially at first. He kept cringing while he stood there in his wet pants. It seemed like he was expecting me to hit him. I wonder why he thought I would hit him.

The next morning I started on my plan. I ran into town and bought several small "Nanny Cams" to place in the nursery and a VCR to tape the footage from them. I set the "Nanny cams" up so that they would cover the changing table, the crib, the playpen, and one to cover the couch in the living room. Then I went to buy a couple of nighties, and other clothes suitable for a little girl, but that should fit him. Next I went to talk to the owner of the dog, a dog that wouldn't hurt someone kicking it.

"Hey Bob, I need to talk to you about your dog," I said to him as I walked up to him.

"I know, I know. You want me to keep him tied up, right. Come on Thor wouldn't hurt a fly," Bob answered.

"No actually, I don't want you to keep him tied up. It seems that the new guy in Number 2 is terrified of dogs, and I want to have some fun with him."

"Wait a minute it took you forever to rent that place and now you want to scare the renter. Who is renting it anyway, all I've seen is that kid that lives there?"

I laughed, "That kid is the tenant, and he’s 21 and has a college degree. He just looks like a little kid. I know it took a long time to rent and I'm not really worried about him leaving, because I gave him a sweet deal on the rent and he signed a year lease."

"So you want to have some fun with him, what kind of fun?"

"The other day your dog caught him out in the open and scared him so much, he pissed his pants. I pulled him into my trailer and cleaned him up. But the only thing I had that would fit him was a diaper. He looked kind of funny wearing just a diaper and T-shirt. I left, and he went home, but forgot his keys. When I got back he had wet the diaper and was practically crying.

So I want to see if get him back into a diaper, and how much like a baby I can get him to act."

"You're a cruel woman, but no problem I'll let him run loose, besides the kids love him. Say if you get him all dressed up give me a call and we can stage an argument and I'll be sure to call him a wimp or something," Bob laughed.

"Better yet, be sure to use the word `sissy.' Yeah, sissy is probably the perfect word."

"Okay, but if you do it, I want to see the pictures. Hmmm, I wonder if I can the kids to get Thor to jump up on to them. I imagine that would knock him right over. Shit I gotta go to work, see ya." I’d lied to Bob; I hadn’t really thought that Dave looked funny, but cute. Little kid cute, almost baby cute. And he brought something out in me, I wanted to mother him, hug him, wipe his eyes when he cried, and kiss his booboos. The whole thing.

It was funny, but I bet that Dave, if he tried, could get anything he wanted. Actually if he tried, it probably wouldn’t work. I am surprised at what he told me those college professors had done, because I bet they are all male. If Dave looked a woman right there wouldn’t be a thing she wouldn’t do for him. If I told him though, Dave would never believe it.

Now though to wait until Thor caught him again. He seemed to be watching out for Thor and I didn't see him venturing outside much for a while, but I did see Thor and apparently Bob had gotten the boys into a contest to see who could hold Thor up on his hind legs the longest.

Finally about three weeks later I saw Dave headed towards my trailer, I hadn't seen Thor for a while, but I hoped he was nearby. I watched Dave make his way across the yard, when a loud barking erupted and sure enough Thor came thundering in. Dave froze for a moment and then started to back away as Thor got closer. When Thor got up next to him he jumped up just like he had been doing with the kids and dropped his front paws right on Dave’s shoulders. Dave flinched as Thor jumped and went down in a heap when the paws landed.

Oh shit, I thought, I hope he isn't hurt. Thor licked his face and barked and bounced around him. I ran out and scared off Thor. "Dave, are you okay,” I asked as I helped him up.

When he didn't answer I pulled him into my trailer and down to the bathroom. Thor had found a puddle somewhere and not only was Dave’s pants wet again, but there were huge paw prints on his shirt. While he stood there shaking, I pulled off his shirt and started on his shoes.

About this time Dave spoke, "It attacked me. The dog it attacked me."

He was still shaking, "The dog didn't attack you, he was playing. I've seen some of the kids playing with him like this. I think they're having some sort of contest. Who can the hold the dog up the longest or something like that."

I got him undressed and put him in my bathtub. I turned on the water and took his clothes to my laundry room. I emptied his pockets and there was my rent check, a bit wet though. Oh well, I'd get him to write another. I put the clothes in the washer, but didn't start it yet. I started the VCR's the Nanny cams were hooked up to and thought about the tapes I'd have later.

Back in the bathroom, I turned off the water and started bathing him. He was still out of it and didn't really notice. By the time I had finished drying him, he was noticeably calmer. I picked him up and carried him like a toddler on my hip. He was a little big for a toddler, but that was all right.

As I headed to the nursery, I started the washer. In the nursery I put him on the changing table and fastened the safety strap. I grabbed a diaper, one of the Huggies I'd joked about, and said to him, "You know I don't have anything else for you to wear right?"

He looked up at me and nodded. His eyes were all red and his nose was running a bit from his crying. I powdered and diapered him and stood him on the floor. "I don't know if I have anything that will fit you. My stuff would be way too big. Let me think for a minute."

I stood there, thoughtfully I hoped, for a moment. "I think my niece left some things here, last time she visited. I'll go look."

I walked into the laundry room and grabbed the nighties, a dress, and a pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt I knew were too small. Returning to the nursery, "I was right. Here try these on," I said handing him the jeans.

He looked at them; they had a pink heart appliquéd on the back pocket. Sighing he pulled them up and tried to button them, but they were about an inch to small, especially with the diaper on. "They're too small," he whined.

"Well all I've got left is this dress and these nighties." He glanced at the dress and shook his head. I held up the nighties, one was pink and said "Girl Power" in glittery letters, the other was baby blue and had a Care Bear on it. He grabbed the blue one as I expected and put it on. It just covered his diaper.

I put the others back and asked him if he wanted to watch TV, he nodded and waddled towards the living room. He sat on the couch and started watching some movie, while I waited. I had set the washer on its longest cycle and a double rinse. When the second rinse started I went into the living room, "I have to run into town. The problem is, in my files I have all sorts of personal information on my tenants and I can't take the chance that you could go through them. It's not that I think you would, but if someone thought you did I could into trouble. Or someone could use the information to get us both into trouble. So you have a choice. You can come with me, you can go home, or I can put you someplace where you can't get at the files."

He looked out the window, I could hear kids playing out there and Thor barking. "Where would I have to stay?"

"Well the only place I can think of is the crib. I don't think you can get out of it if I put the side up." I thought he was going to start crying, but he looked out at the kids and Thor again.

"I'll stay here," he said in a small voice.

I picked him up and carried him to the nursery and laid him in the crib. I pulled up the side and he just curled up and closed his eyes. I checked the VCRs and went outside to my car.

Bob came up and asked, "He in there?"

"Yes, but I told him I had to go into town. I'll be back in an hour or so come over then."

"Okay, see ya then."

I got into my car and drove off into town, I really did need to go to the bank, and do some other errands, but nothing I couldn't have done another day. I wasted some time in town and then came back and went past Bob's place so he'd know I was home.

Chapter 3: Dave

I woke up and wondered where I was. I looked around and it dawned on me. I was in a crib, wearing a diaper and girls Care Bear nightie. And I needed to use the bathroom, desperately. I listened and wondered what had woken me. I heard a door shut and realized that Sarah had gotten back. "Sarah," I called out.

"Just a moment," came drifting back, and then a knock at the door.

I heard the door open and a loud voice, "I heard you wanted to talk to me about my dog, Thor."

"Yes, Bob. You can't let him run loose around the park. You know there's a rule about pets being on a leash," Sarah's voice answered. Good she'd get that dog, Thor, tied up.

"Why, has someone been complaining? I know all of the kids love him, and he wouldn't hurt anyone."

"I don't care if the kids love him. There is a rule and you're breaking it. Tie the dog up or else."

"I bet that new guy has been complaining. He looks like a little wimp.” I hoped this guy leaves soon, because I really needed to use the bathroom.

"No Bob, no one complained, I've been telling you about Thor for a while now, and even if someone had complained, I wouldn't tell you."

"I bet it was that new guy. He looks like a little sissy that would be afraid of a dog." A sissy, he called me a sissy. I thought about it and wanted to cry. I certainly looked like a sissy right now in a diaper and nightie sitting in a baby's crib.

They continued on for a little while about the dog and then started talking about other stuff. I was squirming, I really needed to get to the bathroom, but there was no way I could get Sarah's attention until the man left. If he saw me, he'd know I was a sissy, even if I'm not one, the moment he saw me.

I tried to get into a more comfortable position, but nothing helped. After a few more minutes I couldn't hold it any more and I messed in my diaper. I did start crying softly then, muffling it in the crib mattress. I think I fell back asleep, because the next thing I knew Sarah was in the room picking me up.

She picked me up and lifted me out of the crib placing me on her hip, like she had when she carried me in here. "Ewww, what's that smell," she asked.

"I shi..., er pooped in the diaper. I had to go and I could hear you talking to that man, and he called me a sissy and I didn't want him to see me, and he wasn't leaving, and I couldn't hold it anymore." I was crying again and I couldn't help it. So far since I've known her, she's seen me wet my pants twice, wet a diaper and now I pooped in one.

"That's okay honey, accidents happen, and it's not like you could have gotten out yourself to get to the potty. Let's get you cleaned up and changed." She sat me down on the changing table and pulled off the nightie. Laying me down, she strapped me into place. I was trapped on the changing table with the strap over my arms.

She undid the tapes and grabbed my ankles lifting my butt into the air. "Boy are you a messy baby," she said. I turned my head away as she continued, "Sorry about that, but usually it helps to keep a baby distracted while your changing him. It makes it easier. If he's giggling at you he isn't fighting you."

I lay there as she finished cleaning me and rediapered me. I have never been so humiliated in my life. Once finished she unbuckled the strap and sat me up. Grabbing the pink nightie she pulled it over my head.

She picked me up again and carried me into the bathroom. Setting me on the sink she got a washcloth and started to wash my face. "You look terrible with your eyes all puffy and red. Let me clean you up."

I sat there, sniffling and closed my eyes. She finished cleaning my face and I felt a brush pulling through my hair. "What are you doing?"

"Your hair's a mess. I’m just brushing it out. It'll be fine," she said as she continued to pull the brush through my hair. Since it was kind of soothing I just sat there with my eyes closed.

Finally I felt a tugging on my hair on one side then the other. I started to speak and she made some shushing sounds and said that it will be okay. I could feel my hair pulling oddly on my head and some hair hanging in my face. I heard a snipping like scissors and the hair in my face fell away. I opened my eyes and looked in the mirror.

What I saw shocked me, because there was a little girl in a pink nightie staring back at me. I looked up at Sarah, "Why did you cut my hair, I look like a little girl now."

"You looked like a little girl before, now you look like a cute little girl. Besides with the pigtails out and your combed right no one will notice. Now do you want to go watch some TV, while your clothes dry?"

She set me on the floor and I ran into the living room and turned on the TV, flipping through the channels I settled on a game show. In the background I heard the dryer turn on and knew that my ordeal would soon be over. A knock at the door caught my attention.

Someone was here and if they came in I would be seen. I started panicking as Sarah answered the door. The screen door opened and I could hear whomever it was enter the trailer. I still couldn't see them; the front door blocked my view. I was scared. If they saw me they would know that I was a man dressed like a little girl wearing a diaper. What I didn't realize was that it would be hard for anyone to see that I wasn't really a little girl.

The door shut and I could see that it wasn't the dog guy, but a woman that I vaguely recognized from around the park. She looked over at me and said, "Hi sweetie. How are you?"

"I'm fine," I answered, realizing that when she spoke to me I started wetting my diaper. I turned back to the TV and hoped she would ignore me. They walked into Sarah's office and I could just hear them talking.

"Who's the girl, I haven't seen her around the park?" A voice drifted out from the office.

"A friends daughter, I'm watching her for the afternoon, her name is Cecelia, Sissy for short." I couldn't believe that Sarah had said that, I certainly wasn't a sissy. Of course I was sitting on the couch wearing a wet diaper and pink nightie.

"She seems a bit old for naps."

"She had an accident and spilled Coke all over her clothes, that was all I could find for her to wear. She's about the age of your daughter. She's nine, right?” I didn't look like I was nine did I?

"No, Ashley is eleven, she'll be starting sixth grade this fall. If you want I'm sure that Ashley would be happy to come over for a while."

I started thinking Say no, say no.

"No her mom should be here soon, but if I babysit her again I’ll be sure to have her meet Ashley.”

"Okay. We are going on a vacation next week, and I was wondering if you would keep an eye on everything while we're gone?"

"No problem, is there anything special I should know..." They continued on for a while about the vacation and other small talk, I tuned it out wondering if I really looked that much like a little girl.

I watched them come out of the office. "Bye Sissy, have a nice afternoon."

"Say goodbye to Mrs. Peterson, Sissy," Sarah said looking at me with a grin on her face.

"Bye Mrs. Peterson," I said in a soft voice, trying to keep the tears out of my eyes. She left and I waited a few minutes for her to walk away.

"Sarah how could you tell her my name is Sissy,” I asked.

"Would you rather I told her that your name was Dave and Thor scared you so much that you wet your pants, and then later I found you with a messy diaper?”

"No, but you told her I was nine years old."

"Well I couldn't tell her you are 21 could I?"

"No, but…"

"No more buts. She won't recognize you as Sissy and you won't have to dress this way again will you?"

"No, but…"

"I said no more buts. Besides your clothes should be dry any minute."

"Okay," I gave up.

“Dave, can ask you something personal?” She asked.

“What, ‘cause I might not want to answer it?”

“Well, you are quite small for an adult, you don’t... I don’t know how to really ask this, but why are you so small? Are your mom and dad small?”

“No they aren’t, but you know it’s funny. If you had asked me a couple of years ago I couldn’t have answered. Now though, I know and it’s one of the reasons I don’t ever talk with my parents.”

“Well what’s the reason?” She asked. She looked really intrigued.

“It goes back to after I was born. My mother started drinking regularly. By the time I was four or five, she was drunk most of the time. One day when I wanted supper she told to me she was tired of waiting on me and I should feed myself. I went into the kitchen and after looking around. I made myself a bologna sandwich. Two slices of bread and half a package of bologna.”

She looked at me and nodded, “That sounds like what a little kid would do.”

“Well my father got home before I was done. He saw my sandwich and yelled and hit me, and then he yelled at my mother. He came back after a while and told me what to put on a sandwich. So for the next 14 years or so, I ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast, and a sandwich with a piece of fruit for lunch and supper. Never anything more.”

“Wait a moment, all you ate for all of those years was two sandwiches, two pieces of fruit and a bowl of cereal?”

“Oh, and some milk or juice to drink. My meals were surprisingly well balanced, but lacking in calories. I wasn’t malnourished, but I was certainly close. I didn’t find this out until I took an elective, with my roommate. We did some numbers in class, and it turned out that I had just enough to keep me growing, but so slowly that I never got big.”

“How come no one ever noticed?”

“Well I was growing, and I didn’t know any better. I didn’t have any friends, so I assumed all kids ate this way.”

“So you never talk to your parents?”

“Not since I finished high school. Actually I haven’t spoken to my father since the morning of my last day of high school, my mother that afternoon after school got out.”

“How did that happen?”

“That’s my grandmother’s fault. She paid for me to go to college. She had her lawyer kidnap me after my last day of school.”

“What?”

“Okay, he didn’t kidnap me. He picked me up after school, we went and got my clothes and stuff, and then he delivered me to College. Although, I think even if he had been kidnapping me I might have went along. It couldn’t have been much worse than what I went through at home. I spoke to my mother when I got my stuff, although I’m not really sure if she noticed.”

“So you’re still in contact with your grandmother?”

“No, she died my sophomore year. But she left money for me, and a cousin I’ve never met, to go to college for five years. I graduated in four years and got the remaining money, which got me my car and a few other things. But no bedroom furniture. It’s funny though, the only relative I had that ever cared for me I never met.” The buzzer on the dryer went off.

"I’m sorry about your grandmother; she sounds like she was a wonderful person. But since your clothes are dry, you go run to the nursery and I'll grab your clothes," Sarah ordered.

I got to the nursery and waited for Sarah, she came in a moment later, tossed my clothes on the dresser and reached for the nightie I had on. "That's okay Sarah, I can change clothes by myself," I said hoping she would leave so she wouldn't notice that I had wet another diaper.

"What are worried about, I've already seen you naked?" she asked. She grabbed the nightie and pulled it off of me before I could stop her. She reached down to undo the diaper and noticed it was wet. "Oh, I see. Are you sure you don't really need these?"

I was almost in tears, again. "No, I don't." I pulled on my pants, shirt and shoes and ran out of the trailer. I headed home and went to unlock my door; I had forgotten my keys again. I turned around and headed back to Sarah's. She was waiting at the door with my stuff. She said something as I grabbed it, but I wasn't listening. I stomped back home and went in.

And I thought she liked me, but she went and made fun of me. I did something then that I hadn’t done for a long time. I cried myself to sleep.

Chapter 4: Sarah

Dave pulled on his clothes and ran out the door. I noticed that he had forgotten a few things, like his keys and wallet, again. I gathered his stuff and walked to my front door. Sure enough there was Dave walking back to my trailer. He looked very angry, but also very cute. He had forgotten to take the pigtails out of hair. When he reached the door I handed him his stuff and said, "Dave your hair is still in pigtails." He either ignored me or wasn't paying any attention, because he stomped back to his trailer the pigtails bouncing up and down. It made him look like a little girl in a snit.

I was worried, I wondered if I had pushed too far too fast. But I really hadn't expected him to mess in his diaper. I really hadn't expected him to wet it either. Oh well, there's nothing I can do about it now. I started cleaning up. I was about half done when there came a knock at the door. I was surprised to see Mrs. Peterson back. "Judy, what can do for you?"

"Did I just see Sissy go into Number Two?"

"Hmmm. Come in, and have a seat. I suppose that was Sissy you saw, but I lied earlier when I introduced you to Sissy. That is the tenant of Number Two. His name is Dave, not Sissy. I told you that his name was Sissy, because I didn't want to embarrass him too much and Sissy was the first name I thought of.

A few weeks ago Dave was surprised and scared by Thor..."

"But Thor wouldn't hurt a flea," Judy interrupted.

"I know that, you know that, Bob knows that. Hell everyone, but Dave, knows that. Well it seems that when he was a kid, a neighbor tormented him with a big dog.

Anyway a few weeks ago Thor scared him and he wet his pants. I rescued him and cleaned him up. The only thing I had here that he could wear though was a diaper."

"A diaper," she interrupted again.

"Well, what else was I supposed to do? To make the story short, today Thor knocked him down, I rescued him again, but this time he was covered in mud. I cleaned him up and dressed him what I had on hand, a diaper and the nightie you saw, well actually there was two nighties. When he left I tried to stop him, but he left with his hair still in pigtails."

"So I guess you won't be baby-sitting Sissy again, and I don't have to bring over my daughter. I swear though that I never would have guessed that he wasn't a young girl. So what are going to do now, he didn't look very happy when I saw him."

"I don't know, maybe I'll take him out to dinner or something. I meant to have some fun, but I guess it got out of hand. Don't tell anyone, please."

"I won't, but he sure does make a cute a little girl. I'll keep an eye out for him if you want, I can see some of the bullies trying to pick on him if they can."

"Shit, I hadn't thought of that. Some of those boys are rough, and if they catch him, who knows what they'll do."

"The kids around here to know to avoid the trouble makers and stay away from them, but he doesn't know anything about them he'll be ripe for the picking. Like I said, I'll keep an eye on him. Well I've got to go."

Over the next few days I kept a look out for Dave, but I didn't see him much. I found a new rent check in my drop box, and I saw him go to his mailbox. His car would occasionally be gone, but I never saw him leave. If I never saw him, hopefully the local bullies didn't see him either. Eventually though they would catch him, probably at the mailboxes. That gave me an idea, I'd have to get a couple more cameras though, and these would have to broadcast.

I went into town and got the "Nanny cams". Hooking them up surreptitiously was a problem, but Bob helped. We got them up and running one night, picture and sound. Now to wait for something to happen.

After a week of waiting, I broke down and went over to Number Two and knocked on the door. "Dave are you in there, I'd like to talk?"

The door opened and Dave looked out at me, "What do you want?"

"I want to apologize. I'm very sorry if I embarrassed you, I certainly never meant for anyone to see you. If I had known she was going to stop by I wouldn't have had you sitting there. And that last thing, about you needing diapers, that was totally uncalled for, I shouldn't have said it, and I want us to be friends. So what do you think, can we be friends?" I got all of that out in a rush and waited for Dave to answer.

"Sarah, I wanted to be friends too, but now what am I supposed to do, it seems that every time I see you, you end up putting me in diapers. I know it's not your fault, but it's embarrassing. I want to accept your apology."

"Well Dave we're talking right now and there isn't a diaper in sight, and I tell you what. To make up for everything I'll take you out to dinner tonight, someplace casual. Your choice," I was kind of desperate, I wanted to keep diapering him, but if he kept hiding I couldn't.

"Okay, I'll take you up on that.” He paused for a moment and then continued, “The Outback, is that okay with you? I just love fake Australian decor.”

"I'll be by around six to pick you up," I said as I walked back to my trailer.

"See you then," Dave said as he closed his door.

I went over to Dave's at six o'clock to get him and was surprised to see that we had chosen identical Polo shirts, "Great minds think alike."

"Ummm, yeah right," he answered half-heartedly as he looked around.

"Bob, Thor's owner, has him inside right now," I said as I grabbed his hand to pull him out of his home.

"Good, that dog needs to be tied up," Dave said while locking his door.

We chatted, as we drove into town to the Outback, about nothing in particular. At the restaurant, I led Dave in and he was distracted as some baseball player made a spectacular play.

"Just you and your daughter," the hostess said when I asked for a table. Dave paying attention to the ball game didn't hear this.

I stifled a laugh at her comment, "Yes, just the two of us, nonsmoking please."

"Right this way," and she led us off to a table. I grabbed Dave's hand and pulled him with us. "Here you are. Can I get you something to drink while you look at the menu?"

I answered straight away, "A Coke."

Before Dave could say anything she asked, "And you, sweetie."

Dave rolled his eyes, "I'll have a Coke also." Once she had walked away, he continued. "I get that everywhere. If it isn't `sweetie', it's `honey', or `dear'. Usually it is older women that are the worst, they always seem to want to treat me special.”

"You didn't hear what she said, when I asked for a table, did you?"

"No, Jim Edmunds just made a great catch in the game. Why, what did she say?"

"She asked if it was just me and my daughter."

"Damnit, she didn't really say that did she," he asked, the continued in a softer voice. "I don't really look like a girl do I?"

"Yes she said that, and I imagine that she thought it because we are dressed alike, and with my height you look even smaller."

We ate dinner, and talked about baseball. That was strange, because he liked the game because of the statistics, baseball fanatics of that ilk can tell you about the most obscure facts and figures of the game. I like baseball, for the randomness, and athletic ability of the players. A split seconds hesitation can mean the difference between making the play or not. We debated our opinions in a friendly manner.

As we left the restaurant, the hostess called out, "Have a nice evening ladies, come again." I had to grab Dave before he went back in to correct her.

As we got into the car I asked, "Well, Dave what shall we `ladies' do for the rest of the night?"

He gave me a very nasty look and said, "I suppose we could do something else, but I don't have any ideas."

"How about if we go to my place and watch a movie?"

"Sounds good," he agreed and off we headed back to my house.

During the drive I thought about all of the movies I had and what one I could show that might cause Dave to have an accident. The obvious ones were right out. I’d have to tie him up to get him to watch Cujo, or a werewolf movie. Hell, I'd probably have to tie him up to watch 101 Dalmatians, or Beethoven. Then it hit me, "Dave have you seen any of the Harry Potter movies?"

"No, are they any good? I heard they were pretty good, but the last thing I need is for something else to make people think I'm a kid."

"They're good. And now I'm starting to understand that other problem."

We arrived back and went in to watch the movie. I got us a couple of Cokes and started the video. We sat watching the movie, Dave seemed to be enjoying the film. Then just about an hour into the movie it happened. Fluffy showed up. Dave squealed, "Oh, shit."

"Dave, I'm sorry. I forgot that Fluffy was in this movie. I thought he was in the second movie."

"Shit, shit, shit. I just pissed all over your couch."

"That's okay, it's an old couch. I was going to replace it soon anyway," I hit the stop button and grabbed his hands. "Really Dave it's okay. Let's get you cleaned up."

He looked up at me tears almost in his eyes. "Are you sure? I mean I made a mess all over your couch."

"Yes, I'm sure. Come on get up. I'll help you clean up," I said as I pulled him up off the couch. He didn't even resist until I got him into the bathroom.

"I'll just go home and get cleaned up," he said as I started to pull off his shirt.

"Don't be silly, it's my fault you had an accident and it's my responsibility to help you clean up." By this time I had his shoes and pants off him.

"No, I can just go home," he said half-heartedly. By this time he was completely undressed and I pushed him into the shower. While he was showering I tossed his clothes and the cushion cover into the washer. When the shower stopped I went back into the bathroom and dried him off.

Once dry, I picked him up and carried him into the nursery. He buried his head into my shoulder and was sobbing. I put him on the changing table and put a clean diaper on him. "I found something else my niece left."

I pulled out a pair of shortalls, with Minnie Mouse on the front and a pink T-shirt. I knew these would fit him; I had bought them for him just the other day.

He looked at them and sighed. "They'll do. They are better than the nighties."

I helped him into the clothes and watched him waddle back into the living room. I followed him; he looked so cute, almost like a toddler.

We sat back down on what remained of the couch and I restarted the movie. He seemed to be enjoying the movie, although he jumped whenever Fluffy appeared. After the movie I got up and tossed his clothes in the dryer.

He pouted a little, when I told him it still would be a while before his clothes were dry. He perked up when I suggested we watch the second movie and it didn't have any big dogs in it.

When we started the movie he was yawning. I watched during the movie and about halfway in, he fell asleep. I waited a while longer and then picked him up and carried him back into the nursery. Very carefully I undressed him and changed his slightly wet diaper. I pulled the Carebear nightie over his head, and put him into the crib. He never woke up.

I turned the buzzer off on the dryer and stopped the movie. I changed for bed and checked on him one last time; he was sleeping like a baby, which I guess was appropriate, given his attire and bed. I woke in the morning and could hear Dave calling my name. It was kind of weird; he was calling out, but not loudly, like he wanted me, but not to wake me up. I lay there ignoring him, to see what he would do. He stopped shortly.

I waited a little while longer and then got up and went about my usual morning ritual. After flushing and washing my hands, I could again hear Dave calling out for me. I went down to the nursery to get him out of the crib. It struck me just then that I was going to a nursery to get a 21 year old man out of a crib and possibly get him out of a wet or messy diaper.

I entered the nursery and lifted him out of the crib. When I set him on the floor he took off like a bolt to the bathroom. I guess I hadn't waited long enough before I got up. I headed into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. He walked in a few minutes later. I noticed he wasn’t waddling although he still wore the nightie. "Good morning."

"Morning Sarah, I'm glad you got me when you did, I don't think I could have held it much longer. Where are my clothes?"

"Your clothes are on the dryer. Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure, I'll go and change," he said as turned to walk out.

Damn, I thought I should have waited a bit longer. Oh well, there is bound to be another time, I'll just have to find another movie with a dog. I wonder if he would react just to the barking, I'll have to sample Thor's bark and see if that will do it. I yelled down to Dave, "Cream or sugar?"

"Both please,” he said as he came back into the kitchen. "I put the nightie on the washer, is that okay?”

"Fine, do you want any breakfast?"

"No, I should be heading home soon anyway."

"What's your hurry, have another deadline at work?"

"Yes, but it's Friday, and I always have a deadline. Besides I've already finished the article, I just need to proofread it and send it off to my editor."

"Well if you’re in no big hurry, we could always finish the movie. I don't have anything I need to get done."

"Okay." And we grabbed our coffee and went back to finish watching the movie.

"That was good and so was the first one, except for the dog. I think I'll go see the third one this afternoon if it's still around," Dave said after the movie was over.

"It should be still around; it only came out a couple of weeks ago. I haven't seen it either, want to go together?"

"Like a date?"

"No, not like a date. Like saving money on gas by going together. You're a little young for me."

"Good, `cause I didn't really think that dating would be a good idea."

"So we're going to go?" When he nodded, I continued, "I should warn you though. There is a dog and a were-wolf in this movie. Still want to go?"

"Damn. I would like to go, but I certainly don't want to wet my pants in the theater."

"Well there is a solution, you know. You could wear a diaper. Under your pants no one would notice."

"Ummm, I'm not sure. I would really like to see the movie, but wearing a diaper in public. People are bound to notice."

"Well you think about it, and I'll call the theater and see if it's still playing," I said then went to make the call.

When I came back into the room, Dave asked, "What's the word?"

"There is a 4:15 show. I can disappear around then. Do you want to go?"

"Yeah, if I can without it being obvious I'm wearing a diaper. I can't believe I just said that."

"Okay, come over about three and we'll get you ready. See you then?"

"Yeah, I'll see you then," he said and then he left.

I finished up all of the things I usually did in the mornings. The whole time I was thinking about Dave wearing a diaper to the movie. The more I thought about it, the more I thought about getting him to go dressed in my `nieces' clothes.

The problem was that the diaper manufacturers had been steadily making the diapers thinner and thinner. Twenty years ago, you couldn't have hidden a diaper behind a house, now they're damn near invisible. I started puttering around the nursery, when I found what I needed. Diaper doublers, something else that manufacturers had made about obsolete. Two of these tucked into the diaper should make it too thick for his pants; he tended to wear them tight. Now how to convince him to wear the shortalls.

I'd have to think about it for a while, but first I needed to make a phone call. "Bob, what do plan doing around three-thirty this afternoon? Because I suggest that you be outside where you can see my place around then.” … "Why because you should get a show about then."… "No, I'm not telling, just do it."

Another call got Judy to come by about 3:15. Now to wait all day.

Just before three, there was a knock on the door. It was Dave. "Hi all set to get ready."

"I guess so. I'm not real happy though."

"Don't worry. I'm sure no one will notice. You know what I'm so sure, that I'll give you a free month's rent if anyone asks you if you're wearing a diaper, or mentions that you look like you're wearing one."

"If you’re offering, I'll take you up on that." And off we went to the nursery. Once there he undressed and I picked him up and put him on the changing table, fastening the safety strap. Now I was sure he wouldn't see the diaper doublers. One diapering later, I released him and stood him on the floor.

He grabbed his pants and pulled them up, but could not fasten them. "Sarah, my pants don't fit. I can't go like this." He turned and I could see that with the diaper on there was no way he would get them fastened.

"That is a problem. Do you have any bigger pants at home?" He shook his head. "Well I see two solutions. One you can, not wear the diaper, and take a chance at wetting your pants. Or you could wear my niece's clothes."

"If I wear your niece's clothing, I'll look like a boy wearing girl’s clothes. I don't want that people will laugh at me."

"Dave when I took you to dinner, the hostess thought you were a girl with you dressed in your own clothes. You may not realize it, but you look like a young girl."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do, but I tell you what. If you go wearing my niece's clothes and anyone says you are a boy, I'll give you another months rent for free. That's one month if any one mentions the diaper, and another if anyone says you are a boy. But if you get away with it, you have to do something for me."

"What will I have to do for you?"

"I don't know yet, but it will be something that we can both agree upon. Okay?"

"All right, but this sucks."

"Don't worry, no one will notice. Now let's get you ready." A few minutes later Dave was standing there wearing a diaper, shortalls, and a pink T- shirt. His shoes didn't really match, but sneakers are sneakers. "Your wallet doesn't go with that outfit, let me carry it." I stuck it into my purse along with a spare diaper when he wasn't looking.

I pulled him into the bathroom and pulled his hair back and quickly braided it into a single ponytail. "You know if you didn't wear your hair long, you would look less like a girl."

"Yeah, I know, but my father always hated long haired boys, so as soon as I could I let mine grow." Just as we finished, there was another knock at the door. That should be Judy, I thought. "Come in," I yelled.

Judy walked in, "Here's my rent. Hi Sissy, how are you today."

Dave's eyes got huge, "I'm fine."

"Let me get you a receipt for that," I led Judy into the office and Dave went and sat on the couch.

"How was your vacation?" I asked.

"It was good," she answered. Then in a much softer voice, "That's really a grown man?"

I nodded, "Where did you go?"

"Branson. It's amazing. I wouldn't have thought so, until I saw it for myself," she replied.

"I've never been there, but I hear it’s pretty. Here's your receipt. I have to take Sissy home now."

We walked back to door. Outside I could see Bob standing off in the distance, "See you later Judy."

"Bye Sarah. Bye Sissy."

I looked over at Dave and he looked like he was about to cry. I shut the door and walked over to Dave, "Don't worry. I'm not going to call you Sissy, but you don't look like a Dave. What should I call you?"

"I don't know, but not Sissy."

"You ready, because we should be leaving."

"All right, before I change my mind."

Out the door, we walked over to my car. Dave got in and I looked down to Bob. He looked back with a puzzled look on his face. He can be so dense at times. I’ll explain it to him later.

I drove to theater and went to get tickets. "Two for Harry Potter," I said to girl selling the tickets.

"Is that one adult, and one child?"

"Yes, thanks."

"Screen four, to your left. Enjoy the show ladies."

Dave looked at me and pouted, "She called me a child and a lady."

"What did you want her to call you?" I continued before he could answer, "How about something to drink and some popcorn?"

"Okay" and we walked up to the counter.

"A jumbo popcorn, a large coke and a..." I looked at Dave.

"A small coke, please."

The kid at the counter them and handed Dave his, "Here you go sweetheart."

I paid and got my drink and the popcorn, while Dave stomped off. As I got to the ticket taker, I could hear her say to Dave, "Here comes your mom, does she have your ticket, dear?"

I gave her the tickets and she pointed down to the theater, "Enjoy the movie."

We watched the movie, and Dave squealed a couple of times and buried his face in my arm once or twice. When it was over I leaned over and asked him if he was wet. He said yes.

When we got out into the lobby, it was full of people. I felt Dave tense up, and I reached down and grabbed his hand. He held on tightly as we made our way to the door. At the door a man about Dave’s age held the door open for us. I thanked him as we left.

Walking to the car I asked Dave if wanted to get something to eat. He said yes and we headed to a McDonald's where I got him a girl’s Kids Meal. He didn't look happy about it, but didn't say anything.

As we were finishing, I noticed Dave was squirming around in his seat. I didn't say anything and neither did he. On the drive home, I intentionally hit every bump I thought I could. At a set of particularly bad railroad tracks, I heard Dave swear softly. "Anything wrong?" I asked innocently.

"I had to go to the bathroom."

"Had. As in past tense?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you go before we left?"

"How? I am wearing a diaper; it wouldn't have been easy to go. Besides there were a bunch of girls hanging around the restroom there."

"Well it's a good thing you were wearing one then. It's not leaking is it?"

He felt around, "No I don't think so."

"Speaking of the diaper. No one noticed it did they, or that you are not a little girl. Looks like I won the bet. I'll think about what I want and let you know."

We got home and I took off his diaper and cleaned him up. He got dressed and went home.

Chapter 5: Dave

I couldn't believe it. I just went to a movie and a restaurant wearing girl’s clothes and diapers and no one noticed. Not even Steve, I've known him for four years, and he held the door for us. Something was seriously wrong.

I went and looked into a mirror. I didn’t really look like a little girl did I? I didn't think so, but then again if I did I could really stick it to my father, the old bastard that he is. I should get a picture of me dressed up and send it to him, `From your loving Son.' That would piss him off.

Shit now what am I thinking. I don't want to dress like that again. Of course it was kind of strange with Sarah. I don't think that anyone has ever treated me that way before; my mother, the drunken bitch that she was, never did. Between her ignoring me, and my father hitting me, I'm surprised I lived this long.

And I lost the bet with Sarah, both of them. I wonder what she is going to want. I hope it's cheap whatever it is. I wonder if I can get away with dinner or a movie or something like that. I'll just have to go over there tomorrow and ask what she wants. Back to work now.

I finished proofreading the article and sent it off to my editor. By the time I was done it was bedtime. I got ready for bed and stopped, I still hadn't gotten a new bed. It seemed like a waste of money, this one served me fine, but now I was going to bed in a little girl’s bed after spending the afternoon dressed like one. Damn.

I got up the next morning and spent some time trying to come up with an idea for my next article. This is usually the hardest bit of writing for me. After a while it hit me, obscure and somewhat ridiculous aircraft generally don't get written about unless they did something spectacular. The Twin Mustang is one that you don't read about often, and it was certainly ridiculous looking. After deciding on my topic, I sent it off to my editor for his okay, and decided I should go see Sarah about our bet.

I went to the front door and looked and listened for that monster disguised as a dog. I didn't see or hear it and made a break for Sarah's. It was obviously occupied since it didn't try to eat me. This sucks being effectively a prisoner in my own home because of a damn dog.

Sarah answered her door, "Hi Dave, how is everything?"

"Not bad the dog isn't around. I thought you were going to get it tied up? I came over to talk about our bet."

"I’ll have another talk with Bob. I told you no one would notice, but you didn't believe me."

"Yeah, well it's actually worse than you thought. The guy that held the door for us," I paused until she nodded. "I've known him for four years; he was my roommate. We went to most of the school's home games together."

"The football games?"

"The football games, baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, you name it, we went. He is a serious sports fanatic, and he paid for most of the tickets. He didn't even blink when he looked at me." Sarah started laughing. I gave her a dirty look and she smothered it.

"Come on Dave. Your best friend didn't even recognize you. You have to admit that that is pretty funny. Especially considering how worried you were."

"No it's not funny, it's embarrassing."

"Okay, I guess it would be embarrassing to be twenty-one and be able to pass as a ten year old girl."

"Back to the original topic, about the bet. Did you have any ideas?"

Sarah looked kind of sheepish and said, "I do, but I'm not sure you'll agree."

"Well spit it out, what is your idea."

"Ummm, I'd kind of like you to be... ummm er, spend the weekend here as Sissy."

"You what," I yelled back. A little calmer I said, "No way. I am not going to spend a weekend being a little girl. Besides what if someone comes over here and sees me."

"We'll tell them that you’re spending the weekend with me, because your parents are out of town."

"What if Mrs. What'shername comes over again and wants me to go and play with her daughter. I don't even know what a girl that age plays at."

"Mrs. Peterson, and we can come up with an excuse for you not to go over there. Besides it will be fun."

"Fun for you, but what about me?"

"You'll have fun too. You had fun yesterday didn't you?"

"Yes, but we went and saw a movie."

"Well we can go see a movie again, or something. Trust me we will have fun."

"I don't know."

"How about if at any time you want to you can say; `Let's quit this,' and we'll stop and you can go home. If you just don't want to do what we're doing you can say, oh `I really don't want to,' and we won't. How's that?"

"I guess so. This weekend?"

"Unless you had other plans."

"No, as long as there is no problems at work, which I should find out in about an hour. I'll let you know then," I said as I headed back home.

I walked home and wondered what I was getting myself into. Had I really just agreed to spend the weekend as a little girl with my landlady? What am I doing? I went into my trailer and checked my e-mail. There it was a message from my editor. The current article was approved and so was the idea for my next article and a list of other aircraft that I could use for a series of articles. That was good, now I had several months of articles I could work on and not spend time trying to come up with new ideas. Unfortunately I was now free for the weekend.

I spent a few hours of Internet research for books and reference material that I could get from the University Library. Then I called Sarah and told her this weekend would be fine.

Chapter 6: Sarah

I couldn't believe that Dave had agreed to my suggestion. I was certainly going to have fun this weekend. I always wanted to have a child, but never had one. That was one of the reasons that I would baby-sit for my tenants. Now I would have my own little girl, for the weekend at least.

I had to decide what to do, and what I would need. I already had plenty of diapers, but only the two outfits. I suppose I should go get something else, but I also want to take Dave out and buy him something in public. That might be difficult, but I should be able to convince him.

I was sitting there in my own little world, when there was a knock at the door. Answering the door, I saw that it was Bob. "Hi Bob, what's up?"

"I was wondering what it was you had wanted me to see yesterday. Because all I saw was you with that little girl."

"Bob, you have to be one of the densest people I know. That little girl was the tenant of Number Two and not a little girl. Here I'll show you."

I led him over the VCR I had hooked up to the nanny-cams and played the tape of me diapering and dressing him. Bob watched the tape silently, then, "How the hell did you convince him to wear the diaper?"

"The other night we watched the Harry Potter movies and he had an accident. The dog in the first movie scared him. After finishing the movies he said he wanted to go see the third. I told him that there was a dog in it. He still wanted to see it, so I suggested that we go together and he wear a diaper to protect himself. I padded the diaper so it wouldn't fit under his pants."

"I was right Sarah, you are a cruel woman. Remind me never to piss you off. So what do you plan to do with him now?"

"He is spending the weekend with me, so stay away and keep Thor under control. I'm not sure what I plan on doing, but I don't want you or Thor messing it up."

"Okay, but you know we should do something to help him get over his fear of dogs. I bet Thor is really confused over what to do with him. No one else is afraid of him."

"I suppose we should, but how? I mean the sight of Thor scares him enough to make him piss his pants. How do you plan on getting Thor close enough to show him that Thor isn't going to eat him?"

"I don't know, but I'll think about it. Let me know how the weekend goes." With that Bob left and I went back to my musings.

I spent the rest of the day thinking, checking for movies to go see, and working. I was hoping for a girlie movie or a cartoon, but no luck. When Dave called and said that this weekend would be good, I was surprised again. I had thought that he would come up with an excuse to get out of it. Then again, maybe he just wanted to get it over.

During the rest of the week I went out and got some socks and shoes appropriate to a young girl. I also bought him denim jumper. I figure that if I can convince him to buy a new outfit, I can get him into something extremely frilly and it will be a lot more fun to have him try it on in the store.

I also talked to Judy, I most definitely did not want her to come over, well actually I did, but that is another story. "Judy, I need a favor from you, nothing major, but can you stay away this weekend and keep Ashley and her friends away also."

"Sure, why?" Judy looked a little puzzled since we normally went out for lunch on Sundays.

"I'm having a visitor all weekend, and there would be problems if you or they showed up."

"Anyone I know, wait a minute. You're not having Sissy over for the weekend are you?"

"Yes, Dave, or rather Sissy is spending the weekend with me. It's weird, I mean, I expected him to agree, but I didn't really think he would also. I mean a grown man has agreed to spend the weekend dressed a young girl with me."

"I think I understand you. He certainly must have some attraction to dressing that way or he wouldn't have agreed to. But it is hard to imagine that any grown man would agree to dress and act that way."

"I don't know if he has an attraction to the wearing the clothes or if he is attracted to me, and I'm old enough to be his mother, when he isn't dressed as a little girl. I hope it isn't to me," I was rather surprised by this since I hadn't thought it through until now.

"So what do you and Sissy have planned for this weekend?" Judy asked with obvious anticipation.

"I figured that we would go see another movie, lunch and a little shopping. Maybe spend Sunday at the park. But do stay away. I doubt if he could pass as a girl to a girl. He probably doesn't know any of the things that girls that age talk about."

"It sounds like a fun weekend, but do you plan on anything that would embarrass him?"

"Maybe, I had a few ideas, but then I realized that things could horribly wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, one or both of us could be arrested, if say someone discovered that what they thought was a young girl was in reality a 21 year old man. If he was arrested with children around he could be labeled a pedophile and sent to prison. I don't think he would last very long in jail, prison maybe five minutes."

"Yeah, that would be terrible. So you are going to play it low key. Just kind of enjoy being out?" We chatted for a while longer then I went home, I had a few more preparations to get before Friday night.

By Friday all was prepared, I had talked to owners of several girls clothing stores, showing them pictures of Dave dressed as Sissy to get permission to shop in the stores. They were a little reluctant, until they saw the picture. I also checked to see if anything was going on in town during the weekend. Now just to wait for Dave.

Chapter 7: Dave

Friday afternoon, I had tried to work some on all day, but my mind kept going back to what I was doing this weekend. Why had I ever agreed to spend the weekend dressed like a little girl? I thought for what seemed to be the hundredth time today. Quarter to five, her official office hours would be over in fifteen minutes, and then I would have to go over and spend the weekend with her. I killed some time playing solitaire on my computer. I couldn’t concentrate to do any work.

I walked over to Sarah’s and knocked on her door; she answered right away, as if she had been standing there waiting for me. "Come in Dave. We're going to have so much fun this weekend."

Sullenly I replied, "Fun for you, maybe. Not for me."

"We'll have lots of fun, I promise. And like I said, at any time you can just ask and we'll stop," she said. As I opened my mouth, she quickly continued, "Not yet can you say stop. I have to at least get a chance to show you that we will have fun, and no one will notice."

"Okay, I'll give you a chance, what first?"

She smiled and looked down at me, "First you get a bath, and then we'll see."

With that she grabbed my wrist and gently pulled me into the bathroom. In the bathroom, she picked me and sat me on the vanity and took off my shoes and socks. Off came my shirt and she set me back on the floor. When she started to undo my pants, I tried to help, but she knocked away my hands and said, "You just stand there, I'll do everything."

I dropped my hands down to my side and she finished undressing me. She looked me over and turned to start a bath for me. Once there was an inch or so of water in the tub, she picked me up and set me in the tub. As the water continued to fill the tub, she began to wash me.

I closed my eyes and sat there as she gently ran the washcloth over my body. I don't think anyone has given a bath in… Well as I thought about it, I don't remember anyone ever giving me a bath. My mother or father must have when I was little child, but I can't remember it.

She changed over to the showerhead and rinsed me off. I was stood up as the water started to drain and she dried me off with a big fluffy towel. While I stood there she looked me over again, and said, "Stand there while I put this cream all over you."

"Okay." She turned around and grabbed a bottle. I couldn't see what it was, but it didn't smell all that good. She put the cream all over my body except for my head. As I stood there patiently.

"Now we have to wait about ten minutes,” she said once she finished.

"Wait for what," I asked.

"You'll see," was her only cryptic answer.

After a couple minutes the cream seemed to be getting hotter. "Sarah the cream is getting hot!"

"It'll be okay. Just a few minutes longer." It kept getting hotter until I thought it would leave burn scars. Finally Sarah said, "All right now we can rinse it off."

She hosed me off with the showerhead, and I sighed with relief. With all of the cream rinsed off she looked over my body again, and made the announcement. "That's much better."

"What's much better?"

"Well, since you're going to be my little girl this weekend, I decided that you should look more like a little girl."

"Huh?" I grunted.

"Little girls don't have hair on their bodies."

"What?" I looked closer at my body, and saw that she had removed all the hair, but what was on my head. I never really had a lot of body hair, and I could days if not weeks without shaving, and now it was all gone. "Why did you get rid of all my hair?"

"I told you little girls don't have body hair. Don't worry it'll grow back. Now let's get you dressed." She picked me up and carried me into the nursery.

Laying me down on the changing table, she again placed the strap over my arms, securing me to the table. "But why do I have to wear a diaper?" I whined.

"Well, a couple of reasons. One you'll be sleeping in the crib and since you can't get out of it without help. You’ll need something to keep you from making a mess. Two, when we go out, you can't use the women’s restroom you could get arrested. The men’s restroom would be even worse. So you'll need someplace to go potty."

"We're going out this weekend?"

"Of course we are. What did you think we'd do, sit around all day?" She asked rhetorically as finished diapering me.

"I guess I hadn't really thought about it."

She undid the strap and pulled the pink nightie over my head. Once I was dressed she carried me back to the bathroom where she sat me back on the vanity and began messing with my hair. I again had pigtails and bangs, which she trimmed.

Finished she stood me on floor and said, "Go sit on the couch and I'll get you something drink and we can watch a movie."

"Okay," and I ran off to the couch. Actually I kind of waddled, but I couldn't really tell, she stopped in the kitchen and brought out a baby bottle full of milk.

When I started to protest about the bottle, she told just to try it. I relented and she started the movie, Cinderella; not one of my favorites, but you can't have everything.

Actually the bottle wasn't so bad and neither was the movie. I'm not sure what it was, but by the end of the movie I was yawning and starting to nod off. Sarah turned off the TV and picked me up. I protested sleepily and she hushed me up and carried me to the crib.

Laying me in the crib, she wound up a mobile that hadn't been there before, and that I hadn't noticed when she diapered me. "You go to sleep now and I'll see you in the morning," she said.

"Goodnight," I yawned, listening to the lullaby the mobile played. I didn't even notice the door closing.

I woke up later that night and had to piss badly. I called for Sarah, but didn't really want to wake her. After a few minutes, I gave up and wet the diaper I was in and went back to sleep.

When I woke in the morning, Sarah was already changing me into clean diaper. Once done I stood up and she pulled off the nightie. "Ready for some breakfast?" I nodded.

She picked me up, carried me into the kitchen and sat me in a highchair. I just fit in it and before I could say anything she attached the tray and had put a bib on me. "I hope you like oatmeal," she said.

Again before I could protest she began to feed me oatmeal. I never really cared for oatmeal, but I couldn't stop her. By the time the bowl was empty, I was full. She wiped off my face and removed the bib. Releasing me from the highchair she carried me over to the couch and put a baby bottle in my mouth, I didn't protest it let me get rid of the taste of the oatmeal.

With the bottle empty she turned me over her shoulder and started patting me on the back. I was unsure as to what was going on, when I let out a tremendous burp. She praised me and told me to watch some TV, while she did some chores.

I clicked on the TV and started flipping through channels. It wasn't easy to find something to watch; most of the channels were blocked. The only things that came through were those that were for little kids. I had a choice of Blue's Clues, Baby Looney Tunes, Barney, and a few others. I settled on Baby Looney Tunes.

As I watched them, I became aware of a few things. One I was dressed just like them, a diaper and nothing else. And two I really had to go poop. I got up and made my way to the bathroom. Sarah intercepted me and asked where I was going.

I explained and she told me that since I was in a diaper I could just use it. I protested back, and she picked me up and put me in the crib. I was stuck now; I couldn't get out of the crib without a ladder. A few minutes later I gave in and pooped in my diaper. Sarah came by a little later and asked me if I was done. I cried yes.

She took off my messy diaper and cleaned me up, then carried me to bathroom and gave me another bath. Finished she rediapered me and grabbed something out of the closet. "Time to get dressed so we can go."

"Go, where are we going?"

"I've got some shopping to do, and I thought we could go see a movie. Hold up your hands."

I held up my hands and she dropped a denim dress over my head. "I can't wear a dress."

"You already are. Besides we've found out that no one will ever guess that you’re a boy." She sat me back on the changing table and put some girl’s sandals on my feet. "Let's go."

I followed Sarah out to car, only hesitating slightly at the door. I quickly got in her car and fastened my safety belt. She got in and off we went. She pulled into the mall parking lot and parked. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"I guess so," I answered sullenly.

"Come on then." She got out of the car and grabbed my hand once I was outside also. We went into the mall and started shopping. Now I really don't like to shop, but Sarah led me from store to store.

We spent all morning in the mall. I think we went into all the stores, except the menswear stores. It took her a little while, but she even got me to try on several dresses. I didn't want to, but she started to attract attention. The last thing I wanted was more attention.

Around noon, I tugged on Sarah’s arm. "I need to be changed," I whispered to her when she bent over.

She led me off towards the restrooms. I was scared, where were we going to change my wet diaper. I couldn't let her do it in the Ladies room. Any one in there would be able to see that I was man wearing a dress and a diaper that I had wet.

As we got closer to the restrooms, I saw that between them was a room for changing diapers. I was relieved somewhat; I only hoped that it was small. As we got closer the door opened and a woman walked out pushing a stroller. We got to the changing room and went in locking the door behind us. Quicker than I would have thought she had me up on the changing table, actually it was more of a cabinet, and had my wet diaper off and a dry one on,

"Are you hungry," she asked as we left the changing room.

"Yes."

"Good, we can go over to the food court and grab something. While we're eating we can talk."

"What about?"

"Well, I was thinking that you should get your ears pierced."

"What," I yelled. I looked around and fortunately no one was in the hallway. Quite a bit quieter I continued, "No way. Guys don't get their ears pierced. At least not both of them. Besides I don't need my ears pierced."

"Come on, I'll bet that lots of guys have pierced ears. It's the `IN' thing to do these days. You'd look a lot cuter with earrings."

Great I'd look cuter, I thought. "No, even if guys do have pierced ears, I don't want pierced ears."

"I'll pay. Anyway if you don't like them, you can always just take them out and the holes will heal over in a little while. And I'll prove that lots of guys have both ears pierced. In fact if we can't find twenty guys with both ears pierced here in the mall I'll give you half off next months rent. If we do, you get your ears pierced."

By this time we had gotten to the food court and were getting into a crowd of people. I reached over and grabbed Sarah’s hand. She looked down at me surprised. I looked up and said, "There's too many people here, I don't want to get separated from you."

She smiled and held on to my hand, "That's a good idea. I don't want to lose you."

We went and got into line and eventually got lunch. Finding a seat took a while, but we managed. Sitting there, eating I mulled over Sarah’s bet. I really didn't want pierced ears, but they would heal if I didn't wear them and if I won, half off next month’s rent would be great.

"Sarah," I said in soft voice. "I'll take your bet."

"Good, now if you look around you'll see eight guys with both ears pierced, some of them with other things pierced also."

"What!" I looked around and actually she was wrong I saw nine boys and men with both ears pierced and I couldn't even see every one in the food court. "Okay. I concede. Where do we go to get my ears pierced?"

"Once we finish here, I'll show you."

We finished eating and a few minutes later I had little silver studs in my ears. I have to admit I looked even cuter.

"Well cutie, are you ready to go see a movie now?" Sarah asked.

"Sure what's playing?"

We went and saw Spiderman 2. By the end of the movie I was wet again. Nothing scared me, I just had to go. At least I didn't miss any of the movie.

After the movie we headed back to Sarah’s. Once there she picked me up and carried me to the nursery, where she changed my wet diaper. After that she put me into the crib and told me it was naptime. She wound up the mobile and I curled up.

A couple of minutes later she came in and gave me a bottle of warm milk. "In case you get thirsty."

Chapter 8: Sarah

I didn't expect Dave to really take a nap, but when I checked on him an hour later he was asleep, like a baby. I had some more coffee and started making dinner, I hope Dave likes spaghetti.

I let Dave sleep another hour and then got him up for dinner. After dinner while we were watching a baseball game I asked Dave about his life growing up. He told me, it made me want to go strangle his parents. Now I think I understand why he is letting me treat him like this. I don't believe anyone ever really showed him any affection as a kid.

After the game I asked Dave, "Well are you having fun? Because remember if you aren't you can end this and go home."

"Actually, surprisingly I am," came back the reply.

"Good, now is there anything you want to do tomorrow?"

"Ummm, yeah there is. Could we go back to the mall?"

"Why?" I looked at him and he was squirming around like he was embarrassed.

"Well, you remember that dress I tried on?"

"Which one, you tried on several?"

"The, ummm, I think you called it a sundress."

"Yes, I remember it."

"Well, could we go and buy it?"

"Let me see if I understand this, you want me to go and buy you a dress?"

"Ummm, I'll pay for it."

"Okay, but if you recall this morning you didn't want to be seen in a dress."

"Yes, but I want this one for a reason."

"What do you want it for?" He was squirming around even more now.

"I, kind of, ummm, want to get my..."

"Go on. You want what."

"I want my picture taken in it."

He had stopped squirming around, and looked like he was going to start crying. "Why do you want your picture taken in it?"

"I want to send it to my father. I'll sign it `Your Loving Son, Dave.' He'll hate that, if he can read it and figure out that it really is me."

"You really don't like your father, do you?"

"If he hadn't been so lazy he probably would've beaten me every night. I hate him."

"Okay, we can go and buy the dress. Then we can go to one of the store photo departments and have the portraits done. How about if we get your hair done by a professional first?"

"Nothing permanent right?"

"No, nothing permanent. Well if we're going to have another big day you should get some sleep." With that I picked him up and carried him to the nursery, where I changed his diaper and put him to bed.

Sunday turned out to be a bit of a let down. We went and bought the dress, had his hair done and got the pictures taken. They turned out great. We finished up by having dinner in a park where Dave played on the swing sets. It was definitely weird watching a grown man on a swing in a dress and a diaper.

Dave went home Sunday night, after giving me a big hug, and telling me that no one ever treated him like I had that weekend. My first thought at that was I hoped not, then I realized that he meant like a child that was actually loved. After I shut the door, I had to wipe a tear from my eye. Then I went and erased all of the videotapes I had made of him. I'd still have a copy of the portraits, but I couldn't keep those tapes I made without his permission.

Monday came and I thought back fondly to the weekend, I wondered if I could get Dave to do it again, and figured that I certainly could.

Early in the afternoon, I heard Thor outside barking. My first thought, was I hope he didn't catch Dave outside again. Then I realized that while Thor was barking, it wasn't his normal friendly bark and woof, but a frenzied, angry barking, snarling and growling. What the hell? I had heard Thor growl before, he was warning a kid for pulling his tail. But nothing like this.

I ran out the door to see what was going on. I saw the backs of three kids, I thought that they were the troublemakers, but I couldn't be sure. Then I saw Thor over by the mailboxes. There was a splash of red on the mailboxes and then Thor nuzzled something on the ground and lay down beside it.

Shit there was someone on the ground over there, and that red was probably blood. I dialed 911 on my cell phone and started running over there. I saw at least two other people doing the same thing. As I got closer, I slowed down. I didn't know what Thor was going to do. He started growling, then looked at me, and woofed once. His tail started wagging and he turned his head back to … Dave.

Damn, it was Dave down there on the ground. I told the 911 operator that we needed an ambulance and probably police here. The operator said they were on the way and that the police should arrive first. I turned and saw Judy running up with a first aid kit; good she was nurse and should know what to do.

Bob came up a few minutes later and I told him to take Thor home. He looked reluctant, but I told him that Thor chased away whoever did this and probably should be watched. He reluctantly took Thor home, as I watched Judy take care of Dave.

The Police showed up a few minutes later. A county deputy pulled in and got out of his cruiser. He looked around and actually gasped at the blood, there was a lot. "What happened to her," he asked looking at Dave.

I couldn't believe it, the deputy thought that Dave was a girl, and he was lying unconscious on face down on the ground. Judy looked up, "He was shoved into the mailboxes, that's what."

"Hi Judy, did you say he? I don't suppose you have a name," he asked, looking around.

I spoke up as Judy turned back to Dave, "His name is Dave Wilson. He lives over in Number Two."

The deputy wrote this in one of those notebooks that they carry around. "Hey I think I know him. I pulled him over twice last month. I thought he was a kid joyriding."

I told him what I had seen and wrote that down also. He got statements from a couple of others before the ambulance arrived.

The paramedics took over for Judy and the cop interviewed her. The paramedics got Dave on a gurney and hauled him off. The deputy finished getting statements and started taking pictures. A small group of us stood aside watching as he and another deputy did cop things.

The first deputy walked up and asked, "Hey is that camera hooked up?"

I'd forgotten about the camera, "Yes it is, come with me the tape is in my office."

We walked over to my office and watched the tape. It showed Dave walking up to his mailbox, as he turned to leave the three boys I'd seen running away walked up demanding money and started shoving him. He finally smashed his head open and crumpled to the ground, once there they started to kick him. A few seconds later Thor ran in barking and snarling and growling. The kids looked at him and took off when he snapped at them. Thor then turned to Dave, nudged him and licked him, then lay down next to him. Then I ran into the picture.

"Damn," the cop said. "That dog may have saved his life. Hold on for a second." He called on his radio to the dispatcher to have the hospital notified about the possibility of wounds do to the kicking.

"I'm going to need this for evidence," he continued.

"I know that, but before you take it can I make a copy to show Dave. He is terrified of that dog."

"All right. Can you identify those kids?"

"Sure," and I gave him their names and addresses. He waited while I made the copy, and then took the original.

I watched as he and the other deputies drove to pick up the suspects. It didn't take long and there they went; all three of them in the back of several cruisers.

I was happy; those three caused almost all of the trouble in the park, now to call my lawyer. This should be enough to get them evicted from the park. Hey I could probably have her start the paperwork for a civil suit on Dave's behalf too.

Other than Dave being unconscious in the hospital it looked like it might be a good day after all. I spent the rest of the afternoon answering questions about what all of the trouble was. Bob came by and I showed him the tape. He was surprised. He had never seen Thor act that way before either.

Chapter 9: Judy

I heard Thor barking up a storm, but it seemed wrong somehow. I looked outside and could see several people running towards the mailboxes. Stepping outside, I looked at the mailboxes and saw what looked like a red stain. Oh shit, I thought and grabbed the first aid kit I kept by the door.

I ran over to the mailboxes, and saw Sarah looking down at Thor and Sissy, oops Dave I corrected myself. Damn, I could see blood coming out of the back of his head as he lay there. As Sarah shooed people off to the side, I put on a pair of gloves and told Thor to move. Thor looked at me and actually got out of the way, although he did stay between Dave and the crowd until Bob came and took him away.

I checked to make sure he was breathing and that there was a pulse. I opened a bandage and covered the wound on his head, wondering where the hell the ambulance was. I was trying to stop the bleeding without moving his head, not an easy task. I had better add a neck brace to my first aid kit.

I heard a siren now, but it was the wrong kind. Probably a county deputy. Sure enough a Cruiser pulled up a minute or two later. I heard footsteps crunching in the gravel. "What happened to her?"

What an idiot, I thought, "He was shoved into the mailboxes, that's what." I looked up at Steve Wildler, not one of the best deputies, but he got the job done.

"Hi Judy, did you say he? I don't suppose you have a name," he asked. I knew all of the local police.

I heard Sarah answer him, so I went back to helping Dave. I heard Steve talking to some of the people watching. But I didn’t pay them any attention, I was still waiting for that damn ambulance. It took a little while, but I finally heard the siren. The ambulance pulled in and two EMTs rushed up. I quickly told them what I knew and they took over, putting a neck brace on and strapping him to a backboard. I stripped off my gloves and tossed them into the biohazard trash in the ambulance.

While they did their work, I quickly answered Steve’s questions. Since I hadn’t seen anything, he was soon done. I turned to the EMTs before they left and asked them to let the ER know I would probably be a little late. They said they’d pass on the message and I turned to get my first aid kit as they pulled out. I saw that one of them had placed a neck brace on the ground next to it. I owed those two something nice.

As I was walking back to my home, I heard Steve ask about a camera. I looked over, apparently Sarah had mounted a security camera over the mailboxes. Good, I hope it got good film of the bastards that had done this.

At home I washed up thoroughly, making sure that I didn’t drip any of Dave’s blood anywhere. It wasn’t that I thought he had any sort of disease, it was just habit. Cleaned up I called the ER and let them know I’d be a little late. They said the EMTs had already passed on the message.

I told my husband and daughter what had happened, hugged them and stopped by Sarah’s. “Sarah can you get me Dave’s wallet. He might need some ID at the hospital. At least to prove he’s an adult.”

“Good thought, he could have a hard time convincing them he’s 21, especially now.” That last line was a bit cryptic, but I let it pass as we went over to Dave’s house. I found his wallet in his bedroom. I couldn’t believe that he actually slept there. A toddler bed, with Power Puff Girls sheets, and pink and white furniture. Sarah came into the room, “I thought he was going to get new furniture?”

AS I left I saw Sarah starting to clean up in the kitchen, Dave had left a couple of dirty dishes in the sink. I guess that Sarah figured Dave didn’t need to come home to mold covered dishes. That whole house was strange, except for those dishes and a couple of books sitting next to his computer everything was neat and orderly. Even the bed was made, what 21 year old bachelor makes his bed every day?

I shook my head thinking about it as I went off to work. At the hospital, the ER was relatively calm for the moment, so I decided to check on Dave. I looked around and didn’t see him in any of the rooms. This worried me, I didn’t think he’d been hurt that badly. One of the other nurses saw me and asked, “Who are you looking for, Judy?”

“Oh Jane, where’s that young man, that came in with the head wound? He’s my neighbor, and I don’t see him.”

“Young man? We haven’t checked in any young men in a while, and the only head wound was that little ...” Her sentence tailed off. She looked at me rather intently, “That little girl is a boy? Come on, I saw her, er him when he came in. Little stud earrings, hair braided. No way that’s a boy, it’s got to be a girl. He didn’t even have any body hair.”

That explains what Sarah said. I didn’t expect her to remove his body hair for their weekend though. I can’t believe that he would let her either. I stood there woolgathering, until Jane said, “Earth to Judy, earth to Judy. I asked you about that boy.”

“What? Oh, that man. Yes he’s a man, not a boy. I have his wallet here. He is not a little girl, not a little boy either. He is...” checking his driver’s license, “... 21, he’ll be 22 next month.”

“No way, let me see that.” She looked at the driver’s license. “I had better get to admitting, I think he’s scheduled to be taken to the pediatric ward and placed in a girl’s room.”

As she turned to leave, “Great you do that, but where is he now?”

“Back in X-ray. Apparently he was kicked after he went unconscious, and they want to check for internal injuries.”

I checked with the ER admittance and found the room where Dave had been treated. His head X-rays were still hanging. I was examining them, when I heard a comment from behind, “A little harder and that little girl would have a cracked skull.”

I turned and saw the ER surgeon standing there, “Doc, take a look at this X-ray, forget about the patient you saw and tell me you can about the patient.”

“What? Why do you want me to do that?”

“Just do it.”

With a puzzled look on his face, he walked over to view the X-ray. He studied it for a few minutes, “Hmmm, the bones are all fused and judging from the size. I would say that the patient is an adult female.” His look got even more puzzled, “There is no way that person was a woman.” He paused for another moment, “But the X-ray is definitely of an adult. That’s a grown man! No way, she can’t be a grown man.”

“Hey the X-ray doesn’t lie. Neither does his driver’s license.”

“Damn, now I have to go fix all of my notes.”

“If that’s the least of your worries, consider yourself lucky. How’s he doing anyway?”

“Oh, well you saw there was no skull fracture, but he does have a concussion, and hopefully will wake up in a few minutes. He has a couple of minor cracks in his ribs, and some deep bruising from the kicks, but nothing dangerous. Why all of the concern?”

“He’s my neighbor, and has had some problems.”

“How long has he been unconscious?”

I looked at my watch, and thought for a moment. “Probably a half hour.”

Damn, that’s too long, if hasn’t woken up by the time he gets back from X-ray; we’ll have to try to wake him. After he’s awake why don’t you watch him, you can do your paperwork in his room. If we need you down here we’ll call you.”

When Dave came down from X-ray, he was still out. When the doctor woke him, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. “Where... am... I?” he asked slowly.

The doctor looked over at me and nodded. I told him, “You’re at the hospital. Do you remember what happened?”

“Ummm. There were some kids. They wanted some money. I told them I didn’t have any. They said to steal it from my mother. I think I laughed at that point. They started pushing me around then, but I don’t remember anything after that.”

“Okay Dave, we’re going to take you up to a room now, and put you to bed. I’ll be up in few minutes.”

“All right, thanks Mrs. Peterson.”

Dave had forgotten that ‘Dave’ has never met me, only ‘Sissy’ has. Dave was moved to a gurney and wheeled out. I went over and got my paperwork, and the reports I should fill out about Dave.

I left the office, and started towards the rest of the hospital when, “Hey Judy.” I turned and there was Steve. He trotted up. “I was thinking, I should probably get any of Mr. Wilson’s clothes that have blood on them. As evidence, you know.”

“Evidence? Okay, whatever. I was just going to his room. Follow me.”

As we made are way through the hospital he kept up a constant stream of conversation, which I mostly ignored. I ignored it until I heard Sarah’s name. “What was that?”

“I said that Ms. Johnson’s security camera caught the whole assault, and we’ve already arrested the suspects.”

“That’s great.”

“Whose dog is that? It looked like it saved his life.”

“Thor? What do you mean Thor saved his life.”

“Well the three perps attacked him. Then when he was on the ground they started to kick him. About this time you could hear barking and growling coming towards them. They turned towards it and kind of laughed, then their eyes got big and they took off. I figured Cujo was about to come on screen. The dog nudged him and licked his face, then lay down next to him like he was guarding him. I’m glad I wasn’t the first one there, I don’t think he would have let me near him.”

“Huh, you know Dave is terrified of that dog?”

“Yeah, that’s what Ms. Johnson said. But I’ll tell you that dog certainly seems to like him. It curled up next to him like he belonged to it.”

We got to the room as the orderlies finished undressing him. I heard one of them exclaim, “It is a boy!”

Dave seemed to not have noticed, but he looked like the movement had disoriented him somewhat. “I’ll take over from here.” The orderlies looked at me and walked out.

“There’s his clothes, take what you want, but leave his keys.” Steve walked over to the clothes, and looked at them. He that ‘I don’t want to touch them they’re all bloody look on his face.’ “There are gloves in the dispenser by the door.” He got a pair, and bagged his ‘evidence’.

“I’ve got to go now. I’ll talk to you later.” He said and walked out the door. Good riddance, I thought. He was better than Barney Fife, but not by much.

“Dave are you awake?”

He looked up at me and whispered, “Yes, why did he take my clothes?”

“He’s a Policeman, he wanted them for evidence. The doctor said you’re not to move much. So, I’m going to put a diaper on you okay?” I looked at him, he seemed to be tearing up. “Don’t worry we do that all of the time here. No one is going to say anything about it.”

I got Dave diapered and settled in bed. I asked him how he felt until the doctor arrived and explained to Dave the medical aspects of what happened to him. Dave lay there and listened. I’m not sure what he understood, but he murmured an agreement.

The doctor finished and we stepped out of the room. I told the doctor that I would go over it again with him later.

Chapter 10: Dave

It was shortly after lunch and I decided that I could use a break. I pulled on a pair of shoes, and checked out the door to see if that monster was around. I could hear it, but it didn’t seem to be nearby. I locked my door as I went to check to my mail, I never got much and the box was usually empty. I walked briskly over to the mailboxes, the less time where the dog could get at me, the better.

Checking for mail, I found the box empty as usual, I heard a voice. “Hey, little girl give us your money.”

I didn’t respond, after all I wasn’t a little girl, but I hadn’t seen any one else around. I turned to look and see who was coming up. There were three boys, well young men, that were coming towards me. The biggest said, “I said little girl give us your money.”

“If you’re talking to me, I don’t have any,” I answered, not that I would have given them any anyway.

They were very close now, and I could see that the leader of the three was probably eight to ten inches taller than me, and sixty to seventy pounds heavier. I got a little nervous, but they shouldn’t be stupid enough to try anything with an adult. “Yeah, we’re talking to you, and if you don’t have any money go steal some from your mom to give to us.”

“Steal some from my mother?” I started laughing.

“Yeah, and what’s so funny?” The biggest asked as he shoved me into the mailboxes.

Before I could answer a second one shoved me, then a third and everything went dark…

“Where... am... I?” I asked.

I heard a voice, “You’re at the hospital. Do you remember what happened?” It was kind of familiar. “Ummm. There were some kids. They wanted some money. I told them I didn’t have any. They said to steal it from my mother. I think I laughed at that point. They started pushing me around then, but I don’t remember anything after that.”

“Okay Dave, we’re going to take you up to a room now, and put you to bed. I’ll be up in few minutes.” That voice still seemed familiar, and I slowly looked over, it was Mrs. Peterson I think.

“All right, thanks Mrs. Peterson.” Several people lifted me and moved me from one bed to another; that sent pain through my head. I realized that they were going to wheel me to another room, so I closed my eyes and held as still as possible. They must have been careful, because there was very little jarring during the move. Another transfer to a different bed, and a whispered apology, and the move was over.

Someone said, “We’re going to finish undressing you now, and we’ll try to be as careful as possible.”

“Okay,” I answered and relaxed to let them do their job.

When they got my underwear off one of them exclaimed, “It is a boy!” I didn’t move or say anything to that. Moving was too painful, and a comment seemed unneeded.

A woman’s voice called out, “I’ll take over from here.” I cracked my eyelids open, and saw the orderlies leave, as Mrs. Peterson and some sort of Cop walk in.

Mrs. Peterson said to the cop, “There’s his clothes, take what you want, but leave his keys.” A moment later she continued “There are gloves in the dispenser by the door.”

“I’ve got to go now. I’ll talk to you later.” The Cop said and I heard the door open and close.

“Dave are you awake?”

I looked up at her and whispered, “Yes, why did he take my clothes?”

“He’s a Policeman, he wanted them for evidence. The doctor said you’re not to move much. So, I’m going to put a diaper on you okay?” She was looking down at me, and now another woman is going to put me in diapers. I suppose that I didn’t look real happy because she continued, “Don’t worry we do that all of the time here. No one is going to say anything about it.”

She diapered me and then covered me with the sheet and blanket and made sure I was comfortable. She asked me a few questions about how I felt until a doctor came in and explained to me what happened in medical terms I didn’t understand. I lay there and listened to him, hoping someone would tell me in English what he meant.

When the doctor finished, he and Mrs. Peterson stepped outside for a few minutes. Mrs. Peterson came back in and pulled a chair up next to the bed. “Dave, I know that right now you’re in a bit of pain, but the doctor wants to hold off giving you anything for it for about an hour. That way we can be sure that you aren’t going to go unconscious again. The stronger pain killers can do that. If the pain gets too bad, let me know and I’ll call for the doctor.”

“Okay, it hurts, but as long as I don’t move it isn’t too bad. How come you’re here?”

“Well, I work in the hospital. I’m normally a nurse down in the E.R., but since the doctor wants someone to watch you for a while, I got the job.”

“Huh?”

“I’m here to make sure that you don’t slip into a coma. It’s not really likely, and normally we wouldn’t have someone doing this, but since the E.R. is a bit overstaffed because the students are on summer break. I can work on my paperwork here and talk to you.”

“That makes sense, I guess. So what happened to me, I heard the doctor, but I didn't really understand all those medical words he used?”

“I haven’t seen the videotape…”

“What videotape?” I interjected, surprised there was a tape of it.

“Sarah has a security camera over the mailboxes. It caught your entire attack on tape, or so I was told. The three boys shoved you into the mailboxes.”

“I sorta remember that,” I added.

“Well, once you busted open your head, you fell to the ground and they started to kick you. Then Thor ran up and chased them away. At least that was what Steve said.”

I started to sit up, but the pain stopped me, “Who’s Steve? And he said what about that dog?”

“Steve is the police officer that came and got your clothes. I guess he saw the tape. He said that Thor came barking and growling and chased away those boys. The he lay down next to you guarding you until Sarah and I got there. I know he was watching over you until I got there, and he only moved enough for me to try to help you.”

“Are you sure he wasn’t trying to eat me?”

She laughed at that, “I’m sure Dave; he wasn’t trying to eat you.”

We continued talking for a while, Mrs. Peterson kept asking me questions; about my job, how I liked living out there, where I’d gone to school, and all sorts of things. It took a while, but I finally realized she was probably checking my memory. She wouldn’t have known the right answers, but she could tell if I was struggling to remember stuff.

Finally she asked me a question that surprised me, “Dave, when did you first meet me?”

I answered quickly, “A couple of weeks ago at Sarah’s.” Then I paused and remembered that ‘I’ hadn’t met her. ‘Sissy’ met her. I started to cry.

“Dave, it’s okay. I knew already. I wasn’t going to say anything, but I figured I should.”

“Sarah told you, didn’t she,” I accused.

“Not really. That first day after I walked in on you, I saw ‘Sissy’ go into your trailer. I was puzzled, since I hadn’t seen a girl there only you. I went back over to talk to Sarah about it and she told me what had happened.”

“Yeah, I bet you two had a big laugh. I bet Sarah having big laugh right now over last weekend.”

“Dave, listen to me, we didn’t laugh. Sarah felt horrible. She said that she didn’t want to embarrass you, and she tried to stop you from leaving with your hair still done up.”

“Sure she did. Why don’t you just leave me, I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not leaving until the doctor tells me I can. Besides, if Sarah wanted to embarrass you she wouldn’t have told me to stay away over the weekend and to keep Ashley away. She also told Bob to keep Thor away.

Sarah likes you Dave. I like you. Bob likes you. Thor likes you. None of us wants to hurt you. What can I do to prove it to you?”

“I don’t know, but Sarah told me she wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“Well you spent all weekend with Sarah, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And you were dressed as Sissy, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Did Sarah do anything to embarrass you? Did she yell ‘Hey look at this man dressed like a little girl.’ or anything else? Did she change your diaper in public? Did she run off and leave you to wander around by yourself?”

“No, but she shouldn’t have told anyone.”

“Dave, she didn’t tell me, I figured it out on my own. I haven’t told anyone. I admit if you continue with what you did, I’ll probably have to tell my husband and Ashley though.”

“Why will you have to tell them?”

“So they don’t embarrass you. Sarah has been watching Ashley for years when Joe and my schedules don’t quite overlap. So eventually she’ll surprise you. I’ll have to tell Joe, just to warn him. He isn’t ummm, so stuck in his ways that he’ll go off on you, but if he isn’t warned his initial reaction could be bad.”

“Sure, so they won’t embarrass me. Sarah is probably making signs right now, ‘Come look at the grown man that wears diapers and dresses like a little girl.’ She got me to get my ears pierced and my hair done in a French braid. She’s probably making plans right now about what she wants to do next.”

“Dave no one is going to make you dress like ‘Sissy’ or wear a diaper, well once you get out of the hospital anyway. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”

I was almost in tears again, “But Mrs. Peterson, no one ever treated me that way before.”

“Well, I would hope not.”

Sobbing I cried, “No, not that. No one ever hugged me, or wiped away my tears, nothing like that.”

“What?!” She almost yelled. “What do you mean no one ever hugged you, what about your parents?”

“All my father ever did was hit me and yell at me and my mother was drunk all of the time.”

She leaned over and hugged me and wiped away my tears. “Dave, I promise that none of us will ever do anything to intentionally hurt you. And if anyone does hurt you, you tell me and I’ll, ummm, I’ll… I’ll sic Thor on them. That’s what I’ll do.”

I was still crying a bit and trying to laugh at what she said. She kept holding me and wiping away my tears. I’m not sure how long we were that way, but that’s the way the doctor found us.

“Ummm, Nurse, I know that we want you to comfort the patients, but isn’t this a little excessive,” the doctor said after a moment.

“You just be quiet Doctor. Dave and I had a long talk and that was what he needed to help heal some old wounds.”

“Hmmm, if you say so. But I am more concerned about his new wounds. How is he doing?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure he isn’t going to slip into a coma, but I think he has one hell of a headache right now.”

The doctor examined me, looking at my eyes mostly and asking to follow his pen as he moved it around. “That’s very good. Nurse Peterson is right, as usual, I have some pain killers here to give you. They are very strong and you’ll probably fall asleep, that’s good for you. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to steal Judy away from you though. So here take these and I’ll have Judy introduce you to the duty Nurse here.”

I took the pills, and the two of them walked out of the room. Judy returned a moment later with another nurse. “This is Nurse Phillips. She’s on duty here, if you need anything just press the call button and she’ll come quick.”

Nurse Phillips looked down at me, “Aren’t you just a little sweetheart.”

Before I could formulate an answer, the painkillers were strong, Judy cut in, “Dave is twenty one years old.”

“Oops, sorry Dave, I’ll try to remember that,” Nurse Phillips said.

“That’s okay, I get it all the time. I think I’ll just lay here and rest for a while.”

I heard the two of them talking quietly as they left, and that’s all I remember until someone accidentally woke me up.

“Ummm, who’s there?”

“Shhh. It’s Nurse Phillips. I’m just checking your diaper.” She looked at me and saw the look on my face. “Don’t worry, I do this all of the time.”

I closed my eyes, and then realized that she was now changing my diaper. I hadn’t remembered wetting it. Did I wet it while I was asleep? I felt tears building in my eyes.

Nurse Phillips must have looked at my face again, “Dave, it’s okay. The medicine the doctor gave you has a slight muscle relaxant in it. So that, along with the deep sleep you were in, caused you to wet. When you’re off the medicine, or earlier you will be back to normal.”

There was a slight pause then I felt her give me a little hug. I went back to sleep.

Someone, a different nurse, woke me later and served me dinner, after dinner, she gave me some more pills and changed another wet diaper.

The next time I woke, it wasn’t because I was being changed or to take more pills, I had a desperate need to get to a toilet. I pushed the call button for a nurse and hoped she would get here soon. Just as the door opened, I lost my battle. The nurse came in asked, “What can I get for you honey?”

I couldn’t answer her, I was just sobbing. She hesitated then leaned over, “Oh, is that the problem, I’ll fix that right away.”

She left for a moment, and then came back in carrying a diaper and some towels. “Are you finished?”

I whispered back between sobs, “I think so.”

“Hmmm, I think I’ll wait a few minutes to make sure. I know it feels bad right?” I nodded slightly and she continued. “Nurse Philips told you about the muscle relaxant. That’s what happened. There isn’t anything you could have done to stop it, and I won’t tell anyone.” She reached across me and gave me a little hug.

“You know,” she continued, “this sort of thing happens all of the time here. There is a construction worker down the hall with two broken ankles, he’s been in diapers for a week. I think he plans on using them at home too. Can you imagine that a big six foot tall man wearing diapers by his own choice?”

I smiled and laughed a little at that. She grabbed a tissue and wiped my eyes and nose. Then she changed my dirty diaper. She looked at me, “How come you’re not down in the pediatric ward?”

“I’m twenty one, not a little kid.”

She looked at my chart, “There sure are a lot of changes on this. Let’s you were admitted as an eleven or twelve year old GIRL!? What?” She looked up at me, “Oh, you were unconscious at the time, but... well I guess you do look a bit like a young girl. Then they changed it to male and twenty one. I can see that you look young, but why a girl?”

“When I got here, I had earrings in, and my hair was in a French Braid.”

“Okay, but why were you wearing earrings and have your hair braided?” She looked at me, but I just didn’t say anything. “Okay, your secret, but you know you’re lucky they found the mistake. The pediatric ward has rules, anyone in a diaper has to sleep in a crib, they have some big enough for you too. Although you may not have needed a bigger one. And I saw that you are on a liquid diet, guess what that means to anyone in a crib down there? Yep, baby bottles.”

My eyes got wide at that. She gave me another little hug, “Here, it’s a little early for your medicine, but I don’t think I should wake you back up in a half hour just to give you two pills.” I swallowed the pills along with some water. “You go back to sleep now.”

I was woken up again in the morning, by another nurse changing yet another wet diaper. I know I’ve been drinking a lot, every nurse had me drink some water or juice, but these diaper changes seemed a bit excessive. “Good morning.”

She jumped, “Good morning, I didn’t know you were awake.”

“You woke me up.”

“I’m sorry, how are you feeling?”

“Better, I think. My head doesn’t hurt as much, but that might be the pills.”

“That’s good, I’ll have someone bring you some breakfast, and the doctor should be here about nine.”

I ate breakfast, the less said about that the better, and saw the doctor. He examined me and told me that they would keep me here at least one more night, and that he was changing my pain medication to one that was not as strong.

I spent the day alternately reading, sleeping, and watching a little TV. It probably would have been easier to do any of the three if every female nurse, and a couple of the male ones, didn’t stop by continuously. They all seemed to want to check my diaper too. The young ones were bad enough, but there was one, she was ancient I think she served in the army under Washington. She treated me like a two year old. I wanted to scream.

Judy showed up just after lunch to talk to me. She gave me Sarah’s phone number and told me that Sarah had said to call her and she would come get me and take me home. We had been talking for a few minutes when a nurse walked in. Judy looked at her, “Did you need Dave for something?”

She hesitated and seemed kind of flustered, “Umm, no. I was just going to check to see if he needed his diaper changed.” Her voice trailed off.

Judy looked at me, “Dave do you need a change.”

“No. I don’t”

Judy looked back at the other nurse, “Nope he doesn’t need one, anything else?”

“Ummm. No, I guess I’ll just leave now,” and she quickly fled the room.

“What was that all about?” Judy asked me.

“Judy, they’ve been coming in every fifteen minutes or so to check my diaper. I swear every female nurse, and half the male ones, in this hospital has checked my diaper today. That really old one was the worst. She brought me some apple juice, and made me ‘Drink it all down.’ I think she would have brought it in a bottle if she could have. I’m positive she wanted to burp me.”

“Come on you’re exaggerating.”

“Just wait a few minutes.” We continued talking, she was telling me about her family then, when another nurse different from the first walked in.

Judy looked over at her, “Can I help you?”

“Ummm, I was just, er, going to, er, check to see if Dave, er, needed a clean diaper,” she was flushing at this point.

Judy looked back at me. “Nope” I said before she could ask.

Judy got up from her chair, “Dave, I’ll be right back. You,” she said to the other nurse, “come with me.”

They walked out the door, with the other nurse was hanging her head. I wondered what was going to happen.

A couple of minutes later Judy and a half dozen nurses I’d seen earlier in the day came into the room. One of them spoke up, “Dave, we’re sorry for bothering you all day. We don’t have any excuse. If you need your dia... ah, a change, please call us and someone will come and change you.”

They all walked out and Judy said to me, “I can’t do anything about Nurse Cratchet, she has more seniority here than anyone. I think maybe she was hired when they built the hospital.”

“Oh, I thought she had served with Washington at Valley Forge.”

Judy laughed at that, and we continued talking until Judy had to go to work. The last thing she told me then was, “If anyone comes in to just check your diaper, hit the call button. I explained what was going on to the Duty Nurse, she can’t see your door, and she’ll come and reprimand the person. Hopefully those six that were here will spread the word. I’ve got to go now.”

She hugged me and left. No more nurses came by to check my diaper, although I did have one come and change it. That night though, I was disturbed a couple of times by nurses checking me. I guess they were trying not to wake me.

The next morning, I saw the doctor again. He examined me again, the same way he had before. “Well, Dave, you’re going to be fine. I want to discharge you today, but first I have a couple of questions for you.”

“Okay, what are they.”

“Do you have someone that can give you a ride home?” I nodded. “Good, do you have someone that can keep an eye out for you?”

“Nurse Peterson lives right nearby, and I’m sure that my landlady will too.”

“Even better. Now you’re going to have some dizziness from time to time, and probably a headache for a while. I don’t want you to strain yourself, and to take it easy, no heavy lifting, no running or jumping etc. Just relax for few more days and keep from jarring your head.”

“Okay, doctor. I won’t do any of that.”

“Good, now you call for your ride, I’ll go start the paperwork to discharge you. And a nurse will come by in a few minutes to help you get ready to leave.”

I called Sarah, and she said she’d be here in a little while. A nurse came by a couple minutes later and took off my diaper. She walked over to the dresser and opened the drawers, “Where are your clothes?”

I thought for a minute. “I think some cop took them. They were evidence or something.”

“Does your ride know to bring you clothes?”

“I don’t think so, let me call her.” I called Sarah back but there was no answer. “She must have left already. Now what am I going to do.”

The Nurse looked at me, “First let’s get a clean diaper. We can’t have you running around naked. Then I’ll see what I can find.”

She diapered me and disappeared. When she returned Sarah was with her. “We have a solution, it’s not great but it should work.”

She pulled out a hospital gown, “I’ve cut the ties off and tied them together. The gown should be big enough to wrap all the way around you, and the ties will hold it closed.”

Once I was dressed in it, I guess it looked okay. It didn’t look like a dress and it covered the diaper I was wearing. Sarah grabbed my stuff, and I sat in the obligatory wheelchair.

Chapter 11: Sarah

Dave called me from the hospital asking me to pick him up, I told him be there right away. At the hospital, I expected Dave to be waiting for me. I checked at the desk and was told that he hadn’t come down yet. So I went to find him.

Getting off the elevator, I was stopped by a nurse, “Can I help you? Visiting hours aren’t until 10 AM.”

“I’m here to pick up my neighbor, Dave Wilson. He’s supposed to be discharged today. I expected to find him downstairs, but he wasn’t there. So I came looking for him.”

“Did you say Dave?” I nodded, she continued, “Just a second. Joan, Dave’s ride is here.”

Another nurse walked out, she looked a little distressed. When she saw me she glanced right at my hands. “No one told you?”

I became alarmed, I had just talked to Dave, he couldn’t be worse. “Told me what?” I all but yelled.

See the look on my face and hearing the worry in voice, “No nothing like that, he’s fine. Absolutely all right. It’s just that, apparently the police took all of his clothes as evidence. Right now he’s in his room wearing nothing but a diaper.”

“God, you had me worried. Do you have anything for him to wear? I don’t think it would be right to take him home in just a diaper.”

“All I’ve come up with is if we take a gown and cut the ties off he can wear it and tie it closed, it should be big enough to cover him up. And no jokes about hospital gowns.”

We walked down to Dave’s room, in the room there he sat just like she said.

Joan said, “We have a solution, it’s not great but it should work.” And she pulled out the gown, “I’ve cut the ties off and tied them together. The gown should be big enough to wrap all the way around you, and the ties will hold it closed.”

Once he was wearing it, it covered him up. So I figured it would work. Dave sat down in the wheelchair and I put his stuff in my purse. We made a little parade as we headed down to the elevator.

Before we got on, one the nurses stopped us, handed Dave a card, and said, “On behalf of all of the nurses here, I have three things to say. First; we are all sorry about what happened yesterday. Second; you have been one of our best patients ever. And third; get well soon, because we don’t want to see you here again.”

I wondered what had happened yesterday, but I’d figured I’d ask Dave on the way home. We took the elevator down, and Dave was officially discharged. I went to get my car as they wheeled Dave outside. When I pulled up I got out and saw Dave look at the pavement. He didn’t even have any shoes, I walked over to pick him up and he held up arms, just like a toddler would. I don’t think he realized that it looked that way, but the nurse that had pushed him out smiled.

I gave her a look and reached down to pick him up. I lifted him to my hip and then got my arm underneath him while he put his arms around my neck. My arm felt plastic and I looked back at our reflection in the hospital doors. I could clearly see his diaper. The nurse looked like she was about to laugh, so I glared at her. She sobered her look and mouthed an ‘I’m sorry.’

I drove Dave home taking a longer route that would avoid bumps. I’d banged my head a few times and knew what bumps would be like. During the ride I asked, “Dave what happened yesterday?”

“Oh, that. Yesterday, almost all of the nurses came by to check my diaper. They were coming by about every fifteen minutes it drove me crazy. Judy finally stopped them.”

When we got home, I asked, “Dave will come in for a few minutes, there’s something I want to show you.”

“Is it the tape of what happened, ‘cause I don’t know if I want to watch it?”

“Yeah, it’s that. But I think you should see it.”

“All right I’ll watch it.”

He watched the tape, I watched him. When he pushed into the mailboxes he winced, but so had I and it hadn’t happened to me. When you could hear Thor he tensed up but kept watching. After I came into the picture he rewound it a little and watched the part with Thor a couple of more times. When he finally shut off the VCR he asked, "Sarah, can you do me a big favor?"

"Probably, what?"

"The doctors told me to take it easy for a little while and not to drive. Can you, the next time your in town, buy the biggest chew toy you can find for me to give to Thor?"

"Sure, I'll do it tomorrow. I have to go see my lawyer. I'm evicting those kids and their parents. By the way, my lawyer suggested you sue them."

"I'll think about it," he answered. Then I carried him home.

At his trailer, I followed him in, “Dave I did your dishes for you. I figured you didn’t need to come home to moldy dishes.”

“Thank you,” he said as walked back to his bedroom. I wondered at what he would say about the changes I made there.

I followed him to the room. When he opened the door, he let a little gasp of surprise. “Dave, I also figured that Power Puff Girls sheets weren’t really you, but that if you hadn’t bought a new bed yet you probably weren’t going to. So I went and got you some ‘Airplane’ sheets. With your job I figured you’d like them better. The Power Puff Girl sheets are still around if you want to use them though.”

“No these are great, that’s a Fokker Dridecker,” he said pointing at one of the planes. Then he proceeded to pick out each plane and name it. I hadn’t even known that they used real planes.

“I’m glad you like them.” He hugged me then. “Do you need any help changing?”

“No, but when you bring the toy for Thor, could you bring me a diaper to wear, I don’t want to have an accident.”

“Absolutely. If you need anything, just give me a call, at anytime. Either I or Judy will probably stop by every so often to check on you. Okay.”

“Thanks, I need to get Judy something too.”

I left his home wondering what he could get Judy.

A couple of days later Dave, wearing a diaper and a t-shirt, sat on a blanket out in his yard. The chew toy was under a fold in the blanket. Bob brought Thor over. Thor had been acting his usual way until he saw Dave, then he settled down and walked slowly towards Dave. He woofed once and crept up to Dave. Dave looked a bit like a deer caught in headlights.

Thor got up to Dave and sniffed him once, then plopped down right next to Dave and looked up to him. I stared at Thor, I had never seen him this way, and he normally doesn't stop moving or barking. I looked over at Bob, and he had an odd look his face. "Bob, what's going on? I've never seen Thor like this."

"I have and this surprises me. I wouldn't have thought Thor to be this perceptive."

Now I stared at Bob, I didn't think he would have known the word `perceptive.' "What are talking about?"

"Just watch, then I'll show you." We stood there watching as Dave clumsily petted Thor, and then hugged him. Dave pulled out the chew toy and gave it to Thor.

Dave and Thor sat for a few more minutes, then Bob said, "Come on, I'll show you. Thor, come here boy!"

Thor carefully got up, licked Dave once more and quietly woofed again. He walked over to Bob and Bob grabbed the chew toy. As we walked around the park Thor was back to bouncy self. Then all of the sudden he stopped and started walking slowly towards one of the yards. I looked over and there was Mrs. Parks with her twins.

Just like had with Dave, Thor woofed once and crept up to the babies, then settled between them. They obviously knew Thor and started climbing all over him. Thor just sat there.

I looked over at Bob, "Thor thinks Dave is a baby?!"

"Apparently. The only time I've seen him act this way is with babies, and now Dave."

"I don't think we should tell Dave."

"Probably not."

"I'll see you later, Bob."

Chapter 12: Dave

I was a bit frightened, Sarah had bought an enormous rawhide bone for me to give to Thor, and I was going to do it today. Sarah also had brought over a diaper; I didn’t want to mess up the blanket or my pants. Unfortunately I still didn’t have any pants that would fit over the diaper. Damn, I put on a long t-shirt and went out to sit on the blanket; the present for Thor was under a fold in the blanket. I sat there for a few minutes, when I saw Bob, Sarah, and Thor coming down the street. Thor was bouncing around Bob like he was made of rubber. I couldn’t help myself, even though Thor was still down the street, I started to wet my diaper. I was frozen in fear as I watched the three of them approach.

Something strange happened next, Thor looked right at me. I leaked a bit more into my diaper. Then Thor stopped bouncing around and slowly walked towards me. When he got to the grass he woofed, not like he usually barked all noisy and boisterous, but a more subdued thing. Then he continued on, even slower than he had been. Finally he got right up next to me sniffed me, I think I wet some more, and sat down on the ground right beside me.

I was still scared, but Thor just lay there. I started petting him, I don’t think I did a good job, but Thor didn’t seem to mind. He just lay there, occasionally looking at me. I hugged him and said, “I want to thank you for saving me Thor, those boys might have really hurt me if you hadn’t come by.” I babbled on for a few moments, and then pulled out the chew toy, “This is for you.” I gave Thor the chew toy; he started gnawing on it as I continued petting him.

A few minutes later Bob called Thor and the three of them started walking away. I wondered where they were going, because I seemed to remember that Sarah and Bob were talking while I sat with Thor. I should get up and go inside, I thought, but the sun was nice and warm and I hadn’t been out much since I was attacked. I carefully lay down and rested. A few minutes later I heard a voice call out, “Dave are you okay?”

I sat up slowly, moving fast gave me a bad headache, and looked around. There was a young girl walking over towards me, “Yes, I’m fine. I’m just enjoying being out in the sun.”

She continued over, and looked down at me, “My mom saw you out here and asked me to come over and check to see if you were all right.”

I looked up at her, I had seen her in the park before, but didn’t know she was. “Who is your mom?”

“Oh, sorry. My mom is Judy Peterson, I’m Ashley.” She said this with the sort of exuberance only a young girl can have. “She was worried that you might have passed out or something.”

“No, I’m fine. I was out here giving Thor a present, and decided to just rest for a while. But thank your mom for keeping an eye on me. There are times when I think I might need a keeper.”

“I will,” she said and she turned to walk away. She had taken one step, then stopped and turned back. “Dave, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, what is it?” I answered as I was getting up.

“Ummm, why are you wearing a wet diaper?”

I blushed, and looked down at it. “Ahhh, it’s because, well... ahhh I’m afraid of Thor. He scares me...”

“But Thor wouldn’t hurt anyone,” she blurted out.

“That’s what everyone says, but I can’t really help it. When I was little, a neighbor used to have his dog chase me. I’ve been afraid of dogs ever since then.”

“That’s silly. Thor isn’t going to hurt you.”

“Two things, first that’s easy for you to say, you’ve never been hurt by a dog before. And second, is there anything you’re afraid of, like storms or the dark? Because I can tell you they aren’t going to hurt you, but that won’t make you not afraid of them.”

“But, that’s not the same.”

“You’re right it’s probably not, because I have been hurt by a dog, and the dark or whatever hasn’t hurt you.” I looked down at the blanket, I really shouldn’t leave it out for Sarah to get, but if I bent down to get it my headache would come back.

Ashley looked over at the blanket, “I’ll get that for you. I have to think about what you said though. ‘Cause I still think it’s silly to be afraid of Thor.”

“Thanks. While you’re thinking about what we talked about, remember that in my mind; I just did one of the bravest things in my life. I sat there and let Thor walk right up to me. Even if I wasn’t in any danger.”

As we walked up to my door, she was still carrying the blanket, “I will, even if it’s weird. Here’s your blanket, and you should probably change that diaper before you get a rash,” she giggled.

“Thanks, and Ashley remember that if anyone tells you they’re not afraid of anything, they’re probably lying.” She waved as she ran home. I looked over and waved to Judy, she was standing on her porch.

I went in and took Ashley’s advice and changed out of the wet diaper, of course I didn’t put on a clean diaper. I did go back to work though.

Sarah showed up a little while later and we chatted for a while. She asked if I had made a decision about suing the parents of those kids. I hadn’t and said so. She suggested talking to her lawyer, to at least get some good advice, and she offered to ask her lawyer to meet us together here. I agreed to talk to the lawyer.

We met with the lawyer that Thursday afternoon at Sarah’s. I was working when Sarah called me to come over. I had forgotten about the meeting. I hurried, as much as I could, over and we went into the living room.

I sat on Sarah’s new couch, next to her, and the lawyer sat across from us. As I looked over at the lawyer, I noticed a picture on the wall above her. When I looked at it, I blushed. Sarah had hung one of the portraits of me as Sissy on her wall. I hoped the lawyer didn’t notice.

“Dave, this is my lawyer, Allison Crawford. Allison this is Dave Wilson,” Sarah started the conversation.

Allison stood up and leaned over, “Nice to meet you Dave, and I hope you’re feeling better.”

I shook her hand, “It’s nice to meet you too, and I am feeling better.”

She sat back down, and continued on, “Dave, I think you should sue, those families, but I don’t think you’ll get much. I did a little preliminary checking and they just don’t have much in the way of assets. The case should be straightforward though, since two of the three confessed and turned on the third. And that videotape, well there is no doubt that they attacked you. What I’m going to suggest is that you wait until they’ve moved out of their trailers, they have what another week or so?”

Sarah answered that one, “Yes they had two weeks to vacate the park and a month to move their trailers. I think one of them is already out though.”

Allison continued, “Good, then what I suggest is that once all three have moved out. I will serve papers on them and make them an offer. You won’t sue them if they transfer the titles to their trailers to you. From what it will cost them to move the trailers, plus what they would have to spend on lawyers, I’m sure I can convince them to settle.”

“Dave, if they do settle, I’ll trade you. One of those trailers for the one you’re living in straight up. Then I’ll even help you sell the other two. You’ll own your home and have whatever cash we get from the sale.”

“Minus my fee, of course,” Allison chimed in. I looked at her. She added, “I’m sort of joking, as long as this doesn’t go to court my fee will be small, most of it is covered by what Sarah pays me to be on retainer. But I do have to charge something or they’ll kick me out of the Bar.”

“Okay, but if they don’t settle, we’ll have to talk again,” I said. We continued talking for about an hour, Allison explained what would happen if we went to trial, and what their lawyer could do and ask me. It seemed kind of scary. Then she told me about what had happened in the criminal case, she had watched over it for Sarah.

Chapter 13: Sarah

My lawyer was right, they settled and I traded Dave's trailer for one the ones that he got as a settlement. I helped Dave sell them too.

I was surprised that one of the first people out to look at them was Deputy Wildler. He checked out all three and then chose one of them. I was happy, having a Deputy living out here would be a deterrent.

Dave showed up one afternoon with his rent check and I finally asked him something that I had wanted to for the past month, "Dave will you come over and spend the weekend with me again?"

He paused, "Ah, what would we do?"

"I'm not sure, maybe see another movie."

"Would I have to dress like a girl?"

"I would like you to, didn't you have fun last time?"

Dave looked down and mumbled something I couldn't understand.

I got up and pulled Dave into my living room. We sat down on the couch and I asked him again if he had had fun.

He looked at me, and I could see tears in eyes. He nodded and then looked down again.

"So what is wrong?"

He looked at me again, and said, "They cut up my hair at the hospital and I'd look funny dressed like a girl."

I looked at his head, they had removed the stitches, but they had butchered his hair. I sighed, he would look funny dressed as a girl, actually he looked a bit funny anyway. I wasn't going to say anything though.

We sat there a little while, before I had an idea. "Dave how about if you come over on Saturday morning. We'll go get your haircut, they should be able to fix it. Then we can have lunch and see how you feel from there."

"Do you think they will be able to fix it?"

"I think so, but they should at least make it look normal. If you still aren't happy, then we can just come back here and watch a movie."

"Are you going to make me dress like a girl?"

"Dave, I won't ever make you dress like a girl. If you don't want to, you don't have to."

I could see tears forming again as he said, "If I don't will you still be nice to me?"

I pulled him into my lap and hugged him, "Dave, I'll do my best to always be nice to you. If you don't think I'm being nice to you, let me know."

He cried on my shoulder as I held him and sobbed, "OK, I'll come over Saturday."

I held him for a little longer, before he started squirming free. I let him go and he said, "I better be sure I am all caught up with work, if I am going to spend Saturday over here."

"Me too." I walked him over to the door, where we gave each other a last squeeze. Dave left after a quick look around and hurried over to his home. I went and changed my top, he had gotten it a bit soggy.

I called Judy and let her know to keep Ashley away on Saturday. We chatted a while as she asked me about what our plans were. I explained and could see her in my mind nodding to what I was saying.

Saturday came and Dave showed up early in the morning, I looked him over and asked if he was ready. He gave me a weak smile. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

He sighed, “I’m just kinda depressed about my hair. It took a long time for it to grow out.”

“Well let’s get you changed and then we can go see if we can get it fixed.”

We walked down to the nursery, and I kept an eye on Dave. He was staring at the diapers with the look of a condemned man. He pulled off his shirt and he started to undo his pants, when I interrupted him. “Dave, why don’t I just take you as Dave.”

He stopped and looked up at me, his chin quivering a bit, “But I thought that you wanted to me…”

“Dave, I just want to spend some time with you, besides I think it’ll be easier to deal with having your hair cut as Dave, than as Sissy.”

He redid his pants, “Are you sure, I always had problems with hair cuts. Barbers always looked at me funny, and if I went to a stylist they wanted to give me weird styles. They were trying to get me to dye my hair, and do all sorts of strange things.”

“I’m sure, I’m going to take you to where I go, and she always listens to me. The other choice is to just to get it all cut real short.”

“I don’t want that, it takes too long to grow out,” he said as he put his shirt back on.

As we drove out to the salon, I asked him how everything was going. He started talking about his job and the new article he was writing. I only half listened, but was surprised that I understood what he was saying, even though some of it was pretty technical.

We got to the salon and I introduced him to Jennifer. She turned to Dave and said, “Hi, uh Dave?”

He nodded, “Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” and held out his hand.

She looked him over, and asked, “What happened to your hair?”

He explained what had happened, as she slowly walked around looking closely at his hair. When he had finished his story, she gave him a hug.

“I can’t fix it all at once, but I tell you what. If you will agree to come back in about once a month for a couple of months, until you’re happy with it. I’ll give you a discount on the work I do.”

Dave hesitated, “I’m not sure. Can I wait until after I see what you do before I agree?”

She laughed, “I do my best to make sure that my clients leave happy, but that seems fair.”

She took Dave back to do her work, and I sat and read a magazine while I waited, only partially paying attention to them. I did hear Dave laugh a couple of times, so I guess they were getting along well.

When they had finished, Dave walked up with a smile on his face. I asked him to turn around, he did and I looked at what she had done. It wasn’t completely fixed, but it looked a lot better. She had evened everything out as best she could, and framed where the nurses had shaved his head. I figured that it wouldn’t be all that noticeable after another visit, but that his hair would still be short. We paid and left after Dave gave Jennifer a hug.

We had lunch, and even with his hair looking like it did, the waiter still thought that Dave was my daughter. I kept Dave from making a scene. He was frowning afterward as we stopped by the theater to see if there was anything worth seeing. There wasn’t.

We headed back to my place, and I invited Dave back in. He seemed a bit reluctant, but I convinced him. It took a bit more to get him to let me diaper him, but I managed it.

We spent the rest of the afternoon watching Disney movies and talking. That night Dave stayed in my crib.

Part II: TODDLER

Chapter 14: Dave

I was working one afternoon, when there was a knock on my door. I got up to see whom it was, and was surprised to see Judy and Ashley there. "Hi, what's up?"

Judy, looking a little harried, answered "There was a big crash on the Interstate. They need me at work right away. Can you watch Ashley 'til Joe gets home? He should be home in a couple of hours."

"Ummm, sure. But doesn't Sarah usually do that?"

"Sarah's busy. The County Building Inspector is checking out the park. He's new, so he's doing a thorough job. I hope Sarah doesn't hurt him."

Ashley giggled at that last comment.

"Well is there anything I need to know?"

"Just that she can't watch any TV until her homework is done. All she has left is math." Ashley didn't look happy about that.

"No problem, but you need to get to the hospital. If I have any problems I'll call Sarah or Steve if he's around. Never mind he must have gotten a similar call, 'cause there he goes." I said as Steve drove off in his cop car.

"Okay. Bye Dave, bye sweetheart."

Ashley piped up, "Bye mom," and gave her mom a hug.

I added, "Bye Judy." Then to Ashley, "Well do you have a lot of math to do?"

"No, just one page of problems," she said with the kind of a depressed voice you'd expect from a condemned criminal.

"Don't you like math?"

"Math's okay, I guess. But I don't understand this and my teacher can't explain it right." She walked over to the couch and plopped down.

I watched her, it was weird. I certainly hadn't acted that way as a child; my father would have hit me. She sat there, her book and a folder on the couch next to her, looking at my TV, which was off at the moment. I was looking at her and realized two very important things. First I was now responsible for another human being, even if temporarily, this had me a little worried. And secondly Ashley was my very first 'babysitting' job. That brought a little smile and chuckle to me.

I guess she heard me, "What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking. You know, you're my very first babysitting job."

She jumped up and stomped over to me, "Babysitting! You babysitting me. That is funny. Ha. Ha. Ha." She gave me an 'I know something you don't know' look.

I was a little surprised standing right next to her, I found myself looking straight into her eyes, and she was now as tall as me. That was a little disconcerting. "Yeah, my first babysitting job."

"Well, Mr. Babysitter, I happen to know that there's someone in this room that is more likely than me to need a BABYsitter."

I got nervous when she said that and my eyes got a little bigger. I hadn't thought that Judy had told her anything yet, Sarah and I hadn't really done anything between the attack and now, we were waiting for my hair to grow out. "Wh-what do you mean by that?"

"Well I seem to remember finding a certain person sitting in their yard this summer wearing nothing but a t-shirt and a wet diaper. Seems that person is more likely to need a BABYsitter than me." She had a smug look on her face when she said this.

I was surprised and somewhat relieved to hear her say that. She looked at me, and lost the smug look, "Dave, I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that. I didn't want to be mean, it's just that I hate it when someone says they're 'babysitting' me and this is the first time I could do something about it."

"That's all right, I shouldn't have said babysitting after all, and you're not a baby. Besides you are right about one thing, I have worn diapers more recently than you; at least I hope I have."

"You have and I didn't tell anyone what I saw, except for my mom and I think she already knew. I guess I had better start my homework." She plodded back to the couch.

"I'm sure she knew, since you and I have something in common."

What's that?"

"Your mom has put diapers on both of us."

"What do you mean mom put you in diapers?"

"When I was in the hospital, the doctor didn't want me getting up. So your mom put me in diaper. I had to wear them the whole time I was there. Now, do want some help with your homework, I might be able to explain something differently than your teacher?"

"Sure, my mom and dad have tried, but I think they had the same teacher."

"Is your teacher that old?" I was a little confused.

"No, I guess I meant that they learned the same way and don't understand why I don't get it."

"Well, show me what you don't get and I'll help you get it."

Ashley showed me what she didn't get, and we spent most of the next hour working our way through her math book, until I found where she really had stopped getting it. Then we worked forward to where she was now, and she got it. Then she did her homework in what she called record time.

I went over her homework, and found that she had done it all correctly. When I told her that she leapt over and gave me a big hug. Unfortunately she forgot about our size similarity and she knocked me over. "I'm sorry Dave," she said as she helped me up. "I usually hug my mom and dad like that and they don't fall over."

"That's okay, I'm fine, but I'm glad you didn't do that a couple of months ago. So what do you want to watch?"

"Ummm, actually I have another of those personal questions to ask you. Like when I asked you about the diaper."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Well, I noticed your earrings." I reached up and touched my ear; sure enough I had forgotten to take them out again.

"Yes, I got them pierced during the summer."

"Well, there's this..." A loud knock at the door interrupted her.

"Hang on a moment, Ashley." I said as I walked over to the door. I opened the door and saw Joe standing there, "Hi Joe, come on in."

He stepped in and was hit by Ashley, who gave him a big hug and yelled, "Hi Daddy."

She hit him harder than she had hit me and he barely rocked, "Hi Pumpkin, is your homework done?"

"Yep, Dave showed me how to do it, and I got 'em all right on the first try."

He looked at me, "You helped her with her homework?"

"Ah, yes. She said she didn't understand it and she said you and Judy tried to help her, but it didn't work."

"I'm not mad. I'm just surprised, and a little depressed."

"Why depressed?"

"I'm her father, I should be helping her with her homework." I burst out laughing when he said that. "What's so funny?"

I got myself under control, "Neither of my parents ever helped, or even offered to help me with my homework. Heck, they didn't even care about how I did in school."

Joe, had a shocked look on his face and said in a slightly absentminded way, "Ashley get your books and run on home, I'll be right there."

Ashley walked over, got her stuff and started to leave, "Bye Dave." She had a puzzled look on her face.

Joe saw the look, "I have to talk to Dave about some 'man stuff', and then I'll be right home." Ashley rolled her eyes at the phrase 'man stuff', and now I had a puzzled look on my face.

Joe watched her as she walked over to their home and went in. "Dave, Judy told me about what you and Sarah do occasionally."

I got really worried, now I figured he thought I was some kind of pervert and he was going to do something to me. "She did?" I said nervously.

"Yeah, and she tried to explain why you two do that, but honestly I don't understand. I mean she said that you go over there and act like you're her little girl. You even wear diapers and dresses and ... Um, she did after a while make me accept that you aren't a sicko and you won't do anything to Ashley. But I want to understand how a grown man is willing to do that."

"Did she tell you how it started?" When he shook his head, I told him. "But what it boils down to is, well she's the only person to ever show me any real affection and..." I was in tears by now; I'm not sure why but I was.

Joe took a step over to me, and I cringed backward. He hesitated, when I cringed, but pulled me to him and gave me a hug. "I never thought I'd be giving a grown man a hug, but I think you need one." When he let me go I had finished crying and he looked me in the eye, "Do I look like your father?"

"Not really, but I probably react that way to any man that much bigger to me."

"Well, unless you do something to Ashley, I will never do anything to hurt you."

"Ha, me do something to Ashley, she'd probably beat me up. When I told her that she got all of her homework right she gave me a hug. I ended up on the floor."

"Ashley's going to be a problem. We haven't told her yet and I don't know how to. I mean what you're doing isn't really normal."

"I think she might know already."

He looked over at me with a shocked look on his face, "You didn't tell her did you?"

"NO! But after I got out of the hospital, I gave Thor this huge rawhide bone. When I did I wore a diaper to keep from pissing in my pants. After Bob left with Thor I sat outside in the diaper, which I had wet. Judy saw me and sent Ashley over to check on me. She saw the diaper and I explained why I was wearing it."

"What did she say about that?"

"That I was silly about being afraid of Thor," I laughed. "Well just when you got here she said she wanted to ask me a personal question. I think she recognized me in the picture Sarah has on her wall."

"What picture?"

"I figured you'd seen it, I had a portrait done to send to my father. Sarah has one on her wall. I've got a couple around here." I found the picture and showed Joe.

"Damn, I would never guess that you aren't a little girl. But how will your father recognize you?"

"Easy I signed it 'Your loving son, Dave.'"

"Ah... So, I should be heading home, before Ashley storms back here wondering where I am. Hey, Judy and I have Saturday off and we were going to have a barbecue, do you want to come over?"

"Ummm, sure I guess. But what about... never mind I'll figure it out."

"I'll see you Saturday then."

I shut the door behind him and plopped down on the couch. Now what the hell am I going to do, I thought. I agreed to go to their barbecue, and I know that Thor will show up, especially with both Ashley and me out. And when he shows up I know I'll wet my pants. I sat there trying to come up with a solution, well I had one, but I didn't like it.

Any one else would probably call up a parent and ask for advice. I can't do that. Wait a minute, maybe I can. I wonder if Sarah is done with that inspector yet.

Chapter 15: Sarah

I hated it when the County Inspectors came by; the rules have changed so much since the place was built. Every Inspector, this is wrong; you can't do this that way; there is supposed to be eighteen inches here, not sixteen. I'm glad my lawyer had me get a copy of the county ordinances from when this place was built. Every question, I had to show him the rules from then, it made me want to strangle him.

I was relaxing when there was a knock at my door, now what. I answered the door and was surprised to see Dave there. Oh yeah, I remembered he was watching Ashley, "Nothing's wrong with Ashley is there?"

"What? No." A pause, "Oh… no Joe came home a little early, she's already home."

"Good, I was worried." He kept looking around at the ground. "What are you looking for?" I asked him.

"Oh, Judy was worried about what you might do to the inspector, so I was looking for freshly turned earth." He grinned at me.

I laughed, and sighed and a lot of pent up frustration escaped. That was just what I needed. "I buried him under the trailer, so no one would see the fresh dirt."

He laughed back at me, and then sobered up. "Sarah I need some help, and I'm hoping you can provide it."

"Well if there is anything I can do, I certainly will. What's the problem?"

"Well I was talking to Joe and..."

"What did he say? If he did anything to hurt you, I'll..." I started to yell.

"No, it's nothing like that. We did talk about that, and I'm pretty sure he accepts it. He even hugged me." Dave interrupted ending with a puzzled look on his face.

"Good, I was a little worried about that. So what's the problem?"

"Well, he invited me to a barbecue this weekend, and well I'm afraid that if, well when, Thor shows up I'll have an accident and..."

"Hmmm, that would be a problem. So do you want to wear a diaper?" She asked looking at me.

"No, I don't WANT to wear a diaper, but I think I SHOULD wear one. The only problem is that I don't have anything that will fit over the diaper. Do you have anything of your niece's here that I could wear that doesn't look to much like girls clothes?"

"Ummm, Dave about my 'niece'..."

"She didn't come and get her clothes did she?" Dave asked sounding worried.

I coughed, "No, Dave. I have to be honest though. I don't have a niece."

"If you don't have a niece, then whose clothes were those?"

"Ummm, I... ummm... er... I bought them for you. I'm sorry, but that's the truth."

"You bought them for me, why? ... You wanted to dress me up like a girl from the beginning, didn't you? WHY?"

"Ummm, well at first. I mean the first time Thor scared you; you looked so cute in that diaper. I, ummm, thought that you would, well look even cuter as a little girl. I'm sorry." I felt horrible. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I needed to come clean. I only hoped I could get him to let me finish.

"I'm leaving, and I'm not sure if I'm coming back." He started towards the door. I grabbed him, he yelled, "Let me GO."

"Not until I finish, I want you to know everything. Then you can go and I won't even try to stop you."

He looked up at me sullenly and said, "Go on, but when you're done I'm leaving and I'm not coming back."

I pulled Dave over to the kitchen, and sat him down in one of the chairs. I pulled up a second chair and sat across from, now I wasn't looking down at him, but straight at him. And I poured out everything, starting with the first diaper. I probably could have found something different but didn't. Then step by step, getting Bob to let Thor wander around, the kids getting Thor to jump on them, the Nanny cams and that I had deleted all of the tapes. I told him how I set him up with the first Harry Potter movie so he'd have an accident, how I tried to get him to wet his diaper the next morning. How I'd padded the diaper to make sure it wouldn't fit under his pants and he'd have to wear the girl's clothes. I confessed about the bets I knew I'd win, everything I could think of.

When I was done, he was crying almost hysterically. He yelled that he hated me and ran out of my home. I released all of the tears I'd been holding back. I just sat there crying.

I'm not sure how long I'd been sitting there, when there was a knocking at my door. I sat up quick thinking it might be Dave, but I realized that whoever it was, they were hitting the door much too hard to be Dave. Well they could just come back tomorrow; I really didn't care what their problem was. They knocked again and I just sat there ignoring it, crying.

When the door opened, I said, "Hello Bob." Only Bob, Ashley and Judy ever walked in, if I didn't answer the door.

"WHAT in the HELL is going on? I just saw Dave go running into his home and it looked like he was crying. Now I find you in here the same way."

I lurched out of my chair and collapsed into Bob; he grabbed me and held me. "I just confessed to Dave."

"Confessed what?" he asked with a confused sound in his voice.

"Everything," I sobbed. "Everything I had done to get him dressed as a little girl."

"I take it he didn't take it well," he said.

"That's the understatement of the year. He said he hated me and wasn't ever coming back."

"Okay, so what do we do to fix it? I know why you're crying, but why is Dave crying?"

"What?" I asked, I was puzzled, I'm sure he just said something about us fixing it.

"I asked you, why is Dave crying?"

"Huh, why is Dave crying? I don't know, I hadn't even thought about it. I was just sitting here not thinking."

"Hmmm. You're crying because you just hurt your friends feelings badly. Right?"

"Yes." I answered, surprised by Bob again.

"Well if Dave wasn't still terrified of Thor, I'd have Thor with Dave right now. First though, you and I need to figure out how I am going to approach Dave."

"Actually Bob, you just need to go over there right now. No talking with me, and don't try to be my advocate, just go over and talk to him. Because right now he needs a friend. I wish Judy were home, she'd be the perfect one, but all he's got is you."

"Damn, I just thought of something and if I'm right, Dave is going to hate me for a while. I suppose he'll get over it though."

"You're not going to hurt him are you?"

"No, at least not physically. But I have to do something that's going to make both of us feel like crap. Besides I don't think Thor would let me hurt him. I'll see you tomorrow."

Chapter 16: Bob

I left Sarah sitting there. I think she started crying again. I was about to do one of the cruelest things I could think of. I didn't want to do it, but right now there was only one person that could help Dave, and I wasn't that person. I looked down at Thor and whispered, "Well Thor, you have to help Dave, and he isn't going to be happy about it." Thor looked back up at me.

I walked over to Dave's with Thor tagging along. I knocked on his door and he didn't answer. Well that didn't surprise me at all. I knocked again, still no answer. I tried the door, hoping that Dave hadn't locked it, it opened. As I opened the door Thor came up to follow me. I turned and told him to sit and stay. He whined, but sat there.

As I walked in, I heard Dave say through his sobbing, "Sarah go away."

"It's not Sarah, it's Bob."

"You go away too. You helped her."

I went into his bedroom, and saw him there on his bed still crying. "Yes, I helped her. I'm not really proud of that, but I'm here to try to fix it."

"I don't want it fixed, I just want you to get out," he yelled sitting up.

I swallowed, and thought 'God, why do I have to do this. I didn't want kids. I didn't want the responsibility, and why the first time I really get the responsibility do I have to be so cruel.' I looked down at Dave and summoned all of the 'I'm an adult male and you will do as I say'ness I could and commanded, "I won't get out and you will listen to me."

I winced as Dave cringed and collapsed back down. Then I continued, "Right now Sarah is sitting where you left her, crying."

"Good," he interjected.

"No, it's not good," I kept on, still projecting my voice. "I could spend time here trying to convince you that Sarah never meant to hurt you, but since I helped her you won't believe me. I will tell you though that both of are very sorry that we did what we did. Now if I could I'd have Judy over here talking to you, but she's at work.

Now before I do leave I want you to get ready for bed, while I get some stuff ready for you."

He got up and went into the bathroom, cringing as he got close to me. I kept a stern look on my face, until he was passed me. I grabbed his mattress and pulled it off the bed looking at the sheets that Sarah and I had spent hours shopping for while he was in the hospital. Sarah surprised me when she told me that Dave had identified every airplane in the design. Like Sarah I thought they were just generic pictures.

I went to his linen closet and got all of the towels I could find telling him at the same time to brush his teeth and go to the bathroom. The towels I used to line his mattress, the mattress itself was waterproof, but I wanted something absorbent there, because I was going to make him wet the bed.

He came back into the room, "Why's my mattress on the floor?"

"Because, I put it there. Now get into bed." I said pointing at the mattress.

He pulled off his pants and shirt and laid down on the mattress, "It's all lumpy."

"I did that. Now you lay there and go to sleep." While he lay there crying, I walked back to the front door and very quietly called to Thor. Thor came up into the home and padded down to the bedroom. I followed him. At the door Thor woofed once. I could see tense up and turn to look at Thor. Thor slowly walked up to him, and I could hear Dave give out a little squeal.

As Thor lay down on the floor next to him, I could see Dave pulling away from him. "You stay in that bed, mister," I said in the same tone I had used earlier. Thor turned his head towards me and growled somewhat menacingly. When Dave had settled back down, Thor turned back to him and licked his face. After Thor nuzzled him, Dave reached over and hugged Thor and started talking to him.

As I left the room, I told Dave, in a much more normal voice, "Just let Thor out in the morning, he'll be fine until then." And I thought, 'I hope you will be too.'

I left the two of them and walked over to Joe and Judy's, I hoped that Ashley was sleeping already, but it was kind of early still. I knocked on there door and Ashley answered, "Hi Bob, where's Thor?" She was looking past me.

"He's busy right now. I need to talk to your dad, okay."

"Sure," she answered me, and then yelled, "Daddy it's Bob and he wants to talk to you." I cringed a little at her voice.

Joe came up to the door and I asked him to step outside, as he did I could just hear Ashley say, "More 'man stuff,' huh?"

"What was that about?" I asked nodding towards where Ashley was.

"Oh, I had a talk with Dave, and I told Ashley that it was 'man stuff.' Actually we talked about him and Sarah."

"And."

"Well, Dave explained it all to me and if that's what they want to do. It's fine with me." I relaxed a bit. He continued, "Where is Thor, anyway?"

"He's with Dave."

"What!?"

"That's what I need to talk to you about. Dave and Sarah had a fight, well not really a fight. Basically Sarah told Dave the truth about what happened during the summer."

"And that was?"

"Ummm, she basically, after the first time, set him up so she could dress him up. And I helped her."

"She did what?"

"It started off as a game to her, I think. And it got out of hand. I'm not really sure, since she hasn't told me the whole truth. Well, Dave didn't take it well and ran out of her house crying. Sarah is probably still sitting in her kitchen crying."

"Oh, God. What did you do?"

"I went over to Dave's and treated him the way his father would have, minus the hitting. I basically got Dave where he could lay with Thor, and then I brought in Thor."

"Why Thor?"

"Because your wife is at work, and your daughter is way too young."

"What, why my wife or daughter?"

"Dave needed someone he could trust, there's only three people I could come up that he would trust. First choice would have been Sarah, but that's where the problem is, second would be Judy, but she's at work, and third would be Ashley, but well, she shouldn't have to deal with anything like this. Lastly is Thor, Dave knows that Thor loves him, he also knows that he loves Thor even if he is terrified of him."

"Okay, so how do we fix it?"

"Well, Sarah will get over it when Dave comes back. She just upset that she hurt Dave. Dave though, emotionally he's probably like a screwed up six year old. He doesn't recognize love or friendship very well, and slips right into fear, hatred, betrayal and other negative emotions. The only good thing is that once he's convinced that Sarah wasn't really being mean he will completely forgive her like a child does."

"Now what the hell are you talking about?"

"Ever see two little kids scream that they hate each other, and then a little while later they are best friends." He nodded. "That's the way Dave is, at least I think so. You heard how he grew up."

Joe nodded again, "Okay, but how do you know about all that?"

"I'm a watchman, what do you think watchmen do?"

"I'll bite, 'watch'."

"Nope, most of us read. It's a pretty boring job, at least at night. Mostly you just sit around, every couple hours you might have to make rounds, but otherwise it's boring. At least you hope it is. So we read, well some do puzzles, I read all sorts of things. I started with Westerns, then read some Sci-Fi and Fantasy, some Thrillers, but eventually got bored with all of them. I saw an ad for the college book buy back, and went and intercepted some textbooks. I've read everything from Accounting to Zoology, but what interested me the most, were the Psych books. I've probably read two-thirds of the books a Psych major would use."

"So why did you come over here to tell me?"

"Two reasons, first so you could tell Judy and have her show up to talk to Dave, then Sarah. Dave needs someone to talk to him, he's probably going to spend half the night talking to Thor, but Thor can't really answer back. Secondly, I needed to cool down. When I left Dave's, I didn't know if I wanted to cry, or get drunk."

"So why don't you get drunk, not that it will solve anything."

"Because I have to go to work in a couple of hours. I'm going now, don't forget to tell Judy." I shook his hand and headed home.

Chapter 17: Dave

I woke up cold and wet, 'What the hell' I thought. The next sensation I felt was warm and furry, and it was under my left arm. I cracked open my eyes afraid of what I'd see.

Yep, it was Thor under my arm. Now I was less cold, but wetter. Everything that had happened yesterday started coming back and my eyes began tearing up. Thor reacted by licking my face, and wagging his tail. I couldn't see his tail, but I could hear it rhythmically thumping on the floor.

"Well Thor, I guess I should get up now. You probably want out too," I said. I hugged Thor, and got up. Thor stood up also, still wagging his tail. I grabbed my robe, and walked down to the front door. I opened the door and said, "Go on home Thor, I'll be okay."

Thor looked a little reluctant, but went outside and seemed to be headed home. I sighed as I watched him. Once he was out of sight, I shut the door and headed back to my bedroom. The mattress was lying on the floor, my sheets sodden with piss. I stared at it for a little while and realized that I was getting cold again. 'I guess a shower is good place to start,' I thought.

I got into the bathroom and reached to turn on the shower. As I grabbed the faucet handle, a knock on the door interrupted my shower before I could get it started.

"Coming," I yelled and I walked down to the door. I opened it and saw Judy standing there. "Hello Judy," I said listlessly.

"Good morning Dave. Are you okay?" She asked as she walked in.

"No," I said, trying not to burst into tears.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No I don't," I said forcefully.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," I said, dropping into a kitchen chair.

"Dave," she started. She paused and I looked up. She continued, "Dave you're all wet."

I looked down, my robe fell open and I could see my wet underwear. "Yeah, I'm all wet."

She grabbed my hand, and pulled me into the bathroom, "Dave, you take a shower. I'll get you something to wear."

I went undressed and got into the shower. While showering I could vaguely hear her moving around in my trailer. The bathroom door opened and closed a couple of times. I wondered what she was doing. I finally finished and stepped out of the shower. My wet clothes and robe were gone and clean clothes sat on the vanity. While I was drying off, I heard the washing machine start. 'What is she doing,' I thought.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, she walked up and looked at me. "Good, you're done. I made some coffee."

Before I could even say anything, she gently pushed me towards the kitchen and then grabbed the towel I had just finished using. I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee adding the necessary amounts of cream and sugar. Sipping it because it was hot, I walked back to my bedroom, and saw Judy drying off my mattress with the towel I had just used.

She looked up at me, "This is the only towel that Bob didn't put on your mattress."

I looked at her with a stunned expression on my face, "You didn't have to do all of this."

She turned back to me, and I noticed next to her a bucket with a sponge in it. "I know that, but I wanted to. Besides I thought that you could use the help. Here, this is as dry as I could get it with this towel; help me put it back on the frame."

The two of us put the mattress back, and I realized that it would have been a struggle by myself. She continued on, "You know it's a good thing that mattress is waterproof, otherwise it would have been ruined."

I started to sit down at my desk and stopped. She looked at me, "Come on," she said. Let's go sit in the living room and talk.

"I don't want to talk," I said sullenly.

"Well, let's go sit and I'll talk," she answered.

I grabbed my coffee, and we walked to the other end of the trailer. She stopped at the kitchen, "You go sit down, and I'm going to get some coffee."

I walked over to the couch, set my coffee down, and dropped onto the cushions. I looked over at the TV and realized that I probably looked like Ashley had yesterday afternoon. That almost brought a smile to my face.

Judy walked in a moment later with her coffee, "Are you sure you don't want to talk?"

When I shook my head, she continued on. "Okay, then just listen." Judy started talking. I wasn't listening, just nodding and grunting during pauses.

I'm not sure how long she talked or what she was saying, but I finally realized that I was being rude. She was here trying to help me and I was not being very nice. During her next pause, I cut in, "Judy, I'm sorry. I haven't been listening to you. I know you want to help, but..."

"Dave, are you ready to talk now?"

"Yeah, I guess. Let me get some more coffee though. Then we can talk." I got up and refilled my coffee and hers.

When I came back she had moved over to the couch. I sat down next to her and she pulled me closer and hugged me. "I can make this quick, why did you go over to Sarah's yesterday?"

"Well, Joe, your husband, invited me to your barbecue this weekend. Since I didn't want to have an accident there, I went over to get some help."

"Why did you go to Sarah for help?"

"Actually I got the idea from Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter?" She asked with a very puzzled look in her face.

"Yeah, after we saw the movies, I bought all of the books and read them. In one of them Harry needs some advice, he thinks of asking his parents, but they are dead. So he comes with the idea of asking his godfather. I have parents, but can't ask them for advice so I came up with the next best thing, Sarah." I started crying again.

"Dave, what's wrong?"

"I can't believe I trusted her." I said between sobs.

"Dave you can trust her. You said you thought of her as a parent." I nodded, she continued, "Well, I'm fairly sure she thinks of you as her child."

"She does, why?"

"Her family has owned this land a long time, it's all that's left of a huge farm. Her grandfather sold most of it and her father sold all but this and made this a trailer park. He died of a heart attack, when she was around 20. She was engaged then, but her fiancé dumped her when she wouldn't sell the trailer park. After that she was so busy running this place that she never had time to date. Joe and I moved in shortly after we were married, and Sarah spent a lot of time helping us. I think she was thinking of us as her family. Once I was pregnant, she helped even more. After Ashley was born, I couldn't turn around without seeing her. By the time Ashley was two, she was spending almost as much time with Sarah as with me. Sarah wanted a family, and she kind of adopted mine. Now she has done the same with you. I think though with you it will last longer, since you won't grow up on her like Ashley has."

"So I'm her surrogate family. If that's true why did she hurt me?"

"I know that she didn't want to hurt you, and I doubt that she thought it would be as bad as she it was. But she must have really needed to tell you the truth. She was probably feeling pretty bad about having lied to you. And she must not have wanted you to find out accidentally."

I cut in and asked, "How would I have found out accidentally?"

"Well Ashley knows she doesn't have a niece, and probably would have said so if you mentioned her niece. Now do you think you can forgive her?"

"I think so, but I still can't go back."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm awfully sure I told her that I hated her, and I might have said some other things that were pretty mean."

"Dave you didn't have any friends when you were little did you?"

"No, I don't think I had any friends 'til I got into college. Why?"

"Don't take this wrong, but you sound like a very little kid. Little kids do that all of the time. When they are hurt they yell things like that. I'm fairly sure that Sarah didn't believe you, if she even heard you. Now do you want to go talk to Sarah?"

"I guess so."

"Good let's go see her then, because I know that she want's to see you."

We got up and headed to the door, I put the coffee cups in the sink and Judy opened the door. "Ummm, Dave what would you do, if Thor was sitting outside."

I froze where I was, I couldn't see Thor, and my brain said Thor loves me, he wouldn't hurt me, but that part of my mind that controls fear, said there was a monster out there that wanted me. I tried real hard to stop myself, and I did, but a little too late. The front of my pants was wet. I started to cry again, and Judy was there holding me and comforting me. Finally when I stopped crying, she told me, "Dave you go change and I'll get rid of Thor. I promise you that he won't bother you until later."

I went to change and heard Judy go outside. I peeked out my window and saw her dragging Thor away. Thor really looked like he didn't want to go. I finished changing and watched for Judy to come back. When I saw her without Thor I went out to meet her. We walked together over to Sarah's.

Chapter 18: Sarah

A knock on my door woke me up, and I felt horrible, I was still in the kitchen were I was when Dave left. I looked blurrily over at the clock and whomever it was knocked again. I yelled, "Go away."

The door opened anyway. I thought for a moment, "Judy is that you?"

"Yes, and I brought a friend."

I walked over and saw Judy and Dave. Dave leaped at me and I caught him up in a hug. He was crying and babbling, and so was I. We hugged and cried together for a few minutes. When we finally let go, I looked to thank Judy and she was gone.

Dave and I went into the living room and started talking. We were both apologizing and still crying when Dave stopped and looked straight at me, "You look horrible, Sarah. You should go and take a shower."

"You don't look so great yourself kiddo."

"Yeah, but I've taken a shower so if I just wash my face, I'll look fine. You though probably feel as bad as you look."

"Yeah I probably do. Okay, I'll go take a shower."

"Good while you do that, I'll make you some coffee, and then we can talk." He said in an oddly adult manner.

I went and showered, by the time I was done I was starting to feel human again. When I walked into my bedroom, there was a cup of coffee sitting on my dresser. Dave, obviously had brought it, I noticed that he had shut my door after dropping it off. I took a sip of the coffee, now I was really feeling human, of course a few hours of sleep in a bed would have helped. I dressed, and walked down the hallway wondering what Dave wanted to talk to about. I couldn't remember why he had come over yesterday.

I entered the living room and Dave was sitting there sipping his own coffee, I sat down next to him and hugged him once he had set his coffee down, "Thanks, I feel better now."

"Good, you look better now too."

"So do you."

"I washed up in the other bathroom. I kinda want to finish the conversation I started yesterday."

"I figured you did, but honestly I can't remember what we were talking about."

"Joe and Judy's barbecue. I was going to wear a diaper."

"And what, you want to wear some of the clothes I bought?"

"NO!" he said a bit forcefully. "I mean, I talked to Joe, and he doesn't care about what we do, but I doubt he'd be okay with it if we did it at his house, unless you had something that looked like boys clothes."

"No, I ummm, only bought stuff that was a bit girlie. The shortalls are probably the closest to boyish and they have Minnie Mouse on them. You know you can have all the diapers you need."

"I figured that, but I don't have any clothes of my own that I can wear over a diaper. I was wondering if you and I could go buy some. I mean I'll wear a diaper and we can find something that would fit."

"But if your wearing a diaper you can't wear your own pants, oh I see. You'll have to go as Sissy."

"Yeah, and I don't really think I should go wandering around town dressed like that by myself."

"That's probably a very good idea. So when do you want to go, now?"

"Well let me get changed first," he said this with a big grin.

"All right, let's go get you changed then, what do you want to wear?"

He picked out an outfit, and I got him into a diaper and help him dress. I grabbed my purse, and Dave's wallet. I opened the door and Thor was sitting outside waiting, I turned to warn Dave, but he was already letting out a little squeal. "Are you okay Dave?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I should have expected Thor to be waiting for me. He was earlier."

"Do you need to be changed?"

"No, I only leaked a little. I should go talk to Thor though."

"You do that, I've got to grab something." I went back in and Dave walked outside. I hadn't thought about it, but realized after Dave's encounter with Thor, that Dave might need a change while we are shopping. I grabbed a couple of diapers and squeezed them into my purse. If this is going to keep up, I should probably buy a diaper bag for our shopping trips.

I walked out of the house and saw Dave sitting on the edge of the steps, with Thor right up with him. He was talking to Thor, and hugging him. Thor was responding by licking his face and wagging his tail. I walked up and ruffled Thor's fur and they looked up at me. I said, "What? Oh, everything is fine Thor. We're just going shopping."

I felt a little strange talking to Thor that way, but Dave seemed to be treating Thor like a person and expected others too. If that's what Dave wants I suppose I can talk to Thor like a person. If he answers me though, I'm getting help.

Dave gave Thor a final hug, and got up. We walked over to my car and Thor ran off. We got in and drove off to Wal-Mart. There we walked in and the greeter said, "Good morning ladies." Dave seemed to ignore him. I grabbed a cart.

As we walked over towards the boys clothing section, Dave grabbed my arm and tugged me down, "Sarah," he whispered, "should we shop in the boys section or the girls?"

When Dave said that, I stopped dead in my tracks. Since at that moment he was holding on to my arm he nearly swung into the cart. I bent down to whisper back, "Why would you want to shop in the girls section?"

"Well right now I am dressed like a girl, and I thought it might look funny if we were looking at boys clothes."

"Don't worry Sissy, no one will notice or care if we are shopping for boys clothes."

We walked over to look at the clothes. We first grabbed several pairs of blue jeans in different sizes to find a pair that would fit over his diaper. As we went over to the changing rooms, I noticed that Dave kept looking over at the girl's clothes. He tried on the jeans until he found a size that fit comfortably over the diaper.

With the size figured out we headed back over to the boys clothes. Dave continued to look over at the girl's clothes. We picked up a couple more pairs of jeans and some sweatpants and shorts that would cover his diaper.

When we had them all, I asked, "Sissy, do you want to go look at the girl's clothes?"

Dave hesitated, "No." He was dragging his foot in a circle and didn't look at me when he answered.

I thought for a moment, "You know if we go out this winter, you'll need something warmer than those shortalls. Let's go get some jeans for you."

Dave smiled, and looked up at me, "Okay."

We picked up some jeans, shirts and other clothes for him. He was happy and actually looked like he was enjoying shopping. Once we had picked out of all of the clothes, I decided that we should get some more diapers. A large package of Huggies was added to the cart. Dave frowned at that.

"Do you have to buy those now?"

"Well, I don't want to have to make a special trip just for them. Besides no one will think they are for you."

We continued shopping, I had other things to pickup. We were in a far corner of the store, when Dave suddenly stopped. "Sarah I need to go now."

"Huh."

"I need to go now."

"Okay, so go."

"Sarah, I think I drank four or five cups of coffee this morning. I don't think it'll hold."

"Right, let's go." I led Dave off towards the back of the store. He was moving fast, but I could see that he was uncomfortable. Everything was going well, until Dave came to the end of an aisle. Another cart appeared right in front of him.

Someone had spilled something and when Dave stepped in it and tried to stop, his feet slid out from underneath him. I jerked the cart to the side to keep from running him over and stepped up to help him up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I landed on my butt so I didn't hit my head, but I am all wet now in more ways than one."

The woman pushing the cart stopped and started apologizing. Dave cut her off explaining that it was his fault, he should have been watching where he was going.

Several Wal-Mart employees came running up, one was carrying a 'Wet Floor' sign. They started talking and apologizing, while they were doing this another employee showed up with a mop and bucket.

Another employee, this time a manager arrived, and he started apologizing. Dave was standing there, frozen, his eyes wide with fear. I was answering questions, and trying to shield Dave from the growing crowd. Dave was asked several times if 'she' was okay, he answered these with a nod.

Finally the manager shooed all of the employees away, and escorted us back to the where the washrooms are. He told me that everything we were buying today was on him.

I grabbed a pair of the jeans and the manager cut off the tags. We headed towards the women's room and just before we entered the manager spoke, "Don't you need, ummm, clean underwear?"

I stopped, I had diapers in my bag, but I don't think Dave wanted me to say anything. I turned back to the manager, he was blushing but continued, "If you want to go and grab a package, I'll be glad to watch your daughter."

"Thank you. Cecelia stay here, I'll be right back," and I took off to the girl's clothes to grab some panties for Dave.

I thought about it and decided to get some plain ones, as much as I wanted to get some Disney Princess panties for him. I returned and he was talking to the manager. I pulled one pair out of the package, handing the rest to the manager. We walked into the restroom and went into the handicapped stall.

I closed the door latching it and helped him to get undressed. "So do you want to wear the panties or I have a diaper in my bag?"

"Better make it the diaper."

I lifted him up onto the changing table and asked, "What were you talking about?"

"Oh, the manager asked if I knew if you were done shopping or not."

"And what did you tell him?"

"Yes, except for the Playstation you were going to buy me. He didn't believe me though."

"You are a rascal, besides what would you do with a Playstation?"

"I don't know, I already have one, but it seemed to be the right thing to say."

Dave finished getting dressed as I disposed of the wet diaper and rolled up the shortalls and new panties. "Are you ready?"

"Yep," he answered as he twisted around looking at himself

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to tell if you can notice the diaper."

I chuckled and looked, "No you can't."

We exited and the manager pushed the cart over to us, our purchases were all bagged, "Were you done shopping ma'am?"

"Yes, I was. Thank you for all of your help."

"It's no problem, I'm just glad it was no worse than some wet pants."

He escorted us up to the exits, and we left. When we got home we sorted our purchases into mine, his and ours. I kept mine and ours, and he bagged his. Then I showed him something I found in one of the bags, "I think this is for you."

He took the paper, "It's a raincheck for a PS2 at $50.00 off. I guess he felt pretty bad about what happened."

"So what are you going to do with it?"

"I don't know. I can't redeem it myself, someone might recognize me. Here you keep it." He handed it back to me. "I should head home; I'm tired I didn't sleep well last night."

"Same here, you have a good nap. Bye Dave." Dave grabbed his bags and left. He'd find the diapers I stuck in there when he put the stuff away. I went and took a nap.

Chapter 19: Judy

"Honey, we need to talk to Ashley," I said as Joe and I were getting dressed.

"Oh, about what," he answered absentmindedly.

"Dave."

"Oh...Ohhh. Yeah I guess we do."

"You heard her yesterday. I think she believes that Dave is the greatest person on earth right now."

"I think you're exaggerating a bit, dear. I'm sure she thinks Dave is wonderful, especially after she got a perfect on her math quiz, but I don't think she is quite at that point of hero worship." Joe answered.

"So what are we going to tell her?"

"Ummm, well she already knows that he sometimes wears diapers. Let's start there and expand from there."

"You know, he'll almost certainly being wearing a diaper today."

"What?!"

"Well it's that or wet his pants when Thor comes by. That's where the problem earlier this week came from, he went to get help from Sarah, and everything exploded from there. Don't worry he'll be wearing men's or at least boys' clothes."

"I guess so. No that is the right thing. I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't really thinking about what would happen then. You know it's kind of tough to figure this out. I mean it certainly isn't something I would do."

"You don't still have a problem with it, do you dear?"

"No, I'm just still not used to it. I don't care what they do as long as they don't hurt anyone."

"And by anyone you really mean Ashley. Which brings us back to Ashley. What and how do we tell her?"

We got everything prepared for our barbecue, and sat down with Ashley. We decided that I would start. "Ashley, we have something to talk to you about."

"Is this going to be a birds and bees talk?"

Joe blushed a little at that. I went on, "No, this is about Dave."

"WHAT about Dave, he isn't moving is he? I don't want him to move."

"No, he isn't leaving, why would you think that?"

"Well, what else would you want to talk about? I know that he's afraid of Thor, and wears diapers sometimes. That's it. He's going to be wearing one today and you don't want me to tease him. Right?"

Joe spoke up, "Slow down Pumpkin and we'll explain. That isn't it, but you had better not tease him or you'll get a spanking."

"I wouldn't tease him, cuz he might not help me with my math anymore then."

Joe continued, "Actually it would probably be worse than that. I don't think Dave would know you were teasing him and he would be very hurt by that. He would think that you were trying to hurt him."

"But I wouldn't hurt him, he knows that," Ashley cut in.

"Hmm, this is going to be hard to explain. Let me start with how Dave grew up." Joe told Ashley about Dave's childhood, after listening to the whole story. She had the response that I expected.

"But that's horrible, his mom and dad should be locked up," she exclaimed.

I stopped her from continuing, "Ashley, that's why you can't tease him, at least not now. Right now he's not going realize that you don't really mean it. He'll think that you are trying to hurt him."

"But..."

"I know that you wouldn't do anything to hurt him, but just like with Thor, he doesn't know that. He never had anyone tease him. He only had people that tried to hurt him. Now, Sarah is trying to help him."

"How's Sarah helping him?"

"Well, Sarah and Dave play a game."

"What kind of a game and can I play?

Joe started coughing when she said that. I looked over at him, "They play, well it's kind of like 'house'. I don't think you can play."

"Aren't they a little old to play house, and how does that help Dave. I mean if he's the daddy and Sarah's the mommy..." Ashley looked really puzzled.

"Ashley, Dave isn't playing the daddy."

"But, if he isn't playing the daddy... then he's playing the BABY. But that's weird."

"Ashley!"

"Sorry, mom."

"Yes, he's playing the baby, or at least the child. He needs to play this way. Now we're telling you this, because we don't want you to go over to Sarah's when they're playing. So if we tell you that you can't go over there, we better not find out that you went over there."

"Yes mom, but what do they do when they're playing?"

"I don't know everything, but I do know that they have gone to see a couple of movies, and shopping."

"Can I go see a movie with them, next time they go?"

Joe answered before I could even come up with an answer. "Pumpkin, I don't know, you'd have to ask them. If Sarah and Dave both agree, then I don't have a problem, and I doubt that your mother would."

I was in shock, I couldn't believe that Joe had said that. I knew that he said he didn't care what they did together, but I figured that he was just saying that to keep from starting a fight. "Ummm, right. As long as they don't mind, I don't mind. Depending upon the movie."

"Ashley, what do you think about what Sarah and Dave do?" Joe asked her.

"I think it's silly and a little weird, but I'm not really sure. A lot that Dave does is weird."

"Okay sweetie, I tell you what, tonight we'll talk to Sarah and Dave to find out whether or not you can go see a movie with them." I looked at the clock and realized that our guests would be here any minute. "Well is everything ready?" Nods answered me and we went outside to great our guests.

We were out rearranging stuff on the porch, when I saw Sarah and Dave walking down the street. I pointed them out to Joe and Ashley. Ashley blurted out that Dave looked like a girl. I looked closer and even with his hair short, wearing blue jeans and t-shirt he still looked more like a girl than a boy.

Joe looked at him and stared. I could hear him muttering and he was shaking his head. I stepped over and asked him what was up. He whispered back, "Ashley's right, Dave looks like a girl. I don't know about you, but if we talk to Sarah and Dave and their not doing anything, umm, sexual, Ashley can go 'play' with them."

"I don't think they're doing anything like that, and I agree with you, if it's okay with the two of them, it's okay with me."

"I don't think so either. I just want to make sure."

I watched as they walked up, when they got close Ashley ran out and gave Sarah a hug, then gave Dave a bigger hug. I couldn't hear what she said, but I imagine she was telling him about her math quiz. I noticed that Sarah was carrying a much bigger purse than she had previously and realized that she probably had a spare diaper or two for Dave. I wondered if Joe had thought about Sarah changing that diaper in our house.

When they got up to the house, Joe asked Sarah to give him a hand with the TV. We were setting it up on the porch to watch the football game. I think Joe is going to be in for a big surprise. Sarah told me that Dave was a bit of a sports fanatic, and I'm sure that Joe figures he doesn't even know what football is.

With the TV set up and the pre-game on, we were all chatting when there was a loud woof, Dave froze momentarily then turned to face Thor and Bob. I had forgotten about Bob, and I wondered if Bob and Dave had seen each other since earlier this week. Judging from the look on Bob's face I was sure that they hadn't. Shit.

Ashley ran out into the yard and Thor paused looking at Dave then Ashley. Apparently he decided that since Dave was still on the porch he could play with Ashley for a bit. Bob stopped to watch them as Thor bounced over to Ashley and romped with her. As soon as Bob started towards the porch Thor moved up to get up there first.

Dave was watching Thor and Bob, he looked afraid of both of them. Thor came and sat down next to Dave. Bob had hesitated again. Right now no one was saying anything. Bob stared up at Dave, Dave was petting Thor, Joe was looking back and forth between them and Sarah looked a little worried. Bob swallowed, and said hi. He was about to come up the stairs to the porch and stopped.

He looked around, then walked down to where he could see Dave and talk to him without looming over him, "Dave, can you come down here, I need to talk to you." I, and I'm sure Sarah and Joe, heard the strain in his voice, but I'm not sure if Dave recognized it.

Dave looked at him a moment, and then stood up and walked over to join him. Thor got up and walked along with him. When they got up to Bob, Bob told Thor to go play with Ashley. Thor straight out ignored him and stuck next to Dave.

Bob looked down at Thor, shrugged and led the two of them down to the end of the trailer. I watched them, Bob sat down and looked like he was talking. I couldn't hear him, but I could imagine him trying to apologize for what he had done.

Ashley walked up to me and looked down at them. She took a step toward them and I grabbed her and told her to wait for them to come back. She looked up at me and asked, "What's going on?"

"Bob did something that hurt Dave the other day, and now he's trying to say he's sorry."

"Why was Bob mean to Dave?"

"Because he had to. Bob had to get Dave to let him bring Thor in to be with him, and in order to do it he had to be mean. It'll be okay, don't worry."

We watched for a few minutes, and then Dave reached over and gave Bob a hug. When he let go, Thor leapt on Bob and started licking his face. Dave looked like he was laughing. Bob got himself free of Thor and the three of them walked back.

At the steps Dave told Thor to go play with Ashley and he did. Bob stared at him, "I should make you pay for Thor's food, he seems to be more your dog than mine."

"I think I'm his person, more than he's my dog."

Bob walked up and mumbled about needing to use the bathroom, but I could see his that eyes were red. No one said anything as he went into the trailer.

Dave walked over to Sarah and whispered something to her, she whispered back. Joe looked lost, but I figured that Dave needed a change. When Bob came out, the two of them went in. Ashley and Thor wandered off to play with the other kids.

When Sarah and Dave returned, Joe spoke up, "Now that we're all friends again can we watch the game?"

We sat and watched. I knew that Sarah preferred baseball, and I preferred basketball, although I wasn't nearly the fan that any of them were. I did, though, watch with pleasure as Dave proved that he knew more about the team than they did.

Joe cooked and Ashley came back to eat. Before she ran off again, I heard her asking Dave what he knew about the Revolution. I think she wanted some more tutoring.

The game ended, we won. Bob helped put the TV back, and said his goodbyes. He had to work that night. That gave us a chance to talk.

Chapter 20: Dave

I had been worried about being near Bob, I thought that he was going to keep treating me the way he had the other night. When he wanted to talk to me, I had been worried. He sounded funny when he asked me to come and talk with him. I went with him, and Thor stayed with me and disobeyed Bob to do it.

When Bob sat down to talk to me, I relaxed a little. Then he very nearly in tears began apologizing for treating the way he had. It began to get hard to understand him, because he was crying now. I finally understood why he had done what he did, and told him that I forgave him. I reached over and gave him a hug. He hugged me back, when he let go Thor tackled him and licked his face until Bob could get free. I started laughing at the two of them.

We walked back to the porch and I told Thor to go play with Ashley, and he did. Bob turned towards me and said, "I should make you pay for Thor's food, he seems to be more your dog than mine."

"I think I'm his person, more than he's my dog."

Bob went in to use the bathroom, I think he just wanted to wash his face, but I wasn't going to say anything. I realized that I needed a change and went over to whisper to Sarah. When Bob returned we went in.

The rest of the barbecue was fun. I think I shocked Bob and Joe with what I knew about sports. It's obvious that I never played sports. I doubt I could play little league baseball right now.

After Bob had left and Ashley was still out playing, the four of us were sitting around, when Judy spoke up. "We talked to Ashley this morning. She, ummm, wants to play with you. Now, we don't care with one caveat. You don't do anything sexual do you?"

Before Sarah could say anything, I jumped in, "Ewwww. Ah sorry, Sarah. No, Sarah's old enough to be my mother, but a lot nicer."

"The closest we come to anything like that, would be when I change his diaper or give him a bath," Sarah explained.

I blushed when Sarah mentioned those things, it was embarrassing. I was a grown man, and she was talking about bathing me and changing a diaper. Joe jumped into the conversation, "So how do you feel about Ashley visiting you next time. We figured that maybe the three of you could go see a movie or something."

I thought about it and my first thought was that I didn't want to share Sarah with anyone, but as I sat there I realized that I wouldn't necessarily be sharing Sarah with Ashley, as much as Sarah would probably be sharing me with Ashley. Plus maybe Ashley could teach me more about being a girl and I would be more comfortable out in public.

I'm not sure how long I sat there thinking, but all of the sudden I noticed that they were looking at me and that either Judy or Sarah had said my name, "What did you say? I was thinking and not paying attention."

Sarah snickered, "I said I didn't care, and I had an idea. As long as you don't care, I thought that maybe tonight you and Ashley could spend the night, we wouldn't go see a movie, but we could watch one at my house and Joe and Judy could have a night to themselves."

I looked at them, "I don't care if Ashley spends some time with us, although not all of the time. I do have one thing though. I don't want her giving me a bath or changing my diaper." I still can't believe that I say that.

Joe quickly agreed, "Yeah, I hadn't really thought about that, but your right. It would certainly not be appropriate to have her do that."

"So as long as Ashley wants to, she can spend the night with you two," Judy said with a grin. "Of course, I can't think of anything that would make her say no."

We sat around chatting until Ashley came home. "MOM, I'm hungry," she yelled as she came in.

"Ashley!" Judy said as she came in to the living room where we were sitting. Judy's reaction surprised me a little, I knew that if I had yelled like that when I had gotten home, my father would have hit me and yelled at me louder. Judy just kind of rebuked Ashley.

"Sorry, mom," Ashley said. "I'm still hungry."

"Well, Ashley you have a choice. You can wait and I'll make some dinner for us, or you can go over to Sarah's and spend the night with her and Dave. So which do you want?" Judy asked.

I watched as Ashley slowly realized what her mom had said, again my father would have just told me what to do. All of the sudden Ashley's eyes got big, "I'll go get my PJ's are you two ready to leave?"

Sarah answered her, "Just as soon as you are."

"Ashley, take some clean clothes with you, and take a bath."

"Yes mom," Ashley said as she ran down to what I assumed was her room. I was chuckling at the rapid changes in her, from the demanding, to apologetic, to ecstatic, to sullen all in less than a minute.

Joe asked, "What's so funny?"

"Ashley, the way she just keeps changing. If I had done half of what she just done, I would have been hit, yelled at and punished. I just am kind of ... I don't know. I guess I just don't understand what happened."

Joe looked stunned, but Judy moved the fastest. Before I could do anything she was over next to me hugging me. "Dave that's the way normal parents act with normal kids. Kids yell and do things, when they step over the bounds, parents punish them. Ashley just stepped a little out of bounds, so I just reminded her that what she did was unacceptable. If she did something truly bad, we might have to spank her or ground her."

"You hit her," I was somewhat horrified and now worried. If they were willing to hit their daughter, what would they do to me?

Judy must have realized what I was thinking, "No Dave, we might have to spank her. That means that we tell her what she did wrong and why, and then bare her bottom and swat her with my or Joe's open hand." She leaned over and whispered to me, "And I'll tell you that it probably hurts our hand as much or more than it hurts her. Besides it's more of a reminder to her, than to inflict pain or hurt her."

Sarah could see my face, something that Judy couldn't, "Dave, a spanking isn't just hitting someone. When, ... Okay, spankings as punishment start as a swat on a diaper to get the attention of a toddler. Joe could probably swat you as hard as he could on your diaper, and you would barely feel it. Later they get harder, but never should they actually cause harm."

Joe snuck in then, "Dave, I've never spanked Ashley out of anger and can probably count the number of times I had to spank her on one hand. That doesn't count the swats on her diaper when she was little. Those were about as hard as when you clap. You can ask her, because here she comes."

I looked and Ashley was coming back carrying a backpack, she looked at us and blurted out, "What's wrong, I can still go over with them can't I?"

Judy said, "You certainly can, we just said something that scared Dave and we're trying to reassure him. You can help."

"How can I help," she asked.

"Pumpkin, tell Dave what it's like to get a spanking," Joe said to her.

"I'm not getting one am I?" Her eyes got bigger, as she asked this.

"Well have you done anything to deserve one?"

She stood there for a moment looking contemplative, "No, I haven't."

"Hmmm, if you had to think about it maybe you do," Joe said after she finally answered.

"Daddy, I do not need a spanking."

"Okay, so tell Dave what it's like."

"Ummm, it hurts, but not really. I mean that, well it is painful, but it doesn't last. Like a ... a mosquito bite, but it hurts more than that, you know, the pain is there then it goes away. But sometimes the lecture that comes with it is worse than the spanking, and there is always a lecture. Daddy says if he ever has to spank me for the same thing twice, the second one will be worse, but that's never happened."

"Are you sure?" I asked somewhat plaintively.

"Dave, I'm sure that my mommy and daddy would never hurt me, like yours hurt you."

I could feel myself tearing up, "I never had a mommy or daddy." I thought that I hadn't spoke, but Judy grabbed me and said, "Dave, just because you didn't have them growing up doesn't mean that you can't have, at least, a mommy now."

Sarah came over and picked me up and hugged me, "Dave I'll be your mommy as long as you need one."

I was crying now, I'm not sure why, but I think these people really like me, maybe even love me. I'm not really sure what love is, but if this it I like it.

Joe walked over and looked at me, straight in the eyes, "Dave, I can't be your daddy, it wouldn't feel right, but I can and will be here if you ever need a dad. I think that Bob will too."

Judy added, "Since Sarah wants to be your mommy, I guess that I can be your mom."

Sarah set me down and I imagine that I looked horrible. I faced them and was about start crying again, when someone spun me around and grabbed me, "And I'll be your big sister!"

I heard the three of them start chuckling, and I told Ashley, "Thank you."

"But only if you keep helping me with my homework."

"Okay," I laughed. "But can you stand being helped by your little sister, er brother, or whatever."

"Yep, can we go now?"

"Yes, just let me get my purse," Sarah said.

Ashley and I walked over to the door and stepped out while Sarah was getting her purse. As soon as I cleared the doorway there was a loud "Woof" from my right. I jumped left and did something unexpected. I now really needed a clean diaper, and was glad that Sarah didn't mind changing a messy one.

Thor crawled over to me, doing his best to look sheepish. Ashley started laughing. I looked at her hoping she wasn't laughing at me, and she wasn't, she was pointing Thor and laughing at him. I looked back at Thor, he was whining and whimpering. I knelt down, "Thor you can't scare me like that. I, um, love you, but you still scare me." I scratched his head and petted him.

He licked my face, as Sarah walked out. "What happened?"

Ashley answered, "Thor was waiting on the porch and barked when we came out. He surprised Dave, and then he crawled over like he had just destroyed the living room or something. He looked so funny."

"Are you okay Dave?"

"Yeah, but I ummm, really need to be changed now."

Chapter 21: Sarah

We headed off to my home, and Thor took off to go play. As we walked along Ashley started to skip, "Come on Dave, skip with me."

I looked over at him, and he had a stunned look on his face, "I don't know how to skip."

Ashley walked over to him, "Here, watch me. Then do what I do."

He watched Ashley for a moment, and then started skipping, badly. We helped him get it right and then Ashley grabbed his arm and they started skipping around as we went home. By the time we got there all three of us were laughing.

As we walked in, I said, "Ashley go and watch TV, while I get Dave cleaned up and give him a bath, and then you can take a bath while I make dinner."

"Can I help give him his bath?"

"NO!" Dave said, "Actually there are some rules; you don't get to change my diaper, or give me a bath."

She looked over at me and I said, "Sorry, but that was what your parents said."

She stomped into the living room, "I don't get to have any fun."

I got Dave into the bathroom and helped him undress, there was a definite odor coming from him. I laid him on a towel, removed the dirty diaper, and cleaned his behind. With that done I started the water in the tub and set him in it. While the tub filled, I went and got something to dress Dave in and get rid of the smelly diaper.

I took a little extra time to see if Ashley would sneak a look, and was happy to see that she didn't. I went back and bathed Dave. Finished, I dried him, diapered him and pulled the Carebear nightie over his head. He didn't look happy about it, but seemed to get over it.

We left the bathroom and I heard a giggle out of Ashley. "Okay, Ashley it's your turn."

"Do I hafta?"

"Only if you want dinner."

"Hey, that's not fair." She said, as she got up, grabbed her backpack and ran down to the bathroom.

"Fair or not, that's the rule."

"Humph," I heard as the door closed.

I heard the water start and I walked down opened the door, and stuck my head in, "And I'm going to check to make sure you took a bath."

I shut the door and went to start dinner, some mac and cheese and a salad would probably do. After a while I heard the water draining and I went and knocked on the door. "It's Sarah, can I come in."

"Yes." I heard. I slipped into the room, and looked at her.

She had wrapped a towel around her, but I could see that she had bathed, "I guess you'll pass. Hurry dinner's almost ready." Then I slipped back out.

I got Dave, and put him in the highchair, "Dave, I want to see how Ashley reacts. She might laugh. Don't worry she doesn't mean to hurt you, but if she is going to be laughing at what you do and how you dress, I don't think she should come over."

"Yeah, I think that I understand she doesn't mean to be mean, but I don't think I'd be able to handle it all of the time."

The bathroom door opened and I watched as Ashley walked past. She had put on a sleep shirt, that surprised me, and she was carrying her backpack in one hand. As she passed the kitchen I saw her look in. She stopped, and her backpack fell to the floor with a thump. She looked like she was about to laugh, but paused and grabbed her backpack and said. "I'll be right there."

Ashley came in and sat down. I sat the mac-n-cheese on the table along with a salad. Some of each on our plates and we began to eat. I hadn't given Dave a fork, only a spoon and I was wondering what he would do. He picked up the spoon and was looking at his salad. He dropped the spoon and grabbed a piece of lettuce and stuck it in his mouth. By the time we had finished he had salad dressing all over his face, and a big grin. I was smiling as I grabbed a washcloth and walked over to clean his face.

Ashley was giggling as I washed his face and hands, and by the time I had finished Dave was too. I helped him out of the highchair and we went into the living room to watch a movie. I said, "Get comfortable, I'm going to make some popcorn."

When I came back in Dave was sitting on one end of the couch and Ashley on the other. I came back and picked out a movie, The Wizard of Oz. I had decided on that by watching them skip.

The popcorn finished and I brought it out in a bowl, looking at the two of them sitting there, I grabbed the remote and sat down between them. Dave reacted quicker than Ashley. He moved over and cuddled up next to me. I glanced over at Ashley, she was looking at the popcorn when Dave reached out and grabbed some. Ashley moved over and snuggled up on my other side.

So with two little girls snuggled up next to me I hit the play button and soon we were watching, The Wizard of Oz. Ashley said she loved this movie. I told her that I was inspired by your skipping. Dave squealed and grabbed my arm when the flying monkeys showed up.

When the movie was over Dave said, "That was a great movie."

Ashley asked, "Hadn't you ever seen it before?"

"No, I hadn't seen it before. I'd heard about it, and seen bits and pieces, but never seen the whole thing."

"So what do you two want to do now?" I asked them.

Dave looked at me, "I don't know, what do girls do at times like this?"

I looked at Ashley and with a big grin on my face, "Ashley, let's show him."

Dave looked like a deer with its eyes caught in headlights when he looked at the two of us.

Sunday morning, I got the two of them up, Ashley off the air mattress in the living room and Dave out of the crib. After breakfast Ashley headed home and I got Dave cleaned up so he could home. It had been a good night.

Dave learned a bit about being a little girl and what it's like to have friends and Ashley learned about taking care of a baby, sort of. At least now she knew how to give a baby a bottle. Dave wasn't thrilled with that, but he had said he was thirsty.

Chapter 22: Dave

I got up Monday morning and went through my usual ablutions. When I went to put my pants on, I noticed that they were tighter than normal, so tight that I could barely fasten them. That was not good, now why would I be gaining weight. I thought about it for a while, and realized that with Thor out there, I was not getting any exercise.

I needed to exercise, nothing fancy just something to work off the extra calories I was eating. I'm probably eating less than I did in college, so why didn't gain weight then? It must have been all that walking around campus. No campus here, but I could walk around the trailer park. Yeah, walk around the park in wet pants. I suppose I could wear a diaper during my walks. Great just what I want to do, wear a diaper more often.

The diapers that Sarah gave me don't fit very well, but the ones they used in the hospital did. I wonder if I can get some of them. I'll go ask Judy, if she's home right now. But first, I'd better put on a diaper and different pants otherwise with my luck Thor will be waiting for me about half-way there.

I changed and walked over to Judy's, her car was there so she should be home and Ashley should be at school. I knocked on her door.

"Just a moment," I heard muffled by the closed door. Then a moment later the door opened and Judy was standing there. "Hi Dave, come on in."

"Hi Judy," I said as I walked in.

"Do you want some coffee?"

"No thanks. I ummm, were you serious when said, you'd be my 'mom'?"

"Yes, I was and so were Joe and Ashley. Why?"

"Well, I need some help."

"Have a seat. So how come you're here, and not asking Sarah? You two didn't fight again."

We sat down on her couch. "No, I just figured that you would probably be able to help me more."

"Good, so what's the problem?"

"Well, this morning I realized that I am gaining weight, my pants are getting a bit tight."

She looked at my waist, "Those look fine."

"Yeah, but we bought these to fit over a diaper."

"Oh, I suppose I can help, but I'm not a nutritionist or anything like that."

"That's not where I need the help. I figure that I can get enough exercise just by walking around the trailer park, but..."

"But you don't want do it in wet pants?"

"Right, I could get diapers from Sarah, or buy my own, but the baby diapers she has don't really fit that well."

"I see, so how can I help you?" she asked.

"Well the ones that they had at the hospital fit much better, but I don't know where they get them or what kind they are. Could you find out for me?"

"No problem, I might even be able to get some for you, until you can get your own."

"Thanks," I said.

She looked over at me staring for a moment, "You know Dave, if Thor starts following you around as you're walking it could have an added benefit."

"What's that?" I asked. Puzzled about what she was talking about.

"You will probably get used to him enough that he won't scare you anymore, unless he surprises you with his barking. But I don't think he'll do that anymore either."

"That would be great, I... well I know that he won't hurt me, but he still scares me. Do you think it'll really work?"

She leaned over and hugged me, "I'm not positive, but I'd bet on it. Are you wearing a diaper right now?"

"Yeah, I didn't want to have an accident on the way over here, and besides I figured I may as well start walking today."

"Well, since you're all set to start, I guess when I go to work I'll find out for you."

"Thank you, I had better get walking, so I can start working." We got up and walked over to the door. She gave me another little hug and patted my behind as I walked out the door.

I was walking and hadn't gotten too far, when I heard a familiar woof. I turned to look and saw Thor headed towards me. I stopped as I felt my diaper get wet, damn. Thor caught up with me and I petted him for a moment then continued on my way. I waved to my neighbors that saw me, and they waved back. I was puffing a bit when I finished, but that should go away.

When I got home, I petted Thor again and then went in. I think Thor waited until I was inside before he left, but I'm not sure. I cleaned up and started working, hoping that Judy could find out about the diapers for me.

I got up Tuesday and got ready to take my walk. I was out the door and got to Judy's house, when she called out to me, "Hey Dave, come here."

I took a detour over to her house, "What did you find out?"

"Step inside, and I'll tell and show you," she said inviting me in.

I walked in and we sat down. "So what did you find out?"

"Boy you are impatient, how about good morning, how are you?"

"I'm sorry Judy, good morning, how are you?"

"Dave, I was joking, I'm going to have to remember that you don't get sarcasm very well."

"No, I should have been more polite."

"Well, maybe. Let me tell you what I found out. First they are called Attends, but there isn't anyplace around here to buy them. One of the other nurses suggested that you check the Internet to see where you can order them. Second I swiped some for you." She grinned at the last.

"Thanks, I'll have to check on the 'net to see where I can get them. I hope they aren't hard to find."

"Well I'm glad to be of help. If you need anything else, just let us know."

"Can I pick these up on my way back; I don't want to carry them around?"

"Sure no problem. Have a nice walk."

I left and to continue my walk, and was surprised that Thor was waiting out in the street for me. I slowly walked towards him and again he woofed and wagged his tail. Again I felt my diaper getting wet and sighed, "Well come on Thor."

I finished my walk with a detour to pick up the diapers from Judy. Thor followed me the whole way. I got cleaned up and went back to work putting the final touches on my article on the BV-141.

Wednesday morning Thor was waiting for me, in front of Judy's, on Thursday and every day thereafter he was in front of my house. I wasn't really sure why he was so intent on escorting me on my morning walk, but I couldn't keep him away, not that I really wanted to.

Saturday morning, I went for my walk and about halfway through it Thor started pushing me towards someone's yard. I looked over there and there was a woman about my age sitting in her yard with a couple of babies. Thor was pretty insistent about me stopping here, so I gave in, "Hello."

She looked up at me, "Hello. You're that guy that got beat up aren't you?"

Did everyone here know that, "Yes, I am. My name is Dave Wilson." Thor woofed and slowly walked over to the babies. I watched him a moment then walked over to their mother.

"Hi, I'm Susan Parks, I see you know Thor."

I sat down on the grass near her, "Yeah, he walks around with me every morning. This morning he decided that we were going to stop here. I'm not sure why?"

"I can answer that, he loves the twins, and they love him."

I looked over and Thor was laying between them, while they clambered all over him. "I guess they do."

I sat for a while watching them, before I decided that I should get going. I got up and said, "Well I should be going."

As I started walking, Thor growled at me. I stopped and looked at him. From behind me I heard, "I guess Thor doesn't want you to leave yet."

I turned back, "I guess not, and I'm not sure what he would do if I tried to leave, so I'll wait until he's ready to leave." I sat back down.

"Can I ask you a question Dave?" she asked.

"Ummm, I guess so."

"This is kind of embarrassing, but are you wearing a diaper?"

I twisted around to see if it was showing, trying my best not to cry.

She got up and kneeled down next to me, "You are, aren't you?"

I nodded and she kept talking, "Don't worry I won't tell anyone. But why are you wearing one?"

I choked back my tears, "Thor. He scares me." I looked over and Thor was staring at us.

She held me, "Thor scares you, but I don't think he'd hurt you. I don't think he'd hurt anyone."

"I know that, but he still scares me. Heck, I even love him, but he scares me so much I wet my pants."

"So you wear a diaper so your pants aren't wet. Well that's smart."

"Yeah, but now I can't keep walking. If everyone can tell I'm wearing a diaper, I'd be way too embarrassed."

"Dave, everyone can't tell you're wearing a diaper. I could tell because I spend all my time with those two in diapers. I could probably tell if someone is wearing a diaper in my sleep. Besides no one is going to care what kind of underwear you wear."

"Thanks, I needed that."

"No problem, but I should be taking the kids in, it's a bit chilly to sit outside too long for them."

"Let me give you a hand," I said as we stepped over to where they were.

She picked up one of them and handed him to me showing me how to hold him. She grabbed the other and we carried them inside. She sat them in a playpen, and we went out to gather up the blanket and toys that were out there. "That's a whole lot easier with help," she said.

"It was nice meeting you, and I imagine that I'll be stopping by next time your outside that I'm walking."

"Bye Dave, have a nice walk."

I continued my walk, and waved to a few people. Some of the kids called Thor, but he kept walking with me. I hurried my pace a little, so Thor could go play sooner. Once I got home Thor took off like a bullet towards where the kids were playing. I shook my head and wondered why Thor insisted on escorting me.

I hurried and showered. I was getting dressed and decided that wearing a diaper would be a good idea. I was going over Joe and Judy's to watch the game with Joe. I finished dressing and headed out.

As I left, I saw Judy and Ashley pull up to Sarah's and Sarah run out to their car. All three waved, and I waved back. They drove off, and I hesitated, if I went over there now, it would just be Joe and I. I thought about and decided that because he was waiting for me, I should show up.

I finished walking over and arrived just as Bob did, "Hi Bob."

"Hi Dave, how's it going?"

"Not bad, although I have a bone to pick with you." I said as we got to the door, which opened before we could knock.

"Morning, Bob, Dave. You're right on time. Judy and Ashley have left, they're going shopping with Sarah."

I thought about them out shopping and felt a little twinge of jealousy. I'm not really sure why, but I did. We walked in, and went into the living room. It was all set for the game, chips and dips, some other munchies. "Looks good, I hope that we win, but I doubt we will."

Bob looked over at me, "Why do you think we'll lose? And what else is the problem?"

"We just don't have the team this year. I started walking around the park every morning and your dog insists upon escorting me. And today he made me stop so he could play with a couple of babies." I looked over at him accusingly, I hoped.

He was obviously trying not to laugh, "What do you want me to do about it?"

"I uh. I uh. I don't know, but when I tried to continue my walk and he wasn't ready yet. He wouldn't let me leave."

He was laughing now. I looked over at Joe, and Joe was laughing too. Bob between laughs said, "I'm sorry Dave, but the idea that Thor won't let you go for a walk by yourself. It's just funny. Think about it."

I wasn't sure what to do, they were laughing at me. I got up and was about to run out, when Joe grabbed me and pulled me next to him. He had stopped laughing, "Dave, we aren't laughing at you. At least not to be mean. Think about it, you're a grown man and someone else's dog walks you around. If it someone else, wouldn't you think it was funny?"

Bob had stopped laughing and moved down next to me, "Dave, I can't even get Thor to do what I want when you're around. You saw it last week, I told him to go play and he just stuck right with you. When it comes to you, Thor is going to do whatever he wants. I'm sorry I laughed. I didn't mean to hurt you, but it is funny."

They both hugged me and Bob and I sat back down. Joe headed into the kitchen, "I've got a pizza coming soon. Bob you want a beer. Dave how about you?"

"Ummm," I hesitated. Beer was okay, but I really couldn't drink much. Not much body mass to slow it down. I really didn't want to seem like a little kid now. They had both seen me crying and had hugged me. "I, ah..."

"How about half a beer," Joe called back and came out with three glasses of beer, two large and one small.

"Thanks," I said that glass was about the right size. I picked it up and took a sip.

Bob looked over at me, "Now don't go getting drunk on us, we don't want to have to carry you home." He tried looking serious, but started laughing.

Joe started laughing to, "Yeah, I don't know if the two of us are strong enough to carry you."

It took me a moment, and then I realized they were joking and I laughed too. All of us relaxed with that joke, and we ended up having a great time watching the game. I had the feeling that they weren't drinking as much as they normally would. I had another small glass, and then switched over to Coke.

When Judy and Ashley returned Bob and I headed out. I got home and Sarah was waiting for me. "Did you have a good time?"

Chapter 23: Sarah

When I found out that Joe had invited Dave and Bob over to watch the football game, I talked with Judy and we decided that it would be good for Dave to spend the day being a guy. We took Ashley and went shopping for a few hours Saturday. A late lunch insured that the game would be over by the time we returned home.

When we got home, I walked over to Dave's to wait for him. He walked up a few minutes later, "Did you have a good time?"

He gave me a hug, "Yeah, but it didn't start real good."

"What happened?"

He unlocked his door, "Come on in. There are a couple of things I want to show you too." We went in and sat down, and he continued, "You know I've been walking around every morning and Thor walks with me, right."

"Yes," I answered, wondering what this had to do with watching the game.

Dave told me about his problems with his walk with Thor and Joe's and Bob's reaction and laughing. Then how they made him feel better and how the rest of the time went.

I'm glad, that they solved the problems. I hadn't really wanted to come to find a devastated Dave. It was even better, because I think now Dave is beginning to understand that someone can laugh at him without being mean.

"I'm glad you had a good time, so what did you want to show me?"

"Come down to my room, and bring a chair." So I grabbed the chair I was sitting in and we walked down to his bedroom. The first thing I noticed was that he had hung a diaper stacker from the end of his bed.

"Here this is for you to take home." He pointed over to a large package of diapers. "These are the ones they used in the hospital; they fit better than the baby diapers you were using."

"Uh...Okay." I didn't know what to say, I was really surprised by this. I hoped that he wasn't wearing them all of the time.

He looked up at me, "You look like I just hit you with a baseball bat."

I shook my head, "You're not wearing these all of the time, are you?"

"No, only on my walks, or like now when I walked over to Joe's. But that leads me to the next thing I wanted to show you." He sat down at his computer and turned it on. "Pull up your chair."

I put my chair down behind him and sat down. He went through starting up his computer and getting on the Internet. He opened up a Google search window and typed in something and hit return before I could read it.

He twisted to look at me, "I found these sites when I was looking for some place to buy those." He pointed at the diapers again. He turned back to his computer and scrolled down. He mumbled something and clicked on one of the links.

With the new window opened he moved his chair over and gestured for me to get closer. I scooted up and looked at the screen. I was shocked. There were pictures of several different women wearing diapers and not much else. "I... ummm... What exactly is going on there?"

"Well, as near as I can tell, there are apparently people out there that like to wear diapers, and act like babies. Most of them seem to be men, but some are kids and some are women. But at times it can be hard tell at times. Some of the men use girls names, and a lot of them lie about there age."

He clicked through a few pages. Some of the pictures were even more shocking than the first ones. There were men, bigger than Bob or Joe, dressed like baby girls, except for the beards and hairy legs. I laughed at some of the pictures, and some of them disgusted me. "So why are you showing me this?"

"Well, I was surprised to find out that there were people out there that wear diapers for enjoyment. Although some of them wear them for medical reasons too. I really wanted to make sure that you didn't think that I was a weirdo for letting you put me in diapers." He looked like he might cry.

"Dave, I don't think you're a weirdo, neither does anyone else that knows. But that guy there, I think he might be a weirdo." I said pointing at another hairy, bearded guy in a pink dress.

"Ummm. Actually some of these people seem to be a little sick, but most of them seem to be quite normal, except for that one thing. I was really surprised at the numbers though. Some of the sites have member lists, and those run into the hundreds and thousands."

"Thousands? Come on there can't be that many." I was incredulous. He kept jumping from site to site.

"Well it's hard to tell, but these memberships are from all over the world. I found sites in Germany, England, France, Russia, Poland, Canada, all over. And they write stories." He clicked a few times and a new window popped up.

"Stories? What kind of stories?" Now I was confused, a bunch of people wearing diapers and writing novels?

"Short stories, anywhere from a page or two to ones hundreds of pages long. Most of them are pretty bad from a writing point of view. Some of them are sick and disgusting. Some are not bad and kind of happy endingish."

"You've been reading them?"

"Yeah, first to see what they were about, then to see if any of them were written well. The hard part is telling what is what, because some of them have graphic sex scenes and seem to be awfully close to pedophilia. There are a few sites that seem to stay away from those kinds of stories though."

We spent about a half-hour looking at some of the websites, and some time reading the Wikipedia article on Adult Babies/Diaper Lovers.

When we finished I got up and went home. I was looking at those diapers Dave had bought differently. I'm not sure why. We weren't doing anything sexual, and wouldn't change what we were doing if we keep doing it.

I spent the rest of the evening thinking about what Dave and I were doing, was it right? Could it harm him? Could it harm me? And most importantly could it harm Ashley? The more I thought, the more I realized that I couldn't really answer those questions myself. I needed to talk to Judy, after all it was her daughter. Fortunately I'd see her tomorrow. I ended up going to sleep with all of this running through my head.

Sunday morning I was sitting, still thinking, when I heard a Woof. I look out the window and saw Dave scratching Thor's head before he started his daily walk. Well at least he didn't seem to be terrified of Thor anymore. Although if that was true, why was still wearing the diaper on his walks. Maybe he did like wearing them. Maybe I made him like them.

I kept glancing out the window waiting for Dave to finish walk. He either was a slow walker or he was walking quite a while, because it was close to an hour before he returned. I watched as he sat on his steps and petted Thor for a few minutes before Thor took off and Dave went in. I started watching the clock, waiting until Judy got here for our weekly lunch. I know the clock didn't slow down, put it seemed to.

Finally there was a knock at my door, I opened to find Judy standing there. "Hi Judy. Let's go." I grabbed my purse and walked out to my car.

I opened my door, and looked over to see if she was getting in. I was surprised to see her standing not far from my front door staring at me. "Well, come on."

She shook her head and walked over to the car. We got in and she said, "Hi Sarah, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we've been going out to lunch almost every Sunday we've both been free for the last 10 years, and I can't ever remember you saying 'Hi let's go.' So what's wrong?"

I spent the entire drive telling her about the websites that Dave had shown me. She sat there and listened. At the restaurant, as long as the waitress was away from us, I continued telling her everything that I had been thinking about. She still just listened.

Finally when I had got to the point where I was starting to repeat myself, she interrupted me. "Sarah, I have some simple questions to ask you. First think about last weekend when you were with Dave and Ashley. Did what you were doing feel wrong?"

"Well no, we were having fun. We taught Dave how to braid hair and we painted his nails. It was a little odd, but not wrong."

"Good, because I know Ashley had fun. She didn't want to talk about anything else. Does it look like you are hurting Dave?"

"No, he almost always seems happy. Sometimes he seems a bit scared or something, but never hurt."

"That's good too, but you should find out why he's scared. Now do you feel bad when you and Dave are playing?"

"Ummm, other than when I was doing it to him and not with him, no. Although at times it seems a little odd."

"That's good too. Now comes the most important question, and I want you to think about this before you answer. What will happen to Dave if you stop?"

I started to answer, "He..." and I stopped to think about it. We finished eating before I answered. "He would be devastated. I'm not sure what he would do, but I think it could be worse than when he thought I was just using him as a toy."

"You're probably right, although you'd need to talk to Bob about what he'd do. But I'd bet that Thor would be spending a lot of time with Dave, and I don't think you'd be safe near Thor."

We got up to leave, and I waited until we were back in the car before continuing, "Come on, I don't think Thor would really hurt someone."

She turned, looked at me and said in her 'nurse' voice, "I think Thor would attack and possibly kill someone to protect Dave. And I think they'd have to kill Thor to stop him. If any of those kids that beat Dave ever come back, Thor just might attack them."

I glanced over at her and she had a serious look on her face, "You're serious."

"Yes, I am. I honestly think that Thor would do anything to protect Dave. Did he tell you what happened yesterday morning?"

"Yes, and I thought it was kind of funny. Just like Bob and Joe."

"Joe told me what happened, and Dave's reaction to them. Fortunately they quickly convinced him that they didn't mean to hurt him and that it was kind of funny that he was being walked by a dog." she was still using her 'nurse' voice.

"I watched them leave and return from their walk this morning. I don't think Dave has realized what he means to Thor yet. I wonder if Thor will ever let Dave go for a walk without him."

Her voice relaxed, "I doubt it. You know it's a good thing Thor is a young dog, because I'm not sure if Dave could handle Thor dying. In a few years he will be able to, but not right now."

"So back to my original problem, what should I do?" I asked her.

"I think that we; Dave, you, me and probably Bob, should get together to talk about it. My guess is that nothing will change though. I've got a couple more questions for you?"

"What are they?"

"I was thinking. Do you have any idea what Dave has planned for the holidays?"

I thought for a minute or two, "I really doubt he has anything planned. I know he won't be visiting his parents, I remember him mentioning a cousin, but I don't think he knows him. That would mean an aunt and uncle too. As far as I know none of his relatives even knows where he lives."

"Well I was thinking that I would invite him over for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners along with you. Hmm, maybe I'll see if Bob wants to come over also," Judy said blankly.

"That's a good idea, I'm pretty sure Bob will come over, although I think he usually works the holidays. He likes to let the people with families have those days off. But it can't hurt to ask."

"We can always eat earlier or something, Bob should at least be able to spend some of the holidays with his friends."

"That's a great idea, but your question got me thinking, I wonder if Dave ever went Trick-or-treating?" I asked somewhat absent-mindedly.

"With his parents, I doubt it, but isn't he a bit old to go Trick-or-treating?"

"Too old, yeah. Too big, no. How about if you take Ashley and have her pick out a costume for Dave. One that fits her should fit Dave. We'll have to keep Thor away, although I wonder if he would let Dave walk with Ashley."

"You know what kind of a costume Ashley will pick out, I wonder how Dave would react to a Cinderella costume."

"If you go to the costume shop, I'm almost positive that she'll get a Dorothy costume. Make sure though that she doesn't get a baby costume," I didn't think he'd be able to handle that.

We made our plans to talk with Dave and Bob on Tuesday and when we got home, Judy ran off, presumably to go shopping. I saw them drive by a few minutes later.

Chapter 24: Dave

A new week and more walking, I'm not sure if it's working yet, but I do feel better. Thor continued to follow or lead me, I'm not sure which. Tuesday morning though I was surprised, I got home and a committee was waiting for me. Bob, Judy and Sarah were all standing by my front door chatting. I slowed down, wondering what they wanted. Thor ran up to them once I got close, Bob reached down and scratched his head.

When I reached them, Sarah spoke up. "Dave the four of us need to have a talk."

"About what?" I asked, hoping that I wasn't showing as much fear as I felt.

"Probably what you're afraid of, but don't worry. We aren't going to stop unless you want to, or the rest of us agree that it is bad for you." Sarah said.

I was still afraid that I'd be stuck going back to being by myself. As I unlocked my door I said, "Okay, but I need to take a shower and change, can one of you make some coffee while I do that?"

Judy said she'd make the coffee, while Bob chased Thor off. Sarah offered to give me a hand, but I declined that. I showered, changed, and found them sitting in my living room chatting. I got a cup of coffee and joined them. We started talking, it was a strange conversation. We talked about everything that happened over the summer and how all of us felt about it. I thought I was in some sort of strange therapy session.

Once we finished that we started talking about those websites I had found. Bob and I went and brought my computer out to the living room, there was room for all of us to see the monitor there. We looked at just about every website we could find that we could find and talked about them and what we thought about them. Some took just a few moments, others we spent quite a while looking at. The last group just confused us, what exactly the 'furry' people were, had us for a loop.

We all agreed that there was nothing going on that was harming me or Sarah, but Bob did caution us about me becoming too dependent upon Sarah. Judy said she'd keep an eye out for that. So Sarah and I would keep playing and Ashley would join us every once and a while.

As we were getting ready to split up, Bob asked, "Dave are you going to be there Saturday, for the game?"

I looked at him, "Sure, I didn't know we were going to do it again?"

Judy answered that, "Joe has the next two Saturdays off, so I suppose that the two of you will be over to watch the games those weekends."

"Good, I'll see you then," Bob said as he walked to the door.

Judy spoke up again, "Bob, and you too Dave, Joe and I would love it if both of you would come over for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners."

Bob hesitated, and I jumped in before he could answer. "Sure, but only if Sarah is going to be there."

Sarah laughed, "I've eaten Thanksgiving and Christmas with them nearly every year they've lived here, starting with the first when I had them over."

Bob finally answered, "I work those days, that way others can be with their families."

Sarah exclaimed, "Ha, I was right."

Judy shot her a look, "Bob tell us when you're going to work and we'll either eat a little later or earlier or just save you a plate. But please at least stop by and see us."

Bob looked down at his feet, "Okay, I'll let you know as soon as I do, and I'll at least stop by. Bye now." He went out the door at a near run.

I caught a glimpse of his face before he got out, "I think you two embarrassed him."

"What?" they both said.

"I said I think you embarrassed him. I guess he wasn't ready to be invited to Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. That reminds me what do people do for Thanksgiving and Christmas? Wait that's kind of silly, I know what people do, not that I've ever really done it."

"You've never celebrated Christmas or Thanksgiving?" One or maybe both of them said.

"I told you how I grew up. Do you think my father would have ever done anything that would be pleasant or fun for me? I sort of celebrated Christmas the last couple of years, my roommate got a little tree that we decorated and we got each other a gift, but he went home for semester break. So I didn't do anything else. He always went home for Thanksgiving so I never did that either. Heck I never did Halloween either, my dad always kept me home from school on that day, and he never gave out candy."

They spent about thirty minutes explaining the holidays to me, I listened and wondered exactly why things had gotten the way they were. I wasn't sure about the being with family part, I certainly didn't want to be with mine, but if it meant spending time with my friends here, I would do almost anything to be with them.

Sarah and Judy left and I ate lunch and went to work. Life seemed to be going better than ever. I continued walking and noticed that I must have been losing weight, my pants were fitting better. I no longer wet my diaper when I first saw Thor, but did only when he came running up to me or if he barked at something. I had a second writing job, this one about WWI planes, but I was only doing a few articles a year for them.

Finally it was here, Halloween, the kids would be back in about an hour. I certainly didn't want to be a jerk like my father was so I was going to be probably overly generous. A knock at my door surprised me, I didn't expect any kids yet. I got up to answer it and found Judy and Sarah standing there holding a garment bag. "What's up?"

They kind of pushed their way in and Sarah said, "Well, we figured that since you never had a chance to Trick-or-Treat as a kid, we would let you this year. So..."

Judy interrupted and continued, "So Ashley and I went and got you a costume. Ashley picked it out. Now let's get you changed into your costume so you can join her when she gets home."

I stood there with my mouth open, and they grabbed me and dragged me into my bedroom. The next thing I knew I was being undressed. I suppose I should have been embarrassed, but both of them had seen me naked before, and I was still trying to get over my surprise.

"Hmmm, since you're going to be out there for quite a while, and Thor is always running around barking, I think you should wear a diaper," Sarah said as she grabbed one out of the diaper stacker I had bought.

They put a blindfold on me telling me that they wanted to surprise me by the costume. I could tell it was a dress, and I wasn't real happy with that, but what could I say. They finally took off the blindfold, after I promised to keep my eyes closed. A wig topped my head and I could tell they were putting makeup on me, which upset me too.

When they finished I was led to my bathroom where there was a full sized mirror. When I opened my eyes I was shocked, I didn't see myself, but Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz looked back at me. I couldn't help myself, I squealed and turned around to give both of them a hug. Judy said, "Don't thank us, Ashley picked out the costume."

"Yeah, but if it hadn't been for you, she couldn't have picked this out."

Sarah smiled, "I'll pass out your candy for you. You can go with Judy and wait for Ashley."

Sarah grabbed my candy, and Judy and I walked over to her house. I was surprised and embarrassed to see Joe there. He looked at me, his mouth just hanging open. Judy laughed, "Close your mouth you'll catch flies."

He closed his mouth, "I don't believe it. I mean I saw the pictures, but I would swear that you were a girl. Ashley is going to love this. First though, I think I should take some pictures. Everyone has pictures of themselves in their first Halloween costume, although usually they aren't this old."

He went to get his camera as Judy got me the basket that went with the costume. Joe came back and took a bunch of pictures of me, and Judy pulled out a photo album that had Ashley in all of her costumes. We were still looking through the album when Ashley came in, she was dressed as Hermione Granger.

She screamed, ran over, and gave me a hug, "You look great. I just knew that that was the costume for you when I saw it. Do you like my costume?"

"Yeah, you look cute."

Joe had us pose together for a couple of pictures and then took some of Ashley by herself. When he was done, Judy asked, "Do you kids want me to go with you?"

"Mom, I don't need you to walk with me."

I guess I had a bit of a stunned look on my face, because Judy said, "Sorry Dave, it's just that dressed like that you definitely look more like one of her classmates than a 22 year old man."

"Okay, I was just a little surprised, but we should be fine. After all I am an adult."

Ashley turned to me, "Ummm Dave, what should I call you? Some of my friends are going to join us."

I tensed up at that, I hadn't thought about it. "Ahhh, call me Cecelia. That's what Sarah uses." I just couldn't say Sissy in front of Joe.

I heard Judy suck in her breath. "You two go have fun."

We left and started around the park, almost immediately some of Ashley's friends joined us. They accepted me and called me Cecelia the whole time. I didn't say a lot, but paid attention to what they talked about. I did hear one whisper to Ashley asking her if I was shy. Ashley said that I was, and they stopped trying to get me to join their conversations.

There were a couple of scary points. The first was when Thor came running up, he must not have recognized me at first, and I wet my diaper. It was a good thing I was wearing it. All of the kids scratched or petted Thor, and he looked at me a long time, before he decided that he really didn't need to follow me around. Although he did keep coming back. I heard one of the other kids comment that it weird that Thor came back so often. Ashley started to giggle at that.

The second was when we got to Mrs. Parks, she recognized me, and started to say, 'Dave' before Ashley nudged her. Bob probably recognized me, but he didn't say anything. No one else said anything, and I didn't really know anyone else well enough for them to recognize me.

It was great, I had fun, but it seemed to end way too soon. When we were done, we went back to Ashley's. I don't think I made Judy real happy, because I gave Ashley most of my candy. We sorted and inspected all of the candy and Judy started making small bags of candy. I asked her, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to freeze most of this, that way she doesn't eat it too fast and it will last for quite a while. With the small bags, I can just grab one to take out of the freezer for her."

Ashley stuck her tongue out at this. I laughed at her, "What are complaining about. You're getting most of my candy too. It's almost like you went twice."

When we finished I got ready to walk home, and Joe asked me if I wanted a ride. I said no, although I probably should have said yes. I went out still dressed as Dorothy and nearly had a heart attack; Thor was sitting about ten feet from the door waiting for me. How he knew I was here I'll never know.

I must have said something, because Joe came up behind me and looked out. When he saw Thor, he started chuckling, "I guess, you have an escort home."

"I guess so," actually I felt a little better with Thor walking with me. I was almost home, when I remembered that I would have to go to Sarah's since I didn't have my keys with me. I walked up to her door and knocked. When the door opened, Thor woofed and ran off. I'll never understand that dog.

Sarah looked down at me, "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun, although now I'm even madder at my father."

"What? Why?"

I stepped in and broke down. It had just hit me, all of the fun that my father made me miss. Between sobs, I choked out my feelings. Sarah grabbed me and held me while I cried. I'm not sure how long we were there, but eventually I got control of myself.

She held me for a bit longer, "I'm sorry Dave. If I had known this would happen, I would never have suggested it."

"Why? If you hadn't then I wouldn't have had the fun that I did. It's not your fault my father is a big jerk. I'm just glad that now I get to have fun."

She hugged me again. "I... it's hard. I want you to have fun, but it seems that every time you have fun, you end up crying."

"Yeah, it does seem that way, but it's not the fun. It's the fact that I'm finding out about all of the stuff I missed growing up."

"So what do you want to do now?"

"Huh, I thought it was over?"

"Well it is for the kids, but you aren't a kid. You know if you went to one of the bars that was having a costume party, you'd probably win first prize."

I looked at her, "The last time I went to a bar, they tried to confiscate my ID, and I had to make them call the police. Then they tried to get the cops to arrest me, while I accused them of trying to steal my driver's license. It was fiasco, and the whole time my roommate was laughing. I don't go to bars."

"Well, how about a movie. There are a couple of horror film festivals on, including one with all of the original classics."

"Sure, but first I need to change."

She looked at me, "Don't you like your costume?"

"I love it, but even if I stay in it, I still need a change."

"What? Oh."

"Thor didn't recognize me, until he got close, so he ran up. That was kind of scary. And he kept coming back to see us."

"Then let's get you changed." We walked back to the nursery, and I realized that I had gotten into my costume at home.

"Uh, Sarah, did you lock my door when you left?"

"Yes, why?"

"Did you grab my keys?"

"No... Oops. So do you want to spend the night here? We can get in your place in the morning. Maybe Deputy Wildler can help. At worst we will call a locksmith."

"Not much else we can do, I guess." After getting me undressed she changed my wet diaper and grabbed a nightie.

We walked into the living room and sat down, "Ah, Sarah, I hate to be a pain, but I'm a bit hungry and you have to feed me."

"Why do I have to feed you?" She asked me laughing.

"Because you locked me out of my house. Remind me to give you one of my spare keys."

We watched a couple of movies, before Sarah put me to bed in the crib and she went to bed herself. The next day we got into my home, and I gave her a spare key, and dropped one off with Judy during my walk. Now I wouldn't be locked out again.

It was a couple of weeks later that I noticed that when I finished my walk that my diaper was still dry. I was surprised, I figured that I'd always be stuck wearing a diaper during my walks. I was so happy that I went, with Thor, down to Judy's.

I knocked on her door and when she opened the door to let me in, I exclaimed, "Judy, I kept my diaper dry during my walk!"

I heard a noise, coming from the kitchen. I looked past Judy and saw Ashley sitting at their table. She looked horrible, her eyes were red like she had been crying and her nose was all red.

"Dave that's great." Judy said, as she gave me a hug.

"What's wrong with Ashley?" I asked.

"Oh, she has a cold, and she's pretty miserable."

"Good, er not good, but I thought maybe she had been crying."

Ashley walked over, she was wearing a heavy robe, "Dabe, dat's wonderful, I'd hug you but..."

"Thanks, and I'll pass on the hug," I was a bit embarrassed. I hadn't expected that Ashley would be home, and I wouldn't have announced it so loudly if I'd known she was here. She knew that I wore diapers, but just coming out and saying it in front of her was embarrassing.

"Unless you want to get sick, you should probably head out," Judy said.

"Uh, yeah. I just wanted you to know. Bye." I said and left. It didn't feel right, but I didn't want to get sick and Judy said to go. Thor was still waiting for me. We walked back to my home, and I figured that I should tell Sarah. Sarah was happy for me, and we chatted for a while.

When I left, Thor wasn't waiting. I guess he figured I could make it home from here. I got home and took off a dry diaper for the first time. It felt great, although oddly I felt bad about wasting a diaper.

I finished up my article for the next issue, and started writing one on the Spad VII. I looked over at my bed and there it was, I couldn't believe that they used real planes on a sheet for kids bedding. I suppose it was easier than making up your own though.

Chapter 25: Sarah

Judy called me and told me that Thanksgiving would be a lunch. Bob had to be at work at 4:00. I told her that was fine, and that I would bring Dave over with me. I didn't tell her that Dave had gotten a bottle of wine. She already knew that I would be bringing the pie.

It was hectic, the holidays always are. People that are going away always let me know, and this time of the year a lot of them go to visit relatives. I'm cheating now though, I pass on which houses are empty and have Steve Wildler drive past them, when he leaves and returns from work. He doesn't mind and having the squad car cruise through makes me feel better.

I thought about asking him over for dinner, and talked to Judy about it, but she said that his family lived in town. I was glad to hear that. I hated the thought of someone spending the holidays alone.

Thanksgiving morning Dave came over and gave me a hand with the pie, at least that was what he called it. He didn't really help much, but he also didn't get in the way.

With the pie in the oven, we quickly cleaned up the kitchen. We sat around talking, while the pie cooled. I was only half paying attention to what we were talking about. What I was thinking about was what Dave's reaction to Thanksgiving was going to be. I'm fairly sure that he doesn't realize how much food there will be.

About eleven we headed over for dinner. I wasn't sure, but I didn't think that Dave was wearing a diaper. I hoped that either he was, or that he didn't have an accident, because Thor would be around. We wouldn't be outside, but Thor could easily surprise Dave.

"Dave, you know Thor might be around."

"Yeah, but I think I'm ready. During our walks, I've only been wetting about half the time now, and that's usually when something surprises Thor and he barks."

"That's great Dave, you hadn't told me."

"I hope that soon I won't even be bothered when he starts barking."

We got up to Joe and Judy's when Thor woofed to let us know he was there. I sensed Dave tense slightly and then relax. It was really remarkable, six months ago Dave couldn't move when Thor was around, now he was scratching and petting Thor like everyone else.

Ashley opened the door and ran out. She gave Dave a hug, and then carefully gave me one. I was carrying a pie and she didn't want to me to drop it. With a final scratch for Thor, we walked in. I couldn't see Dave's face, but he froze in the doorway. I was half expecting this, so I didn't run him down.

Ashley who was holding the door for us called out, "Hey, keep moving. I want to come back in too."

Dave started moving again, "Sorry, I uh... Sorry."

Judy walked up and I could see Bob and Joe getting up in the living room. "Hi Dave, you look like a deer caught in headlights."

Dave spoke up, "I, uh... I've never smelled anything so wonderful before."

I chuckled. I took a deep breath, I could smell the turkey, the sweet potatoes, the rest of the vegetables, and all the other wonderful smells of a Thanksgiving feast. "I agree with Dave, I've never smelled anything so wonderful before too."

Judy gave Dave a hug and Dave handed her the wine, "I got this to go with the dinner."

"Thank you, that was very considerate of you. Hello Sarah." She said as she put the wine in the fridge.

I set the pie in an open spot, and we walked into the living room. "Hi guys."

Every one said "Hi" and handshakes and hugs were exchanged. As we sat down Judy announced, "The turkey will be done soon, and Bob brought us a treat. Fresh baked bread."

I looked over at Bob, he appeared to be blushing. "Bob, I didn't know that you baked."

"I, ummm, only bake bread, and only a couple of times a year. I decided to bake some for this though. I hope you'll like it." Bob said, almost mumbling.

Dave was looking oddly at Bob. So was every one else, except Ashley; she was giggling. We sat around chatting until the turkey was done. Judy and Joe went to finish getting everything ready. Just after noon, we sat down to eat. When Dave saw the table, he hesitated again. I doubt that he had ever seen that much food outside of a cafeteria.

Ashley said Grace. I kept an eye on Dave, he looked a bit confused but he sat silently until she was done. I glanced around and saw that everyone had a glass of wine, Ashley and Judy's were rather small. Joe stood up, picked up his glass, "A toast. To friends and family."

Everyone took a sip, and Ashley wrinkled her nose at the taste. It was very good wine, whomever had helped Dave pick it out knew what they were doing.

When we began eating, I noticed that while he didn't take much of any one thing, he did take a little of everything. There was very little talking while we ate, except for the compliments. Everything was delicious and Bob had baked wonderful bread.

When we had finished and everyone relaxed and pushed their chairs back Dave spoke up, "That was the best meal I've ever eaten. Everything was great."

Joe and Judy blushed and both mumbled thanks. Dave probably wasn't exaggerating about this being the best meal he had ever eaten, but then again compared to what ate for years, it wasn't a fair comparison. While I couldn't say it was the best meal I'd ever eaten, I would be hard pressed to name which ones had been better.

Joe and Judy packed up the leftover food, while the rest of us moved back to the living room. We made small talk, until Joe and Judy joined us. We talked a bit and watched the football game, Ashley must have gotten bored because she got up and went to her room. When she got up, I saw Dave flinch, pause, and then get up. He followed Ashley down to her room. Joe flinched when he followed her, but said nothing.

A few minutes later, we heard laughing coming from the room. Judy walked down a little later to ask them if they wanted anything to drink. I figure that as much as she trusted Dave, having a 22 year old alone in a room with your 12 year old daughter is just a bit unnerving. When she sat down Joe looked at her, "And?"

"Their playing with Ashley's dolls," she said shaking her head.

Bob started choking on his beer and Joe looked stunned. I chuckled. Everyone looked at me. "What did you expect? Dave never had any friends to play with when he was growing up. I imagine that he still is a little behind when it comes to playing."

The four of us talked for about an hour. We had been trying to come up with what to get him for Christmas. It wasn't really easy to decide. In some ways he was very much an adult, then again right now he was playing with dolls. He also was at times very much male, but right now he was playing with dolls.

We actually agreed upon what we would do. Bob was going to get him a present suitable for someone his age. Joe and Judy were going to get him something more appropriate to their daughter, but something he could enjoy while playing with Ashley. Ashley had already asked her mom if she could give Dave some of her clothes that she either had or would outgrow over the winter. And I got to buy him anything I wanted.

We had finished and Bob would have to leave soon so Judy called down to the kids to come for pie. They came running down the hallway grinning. We cut and ate the pie.

As Bob was getting ready to leave, Judy surprised him with a plate of leftovers for dinner that night. Dave surprised him to by asking if Thor got a special dinner too. Bob hesitated and then said that he definitely had a special dinner for Thor planned. I'm not sure if he did or not, but it was obvious that he wasn't going to tell Dave that he didn't.

Ashley and Dave spent the rest of the afternoon playing in her room, while we chatted and watched football. Later that evening I decided to head home, I said bye to everyone. Dave asked if he had to go now also.

We laughed, "Dave you're an adult, you don't have to leave until Joe and Judy kick you out." I left and Dave stayed to play more.

The next month was more hectic than usual, it seemed like all I did was shop. I went with Judy; Dave; Judy and Ashley; Dave and Judy; Bob; Judy, Ashley and Dave. Bob and I even snuck into Dave's so Bob could figure out what to get him. I'm not sure how, but Joe seemed to luck out on the shopping front; I never saw him go shopping.

Dave, surprisingly, really seemed to get into the spirit of Christmas. He, with Bob's help, had strung lights all over his trailer. He had a small tree in one window. Judy even told me that he had dropped off a Christmas card and a big tin of cookies for the nurses that had treated him over the summer. Dave even told me that he sent his parents a Christmas card, complete with a picture of him in his Halloween costume.

That got me thinking, "Dave if you keep sending photos to parents aren't they going to find you?"

"No, I put Wrigley Field's address for my return address. I got the idea from the Blue's Brothers. They used it for their address in their movie. And I'm still in touch with my grandmother's lawyer. He keeps track of where they live for me."

"That's good. I wouldn't want them to show up here to bother you."

I invited Dave over Christmas Eve, that way he could get up Christmas morning and open the presents that I got him. I didn't tell him why, and I'm not even sure if he knew why.

Christmas Eve morning I went over to get Dave and to help him carry the presents he bought over to my house. He seemed to be in great spirits and it looked like he had bought lots of gifts for everyone.

Chapter 26: Dave

Sarah invited me over to her place for Christmas Eve; I guessed that she wanted me to be able to open presents Christmas Morning. She showed up that morning to help me carry the presents over to her house so we wouldn't have to come back to get them tomorrow. It took us a couple of trips to carry them all, Sarah grumbling that we would have to just take them out tomorrow.

We added my presents to the pile of her presents for us to move tomorrow, it was quite a stack. "Wow, there sure are a lot of presents here."

"Yes, but those are for tomorrow. Today is for us. So first things first, let's get you changed." She grabbed me from behind and carried me down to the nursery.

"So what do you have planned for us?" I asked.

"Well first a diaper and then we'll get you dressed. Then we get to bake Christmas cookies," she said as she was pulling off my clothes.

Naked, she lifted me up onto the changing table, powdered and diapered me. She set me down and helped me get dressed. This surprised me because usually I just wore one of my nighties around. We made a stop in the bathroom and she brushed my hair, it still wasn't quite as long as I normally wore it, but it was getting there.

We spent the morning baking cookies, half of which I spent in a wet diaper. We got every thing clean, except me. Well she washed my face and hands, but that was all. After lunch, spaghetti with a spoon, I was even messier than before. I think that she enjoyed watching me get messy while I ate.

She gave me a bath, and took me to get dressed. After a clean diaper, she told me that she had a treat for me, "Dave since tomorrow you can't get all dressy, I decided that you could today."

"What do you mean? I brought over some very nice clothes for tomorrow." I asked her.

"Yes you did, but those are boy's clothes, I'm talking about dressed up in a dress."

"I, ummm, I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything, let's just get you dressed." She turned around and pulled out a pair of white tights. Soon I was standing there in the tights; they felt a bit strange and squished my diaper. Next she pulled out a t-shirt, at least I thought it was a t-shirt. It didn't have any sleeves and was lacy, but it went on like a t-shirt.

Next she pulled what I thought was the dress over my head, but it looked too flimsy, "What's this?"

"That is a slip, girls' wear them underneath their dresses."

"Oh, what was that t-shirt thing?"

"That was a camisole."

"Boy, girls sure do have lots of underwear to wear."

She laughed a little, "Just be glad that you don't have to wear a bra too."

I felt my face get warm. I'm not sure, why but it did. "Ummm, yeah."

She opened the closet still chuckling a little, "And here is your dress."

She was holding a dark red dress, with white lace around the collar. The lace was very open and reminded me a bit of paper snowflakes. It looked very Christmassy.

Soon I was zipped into it and standing in front of the mirror. The dress came down to just below my knees, there was a wide shiny belt like thing around the waist that had a fake bow tied in back.

"One more thing, you need shoes," Sarah said.

We walked back to the living room, and Sarah showed me how to sit down while wearing the dress, and she fastened a pair of shoes on my feet. They looked a bit like the red ones that I had worn with my Dorothy dress, but these were a shiny black.

I stood up and spun around, "Dave you look very pretty, let me get my camera."

I waited while she got her camera, but as I waited I could feel my smile slipping away. I don't know why, but I was starting to feel sad. By the time Sarah came back, I just knew that I didn't look happy anymore.

"Dave, what's wrong?" Sarah asked me when she saw me.

"I don't know, I was just standing here and I started to feel sad. I guess it's because it's just me and you. There isn't anyone else to share it with."

Sarah knelt down next to me, "Dave do you really want to share what you look like with other people?"

"I'm not sure, but it seems to be such a waste to get all dressed up and not let anyone see me. Besides all I can do here now is sit."

She gave me a hug and said, "Well if you can wait for me to change we can go walk around the mall, but it's going to be crowded."

"That's better than sitting around here. Not that there's anything wrong with here," I said.

"Okay, I'll go change and you sit here and wait for me."

I went and carefully sat down, after grabbing the remote. Sarah went down to her room to change and I started flipping through channels. It had only been a couple of minutes, when there was a knock at the front door.

I froze, and Sarah yelled, "Can you get that?"

I realized that I had just volunteered to go to the mall, so answering her door shouldn't be a problem. I got up and walked over to the door. Pulling it open, I was nearly run over by Ashley. She came into the house and grabbed me in a bearhug.

"Ashley, I can't breathe," I gasped.

"Oops, sorry." She let me go and stepped back. Meanwhile Judy walked in carrying a coat in her arms.

I blushed, "Hello Judy."

"Hi Sissy, you look very pretty," she answered me.

I blushed even deeper, "Thank you, but what are you doing here?"

"Sarah called and said that you two were going to the mall, so Ashley and I decided to join you. Joe is working all day, and we were bored."

I looked over at Ashley, she had taken off her coat. She was wearing a very fancy dress also. It looked like a holiday dress, but was different from the one I was wearing. It somehow made her look a little older.

I thought about it and realized that there was no way that in the time that Sarah had been changing that Ashley could have gotten dressed that way. "You two had this planned, didn't you?"

She looked at me, "Yes, are you mad?"

"No, I... I'm glad that I get to share this with you, even if it was a set up."

"Good, although it was only kind of a setup. If you hadn't wanted to go out, Sarah would have just asked if we could come over and if you said no, then you two would have spent the afternoon alone."

"Oh, so Sarah did call you up?"

"Yes she did, and I brought you a present. This was Ashley's coat but she's outgrowing it and we got her a new coat. I doubt you have a coat that would go with that dress."

I giggled, "No I don't." I looked around for Ashley to thank her, but she was gone. Then I realized I could just hear Sarah's voice. Ashley must have gone down there.

"Let's go do something with your hair," Judy said, and led me down to the bathroom. She grabbed a brush and started to fix my hair. She made my hair more girlish looking, but it was still too short for my liking.

Ashley and Sarah came down the hallway, "Thanks for the coat Ashley."

"You're welcome," she said as she did a little curtsey.

Sarah looked at us and asked, "Are you two ready to go?"

"Yes," we both said, and we grabbed our coats. We walked out to Judy's car, waving to Deputy Wildler. He waved back. I don't think he recognized me.

We drove to the mall, and Sarah was right, it was crowded. I was getting nervous now, I didn't really like crowds. It took a while, but we found a parking spot and walked in. The crowd was bad, I grabbed Sarah's hand and held onto to it. I looked over at Judy, she had grabbed Ashley's hand. I'm not sure if she always held Ashley's hand, but it made me feel better.

We walked through the mall, looking at the Christmas displays, and all of the last minute shoppers. I was glad that I was done shopping. We were in the center court, watching the little kids riding the train and waiting in line to sit on Santa's lap. I looked kind of wistfully at Santa, wishing just a little that I could sit on his lap.

Sarah must have been paying attention to me. "The line is too long. Next year we'll make a special trip to come and see him," she whispered in my ear.

I turned and said back, "That's okay. I think I've already gotten my wish, even if I didn't know what it was before I got it."

I looked at her face and I could see that there were tears forming in her eyes. We continued around the mall ending up at the portrait studio, where I had my pictures taken over the summer.

Sarah turned, "Let's step in here."

Ashley said, "What? Why? Are we getting our pictures taken?"

Judy answered her, "Of course, how can get dressed up in your Christmas best and not have your pictures taken."

"But they're going to be busy," I said, guessing that they would be.

We walked in the man sitting at the receptionists desk greeted us, "Merry Christmas, may I help you?"

Sarah stepped up to the desk, "Yes, Sarah Johnson. I have an appointment for two girls. Portraits to be taken both separate and together."

"Yes, I have it right here. We're running a little late, it will be about 10 minutes."

"That's fine, I expected it," Sarah answered.

We took seats and looked around. They had sample portraits all around the room. I leaned over to Sarah, "How did you know to make an appointment."

"I was fairly sure that you wouldn't want to sit around, and I knew about when we'd be able to get here. So I made the appointment, if you hadn't wanted to go out I would have canceled it."

"Oh," and we sat and waited.

When we were called back, closer to fifteen minutes than ten, the photographer looked a little harried. The previous customer had been a toddler. He looked at Ashley and I, a slight look of distress on his face.

He asked who wanted to go first, and I spoke up. I figured that I would be just a little easier than Ashley since I wouldn't fidget nearly as much as Ashley. By the time he had finished with me, he had relaxed a bit; and Ashley must have taken her cue from me, because she didn't fidget much either.

The set of us together took a little longer, but the photographer seemed not to mind. It was my fault; I needed to pee badly and didn't want to go here. We finally finished and went to pick out which pictures we wanted made and what types. This took longer than taking the pictures. There were so many to choose from.

While we were deciding, I wet my diaper and let Sarah know. She asked me if I'd be okay, and I figured that I would be.

We left the mall and headed home. I gave Ashley and Judy a hug goodbye. Sarah led me back to the nursery where she, undressed me, and changed my wet diaper. We went to watch TV and enjoy each others company.

Sarah made dinner, something that wasn't messy for once. We went back to watching TV and talking. She even fed me another bottle of milk. When I started yawning she told me that I had already gotten two presents, but I had one more that I would get today.

She grabbed a present, it was wrapped in a Disney Christmas wrapping paper. I looked up at her and she said, "Rip it open."

I looked at it, and my eyes started tearing up. This was my first real Christmas present, the ones that my roommate hadn't really counted since we were just exchanging gifts and there wasn't any real feeling behind them.

Sarah scooted over and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, "It's okay Dave. Just rip the paper off."

I tore off the paper and opened the box, inside was a baby blue footed sleeper. I hugged her crying, "This feels like my first ever Christmas present. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She held me; I'm not sure for how long, but I was yawning again when she stopped. "Well, you look tired and pretty horrible, so let's get you ready for bed."

She picked me up and carried me off to the nursery. She undressed me and checked my diaper before I could tell her I was still dry. Then she dressed me in my new sleeper. I almost started crying again when she told me that was why I got to open it that night.

We went and washed my face and brushed my teeth, I felt a bit better then. Before I could I start to head back to the nursery, she had picked me up again and carried me back. She set me into the crib and wound up the mobile. The next thing I knew it was morning, and I was wet.

I sat in the crib and tried to figure out when I had wet my diaper. I hoped that I hadn't done it in my sleep. I was sitting there thinking when Sarah walked in. "Sarah, I woke up and my diaper was wet."

"Well what did you expect?"

"But I've never wet my diaper in my sleep before!"

She started laughing, and I felt the tears building up. Why was she making fun of me?

All of the sudden she stopped laughing. "Dave don't you remember?"

Sobbing a little, "Remember what?"

"Dave, right before I went to bed, you woke up when I looked in on you. You told me that you had to go pee real bad, but it was okay because you would just wet your diaper. Then you said goodnight and went right back to sleep."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, I swear that was what happened."

"Then why were you laughing?"

"Because you forgot. You looked so scared that you had wet in your sleep. I thought that you would remember, and when you didn't... I thought it was funny. But I wasn't really laughing at you."

"Kinda like when Bob and Joe laughed about Thor walking me around?"

"Just like that, we aren't making fun of you. We are just laughing at what happened. It wouldn't matter who it happened to."

"Okay, I think. I'm going to try to figure that out."

"Yes, and Merry Christmas. Do you want to see what Santa brought you?"

"Merry Christmas. There isn't any Santa."

She lifted me out of the crib, and I waddled out to the living room. Boy had I soaked the diaper. It's a good thing I didn't need to move fast. As I made my way there, I heard a little giggle behind me. I thought about it and decided that I just looked funny and she wasn't trying to hurt me. I turned around and stuck my tongue out at her.

In the living room, sitting next to the Tree, was a large box. It hadn't been there last night. I looked at the tag, it said 'To Dave and Sissy From Santa'. I looked back at Sarah, and she gave me an 'I don't know' look back.

I opened the box and inside I found two Teddy Bears; one about three feet tall and the other half that size. The big one had a tag for Sissy, the other for Dave. I looked back at Sarah, and she was trying not to laugh and doing a poor job of it.

"Okay Dave, I got them. The big one is for here, and the small one is for you to take home."

I waddled back to her and gave her a hug, "Thank you, again."

There were a couple more presents that I opened, including some earrings, another sleeper, and a PS2. "Well," she said, "it was fifty dollars off."

When I had finished, I pulled out a present for Sarah, "This is for you." I had gotten her several presents, this one was a book on the Cubs. Sarah was odd, she was one of the few people that was both a Cubs and Cards fan.

We finished with the presents for now, and she picked me up and sat me in the highchair. I was about half done being fed my breakfast, when there was a knock on the door and Ashley walked in. I opened my mouth to say Merry Christmas, and Sarah took the opportunity to stick a spoonful of oatmeal in my mouth. Sarah said Merry Christmas for us.

Ashley sat at the table, and giggled a little at Sarah feeding me. The rest of the time she chatted about all of her presents. It got to the point where I was wondering how she was breathing. When the last of the oatmeal was either in me or on me Sarah carried me into the bathroom, where she took off my sleeper and washed my face.

She told me to run off to the nursery, while she went to check on Ashley. I waddled down the hallway, hearing a giggle. I turned and saw that Ashley had sat so that she could see me. I hurried to the nursery and Sarah showed up a moment later.

She lifted me up onto the changing table and changed my diaper. I asked her why she was putting another diaper on me. Her answer was that we weren't going over until this afternoon, so we may as well have fun.

She sat me down and told me that I should go get one of my other sleepers in the living room. "But Ashley's out there, she'll see me..." I stopped, she had just seen me in a soaked diaper, so what was the difference.

I walked to the living room, and Ashley was holding my new pink sleeper. She insisted in helping me get dressed. Then had me lay across her lap, my head on the couch arm and my butt on the cushion, so she could feed me a bottle of milk. While she was feeding me the bottle, she resumed her monologue about her presents.

I showed her my bears and new earrings when I had finished. Then she pulled out a couple of games for the PS2 and we spent some time playing them. I was sitting there when I realized that I really needed to poop. I got up to go find Sarah. She told me that I knew the rules. I sighed and hid in the nursery until I had finished.

Sarah cleaned me up and I took a shower. I got dressed and went out to rejoin Ashley. She looked disappointed that I wasn't still diapered. We played some more games and talked until it was time to cart all of the presents over to her house.

Chapter 27: Judy

It was a good thing that we had made sure, that Ashley understood that if she woke us before 7:00 AM on Christmas morning she wouldn't get any presents. Because when I looked at the clock, just after a small bundle of energy had woken Joe and I, it said 7:01.

Joe looked at Ashley, "Give us another half hour sleep Pumpkin."

Ashley ran around the bed, "No Daddy, you said after seven, it's after seven. Get up. Get up. Come on."

Joe was facing me, and I could see him smiling, his eyes wide open. He started to pretend to snore and Ashley grabbed his shoulder and shook him. I poked him and swung out of bed.

As I stood up, I heard a thump. Joe had somehow pulled Ashley over him onto the bed. He asked her, "Why do want us to get up to so early?"

"Cuz it's Christmas, and there's presents. I want to open them."

I grabbed my robe and pulled it on while they continued talking, "Well if it's important, I guess I can get up."

"Yay, hurry." Ashley slipped off the bed and started down the hallway.

I looked over at Joe, he was sitting on the edge of the bed. I grabbed the camera, I had set it on the dresser the night before, and headed to the kitchen for coffee. Just as I was reaching for the pot, Joe grabbed me around the waist and gave me a hug, then a kiss. "Merry Christmas honey."

I kissed him back, "Merry Christmas. We better hurry before Ashley comes and drags us in there."

"Okay, you go get her ready and I'll get the coffee."

"I knew there was a reason why I married you. Ashley you better not have opened any presents yet."

"I haven't mommy, but I'm ready to."

I walked into the living room and Ashley was sitting on the floor, with a present in front of her. She had plugged in the Christmas tree and the TV was on, with the sound muted.

Joe walked in with the coffee and we sat down. I took a sip, set it down, and told Ashley to go ahead. She ripped open the present and let out a little scream of joy. We spent a while opening the gifts and taking pictures of each other as we did it.

When there were only a couple left Ashley slowed down. She looked over at the presents that were for Bob, Sarah and Dave. Then she looked a bit thoughtful, "Mommy can I save one to open with everyone else?"

"If you really want to, but I'm pretty sure that at least one of them has gotten you a present."

"I believe you, but I want to make sure that I have something to open with them."

Joe answered, "You can, just set it with the others. Now you go get dressed, while we get breakfast ready."

She looked down at the toys and games, hesitated and then got up and ran down to change. I looked over at Joe, "So do you want to clean up or get breakfast ready?"

He looked at the mess, "I'll clean up, and you get breakfast."

I went back into the kitchen, tore the bag open over the Danish and cut it into small slices. Getting some glasses out, along with milk and juice, and breakfast was ready. Refilling our coffee finished the process.

I put a few slices on a plate and walked out to the living room. Joe had stuffed most of the wrapping paper into a garbage bag and laid the new clothes on the couch. He grabbed a slice of pastry and took a bite.

I ate some pastry and gathered up the clothing, and carried it down to the laundry room. Ashley finished dressing and headed back to the living room, "Ashley eat some breakfast first, and drink some milk and juice."

"Yes, mom." I heard her answer.

I went and changed into some comfortable clothes, and by the time I got back into the living room, Ashley had all of her toys and games opened and the boxes in the garbage. Joe got up, gave me another quick kiss and went to change.

"Ashley, do you want to go over to Sarah's, Dave spent the night there."

"Can I?"

"I wouldn't have asked if you couldn't. Also, Sarah got a Play Station, so why don't you take a couple of games over to play."

"Okay," she said as she jumped up and got her coat. She grabbed some games, yelled bye, and ran out the door.

Joe came back after getting dressed, "Did I hear Ashley leave?"

"Yes, she went down to Sarah's. This way we can get everything ready without her 'help'."

"Come on, her 'help' isn't that bad. She, well, she doesn't get in the way too badly. Besides today will be much easier than Thanksgiving, no turkey to stuff and cook."

We spent some time getting everything prepared for dinner. Then we spent some time sharing a private Christmas 'present'. That was one good thing about Ashley being gone.

We relaxed the rest of the time, until we had to start to cook dinner. Having all of the prep work done made it simple. Bob had already said he was bringing bread, and Sarah had dropped off pies the other day. So with everything done we were ready for our guests.

Ashley pushed open the door and held it while Dave and Sarah carried in some presents. I sent Ashley to get ready, and Joe out to help Sarah and Dave. Meanwhile I began organizing the presents around the tree. There was now a large pile of presents around the tree and Bob still had to bring in his.

I took Dave and Sarah's coats. Dave's surprised me, he must have spent a long time finding it. It was a man's coat, that screamed I'm an adult, but I wouldn't have thought that they made one that small. The clothes he was wearing also said I'm an adult, and for the first time I'd seen him, he looked like an adult. It was rather surprising.

I was a little worried, I had bought Dave a bunch of presents and none of them were for an adult. I hoped that they didn't make him feel bad. I know Sarah got him a bunch of kids' type stuff, but I doubt he was dressed like this when he opened them.

Ashley, had finished changing and came back out, she got a big grin at the pile of presents. I know she saved one to open, but she didn't know that I had saved her one too. Then again there were a couple from Dave and Sarah there also. I saw a couple in there for Joe and I too.

Ashley grabbed Dave and dragged him down to show him what she had already gotten, I was a little surprised because he didn't seem to be resisting. I guess he was really interested in seeing her presents. They came back a little while later and we talked until Bob got here.

With Bob here, our little Christmas party was complete, Joe helped him bring in the presents, and some of them were rather large. I hoped he wasn't over doing it. I finished up dinner, and then we sat down to eat.

We ate in relative silence, only the clinking of silverware and an occasional murmured compliment. Ashley started with very little, until I told her that she would have to wait for everyone to finish. She sighed and added some more to her plate. While we ate, I kept an eye on Dave, it was a joy to watch him eat. The pleasure that showed in expression was unbelievable.

We finished, cleaned up the table rather quickly, and then retired to the living room. Ashley sat down next to the presents and looked up expectantly. I told her to pick one out and give it to whomever it belonged. She started passing them out and we spent the afternoon opening presents.

It was fun watching everyone open their presents, but Dave was a pure joy. He was delighted by each of them, although he blushed when he opened the dolls that he had been given.

Some of his gifts had really surprised me. Bob had gotten him, what I recognized as, a very expensive set of cookware and a promise to teach him how to cook. Sarah had gotten him some baseball game that he had had a puzzled look over until he read the back. The nurses had, once he stopped by, gotten together and bought him a pair of earrings. He turned almost a beet red when he opened his present from Ashley, permission to raid her closet. Ashley also went and grabbed her old jewelry box and gave it to him.

The presents he gave out were just as surprising, and despite the protests Bob, Joe and I accepted the invitation to a home basketball game, once we could get together on a date. The most surprising though was what he gave to Sarah.

She opened it, and found two pictures; after she looked at them, she set them down and picked up Dave and gave him a huge hug. I thought she was going to suffocate him. I was expecting to see some sort of portrait of Dave, but when I finally got a chance to see the pictures they were of two baseball teams. One I recognized as being the St. Louis Cardinals, the other I didn't recognize, and it had a big 'M' on the cap. I read the inscription on the Cards photo, 'To Sarah Our biggest fan' and all of the player's signatures. The other one though said, 'To Sarah, We hope you're our biggest fan too' and the player's signatures.

After looking at the second photo, I realized that it had actually been signed just for her. I went back to the first and realized that it too had been signed just for her, some of the players had added a 'To Sarah' along with their name. I don't know the memorabilia market, but I knew that to Sarah these were priceless.

Sarah finally put Dave down, and asked where he gotten them. He explained that his exroommate knew one of the players on the Memphis team, that explained the 'M', and he contacted, through management, the Cards who signed and sent the photo. Then, the Memphis team got together and sent their own photo.

We cleaned up the wrapping paper and moved most of the presents out to Sarah's and Bob's car, before having pie, and spending the rest of the evening together. By the end of the night, I wasn't sure who was more broken up; Dave, who had never had a Christmas before, or Bob, who had spent so many alone. I made arrangements for Dave to come over and go through Ashley's clothes tomorrow.

Finally everyone left, and we got Ashley to bed, before going to bed ourselves. It had been a long day, especially after Midnight Mass. I imagine that Ashley would probably be up early tomorrow too.

And I was right although she didn't wake us, I found her playing video games when we got up. Joe left for work, and I waited for Dave to come over. He showed up after lunch with a bit of a scowl on his face.

"Hi Judy, did you do it?" He said after he taken off his coat.

"Good afternoon Dave, did I do what?"

"When we carried in my presents, I found more presents under my tree. Did you put them there?"

"No, why would you think that I did?" I was perplexed. Someone had snuck into his house and left presents.

"Are you sure, only you and Sarah have keys to my house."

"I'm positive. Who were they from?" Ashley had heard us and walked in.

"Hi Dave," she said and gave him a hug.

He returned the hug, "Hi Ashley. Santa, they said they were from Santa."

"There isn't a Santa Claus," Ashley blurted out.

"I know that, I figured it out fairly early. I certainly wasn't getting presents and I didn't think that I was a bad boy. Therefore there was no Santa." Dave said.

'Dave must have been a pretty logical kid, to come up with that' I thought. "So maybe Sarah put them there," I suggested.

"No, I don't think so. She gave me teddy bears from Santa, and couldn't keep from laughing when I accused her. Bob denied it too," Dave looked pretty flustered.

"So what were the presents?"

"This necklace," he said, showing off a silver necklace with an 'S' dangling from it. "A reference book on aircraft that I didn't own, and a video game I didn't own. That means that whoever did it, had been in my home before."

"Well I didn't do it, and I don't think Joe did. Actually I'm almost positive he didn't, because he would have woken me up. He might have gotten Bob to put them there though." I said. "That is a pretty necklace."

"Yeah, that's the other thing. It's an 'S' that means that whomever did it knows about Sissy. I thought the only ones that knew that were Sarah, Bob, you, Joe and Ashley."

"I didn't tell anyone," Ashley abruptly said. "I figured I'd get the spanking of my life if I did."

"You're right Ashley, you would," I said, "and I doubt Joe or Bob did. I don't think Sarah would either."

"Besides," Ashley continued. "It would probably hurt your feelings, if I told someone."

"So if no one told, then who could have done it?" Dave asked.

"Ask Steve to check it out," I suggested.

Dave had a weird look on his face, "Steve?"

"Deputy Wildler." I clarified.

"Oh, I was trying to figure out how my friend would help. That's a good idea though."

"So are you ready to go raid Ashley's closet?" When he nodded. "Okay, Ashley you stay out here." She started pouting.

"She can come help," Dave said. I was about to cut in when he continued, "It's okay, I wore a diaper. I would need to make sure that the clothes fit over one, and I didn't think it would be fair if Ashley couldn't help."

"Okay, let's all go." Ashley jumped up and we went down to her room. We spent several hours going through clothes. Dave eventually left with several dresses, and other outfits. Ashley had fun picking out the clothes and telling Dave which ones she liked the most. Dave seemed to enjoy trying on all the clothes, but it might just have been that we were paying attention to him.

Before Dave left I asked him if he had plans for New Year's Eve. He said no, so I asked if he or he and Sarah would mind watching Ashley. I had to work and Joe had to work early New Year's Day. He said he would, even if Sarah couldn't.

When Joe got home, I told him that Dave and probably Sarah would watch Ashley New Year's Eve, and asked him about Dave's presents. He was as perplexed as me.

Chapter 28: Dave

When we left Joe and Judy's, Bob came with us to help carry in the presents. That was good, I didn't think I'd be able to carry the cookware he'd gotten me. I grabbed what I could in one hand and went to unlock the door. Sarah and Bob grabbed more and followed me.

I clicked on the light and walked into my living room. I saw three Christmas presents sitting under my little tree. When Bob and Sarah came in I asked them about the presents. They both denied having put them there. We brought the rest of the presents in and took Sarah's into her house.

With all of the presents where they belonged I looked at the new three. They were all addressed to me, from Santa. I glanced over at Sarah and she had a surprised look on her face. I picked up the smallest and opened it. Unwrapped there was a small jewelry box, inside it was a necklace with an 'S' pendant.

"Sarah are you sure you didn't put these here. Look at this I showed her."

She took the box and looked at the necklace, "This is a lovely necklace Dave, but I didn't put it here." Then she handed it over to Bob.

"It's very pretty Dave, but I didn't buy it either."

I opened the other two presents. One was a video game I didn't own, and the other was a book on aircraft that I also didn't own. I showed them the other presents and asked them if they had put them there. They both denied it. I wasn't sure about Bob, but based on how Sarah had reacted with the bears I figured that she didn't do it.

After giving Bob a present for Thor, I hadn't forgotten him, I went to bed wondering who had been in my home without my knowledge. I didn't sleep well at all.

The next morning I got up and went on my normal walk with Thor. I surprised him because when we got to the big open field that the kids played in, I pulled a ball out of my pocket and threw it. We played fetch for a little while before finishing the walk. Thor took off when I got home and I went in to clean up. I hadn't realized that throwing a ball for a dog to go get could be fun.

Once I cleaned up and had eaten breakfast I began unpacking my presents, I wasn't going over to Judy's until that afternoon. I had opened and washed the cookware that Bob had gotten me. As I was getting ready to put it away I compared it my 'old' stuff. I could see the difference in quality, but wondered how much difference it would make in my cooking. My old pots and pans still looked to be in good shape, so I decided that I would give them to Goodwill, there was probably someone out there that needed them.

I finished with my presents and got rid of all the garbage. Then I turned my attention to the mysterious book. The necklace and game were pretty generic, but the book, while not rare, would be easier to track. Opening it up I discovered that it was used, but had no name in it. I thumbed through it and found some writing; one number crossed off and replaced with another. The addition of a name or place. I found nothing that would identify where it came from though.

Then I went to the Internet; a check on E-bay, Amazon, and a couple of other places told me that there were plenty out there for sale, but they were not cheap. Someone had gotten me a couple of hundred dollar book. With everything else I had gotten, I felt a little bad. I hadn't spent anywhere near that much on anyone.

I ate lunch and got ready to go over to Judy's. As I was changing, I realized that I should wear a diaper. I needed to make sure that the clothes would fit over the diaper. Also, Ashley could probably help if I was wearing a diaper, but it wouldn't be appropriate for her to see me in my regular underwear. The more I thought about that, the odder I found it.

I finished dressing and headed over. There I asked Judy if she had given me the gifts, she denied it and denied that Joe did it. I'm not sure that I believed her, but there was no reason for her to lie. She did give me a suggestion though, to ask Deputy Wildler.

I tried on lots of Ashley's old clothes, with their help. I noticed that Ashley kept pushing me towards her frilliest dresses and such. I resisted most of them. I had a lot fun, even if it was trying on girl's clothes. The two of them fussed over me for several hours. It was funny six months ago, I wouldn't have believed that anyone would care that much about me. It made me feel good about myself.

When we had finished and I had a pile of clothes, Judy asked me to watch Ashley New Year's Eve. I was surprised and a little shocked that she would trust me to watch her child all night. Admittedly we would probably spend it with Sarah, but she said that even if it was just me that I could watch her.

We picked up the clothes and carried them out to my car, and I headed home. On the way I decided to see if Deputy Wildler was home. I went past the trailer I had sold him and saw his car sitting out front. I stopped and went up to his door.

He answered the door in his uniform, "Hi Dave, Merry Christmas a day late."

"Hello Deputy Wildler, Merry Christmas."

"Call me Steve, I'm not working at the moment."

"Okay, Steve. I have a problem and I was hoping that maybe you could give me some help."

"What kind of help? If I can, I'll help you."

"Well someone broke into my house and left me presents."

He started laughing, hard. "You're want me to investigate someone giving you presents."

"I, ummm... I know it sounds silly, but yes." I was laughing, though not nearly as hard as he was.

He got most of his control back, and asked me in. I went in and we sat down. I explained what had happened, when I said that the presents were from Santa. He lost it again. "Dave, you want me to check out presents from Santa?"

While he was laughing, I started looking around. He had furnished the trailer nicely. I was surprised by the number of books that he had. He had two full floor to ceiling bookshelves. I couldn't read the titles, but there were hardcover and paperbacks that looked like fiction, plus quite a few textbooks, and some oversized books.

When he stopped laughing, I went on with the story. When I finished it, I explained that I was more worried about someone breaking into my trailer than I was about them leaving presents. He got serious then, and asked me about the locks. I told him what I knew, he nodded and suggested we go look at it.

I agreed and offered him a ride. I had forgotten that my backseat was full of girl's clothes. We went and got into the car, as I was starting it, he commented about the clothes. I blushed, and tried to stammer out an excuse.

"Dave, it's okay. When I moved out here Sarah explained to me what you two were doing. That way if I saw something odd or if there was some trouble, I would already know what was going on, and could settle things down quicker."

"Oh, I uh... You don't think it's weird?"

"Yeah, I think it's a little weird, but you aren't doing anything illegal, so it's none of my business. Besides if you want to see weird, you should see some of the stuff that goes on in town."

"Yeah, I know about some of that stuff. I went to school there."

"But if you do anything to hurt Ashley, or any other child, I'll shoot you."

"Okaaaaaay, but I think that if tried to do anything to Ashley she might beat me up. So far she's knocked me down and nearly suffocated me, and that's because she was happy with me."

I pulled up and we went up to check out the door. He looked at it, and said, "It doesn't look like anyone broke in, did you see anything else out of place?"

"No and I didn't see that anything was missing. What does worry me, is that two of the presents were a reference book and a video game, both of which I previously didn't own. That means that whoever did it has been in here before."

"Huh, that would make sense. Do you know who's been in here?"

"Sarah and Judy both have keys, I changed the lock when I got the title so no one else should. Bob, you know Bob?" He nodded. "I know he's been inside and I imagine that Sarah would let him in if he needed to get in."

"Anyone else? Parents? Friends?" He was looking around.

"A lawyer knows where I live. One friend from school, but he hasn't been out here. My parents don't even know what state I live in."

"Your parents don't know where you live? Why not?" He was over looking by the tree.

"They were horrible parents, abusive and neglectful. You'd probably shoot them. So I, well the only contact I've had is sending them a couple of photos this year. I used Wrigley Field as a return address."

He kept looking around and stopped. He was staring at one of the portraits of Sissy on the wall. "Who's the little girl?"

I stared at him, "That's a copy of the picture I sent to my parents."

He spun around and looked at me, "That's you?" Then he looked at the picture and back to me.

"Yeah, the day before those kids attacked me."

"You know, you make a pretty little girl." He paused for a moment, "For some reason that sounds wrong. Hey, wait a minute, that was you Christmas Eve. Leaving with Sarah."

"It was. Ashley and I went to the mall. We got our pictures taken for Christmas."

"Did you go see Santa, too?" He said with a slightly cruel tone.

I recognized that particular tone, my father had used it a lot. I stepped over to him and stood fully upright. "You may think it's funny, but I gave up believing in Santa when I was five. That was the same age I was when I started to making my all my own meals. I was doing everything a parent should do for a child by the time I was eight, except shop. I got my first real Christmas present this year. I found out that people really do care for each other this year too. So if you're not going to help, get the hell out and don't come back."

His mouth dropped open, and he stood there still for what seemed to be a minute. The he closed his mouth, and started say something, but I cut him off. "Out, just get out."

He walked over and went out the door, I followed him over. He paused outside and turned back; I slammed the door shut and locked it.

I ran over, lay down on the couch and let out the tears that I had been holding back. A few minutes later there was a knock at my door, I ignored it. And a few seconds after the first, and again, and again. Finally they stopped and I just lay there wondering why everyone had to be mean.

I'm not sure how long I laid there, I think I fell asleep. A knock at my door caught my attention, but I ignored it just like I had the earlier one. Who ever it was knocked a couple more times, which I continued to ignore. When I heard the lock unlock, I figured it was Sarah.

The door opened and Sarah stuck her head in, "Dave, can I come in?"

I thought for a moment, "Yes, come on in." I sat up on the couch.

She walked over, "Are you okay, because you look pretty bad?"

"I'm fine," I said a bit sullenly.

She sat down next to me and put her arm around me, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," I said. Then I started talking about what had happened. I talked and talked, complaining about how people were cruel and that people didn't like me.

She sat there and listened to me. She murmured agreements and held me. When I stopped, she continued to hold me for a moment before she started to talk.

"You know, a while ago Steve knocked on my door. He looked a bit like someone had hit him in the head with a baseball bat."

My first thought was good, then I realized that was a little petty.

Sarah continued talking, "He came in and tried telling me what happened. He was probably fairly accurate about what was said, but he was completely perplexed by your reaction. I did my best to explain why what he said upset you, and I think he understands it now."

"What did you tell him?"

"Well I explained why that kind of teasing isn't something that you react well to. That took a bit of doing. Now before you say anything, I'm going to explain it to you."

She spent quite a while talking about teasing. I sat and listened, being teased was nothing new. I had been teased my whole life. What was new was that people could tease without being cruel. Sarah even pointed a couple of times that she had teased me. I hadn't recognized it, because at the time she was being so friendly.

We kept talking about nothing in particular, before she mentioned that Steve wanted to apologize. I let her know that I would take care of that. We also made arrangements for Ashley and I to come over New Years Eve.

The next morning when I went on my walk, after playing fetch with Thor, I went by Steve's, but he must have been working. I finished my walk and Thor took off to play. I worked all morning, waiting for a time to see if Steve had finished work yet.

That evening there was a knock at my door. I found Steve standing there in uniform. When I opened the door, he started to speak, but I cut him off. "Steve, before you say anything. I want to apologize. I shouldn't have yelled at you and kicked you out. I was rude; you were over here helping me and..."

"No Dave, I shouldn't have said what I did. I knew that you had had problems growing up and I shouldn't have you teased about something that almost all children get to do."

"Come on in."

We talked for a while, and he looked around some more. He wasn't going to find anything, I had cleaned fairly thoroughly. The problem with being a neat freak.

Before he left, he told me that whomever had left the presents, either had a key or used magic. I figured that it was Bob.

New Year's Eve came up and I started my day the same as every other day. It was strange, but unless I needed to go to the library or something, Holidays didn't or rather hadn't meant much to me. Until this year I had generally ignored them. Now though I had real friends to spend them with.

Just after lunch there was a knock at my door. I answered it and was puzzled to find Ashley standing there. "What are you doing here?"

"I was bored, my friends are doing stuff, but I didn't want to go and hang out with them only to have to leave later."

"Oh, uh come on in. How come you're not spending tonight with your friends?"

"I am spending it with my friends, silly."

"You know what I mean."

"They are all going to John's house, and my parents don't think I should be spending the night at a mixed sleepover. They can be so lame."

"Oh, uh, okay. Ummm have you had lunch?" I asked a little confused at her attitude towards her parents.

"Yeah, we had lunch before mom went to work. So is it okay if I stay over here 'til we go over to Sarah's?"

"Absolutely, take off your coat, set your bag down and I'll give you the fifty cent tour."

She did so, and I gave her the tour. She giggled when she saw my bedroom. I had put the Power Puff Girls sheets back on while I washed the airplane ones, a fairly large teddy bear sat on the bed, and there was a diaper stacker hanging there. I guess it did look a little silly for a grown man.

She walked over to the bear and looked at him, "So what's his name?"

"His name?"

"Yeah, you always have to name your teddy bear."

"Oh, I hadn't realized that," I said and then thought for a minute. "His name is Ernie."

"Ernie?"

"Yes, Ernie 'cuz he isn't a bear, he's a cub."

She looked over at me, "I don't get it."

"Ernie, after Ernie Banks, Mr. Cub. The Chicago Cubs greatest player and fan. The bear, he's over at Sarah's is Walter, after Walter Payton, the Chicago Bears greatest player."

"Oh." That was all she said.

I showed her my computer and the article I was working on, she made some yeah that's nice comments. I noticed that she looked at my diapers several times. I wondered if she would say anything.

"So what do you want to do?" I asked her.

She challenged me to a video game and we played them for a couple of hours. The whole time she was chattering about nothing and everything. I paid close attention to what she was talking about, and even asked her some questions about the newest 'Boyband' that was popular.

After getting trounced for the second time, I was paying too much attention to her talking and not enough to the game, I suggested a break.

We got something to drink and continued talking. She finally brought up what I was expecting, "Dave, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"What's it like to wear a diaper?"

"Hmmm, it's like other underwear, except thicker and noisier. Why?"

"I was just wondering," she wasn't looking at me and might have been blushing a little.

We watched TV for a little while before Ashley said something. "Dave, do you think I could wear a diaper?"

I had been expecting this, I wasn't sure why, but I was and I already had decided upon what to answer. "Sure Ashley," her face lit up a little until I finished. "All you have to do is ask your mom to get you some."

"What, why did you say that?"

"Because, I'm not your parent and I can't make that decision. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to let you wear them any more than I could let you wear a bikini or get you any kind of underwear. If you really want to wear a diaper ask your mom."

"But..."

"But you didn't want your mom or dad to know. That in itself is enough reason for me to say no. Ashley, if you think about it you'll agree with me. I know that you just were kind of hoping that I would say yes without thinking about it, but if I did let you and your parents found out. I would probably never be able to see you anymore."

"Yeah, I was just wondering. I guess I'll just keep wondering."

She was sitting there moping a bit, so I decided to cheer her up, or so I thought. I started tickling her. She didn't react quite as I expected, since she began tickling me back. I discovered two things; one she is stronger than me, and two I am much more ticklish than her.

I did cheer her up though, just not in the way I had hoped too. We finally stopped and recovered from laughing. Checking the time we agreed to head over to Sarah's.

We grabbed our coats and bags, I locked up and we walked over. Sarah let us in and Ashley jumped into her arms for a hug, even before she had taken off her coat. Sarah grabbed her and lifted her up into the air. Ashley must have said something to Sarah, because as soon as she put Ashley down she grabbed me and carried me off to the nursery.

"Hey what's going on?"

"Ashley told me that you told her that you've been waiting for this all day."

"Ashley fibbed," I told her.

"Hmmm, I'll have to decide what to do about that. But since I've been waiting all day too, you're out of luck."

I sighed as she quickly stripped me and lifted me up to the changing table. She powdered me, and placed a diaper under my bottom. As she pulled it up between my legs I started to get into it a bit and gurgled a little. Sarah smiled as she taped up the diaper.

She set me down and pulled a pink T-shirt over my head. It seemed a little long until she pulled the tail through and snapped it to the front. I was wearing a pink onesie. I looked down and could see that while it covered the top of my diaper; my diaper peeked out everywhere else. For some reason this made me feel even more like a baby than just wearing the diaper and a regular T-shirt.

She picked me up and carried me into the kitchen where she placed me into the high chair. As she fastened a bib around my neck, Ashley walked in. The very beginnings of a giggle slipped out before she stopped herself. We sat down to a small meal of chicken nuggets and french fries.

Thanks to dinner being finger food, I managed not to make a mess. After cleaning up we went to the living room. Sarah brought in a plate with veggies and dip, and we had chips, so we were set for a while. Once we were settled in, they decided that I should have my nails painted. So I sat there and chatted while all my nails were painted a pale pink. When mine were done Ashley had hers painted.

When all of the nails were dry, Ashley and Sarah began to braid my hair. It had grown out just enough for them to braid, but there wasn't much of a tail hanging back. Then I tried to braid Ashley's hair, it took a couple of tries but I finally got it done.

We turned on the New Year's coverage, and Ashley began to talk about some of performers. I recognized some of the names from the radio, but Ashley seemed to know everything about them. When some of the older performers played, Sarah talked about them like Ashley had about the younger ones.

We spent the night watching TV, playing games, and munching on snacks. Ashley and Sarah both seemed to be pushing the chips and pretzels at me, which made me thirsty. Every time I said I was thirsty, one of them would get me a bottle of juice or something to drink. It also made me wet my diaper more often, Sarah changed me several times that night.

Sarah and I managed to keep Ashley up 'til midnight, then we all went to our various beds. Ashley got the air mattress in the living room; I had, what I began to think of as, my crib; and Sarah had her own bed. I fell asleep quickly, but woke up needing to go to the bathroom. I wet my diaper and went back to sleep.

When I woke up, my diaper was dry, but that didn't last long. Sarah must have come in and changed me without waking me. I was surprised at that, I didn't think I would be able to sleep through that. Sarah got me out of the crib and changed me into a clean diaper. She told me to stay quiet because Ashley was still asleep.

We sat and talked while Ashley slept. I asked and she confirmed that she had changed my wet diaper about an hour ago. She also asked me about my plans for the new year.

I told her that I didn't have any plans. I was just going to keep going on with what I did; working, going on my walks, playing with her and Ashley, watching games with Joe and Bob. And reacting to whatever else happened.

She gave me a look, that said she was planning something. I resigned myself to go along with whatever it would turn out to be. While we were sitting there; there came a barking from outside. Since I was only wearing a diaper, Sarah went and looked. She started laughing and yelled for Thor.

When he didn't come right away and didn't stop barking, I stuck my head out the door and called him, he came right over. While I was looking out the door, something swatted the back of my diaper. I turned and a grinning Ashley stood there. I was about to say something to her, but her grin opened up into a big yawn. While she was yawning, I poked her in her side and she jumped.

Sarah looked at her and told her to go eat breakfast. Thor came in then and I tried to explain that I wasn't going for a walk today. He seemed a little confused, so I sat down next him and petted him for a while. He eventually licked my face and nosed the door. I opened it and he ran off.

I turned to Sarah, "How does Thor get out all of the time?"

"Bob rebuilt part of his trailer, Thor has a big room that has a doggy door to the outside, and a regular door to the inside. Bob keeps that door locked and Thor can come and go as he likes. It's heated and cooled so it's like Thor is inside. Overall it works out pretty well."

"Wow that seems like it would be a lot of work to build."

"Bob took his time building it over the summer one year, besides he figures Thor is worth it," she answered.

"I do too."

"Me too," came from the kitchen.

Ashley went and got dressed, and so did I, we spent the rest of the morning playing and watching the parades. Judy showed up eventually, she had had a long night. Shortly after lunch Ashley started to yawn and the two of them left. When they did Sarah got up and went into the kitchen. I heard the microwave going. I couldn't smell anything, but shortly after it dinged, Sarah returned with a bottle.

She sat me on her lap and fed me the bottle. I don't think I finished it, because at some point I fell asleep.

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.

Chapter 31: Sarah

It had been a couple of weeks since Bob had asked all of us to keep an eye on Dave, and I hadn't seen him since except in passing. The first weekend he was working, and then last weekend he said he had to go talk to one of his old professors. I guess that's good, it means that he spent all of that time as Dave, not Sissy.

Today, I was babysitting, real babies too. Mrs. Parks had set up several appointments she needed for one day and I had agreed to watch her twins while she was doing them. She dropped them off and after a tearful departure I set about entertaining them. Everything was fine, until Mrs. Simmons called, her mother had been in a car accident and she wanted to know if I could watch her daughter.

I hesitated, but agreed, then I called Dave for backup. He said he wasn't busy and would be over in few minutes. That would be a great help, watching two was okay. Three was more than I wanted to handle by myself. Dave arrived just as Mrs. Simmons was leaving.

Dave asked, "What was her hurry?"

"Her mother was in a car accident."

"Oh. Where are the twins? I haven't seen them in months."

I laughed and sent him into the living room. Something was odd, but little Becky started to cry, so I put it out of my mind. Once I had her calmed down I looked in on the three of them and Dave was suitably entertaining them.

I kept an eye on Becky which was easy enough at her age, while Dave watched the twins. Finally Dave called for me, and I walked down to where they were and realized why he called for me. "So what do you need?"

"This, one," he said pointing at one of the twins, "is in need of a clean diaper. I didn't check the other though."

"So why didn't you bring him down to me?"

"Picking up and carrying one of them while they are asleep is one thing. Picking one up while he is squirming around, is more than I want to try."

I grabbed the one with a dirty diaper and asked if he was Jacob. He nodded and I carried him off. I changed him and returned to where Dave and Jason were.

Dave looked up at me, "Here I'll trade you one dirty baby for one clean baby."

I sighed and we swapped. With both of them clean, Dave continued playing with them. It was their naptime by the time Mrs. Simmons returned. Dave answered the door.

"Hello Mrs. Simmons," I heard Dave say when he let her in.

"Hello honey, is Sarah watching you too?" I could almost see Dave rolling his eyes at that.

"No, she asked me to come over to give her a hand."

"Well that was certainly nice of you sweety, but shouldn't you be at school."

I was changing Becky's diaper and hoped to finish, before Dave got too upset. I hurried through the change and was just finished as I heard Dave say. "No, I'm older than I look."

"You can't have finished school already. You're what twelve, thirteen years old?"

I was coming down the hallway and called out before Dave could answer, "You haven't met Dave yet have you Barb?"

Her head swiveled from turning towards me to turning back to Dave. There was a pause, before she said, "I'm so sorry Dave. It's just that you look so much like a little girl. That I just assumed that... I'm sorry. It's nice to meet you."

Dave reached out to shake her hand and said. "It's nice to meet you too. Don't worry about that, it happens all of the time. I, ah, hope that your mother is okay."

I noticed that he said that last phrase a bit like he didn't know what he was saying. I wondered about that for a moment, before Barb spoke up, "She's fine. She was just shaken up. The doctors said she would be all right, she just needed to rest a bit. I took her home. There's my little girl."

I handed her Becky as she reached out for her. Becky gurgled a little and reached out for her mother. I looked over at Dave, he had went and sat down on the couch, and was looking a little depressed.

I helped her get Becky ready to go out in the cold, then said bye as she headed home. Then I turned to Dave, he was slumped on the couch. I went and sat next to him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He turned towards me, I could see his eyes glistening with tears. "No. I just wish..."

"What? What do you wish?"

"I wish that once, I could meet someone and have them realize that I am an adult. Oh well."

I put my hand on his back and rubbed it. I realized that was much more of a way that you would comfort a child than an adult, but I couldn't really figure out a way to stop. Finally he just lay down, I'm going to take a nap, wake me when the twins get up."

I patted him on the back one last time, and went to do some paperwork. I didn't get much done, I sat there thinking about Dave. I had no idea of how to get people to see him as an adult. Physically he looked like a preteen kid, and I doubt he'll ever be able to grow a mustache or beard.

I'm not sure how long I sat there, but eventually I heard one of the twins stirring. I went and woke up Dave first and then checked on Jacob and Jason. Their diapers were wet so I changed them and then led them back to Dave. He looked a bit happier with the twins, but I could still see he was a little upset.

Dave helped me feed them and even change them. By the time that Mrs. Parks returned to pick them up, Dave seemed back to normal. Again Dave answered the door, but this time the conversation went a little different.

"Hi Dave, what are you doing here?"

"Hi, I came over to help Sarah. Is everything okay?" That last part again sounded a bit wrong.

"Everything is fine. How were the boys?"

"They were fine. I played with them, so Sarah didn't have to watch them."

I walked up just then, with the twins toddling along behind me. They sped past me screaming 'Mommy.' I let them by and Susan knelt down and hugged them. "So why did you need help, are they getting to be too much for you?"

"No, I just had another one to watch. An emergency. So I called Dave for a little help." I reached over and patted him on the shoulder. "I just finished changing them into clean diapers, so they should be fine for a while."

Between the three of us, we got the twins bundled up and I helped her carry them out to her car. With them buckled into their car seats she said she wanted to thank Dave. I shrugged and we walked back to my door.

Dave was standing by the door, when she gave him a hug and patted his behind. "I think you've got one more diaper to change." She looked right at Dave and said, "I told you that I could spot someone in a diaper in my sleep."

Dave blushed, and she went back to her car. Dave and I went back into my house and I picked him up. "You should have said something, you'll get a rash."

He blushed even deeper and mumbled, "I thought it would be kind of funny. Then I didn't want to bother you."

"Don't worry about it." I set him down, took off his shoes and pulled off his pants. His diaper was soaked. I put him on the changing table and changed him into a clean diaper.

With him all clean and fresh, I carried him out into the living room. "Dave, we need to talk."

He looked up at me, "About what?" He seemed to be near tears.

"A couple things. First, when you asked Mrs. Simmons about her mother you sounded a little strange."

"I didn't say anything wrong, did I?" He exclaimed, sounding a bit distressed.

"No, but you sounded odd. Did you really mean what you said?"

He looked down at his feet and started dragging one foot in a circle. "Not really, I don't know her mother. And, well it doesn't really affect me. But isn't that what people say to each other?"

"Yes it is, but usually they mean it when they say it. Why did you say it?"

"Well, you said her mother had been in an accident, so I figured that I should at least look like I cared about what had happened. Did I do something wrong?" Again he looked like he was going to cry.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. You did something right, but have you ever asked anyone that before?"

"Once or twice, but it always felt kind of wrong." His looked back up at me. "I don't know why it feels that way though?"

"That I think I can help you with. I think that it feels wrong because in a way you are lying. It's not a bad lie, actually a lot of people lie that way. People express sympathy they don't really mean. They don't want bad things to happen, they just don't really care either."

We continued talking about why people express sympathy they don't mean, and why they lie. What kind of lies are considered okay, and what kind are wrong. I found out that Dave had lied quite a bit as a child, but it had been a defense mechanism. His father would hit him if he thought he was being a wimp, so Dave lied about running from bullies, being beaten up, or other things like that. That nearly brought me to tears.

Finally I got around to the second thing I wanted to talk to Dave about. "Dave, I wish I could help you look more like an adult. Maybe if you had a man's haircut."

He started laughing at that. "I tried that once. It was right when I started school. All women did was ask me why a pretty little girl like me had a boys haircut. I'll never be accepted right off as an adult. I'm used to it."

"Are you sure? You didn't look too happy about it this morning."

"I'll never be happy about it, but I am resigned to it. Just do one thing for me." He looked back up at me with his eyes wide.

"What Dave?"

"Be there to hug me when it gets to be too much." He had a look on his face that made me think that he would be broken if I said no, not that I was going to.

"Dave, I'll always be here to hug you, or to give you a shoulder to cry on. That's one of things I promised when I said I'd be your 'mommy.' But you can always ask Bob, or Joe, or Judy, or even Ashley. Probably Mrs. Parks too. The nurses at the hospital, even Steve Wildler. I think any of them would be willing to give you the support you need."

"Yeah, I guess they would." He paused for a moment. "Steve, that reminds me, I've got to get him back."

"What? Did he do something else to you?"

"No, er yes. I mean sort of. He was the one that left me those presents for Christmas. The game was from a bunch of the Sheriffs Deputies, sort of an apology for pulling me over all of the time. But he must of gotten me the book and the necklace."

"How did you figure this out?"

"One of them pulled me over the other day, and asked me if I liked the game. I asked him what he was talking about and he explained it. I told him what happened from my perspective minus the necklace and argument. He laughed a bit, then said he would take it up with Steve. I told him not to, that I would deal with it myself. Now I just need to figure out what to do."

I was laughing, I would never have thought that Steve would have done that, but I had an idea, or at least some information for Dave. "His birthday is coming up. You could get him something."

"Yeah, but I need to get it into his house. He didn't give you an emergency key or anything did he?"

Steve had given me an emergency key, most of the people here did. Some of them stopped by once a week to use them too. "Yes, I have one. I probably shouldn't let you use it, but I think that Steve needs to be humbled a little. Any idea of what you're going to get him?"

"No, not yet, I've only had a moment to think about it, but I'll come up with something. I really need to go though. One of my ex-professors wants me to proof a textbook for him. I'm doing it twice. Once just proofing what he wrote and once rewriting it so it makes more sense. I'll give him both copies and he can choose."

He got up, put his coat on and gave me one last hug, then he was out the door.

Chapter 32: Dave

It had been a few days since I helped Sarah baby sit, and I was still trying to come up with something to get Steve. I didn't know him very well, and I really had no idea what he liked. I knew he had a lot of books, but not what kind. He enjoyed sports, but wasn't a fanatic.

Watching the History Channel one night, there was a commercial for Teddy Bears. Teddy Bears in costumes. I made a little mental note, and when the show ended I went on a web search. It took a while, there were quite a few sites out there sold Teddy Bears. I never found exactly what I was looking for, but there was a couple that took specialty orders. A few e-mails and now to wait for answers. I looked up at the clock and saw that it was late and Thor would be here bright and early.

I woke to the sound of rain pouring on my roof. Looking out the window I saw that not only was it raining, but sleeting and there was ice everywhere. I definitely wasn't walking anywhere today.

I continued to lay in my bed thinking that Thor was smart enough to realize that I wasn't going for a walk, when I heard a distinctive bark. I shook my head and ran down to my door. Pulling it open I saw a soaking wet Thor standing in the rain. "Thor stay."

I shut the door and ran to get a couple of towels. I pulled the door back open and called Thor into my house. I covered him with the towel and herded him into the bathtub so I could dry him off. The whole time I was talking to him and asking why he was out in the rain. Oddly enough he didn't answer.

Once he was dry or at least mostly dry, I called Bob and got no answer. Great it looks like I have a house guest, at least he doesn't scare me anymore. He kept going up to the door, like he wanted to leave and I kept telling him that he wasn't going back out into the rain.

Eventually he gave up and wandered all over my house, finally stopping and resting at my feet. I worked for a while, taking time out to pet him occasionally. It was a bit distracting having him there. I gave up working and cleared out a space to play with Thor. We wrestled and played tug of war with some old socks of mine. I lost.

Later that afternoon I got a call from Bob, "Dave have you seen my dog?"

"Can you describe him?" I was in a good mood after playing with Thor all day.

"Come on Dave, I'm cold, wet, and not really in the mood. And I don't really want to wander around looking for him."

"Sorry, he's over here and has been all day. He showed up in the pouring rain wanting to go for a walk. I got him inside and kept him all day. He's warm and dry. Do you want to come and get him, or should I just let him out?"

"I'll come and get him. If you let him loose he's likely to get here soaked. I'm going to shower then I'll come over."

"Okay. I've got some leftover spaghetti, if you're hungry?"

"Um, that would be great. See you soon."

I hung up and started getting things ready for dinner. I pulled out some garlic bread, the spaghetti, and some corn. I began heating it all up, hoping that Bob didn't take too long. Thor looked up at me as I moved around the kitchen. With everything already prepared it didn't take long, and then I was just waiting for Bob.

He showed up about twenty minutes later, with food for Thor. He still looked a little harried. "Hey, you sure you’re okay?" I asked once he was inside.

"I'm fine, it was just my day to walk the parking lots, and it was either raining or drizzling all day. I'm just tired. Thanks for dinner, I wasn't really up to cooking tonight."

"It's no problem. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be eating canned ravioli."

He laughed and we sat down to eat. I told him about Steve giving me the Santa presents, and my plans to repay him. He liked my idea of a Cop Bear and a Robber Bear. After we'd cleaned up the kitchen, we turned on ESPN and began talking sports. Just pro and college basketball going on now, with the hockey lock out.

When the commercial for the Teddy Bears came on, that reminded me of the e-mails I had sent out. We went down to check for replies. A couple had come back, but one place wanted over four times the price of their regular bears. I liked Steve, but not that much. I still had a few more places that hadn't responded yet though.

Bob took Thor home and I finally got some work done.

By the end of the week I had responses from all of the companies and ordered the two bears I wanted. It cost more than I had hoped for, but less than some of them wanted. The other company's just didn't seem reputable enough. I was hoping that they delivered them before his birthday.

Time began passing quickly, I was writing articles, trying to proofread the textbook for my former Professor, and still tutor Ashley. I spent more time tutoring Ashley at Sarah's that way Sarah got to see both of us and we got to play a little.

I found out that Steve would be not be working the day of his Birthday, but his parents were throwing him a party. I found that kind of curious, what did adults do at a Birthday Party. At least that would let me put the presents in his house while he was gone.

The bears arrived a few days before his Birthday and they looked great. On his Birthday, I kept an eye out for him to leave. After he did, I waited a while to see if he returned, when he hadn't I got his key from Sarah and put the bears on his couch. In the robber bears arms I put a card signed from 'Your Fairy Godparents.' It took me a while to decide how to sign it. There is no Santa for Birthdays.

As I was leaving his house I stopped to look at his collection of books. Something struck me as being odd. Besides the popular fiction, textbooks, westerns, and a collection of books on muscle cars, there were also a few old books on aircraft. That explained why he had included it, but I wondered where he gotten them.

I locked up and returned the key to Sarah, she wanted to know what I had gotten for him. I wouldn't tell her. That way if he asked she would be surprised. My covert gift giving over, I returned to my proofreading. English was definitely not this Professors first language. Math maybe, but not English.

The next several days were spent in nervous anticipation. Steve had to know who left the bears, he is a cop. He finally showed up the morning that we were supposed to go see the basketball game. "Hey Dave, I need to talk to you."

"You're still going to the game tonight aren't you?"

"Yeah, today's my day off. There's something else."

"Oh, what would that be?" I tried to say nonchalantly, I don't think I succeeded.

"It seems that someone got into my house and left two teddy bears for me." He stood over me a bit ominously.

I shrunk back a bit, "Ummm, why would someone do that?"

He looked down at me, and visibly relaxed and shrunk a little. "It was my Birthday, and apparently my 'Fairy Godparents' left them for me."

"Damn, I wish I had 'Fairy Godparents.' Are yours anything like Wanda and Cosmo?" I tried to keep a straight face, but I started laughing.

Steve also started to laugh, "So, why did you get me the bears?"

I settled down and we sat down, he was very relaxed and no longer threatening. I explained that it was a bit of payback, a bit of an apology, and just to be friendly. I asked him why he had never told me that he got me the Christmas presents.

His face reddened and he explained that he was about to before I threw him out and after that it would have seemed like he was sucking up or something. We spent a couple hours of talking, about a whole lot of nothing.

That evening the seven of us went out to dinner before the game. I had dressed as masculine as possible and made sure that I wasn't wearing earrings or my necklace. The hostess still thought that I was Ashley's sister. Steve almost burst out laughing, his sudden jerk made me think that someone elbowed him. Ashley reached over and gave me a squeeze and affirmed her query. I sighed, and settled in for the meal.

After dinner Sarah and Ashley went back to her house, and the remaining five of us went to the game. We met up with my friend Steve, he had gotten the tickets and we were sitting with him. I made introductions and he commented on the differences in me. I explained that my friends had a lot to do with it. He looked at them, and at me then said that they had done a good job.

We went in and watched the game, it was great. We won again. After the game, my friend asked us to join him in celebrating the victory, we declined. For the most part we had to be at work in the morning and he didn't. As I walked ahead with Judy, I turned to ask Bob a question. He, Joe, and both Steves had dropped back and were talking. I wondered what it was about, but figured that someone would tell me if I needed to know.

Outside when we split up, I shook my friends hand, probably more aggressively than I ever had, and he reached over and tousled my hair, something that used to annoy me. As I turned to leave, he grabbed me and told me that he was glad that I was better. He tried to help me, but had no idea how to.

I grabbed his shoulder and looked at him straight in the eye and told him that I knew that and he had helped. I also told him to give me a call sometime.

Chapter 33: Steve

I turned and watched them leave. The woman was holding his hand like he was a child. That was weird, because while he had been in school the one thing that he had always objected to was being treated as a child. Something else had changed besides that, he was much more outgoing, and happy. Much different from the person I had met four and half years ago.

Then I thought that he was a kid. I even tried to get a different roommate at first, but by the time we were allowed to change I realized that there was no reason to change. He was quiet and didn't bother me at all, hell half the time I didn't even realize he was there.

I shook my head to clear the memory out and looked up just to see Dave make some sort of gesture to the big guy that he had come with. I couldn't believe that, even the last time I saw him he was still afraid of any one bigger than him. I shook my head and went off to my bike, there were celebrations to attend and I needed a beer.

Over the next week or so, I kept thinking about Dave. I meant to call him, but would put it off. The memories though kept coming back. For the first few weeks of college, all he did was go to class, the library, and to eat. The rest of the time he was in the dorm room. Finally when we had an away game I dragged him down to common room to watch the game.

He sat quietly through most of the game, although I heard him mutter a few things about what was going on. After the game, I went back to the room with him and asked what he thought of the game. His reply surprised me, he analyzed the game almost as well as the ESPN crew had. I asked him why he hadn't said anything during the game. He mumbled an answer I barely heard.

I looked at him, and went back to watch the next game. I figured then that I needed to get him more involved with stuff. I got him a ticket to the next home game, I told him it was extra. By the end of the season he was talking to everyone about the games, but only if someone asked.

I even remembered the day that he had come in looking stunned. He explained that he had met with some administrators, professors and the Dean, and they wanted him to change Majors. They had even created a curriculum just for him.

I didn't tell Dave, but I went and saw his advisor. I knew that if his advisor had told him to take up Women's Studies he would have. I was surprised that I got to talk to him, and that he spent some talking to me about Dave. He hadn't realized that Dave was as submissive as he was, and he was surprised that I had taken the time out for my roommate. Dave had a second meeting with his advisor, and came back much happier from it.

I kept dragging Dave to places all four years of school. There were a few times that it didn't work. I tried to introduce him to some of the athletes I knew, but for the most part they were just too large. He was terrified of big men and the athletes were all big men. He did like going to the games and I think we saw at least one of every sport that had fan attendance.

The bar was funnier, by that time he was a bit more assertive and with me to back him up. He made the bouncer call for a cop, so he could get his license back. We didn't try any more bars after that.

By the time graduation was here, he already had a job, and would talk to people with out being prompted, but something was still wrong. He was still terrified of big men, and dogs. I had spent four years trying to help him, but he never talked about himself much. I knew that he had had a terrible time growing up, and that his parents were abusive, and someone had terrorized him with a big dog, but I didn't know where he was from or anything else like that. That made me wonder how these people had gotten him to open up.

I finally had some free time, and remembered to call Dave. He invited me right out. I got directions and rode on out. There I got the shock of my life, Dave was out in front of his home playing with a huge dog. When I stopped in front of his house the dog moved to get between Dave and I. He said something, but I couldn't hear it with my helmet on.

I started walking towards Dave and the dog moved up to me. I held out my hand and knelt down, the dog sniffed it and Dave said, "It's ok Thor, go play." The dog looked back at Dave and then ran off.

I walked up to Dave and he grabbed my hand, "I'm glad you could come out and see me."

"No problem, but when did you get over your fear of dogs, and get one?"

"Hmmmph, Thor isn't mine, and I'm not really sure that I'm over that fear," Dave said as we walked in.

"Well you weren't quaking in fear of him." I said as I looked closely at him. He was different. He wasn't nervous around me and even after four years there was always a bit of nervousness together.

"Ummm, yeah. Well that's one dog that I will not be afraid of, ever, but that's a long story. You want a beer or something?"

"How about a Coke, I'm riding. So you want to tell me what's been going on?" He tossed me a Coke and started to tell me a story. I listened as he talked. I noticed that while he was telling me a lot, he wasn't telling me the whole truth. I'm not sure what he left out, but it did seem to be important.

After his story, he gave a tour of his home. I started laughing when I saw his bedroom. I choked it back quickly and looked at him. He was blushing, but he didn't have the reaction I expected. I figured that he would have run out of the room.

"The furniture came with the place, and it's big enough for me. Hey let me introduce you to my landlady, she's the one that you got the pictures for."

We went next door to meet his landlady, she was really hot for an older lady. She showed me the pictures on her wall, and thanked me for getting them. It was a little embarrassing. I noticed that Dave was nervous, and I couldn't figure out why. His landlady was the sort of person that everyone liked, so that wouldn't have been why.

When we got around to talking about Dave, she seemed to be hiding something too. I knew now that something was up, and I wanted to find out what it was.

Dave and I went out for dinner, he even paid because I am a 'starving' Grad student. He joked about it, but I let him pay. He seemed to be happy about that. We spent dinner talking sports, mostly college basketball and the chances we had for a championship. We agreed that we had a good shot, but in the Tournament it took a bit of luck to make it all of the way.

We left and agreed to stay in touch. As I rode off, I was trying to figure out a way to find out what was going on. I didn't think his friends would tell me, and I was pretty sure that no one else knew.

Chapter 34: Dave

It had been good to spend some time with Steve, and I hoped that he would come by again. He was curious about what had changed me. I tried to skirt around the issue and so had Sarah. Now I just hoped that he would drop it.

The next few month's passed and the basketball team had done their best, but not won the championship. We had a party to watch the game, and it was a bit of a let down. Steve had invited me to a party, but I declined. I had gone to watch a game with him, but was very uncomfortable. He still hung out with athletes, and being in a room full of men that were twice as big as me was scary. Steve understood, and told me so.

Later in the month Ashley and I were playing with Thor; her parents, Sarah and Bob were sitting on the porch talking, when Ashley surprised me. "Dave," she asked, "can Sissy come see Star Wars with me and my friends?"

I was surprised, and Thor took that moment to knock me over and start licking my face. It took me a moment to get free from him, and then look at Ashley. "You want Sissy to go with you and your friends to see a movie?" When she nodded I continued, "This is something that we need to discuss with your parents and Sarah."

We got up to the porch and before I could say anything Judy said, "So Ashley asked you?"

Sarah cut me off before I could speak, "Asked him what?"

I started to say something, but Ashley piped up, "If Sissy could go see Star Wars with me and my friends."

I turned to look at her and Sarah said, "Hey that's a great idea."

I spun back to Sarah and heard Bob chuckling. I glared at him for a moment, before I realized that Sarah and Judy were now talking, not quite in whispers, but in much softer tones.

"Hey, wait a minute, don't I get a say in this."

Everyone stopped and looked at me, and Sarah asked, "Don't you want to go?"

"Well yes."

"Then what is the problem?"

"What if one of her friends realizes that I'm a boy?"

Ashley stared straight at me and said, "Dave if you jumped up on a table and said ‘I'm a boy,’ no one would believe you."

I raised some more objections, but each was shot down. It was decided, Sissy would go to the movies with Ashley and her friends.

I spent the next few weeks in an apprehensive state. I was nervous, not about going out in public, but about spending so much time with people I didn't know.

When the morning of the trip to the movie, finally arrived I got up and went on my normal walk. Mrs. Parks was out with her twins, so without even a nudge from Thor, I headed over. Thor woofed and the twins looked up. I sat down with her, while Thor played.

Mrs. Parks and I chatted while they played. Finally our conversation got around to things we had planned for the summer and I mentioned that I was going to see Star Wars later today with Ashley and her friends.

"Oh," she said, "how come you are going with?"

I prevaricated, "I guess that they wanted another adult to go with them."

She looked at me, "Dave you don't make much of an adult presence, besides Judy mentioned that this was an all girl outing."

I blushed then, and tried to say something, but she cut me off. "Or is Dorothy going?"

I looked up at her puzzled, "Who?"

"Dorothy, no wait Ashley used a name, Cindy, Cynthia, something like that."

I looked down, "Cecelia."

"That was it, Cecelia. So do you want to tell me about it or not?"

I sighed, and started telling her the story from the beginning. It was hard and I was almost in tears during part of it. I noticed Thor looking at me at times, and he seemed a bit confused. I guess he could tell I was in some distress, but with Mrs. Parks hugging and holding me he didn't know where the distress was coming from.

When I finished and gathered my composure, she hugged me and I finished my walk. I went to Sarah's instead of home, but Thor didn't care about that. When she answered her door, she pulled me in, I guess she could tell that I had been crying.

"Dave, what's wrong," she asked.

"Nothing, everything, I don't know."

"What?"

I looked up at her, "How come, no one told me that only girls were going to see the movie?"

Sarah looked back at me and blinked, "I didn't know, I figured that there were some boys and girls going."

I stared at her, now that I knew her, I could tell when she was lying. She didn't like to lie, and that made it easy to tell if you knew her.

She finally after a minute of us looking at each other asked me what happened. I told her about my meeting and what Mrs. Parks had said, and what I told her. She nodded and listened. She asked me what Mrs. Parks did, and I said, "Pretty much what you would have."

"So do you still want to go?"

I thought for a moment, before answering. "Yes, and no, but I said I would so I will."

"Good, let's go pick something out for you to wear."

I sighed and started down to the nursery, where my clothes were. Some of the clothes were way to dressy or just not right for going to a movie. Others I just didn't want to spend that much time in, around the same people. We finally decided on a denim jumper, and blouse.

She told me to get cleaned up and potty, then she would help me get dressed. I wasn't sure what I expected, but it hadn't been that. I went down and took a shower and 'pottied,' I returned with a towel wrapped around my waist and Sarah grabbed me and set me on the changing table. She quickly diapered me and helped me get dressed. I wandered down to the living room and watched some TV while she changed.

It wasn't too much later, when Judy and Ashley showed up. I was about to go off, when Sarah politely asked, why no one had said there were no boys going.

Judy blushed, and explained that when they first planned there were several boys, but for various reasons a couple hadn't been able to go and the last didn't want to be seen alone with a bunch of girls. Then she hadn't thought that it was important.

I stared at her the whole time and I guessed she was telling the truth. I just wished someone let me know. As we left I asked what time the movie started and was surprised that it wouldn't start for another two hours. I asked about that and was told that we were going to eat lunch first. I eeped at that but, it was too late as we were speeding down the road.

We got to the place we were eating, a pizza buffet restaurant, and there were around a half dozen girls and some mothers standing around. Sarah and I were introduced, everyone else knew each other at least in passing, and we went in to eat.

We ate, played video games, listened to the Jukebox and chatted like a bunch of pre-teen girls would. I contributed to conversation and answered questions, that I found humorous; like did I have a boyfriend, had I kissed a boy, and others. Ashley seemed to have forgotten that I wasn't a girl and didn't react to any of the questions.

When it was time to go see the movie there was a mass movement to the Ladies room. I hesitated a moment then joined in. Inside we outnumbered the available facilities by a few and I kept milling around. Finally when it seemed like no one could have kept track I slipped up to the sinks and washed my hands. A little while later one of the adults asked if everyone was ready and with a chorus of yeses we left.

Sarah held me back at the door and asked if I had used the restroom. I let out a little laugh and said no, but if she hadn't noticed whether I had or not, no one else would have either. She then asked if I still was dry. I said yes and watched how much I drank.

We caught up to the rest of the group and made our way into the theater. Inside I looked at the crowd and grabbed Sarah's hand, it was as bad as the mall at Christmas. I glanced around and saw that I wasn't the only one that had grabbed a hand. That made me feel better for some reason.

The tickets had been bought earlier and we made our way to straight to the ticket taker. With a couple of the mothers detouring to get popcorn and drinks. With snacks and drinks in hand, we made our way to the theater and claimed seats. About halfway through, I relaxed and wet my diaper. Before the movie ended I noticed that some of the girls looked uncomfortable and were squirming in their seats.

At the end of the movie, there was a mass movement to ladies room again and I went in and used the crowd to my advantage, although now they were all comfortable and I was stuck in a wet diaper. There was a question about stopping at the Dairy Queen for a snack, but after pizza, and popcorn the vote was no.

We said our goodbyes and headed home. Once we had arrived Sarah changed me and dressed me in a onesie, I was a little embarrassed to walk out to say bye to Judy and Ashley. I don't think Judy had seen me dressed this way before.

Ashley turned and asked her mom if she could stay, but Judy said no. Ashley pouted for a moment then came over and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Judy followed her, gave a hug, a pat on my diapered bottom, and whispered for me to have fun.

I wasn't sure what she meant by that until a little while later, when Sarah told me that tonight I get to be her baby. I looked up at her questioningly, and she explained that tonight I was not allowed to talk or walk or do anything for myself. I started to object and she stuck a bottle in my mouth.

I thought I was going to be incredibly bored, but for all that evening and night until she put me to bed, I don't think there was five minutes that she wasn't holding me or hugging me or just touching me. I was almost in tears by the end of the night and I couldn't really explain why.

Chapter 35: Sarah

When Dave showed up that morning and asked about it being an all girl event, I was surprised. I intercepted the accusation that Dave was about to make when Judy and Ashley arrived, so he wouldn't make a jerk of himself. I also decided that Dave needed a bit of a special night, just me and him. I told Judy this and she agreed to take Ashley home when the afternoon was over.

When we got home I carried Dave into the nursery and changed his wet diaper. I put him into a onesie and we walked back out. He seemed a bit reluctant for some reason. Ashley asked if she could stay, but Judy said no. Ashley pouted for a moment and then hugged Dave and gave him a kiss. Judy gave him a hug, patted his butt, and whispered something to him.

Dave waddled into the living room, and I went and got him a bottle of milk. Once it was warmed I went in and told him that for the rest of the night he was my baby. He looked up at me, and I told him that he was now my baby and that he couldn't do anything for himself. No walking, talking or anything. He opened his mouth to say something and I stuck the bottle into it.

I wasn't entirely sure about what I was going to do all evening, but I was sure that I could come up with something. I started off with the bottle and pulled him into my lap to feed it to him. By the time he had finished it, he was smiling. I got another bottle and put in a video of Cinderella. I held Dave in my lap while he nursed on the bottle and we watched the movie.

By the time the movie was over, he was wet and I carried him down to the nursery and changed him into a clean diaper. He was looking up at me giggling while I changed him. I picked him up and he hugged me, I hugged him back and carried him to the kitchen.

With him safely secured in the high chair, I got us dinner. He was not happy with his dessert of Gerber's Pureed Apples. It was the first time that I had actually fed him baby food. When he finished, I asked how he liked it. His reply was that it was fairly bland, and regular applesauce was better.

I cleaned him up and we went back into the living room, where I held him. We played silly games like peek-a-boo, and other baby games for a little bit. The games unfortunately don't hold the interest of adults for very long. So we picked out another kids movie, I had bought quite a few of the Disney movies, so we had quite a choice, although finding one without a dog in it was tough.

I got another bottle of milk for him, and we watched the movie while I fed him, and we cuddled. By the time the movie was ending Dave was almost asleep, and the bottle was empty. I rocked Dave until he was asleep, then carried him and placed him in his crib. He looked cute sleeping there.

I cleaned up what dishes there were and changed for bed, I figured that Dave would be up early.

The next morning I checked on Dave, and was surprised that he was still sleeping. There was also a definite odor in the room, that surprised me. As I walked over to the crib, Dave opened his eyes and yawned. I looked down at him and asked, "What happened?"

He yawned again and blinked, "What? Oh that, I woke up about an hour ago, and had to go. I didn't want to disturb you so I went."

"Well I bet it's not that comfortable, so how about if I change you?"

He looked up at me and got to his knees while I dropped the side of the crib, "Please?"

"Ok," I said and picked him up and set him on the changing table. I undid the diaper and cleaned him up. "Wow there sure is a big mess here."

He blushed, "Uhhh, Sarah. Can I go for my usual walk with Thor this morning? I really need to do some thinking."

I was surprised, he never went for a walk when he spent the night, but what we did was a bit different. "Sure, you want your clothes back?"

"No, just some of the sweats we bought, I'm going to come back here."

"Oh, ok." That surprised me again. "You want to eat before you go or not?"

A barking off in the distance answered that question. I finished taping on a clean diaper and set him back on the floor. He grabbed the sweats, while I went to make sure Thor didn't run off.

I went to the door and called Thor over, he looked a bit confused, I guess because I usually sent him away. Fortunately Dave went out before Thor decided he wasn't going for his walk.

Dave walked out and gave Thor a big hug. Thor was wagging his tail and licked Dave's face, which got him laughing. I watched as they walked off down the street.

I closed the door and decided to make Dave something special for breakfast. Waffles sounded good. Dave would be probably be gone for a while, so I had time to take a shower and get dressed before I needed to make up the batter.

I had just finished getting the batter made and had everything else and ready to make them once Dave got back. I sat down and started thinking about the previous night. I'm sure that's what Dave wanted to think about. I was interrupted in my contemplations, by the sound of a police siren.

I looked out the window, and could see the reflection of the police lights on a house across the way. I ran out towards where the police car was sitting. I slowed down, as got near peeking around to see if it was safe.

There was Steve standing next to his car, a van pulled up in front of him. I called out to Steve so he knew who was behind him. He yelled back to stay there, and reached up to his microphone. When he put his hand back on his gun, I yelled that I would keep everyone over here. I started herding people away from the area.

I looked around and didn't see Dave, that got me worried, we were across from the big field that Dave played with Thor at. I almost yelled over to Steve asking about Dave, but decided against it. I heard more sirens off in the distance getting closer.

A minute later Bob and Dave, came up out of the field. Bob was carrying Thor, and he looked horrible, His face was all red, and his eyes and nose were running. Dave looked like he was crying also. Steve asked them where they were going. Dave said that they needed to get Thor to a doctor.

Steve swore and said, "Go, I'll deal with it. But come right back here when you are done."

A voice behind me yelled that he would get his Blazer and Ashley ran up to Bob. She stopped abruptly, and sneezed.

Bob turned towards her, "Ashley carefully grab my cell off my belt and call my Vet. Tell him Thor has been maced and we are on the way over."

She said "Ok" and stretched in to grab his phone. She sneezed again, and stepped away. She began playing with his phone and eventually started talking on it. About this time I turned and saw Marty Olson pull up in his Blazer.

He got out and opened the back, Bob walked up and put Thor in the back, and Dave jumped in after him. Marty gave him an odd look, but didn't say anything. While he closed the back, Ashley helped Bob up into the front seat, and then jumped in the back. Marty got in and they drove off rolling down the windows as they left.

By the time the other police cars arrived, there was quite a crowd standing around. The police started questioning the crowd and sending anyone home that didn't see anything, that was everyone. Steve yelled for me to stick around. Finally, after they put the three men into the police cars, Steve waved me over. I heard someone ask Steve where the victim was, and Steve mumbled something about medical treatment.

Steve had me look at the three men in the cars, but I didn't recognize any of them. I asked Steve what was going on. He told me that he came home after work, and saw two men carrying Dave toward the van, and the other spraying something at Thor.

I looked at the three of them and, other than one being vaguely familiar, couldn't identify them. The cars left with three men, and Steve began giving a statement to another officer. After all the statements had been taken, the officer in charge tried to get some clarification on where the victim was, and how an ambulance had gotten there and left without him seeing it.

Steve, with my help, explained the situation with Thor and Dave. Fortunately he had heard of Dave, and was somewhat sympathetic. He waited with us for the five of them to return. We talked about crime in this part of the county and how to keep it low.

Chapter 36: Dave

I woke up in the crib, and had to go badly. I could see that it was still dark out and I didn't want to disturb Sarah, so I filled my diaper and went back to sleep.

Something disturbed me and I opened my eyes, looked up and yawned. Sarah looked down at me and asked, "What happened?"

I yawned again and blinked, "What? Oh that, I woke up about an hour ago, and had to go. I didn't want to disturb you so I went."

"Well I bet it's not that comfortable, so how about if I change you?"

I looked up at her and kneeled with my legs spread apart while she was dropping the side of the crib, "Please?"

"Ok," she said as she lifted me up and set me on the changing table. While she was cleaning me up she commented, "Wow there sure is a big mess here."

I felt my cheeks get warm, "Uhhh, Sarah. Can I go for my usual walk with Thor this morning? I really need to do some thinking."

She looked a surprised, and hesitated. "Sure, you want your clothes back?"

"No, just some of the sweats we bought, I'm going to come back here."

"Oh, ok. You want to eat before you go or not?"

I could hear Thor barking off in the distance and I guessed that breakfast would have to wait. Sarah finished taping up my diaper and placed me back on the floor. She headed off to get Thor, while I got dressed.

I went out the door and Sarah was there talking to Thor, apparently trying to get him to wait for me. I walked over and gave Thor a big hug. He was wagging his tail and started licking my face, which got me laughing. We headed off down the road.

I was walking slowly, not really paying attention, I had a lot on my mind. Sarah had never treated me quite the way she had yesterday, and I still am not sure whether I liked it or not.

In some ways I enjoyed what we did, it made me feel incredibly loved, but on the other hand it was quite humiliating. She had never before made me feel like a real baby before. Then it had been more like play acting, but last night it was like I was a real baby.

When we got near Bobs house Thor ran off and returned very quickly with a ball in his mouth. I guess he wanted to play some when we got over to the field. I finished up my walk, waving to the few people that yelled a hello.

Over at the field we stopped and I threw the ball out into the grass. Thor woofed and ran out after the ball. He picked it up and brought it back to me, I threw it out again and off he ran. We did this a couple more times, when I heard a car pull up by the edge of the field.

I turned, looked and saw that 3 men were getting out of a van. I got a little apprehensive, but wasn't really worried. One of them asked if my name was Dave. When I said yes, two of them ran over and grabbed me, while the third headed towards Thor.

Thor started barking and charged back, while I began struggling with the two that had grabbed me. My struggle was pretty hopeless as both of them were bigger than me. I could hear Thor getting closer, when he yelped in what could only be pain. I twisted around and saw the third guy spraying something at Thor.

The two of them were carrying me towards the van, when I heard Deputy Wildler yell, "Police Freeze!"

The two of them stopped and I twisted and slipped out of their grasp. I hit the ground with a thud and when I caught my breath I looked over towards Thor and saw Bob come around the van. He paused for a moment and then ran up and tackled Thor. The third guy was pale and still backing away from Thor.

Thor was snarling and growling and whining and snapping into the air. I scrambled over towards him and began talking to him. In the background I could here Steve barking orders and Bob was still trying to hold Thor down.

Thor quit snarling and growling, but he was still whining, when Bob much to my amazement got up and picked up Thor. I walked along as he made his way up to the road, staying near Thor's head and still talking to him.

As we passed Steve he asked where I thought we were going, I answered that we were taking Thor to see a doctor. He said something back, but I wasn't paying attention to him. I vaguely heard Ashley and Bob talking and someone yell something about a car.

I was starting to get impatient when a truck pulled up, someone opened up the back and Bob put Thor in there. I jumped in after him and kept talking to him. Some doors opened closed and we were off.

The drive seemed to take forever, but eventually we stopped and the back was opened up. Bob reached in and picked up Thor, he turned around and set him on a gurney. I climbed out and went up to Thor and started talking again. I went along with the gurney as it was taken into the building.

Again I could hear people talking, but I was not paying enough attention to comprehend what they were saying. When we got into the building I followed right into the examining room, in there the doctor started talking to me, "Hello, I know Thor, and I'm Dr. Kowalski. What's your name honey?"

I answered without thinking about it, "Cecelia."

"Ok, Cecelia, I'm going to need your help. My nurse is helping Bob. First have you been touching Thor?"

I nodded and he continued, "Did you touch your face afterwards?"

I thought for a moment and answered, "Just with my sleeve." I pointed where my sleeve was wet from wiping my nose and eyes.

"Good," he said and pushed up my sleeves. "I need you to go over to the sink and wash your hands real good with the soap there. Then when you are done wash them again. Ok?"

I nodded again and headed over to the sink. Thor started to growl so I started talking in a loud voice. I washed my hands the two times and the doctor came over and helped me put on a pair of rubber gloves and big gown.

"Ok, now you have to be very careful not to touch your face. The first thing we are going to do is clean his eyes. Now hold his head still as best you can."

The doctor grabbed an eyewash bottle and started flushing out Thor's eyes. Thor jerked at first, but settled down when I started talking to him again. When we finished with his eyes, the doctor pushed him over to a big tub, and we started shampooing his fur.

"This will help remove the oils from his fur, and stop the burning sensation." It took quite a while, but eventually we had shampooed him twice, I was all wet and so was the doctor.

"Now we are going to flush his eyes one more time." He got another couple of eyewash bottles and I held Thor's head again.

We finished and I gave Thor a huge hug. He responded by licking my face. Then I turned and gave the doctor one too. The doctor helped me take off the gown and gloves, then removed his also. We headed out into the hallway and found Bob and Ashley coming out of another room.

Bob's eyes were still red and puffy, and his skin looked like he had been scrubbed. He was wearing a pair of scrubs, and carrying a bag with what looked like clothes in them. They stopped and waited for us.

When we got up to them Thor woofed a greeting and both Bob and Ashley reached down to pet him. As our little group continued towards the reception area, I began to feel better. Bob still looked pretty bad, and Thor seemed a bit unsteady. I probably looked pretty bad too.

Chapter 37: Ashley

We pulled into the parking lot of the Vet's office and there were two people standing outside with a gurney. As soon as Bob got out of truck, they started towards us. Bob picked Thor up and put him on the gurney and all of us headed towards the door.

I listened as Bob talked to the Doctor, "Don't try to separate the two of them. Thor is likely to get violent."

"Come on Bob, Thor wouldn't hurt anyone. He is one of the friendliest dogs I ever seen," the Doctor said. Apparently everyone thought about Thor this way.

"Just trust me on this one, I'll try to explain later."

The Doctor looked at Bob, "You look like you could use some help too."

"I'll be fine, just take care of Thor."

"No Bob, I think you need help too. That stuff can cause permanent damage to your eyes. I think I'll take care of Thor and have my assistant help get you cleaned up. If she can give me a hand, we can get both of you better in no time."

I was confused now, he wanted me to help him clean up Thor? He turned to me and said, "If you can give my assistant a hand that would be helpful too."

He thought Dave was a girl too. I looked over at Dave, he wasn't dressed in girls clothes, but sweats weren't really boys or girls either. I have to admit though if he walked up to me and my friends in the mall, other than bad fashion sense we would not have given him a second thought about whether he was a girl or not.

I looked up at the Doctor, "If you think I can help, I'll do whatever I can."

"Good with two pretty helpers we'll be fine."

I kept from laughing out loud, but would tell Dave about it later. Hopefully it will give him a laugh too. He seems to need one. As we walked towards the building the nurse asked me my name and I told her Ashley.

We went in and they wheeled Thor into one room, and I followed Bob and the nurse into another. She looked over at Bob, and started asking him questions about whether he had been sprayed. She also had him take his shirt off and lay on the table. While she was doing that she told me to wash my hands real well.

I got them cleaned and then she helped put on some rubber gloves and big gown. "Ok Bob," she continued. "Lay down and we will start by washing out your eyes. Can you help me by holding his head steady." I nodded.

We spent quite a while first washing out his eyes with these funny bottles of water, then shampooing his hair, and washing his arms and chest. I hoped Dave wasn't having problems getting Thor clean. Bob was nice about letting us getting him washed up, since I could tell that he thought he could do it himself.

With Bob clean and dry, the nurse gave him a set of those green scrubs that you see doctors and nurses wearing. I turned around so he could change. The nurse got put his clothes in a bag and helped me out of the gloves and gown. "Now wash these clothes separately a couple times to get them clean. You should too, honey. Otherwise the oils might still burn you."

We stepped out of the room and saw that Dave and Thor were coming down the hallway. We waited for them to get here and Thor barked a greeting when they got here. We both reached down to pet him, and he wagged his tail in response. I looked over at Dave and he looked a bit better, his eyes were still red, but he had stopped crying.

We turned as a group and walked out to the lobby, as we entered the room, Mr. Olson stood up and walked over towards us. Dave on the hand came to a complete halt, and I almost knocked him over.

Thor stepped in front of and began growling, I stepped around him and looked him in the face. He was as white as a sheet, "Dave what's wrong?"

The next thing I knew Bob had picked him up and turned him away from the lobby. I spun around and looked around. There sitting near the door was a big St. Bernard. Mr. Olson got up to us and Bob handed Dave to him. "Take him out to the car, and I'll explain when I get there."

He took Dave and headed to the door with Thor on his heals, still growling and me following behind. I saw that his truck had all the doors open and we walked over to it. "Just set him in back and let Thor get in with him."

He looked at me and shrugged, then set Dave in the back. Thor jumped up with him and curled up around him. I asked Dave if he was ok, but the only thing I heard was him softly crying. I sighed and turned back to Mr. Olson.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked.

"I don't know the whole story, but I think that when he was a little kid, one of his neighbors had a big dog and used to have it chase him."

"Oh, but what about Thor?"

I turned and looked at Dave curled up in the back of the truck, with Thor laying next to him. I didn't really know how much to say. "It took him months of being near Thor, before he wasn't afraid of him. You know Thor follows him around every morning, don't you?"

He nodded. "I've seen them a few times."

He looked at Dave, sighed, and sat on the bumper. I joined him, and we waited in silence for Bob to return.

Bob came out a few minutes later and walked over to where we were sitting. He looked into the back of the truck, and asked, "Dave are you ok?"

I didn't hear an answer, but he continued. "We're going to head home now. Are you sure you're ok?" Again I didn't hear anything, but Bob said "Ok".

We got off the bumper and Bob closed the back of the truck. I looked up at Bob and before I could say anything Mr. Olson asked, "Is he going to be ok?"

Bob answered, "Yeah, let's just go home."

We got into the truck and I looked back at Dave. He was still curled up and Thor was laying next to him licking his face.

We started our drive home, and Bob asked suddenly, "Hey aren't they just going to get that stuff all over them again?"

Mr. Olson said, "What? No, I hosed off that mat for about fifteen minutes while you were inside. All that's going to happen is they end up a bit wet."

I stifled a giggle at that, I thought that Dave was already more than a bit wet. Mr. Olson kept talking, "What happened back there? Ashley said something about him being bothered by a dog when he was a kid."

Bob twisted around and looked back, "Bothered no, as far as I know, he was terrorized by his father and neighborhood kids. One of them owned a St. Bernard and used it to chase him, and terrify him. He had a hard time as a kid."

"It was that bad?"

"You saw it, he just froze. I don't think he could have moved if his life depended on it."

"But what about Thor? They seem almost inseparable."

Bob sighed, "They are inseparable. There is some sort of connection between them, and I don't know what would happen if someone tried to forcibly separate them. I know I wouldn't try."

I almost yelled, "It's because they love each other."

Bob looked back at me, "Yes Ashley, I think they do."

Mr. Olson looked over at Bob, "Love?"

Bob paused for a moment, "Yes I think love is the right word. It's a complicated story and I think that Dave should be the one to tell it."

We finished the drive in silence, with me occasionally looking back at Dave. He just lay there with one arm draped over Thor. I thought about how he had acted and realized just what it took for him to give Thor that present last year, and I know that I've never been that scared in my life and hope that I never am.

As we got close to home Mr. Olson asked where we should go and Bob suggested Sarah's first. As we pulled in there were two police cars sitting if front of Sarah's house. She was sitting on her porch with Steve and an old guy in a Sheriff's uniform.

We pulled up and stopped. I twisted around and told Dave that we were home. I heard a muffled "Ok" as he started to move some.

We got out and walked around to the back, where Mr. Olson opened it and Bob picked up and set Dave on the ground. I looked at Dave's face, and I think that he looked worse now than before. As we walked up, the three of them stood up. Sarah looked like she was about to run out, but Officer Wildler grabbed her arm. The old guy looked like he was about to say something, and stopped as he looked at Dave.

Instead as Dave got to the stairs, he held out his hand and said, "I assume that you are Dave Wilson, I'm Sheriff Walstra. I need to ask you some questions, if you're up to it."

Dave paused and looked up at him. When he went to grab the hand, Thor moved between them looking at the Sheriff. "Now is good, if it's going to be quick."

"Quick as I can make it. Can you tell me what happened right up until Deputy Wildler got there?"

Dave told his story quickly, it was short and to the point. The Sheriff asked a couple questions about whether or he recognized the three men and if any one was out to get him. He answered those and the Sheriff asked Bob what he saw.

That was quick, Bob got there about the same time as Steve and had just grabbed Thor to stop him. Mr. Olson was next and explained that he got there after it was over and just gave them a ride.

The Sheriff got their phone numbers and gave them a business card. He shook their hands again and left. Deputy Wildler yawned, and said something about it being past his bedtime. He shook Bob and Mr. Olson's hands, gave me, Sarah, and Dave a quick squeeze, then patted Thor's head. Mr. Olson left too.

Sarah looked at us, and asked us in. Bob started to say something and Sarah cut him off, "Come inside Bob."

Bob sighed, and all of us including Thor went in. Sarah wrinkled her nose, and said, "I can still smell that stuff a bit."

Bob held up a bag, "It might be these. The doctor told me to wash them by themselves."

Sarah looked at them, "Here let me wash them, and I'll wash what Dave and Ashley are wearing too. They probably need it. Ashley come with me, you can borrow some of Dave's sweats. Take a shower and change, I'll call your parents."

Sarah grabbed the bag from Bob, and led me down to the nursery. She grabbed some sweat pants and a sweat shirt. "Here you can wear these."

I carried them to bathroom, and started to shower. Sarah knocked first then came in and grabbed my clothes. When I finished my shower, I found a new pair of panties on the sweats. I wondered why she had panties in my size here.

After I dressed, I walked into the living room and saw just Bob and Sarah there. "Where's Dave?"

Sarah looked at me, "I, uh, told him to lay down for a nap. He argued for about ten seconds, then relented. Thor is laying on the floor just below him."

Sarah made us some lunch and we sat and talked while the clothes were being washed. Something was odd about the way they talked to me. It took me a while, but I realized that they were talking to me like I was an adult. It was odd, but I liked it.

We had been talking for a while, Sarah had even restarted the washing machine to rewash the clothes, when there was a pounding on the door.

Sarah jumped up, ran to the door and yanked it open. "Please be qui…" she started, but stopped halfway through. She stepped back and Dave's friend Steve walked in.

"Is he all right and where is he?"

Chapter 38: Steve

I was sitting around watching ESPN, waiting for the baseball games to start, when the phone rang. I grabbed the handset and answered, "Hey there."

"Hey Steve, it's Greg," the voice on the other end said.

"Hey Greg, what's up? You off work? Wanna come and watch the game?"

"Hey that kid, that you invite over to watch some of the games. His name is Dave Wilson right?"

"Yeah, why?" I answered him slightly worried. "And I'd like to point out that he's older than you are."

"Well I was over at the county lockup and the Sheriff's department brought in three guys. When I asked what was going on, they said that they had attacked him…"

"WHAT?" I yelled into the phone. "Tell everything you know."

He went on to tell me what he knew, and it wasn't much; just that these three guys had attacked Dave and that dog that followed him around. He wasn't sure if anyone was hurt, but someone went for medical treatment. And one of them had emptied a can of pepper spray.

I thanked him, hung up, and grabbed my helmet and jacket. I was out the door, and on my bike in a few moments. I broke a couple laws getting out to his place, but that didn't bother me.

I pulled up to Dave's, his car was sitting there, but there were no lights on in his house. I pulled in behind him and parked my bike, and bounded up onto his porch and started knocking on his door. When he didn't answer after a few minutes, I stopped and tried to figure out where he would be.

I turned and looked around, his landlady's house, they were good friends. She should know where he is. I ran over there and started pounding on her door.

It only took a moment for the door to open and she was standing there. She started to say something, but I cut her off. "Is he all right and where is he?"

She gave me a real stern look and said, "Shhh, he's sleeping. We'll tell you everything…"

She was cut off again, when that dog started coming down the hallway growling. I paused and looked at the dog, he looked pretty scary at the moment.

A voice called out from the another room, "Thor, it's ok. Go back." The dog looked at me, and went back to wherever he had come from.

I turned back to his landlady, and opened my mouth, but she cut me off. "Steve please go have a seat and we'll talk. I'll be right there."

She walked down the hallway, and went into the living room. There was a large man, whose name I thought was Bob, sitting there. He was wearing surgical greens and looked horrible; his eyes bloodshot and his face all red. Sitting on the couch near him, was a young girl about Dave's size. She was in sweats, and her eyes were red too.

"Hello, I'm Steve. You're name is Bob right?"

He looked over at me, "Yes, and this is Ashley." He nodded at the girl. He pointed to a chair, "Have a seat, Sarah should be right back."

I sat down and wanted to say something, but felt that I should wait for Sarah. It was only a moment and she walked in and sat down. She looked at me, "Steve, Dave is ok, he's just had a massively stressful morning. He's sleeping in my spare room. Thor is laying right near him."

"So what happened?" I asked, a bit confused. Something seemed, not wrong, but off.

Bob spoke up, "Just about every morning Dave walks around the park with my dog Thor. He does it to get exercise. They usually stop and play fetch out in one of the fields. This morning three men jumped them in the field. Two grabbed Dave and the third started spraying Thor with Mace. Deputy Wildler, who lives over there and happened to be getting home from work then, stopped them.

Dave, Ashley, and I were given a ride to my Vet's with Thor to get him cleaned up. I was covered in it too, from holding on to Thor. When we were leaving, sitting in the office lobby there was a St. Bernard." He looked up at me at that point.

I looked back at him, with a bit of a blank look on my face. "What's bad about that, other than being a big dog?"

"He told about you why he's afraid of big dogs?" I nodded a reply. "Did he mention what kind of dog it was?"

I started to shake my head no and stopped, "It was a St. Bernard right?" He nodded at this. "What happened then?"

Ashley spoke up, "He froze. Just stood there unmoving. Bob picked him up and handed him to Mr. Olson, who carried him out to his truck. I don't think he really moved any 'til we got back."

"But he's not hurt right?" I asked just to make sure. I looked at them as they answered, and something struck me as odd. They all seemed nervous about something.

Sarah said, "No he's fine, he was just scared, incredibly scared."

Forcefully, but not loudly, I said, "I want to see him now." I looked back and forth between the two adults.

"Steve he's sleeping right now, wait until he wakes up, then you can see him."

"No Sarah, you, all of you, are hiding something and I want to see Dave." Ashley made a sound like a mouse, and Bob seemed to shift a bit. "Now unless you are going to physically stop me, I'm going to see Dave."

As I started to get up, Bob spoke, his voice was timbered in what could be called a command voice, but still soft. "Steve, wait one moment. If you go down there right now, you will wake up Dave…"

I cut him off, "I won't wake him, I just want to see that he is ok."

"Trust me, you will wake him. You may not want to, but you will, and when you do you will scare him. When you do that, Thor will attack you. I'm not sure how badly you will be hurt, but you will be. Animal Control will take Thor, and I will have to fight to keep him from being killed by them."

When Bob said this, Ashley let out a startled gasp. Bob ignored that and continued. "If he is, Dave will be devastated, possibly suicidal."

I cut him off again, "He's afraid of dogs, and you are telling me that he will be that affected by a dog, that isn't even his?"

"Yes," he continued. "There is only one being on the planet that Dave trusts unconditionally and it is that dog. Fortunately Thor feels the same towards Dave. This morning after being sprayed with Mace, I had to struggle to keep him from attacking the men that had attacked Dave. He didn't stop until Dave sat in front of him and started talking to him."

He paused and looked at me. I said, "Ok I promise that I won't wake him."

He looked over at Sarah, I turned to her, she was looking at Bob. She then looked at me, "Steve sit down, and let us tell you why you can't just walk in on him."

Again Ashley jumped in surprise. "Can we, without Dave's permission?"

That surprised me, why would they need his permission to tell me anything. I sat back down, and looked back to Sarah. "So what do you want to tell me?"

She sighed, then started, "Have you noticed a difference in Dave?"

"Yeah, he seems happier, more confident, and somehow more mature." Ashley almost burst out laughing at that. I turned and looked at her.

Sarah said, "Shush, Steve let us tell you why that is. I'm not proud of all of it, but we'll tell you the truth. It all started when I rented the trailer next door to Dave…"

I sat there stunned. There was now way what they told me could be true, but I saw a picture of Dave dressed up, and they couldn't have made it up on the spot.

The whole thing was running through my head, I had no idea what to think. It was really strange, but one thing was certain and that was that Dave was better off. "So who knows?"

"Besides us, Ashley's parents, Deputy Wildler, he lives in the park, and one other lady knows some of it. She has two toddlers and Thor likes to play with them, so she saw a lot of Dave while he wore diapers on his walks. Other than that no one."

Bob spoke up, "Well he has sent pictures of himself dressed up to his father."

I stifled a laugh at that. "So you didn't want me to go down there because…"

"Right now Dave is sleeping in a crib wearing diapers and a girls nightie. Now I know you wouldn't have wanted to wake him, but I think the surprise would have been enough for you to wake him."

"You're right. I would have." I sighed, "What now?"

Sarah looked at me straight in the eye, "First off, what do you think of everything we told you?"

I took a deep breath, "It surprised me, I knew that something was up, but not what. I think that whatever you are doing, as long as it helps Dave is fine with me."

"I tried to help him, while he was in college. Hell, I think I did." I looked over at Ashley, "Sorry. I went to his Dean to get him to talk more to Dave. I kept people from picking on him. I tried to get him involved with stuff, but I didn't know how to really help him."

Sarah spoke again, "I'm going to go get Dave up, he's probably starving, Thor is probably pretty hungry too." She got up and headed down the hallway.

Bob stood up reached over and grabbed some keys, "Here Ashley, run next door, Dave has some food for Thor, grab a couple of cans and bring them back. He keeps them in the cabinet below his microwave. Grab his bowl too."

Ashley grabbed the keys and went out the door saying "Ok" as she did.

Bob got up and walked into the kitchen, "I'll see what I can make quickly while he's getting up."

I joined him and helped as he made up some omelets. He explained that they were quick and easy, and Dave would probably want something now as opposed to later.

Ashley returned with the dog food and we waited for Dave. He came down the hallway wearing some sweats, and looked at me. His eyes were all red and puffy.

"Steve," he said, his eyes downcast. "They told you everything?"

"I think so."

"And?" he asked.

"Dave as long as you are happy and it's helping I don't care what you do. You definitely need some happiness in your life." Saying that I stepped over to him and gave him a hug.

He hugged me back, "Did Sarah even tell you that you held the door at the movie theater for us?"

"No, she didn't."

Sarah said, "I forgot about that."

We sat down to eat and spent the rest of the afternoon talking. Ashley's parents and the cop joined us at some point, and we ended up having dinner too. It into a pretty good day after all. I noticed one other thing during the evening, everyone seemed to be relaxed. Before when I had visited Dave, with or without his friends, there had always been a little bit of tension.

When our gathering finally broke up, everyone headed home except Dave, he was spending the night with Sarah. That didn't surprise me, but when Thor wouldn't leave Dave, that did. I guess the two of them did share something.

Chapter 39: Dave

I woke up scared and heard someone breathing in the room with me. I was a bit panicked until I recognized Thor's panting. Reaching my arm down through the bars, suddenly a wet tongue started licking my hand. I pulled my arm back up and Thor moved around stuck his muzzle up between the bars. I could barely see him, but I started scratching his head.

I lay there scratching Thor, and thinking. It was the middle of the night, and I wasn't tired, of course I had spent a lot of the day sleeping. What was I going to do with Steve, I was sure that he was just saying what he did, because everyone else was there. He'll probably never want to see me again. Thinking about this almost got me crying, but Thor woofed quietly and started licking my hand again. I looked at him and said, "At least you will always be my friend."

He woofed again and sat down looking at me. I smiled and tried to think of cheerful things. It didn't really work, but I eventually fell back asleep.

Sarah woke me up some time later. She got me out of the crib and put me on the changing table. She took off my diaper and set me on the floor. I went down to the bathroom and started to take a shower. While in there I heard the front door open and close.

I finished my shower and went to get dressed, by the time I was dressed I heard Thor bark and the door open and close again. I walked back out and Thor ran up to me and started to nuzzle me, bending down I gave him a big hug and started petting and scratching him, he responded by licking my face and pushing his body into me.

I finally got free and made my way to breakfast, Sarah had made waffles. We sat there in silence eating. When we had finished Sarah looked over at me and asked, "So are you ready for your walk?"

I froze for a moment before answering, "I, um, am not going for my walk today."

She stared at me, "Are you sure, because Thor is all set and waiting."

I glanced over and Thor was over by the door wagging his tail. I turned back to Sarah, "I'm sure, I'm not going for my walk."

Sarah sighed, "Are you afraid?" I nodded. "You know those people are still in jail." I nodded again. "And you'll be perfectly safe." I hesitated, but nodded. "So there is no reason for you to not go out to walk." I nodded. "So you are going for your walk?"

I shook my head no, "I am not."

Sarah sighed again and opened her mouth, when there was a knock at the door and Bob walked in. "Hello Sarah, hi Dave," and he bent down and gave Thor a big hug. Thor responded by licking his face.

"So Bob what brings you here?" Sarah asked.

"Well I figured it was about time for Dave's walk and I thought that I would join him this morning."

"I'm not going on my walk," I said, but Bob ignored me.

Bob and Sarah made some small talk while, they both ignored me. I sat defiantly on the chair, after a couple of minutes Bob turned to me and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

I said again, "I am not going for a walk."

"Yes you are, if I have to carry around," he said as he stepped over to me. Thor looked at both of us and let out a little whine. "It's ok Thor, we're going to be fine."

Bob reached down to pick me up and I looked straight at him and shook my head no. He smiled and said that it would be all right.

He knelt down when Sarah handed him my shoes, and put them on me. I sighed and got up. Thor started wagging his tail as we headed to the door. "We'll be back in a little bit."

We walked until we got near the Park's. Mrs. Parks was out with the twins and we stopped so Thor could play with them. The twins called "Doggie" at Thor and he went over and greeted them. Bob and I sat down with Mrs. Parks making small talk. I kept looking around, and every so often Thor would stop and look around too.

We'd been sitting a while when Mrs. Parks asked me to help her get bottles for the twins. I froze for a moment, and then agreed. We got up and Thor looked at us, and paused. I told him we'd be right back. He relaxed and we went in.

"Dave," she said, "I really didn't need any help. I just thought that you might want to talk about what happened without any one else around."

"I, um… I'm not sure," I answered as she led me over to the couch. We sat down and she looked over at me.

"It's ok Dave, you can tell me about it, and nothing you say will leave here."

I'm not sure how long I talked, but I know that it was quite a while. I cried too. By the time I was done, I both felt better and worse. She had sat next to me and was now holding me.

"Dave, I understand that you are scared, and I would be worried if you weren't scared. But you have to face your fears, just like you did with Thor. Well maybe not just like you did, I don't think a diaper will help you with this."

I started giggling when she said that and she continued. "You do have to face your fear though, otherwise you will just hide in your home and fade away. Besides who will bring Thor around to play with the twins?"

"I'll try," I answered her and started to wipe up my face.

"Here you go wash your face and I'll grab a couple bottles."

I did as she said and washed my face, looking in the mirror my eyes were all red and I doubted that anyone wouldn't guess that I had been crying.

We walked out and Bob gave us a bit of a what took you so long look, then nodded his head and smiled a little. "Well Dave I think it's about time we finished our walk."

I nodded, and said "Come on Thor." He got up, nuzzled the two boys and walked over to us. We waved bye-bye and continued down the street.

A bit farther down, Bob asked if I was ok, I said yes and didn't elaborate. He nodded and we finished our walk.

At Sarah's, she asked us if we wanted coffee or anything, I begged off saying I needed to do some work. As I went to leave Thor followed me, I looked back at Bob, and he said, "Go ahead let him stay with you. If you need anything let me know."

"I will," I said as we went out the door. At home I filled Thor's water dish and took off and put away my shoes. I went to check on my email and see if I could come up with a new set of planes to write about.

Chapter 40: Sarah

I watched as Dave and Bob walked away. Somewhere during their walk Dave had been crying, but neither mentioned where. Thor hadn't looked upset, so whatever happened hadn't bothered him.

Sitting there sipping coffee, thinking about what could have happened, the phone rang. It was Bob, he explained that whatever had gotten Dave crying had happened with Mrs. Parks, while he was inside her home.

I called Mrs. Parks and asked her what happened with Dave. She explained that she had gotten Dave to talk about what had happened to him, but that she didn't think that he would go for his walks on his own yet. She was a little worried, because he seemed scared about being outside.

More coffee and more thinking. If Dave wasn't going to go walk alone, then someone would need to walk with him. Bob couldn't keep doing it, he was supposed to be working. I could do it, but I think that he needs more than just me. Having just one person would make him dependant upon that person.

Well, let's start with his friends. I called Joe and Judy. Joe answered and after talking for a bit he said he would be there in the morning to walk with Dave and he would ask Judy if she could another day.

That is three more days, but now I was stuck. I could ask Deputy Wildler, but something seemed wrong about that. I wasn't real sure why, but I don't think having a cop walk with him would help. His friend Steve though, I think that having him go walking with Dave would be good, probably for both of them.

I puttered around for a couple of hours, checking to see who was late with their rent or wasn't keeping their lawn mowed and yard clean. It's always the same people. Oh well, they always catch up by the end of the month.

It was around noon, and I figured that this would be the best time to call Steve. He didn't answer, so I left a message for him to call me back. I hope that he will do it.

As I sat there, a sudden idea came to me. I picked up the phone and called Mrs. Parks again. "Hello, Susan. I, or rather Dave needs a favor."

"What does he need?" She asked.

"Well, when you said that he probably wouldn't go for a walk by himself, I started figuring out who could go with him. Joe and Judy are going to, I am, Bob already did. I am going to ask his old college roommate…"

She interrupted then, "Are you sure about his roommate. I mean, will he understand walking Dave around like he's a little kid?"

I paused for a moment before answering, thinking. "I am pretty sure he will, he nearly knocked my door down trying to find Dave yesterday. He knows a lot about what has been going on here and I think that they need to talk it over alone."

"If you are sure? I'd be happy, do you want me to take the twins with me?"

That was a good question, and I wasn't really sure how to answer it. "Are they up to a long walk? Dave is usually gone for quite a while." I asked stalling for more time.

She chuckled back, "Walking or running around for that long, that won't be a problem. Herding them along a path for that long, probably impossible. I have a stroller for them though."

"Well then I would say take them with. It might help distract him from what he is doing."

"When do you want me to be there?"

"Well, I am going to try to get Dave's friend to be there Friday morning, so is Saturday OK?"

"Saturday will be fine. Let me know if anything changes."

Well now that that was settled, I just needed to wait for Steve to call me back. Back to the office. I went over my records again. I looked at my calendar and noticed that I had an appointment for someone that wanted to move into the park.

The young couple was nice, they had good jobs and had been married for a year or so. I asked about the trailer they were going to put in, and they said they were looking at buying a new one. I showed them which lots were empty and had them pick one out. And once they had purchased a trailer have the manufacturer contact me for installation.

After they had left, Steve called me back, I explained what was going on and asked if he would help. He agreed and said that he would be there Friday morning to walk with Dave. He asked how Dave was doing otherwise, and I did my best to explain how scared he was.

There were enough people to last all week now, and I figured that on Sunday I could walk with him again. I spent the rest of the evening wondering how long we would be walking Dave, and if there was anyone else I could find to walk with him.

In the morning I watched as Joe and Dave left Dave's house. Dave had his head hung a bit, and it looked like Joe was encouraging him. Thor was there and he kept looking back and forth between the two of them.

Curiosity made me want to go out and listen to what was being said. I was about to run out there, when I realized that I couldn't, it wouldn't help Dave and as long as Thor wasn't getting upset, nothing truly bad could be going on.

They finished fairly quickly, I guess that the Park's twins weren't out and they didn't stop to play. I saw Joe give Dave a hug, right before Dave and Thor disappeared into Dave's house. I tried waiting patiently, but there I was sitting next to the phone, trying to guess how long it would be before Joe got home.

The phone rang and I nearly jumped out of my seat. I picked it up and Joe was calling me. "Hello Sarah, I thought I would call and tell you how it went."

"I was wondering, I watched you leave. What were talking about as you walked?" I asked.

Joe sighed, "I was trying to get him to look around, he was slumped over and just staring at the ground. He didn't really want to go with me, but his heart wasn't in fighting about it."

"What do mean, his heart wasn't in fighting about it?"

"I guess he just knew that I would drag him around the park if he didn't come willingly. Did Bob threaten to do that?"

I chuckled, "Actually he said he would carry him around. I think he would have too."

Joe chuckled too, "He would have. Hell, I would have, but I'm not quite big enough to carry him that far. Do you think that you'll have a problem tomorrow?"

I paused for a moment, "No, Dave is too polite to fight with a woman over it. Have Judy call me later in the day, and I let her know how it went. I hope Dave gets over this quick."

"Me too, I don't know how long we can keep this going, our schedules keep changing and eventually a day will come that one us of won't be able to be there."

I sat there the next morning, drinking my coffee going through all the scenarios of Dave arguing why he wasn't going to walk with me. Realizing that I was just working up myself up over nothing, I got up and walked next door.

Dave, after some whining, gave up and we had a pleasant stroll around the park. I waved at a few people, they waved back and a couple said hi also. Dave waved at a couple of them too.

Thor walked with us, and surprised me by wandering around more than I thought he would. He never got out of sight, but was going up near some of the trailers and sniffing around. I had figured that he wouldn't have left Dave's side.

We finished the walk, and Dave mumbled a thanks. I gave him a "You're welcome." and scratched Thor between his ears, before heading home.

Later that day, while I was out inspecting the park, I called and told Judy to just be firm, and Dave would give in. I also saw Thor running around, he seemed to be on an inspection run too. When he noticed me, he took off back towards Dave's.

Judy's walk with Dave seemed to be routine. I talked with Judy about it after they were done, she said that he still seemed down, and that maybe we should get some professional help for Dave.

Chapter 41: Steve

I got home from lunch on Monday, and saw that I had message waiting for me. I hit the play button and "Hello, Steve? This is Sarah, Dave's landlady, I or rather Dave needs a favor from you. Could you give me a call back this afternoon? Thanks."

I called her back, and asked her what was up. She explained what had happened that morning with Dave's walk and Bob going around with him, then asked if I could walk with him this Friday. I immediately said yes, and asked about what time he went for his walks. I sighed, it was too early in the morning for me, but I would be there for Dave.

I was glad the semester was over. I had been TAing a class on Friday mornings, and this just might run over into when that class was. I suppose though that I could take an extra day off working on my thesis. Maybe I can ask Dave to take a day off too, and we can watch the Cubs game.

Friday morning, much earlier than I normally would get up, I was up and headed for Dave's. Once I got out of town, there was almost no traffic and the ride was pleasant. For a moment I thought that maybe there was something to mornings, but that thought passed quickly.

Pulling in to Dave's I noticed that there wasn't anyone around. As I pulled off my helmet, I thought that I had seen the curtains move, Dave probably heard me pull up.

The door opened as I stepped onto his porch. "Hi Steve," he said somewhat listlessly.

"Good morning Dave." I ran my hand through my hair as I walked into his house.

"I see Sarah dragged you out here," Dave said as held the door open for me.

I sighed. "Dave, no one had to drag me out here. She asked me to come out and well, give you some encouragement. If you don't need it, I'll just wait here. I need to talk to you anyway."

Thor growled at me as Dave shut the door, so I squatted down and held out my hand to him. A sniff, followed by some licking and I started to scratch his head.

Dave stared at me for a minute, before asking, "Umm, maybe we could just talk during my walk?"

"What ever you want," I said. "Are you ready to go?" He nodded at his shoes, and while he put them on, I took off my jacket and set it and my helmet on a chair.

We headed out and Thor stuck right with us. I wondered how Dave could stand having him walk this close to him all the time. Thor never got more than a few feet away, a couple times I thought I would step on him.

After a few minutes I said, "Do you want to tell me about it?"

He looked over at me and asked to me to repeat what I said.

I repeated my question and he looked up at me and asked "Which?"

I said, "What's been going on since you moved out here." I looked down at him. "I'll understand if you don't want to talk, but I really want to hear it from you, with no one else around that you are happy about what is happening."

He looked around, so I did too. I didn't see anything or anyone. Apparently he didn't see anything to stop him, and he started talking. "Steve at first it wasn't all that fun. Sarah was doing things to me, instead of with me. It changed sometime during the weekend before I first got attacked."

I interrupted, "What happened that time, I never heard the whole story?"

"Some bullies tried to rob me, I didn't have any money on me, they told me to steal some from my mother, I laughed, they shoved me into the mailboxes. I ended up in the hospital with a concussion and cracked ribs. The ringleader is in juvie and I ended up with their trailers."

We kept talking as we walked, and I heard most of what I had been told earlier. I was surprised both by what he told me and how he felt about it, and even more because I realized that he was in some way enjoying it. I know that I was his friend, maybe even his first, but that I never showed him the sort of affection that he had needed.

By the time that he had finished his story we ended up near a big field. I asked him, "Is this where you were attacked?"

He nodded and shivered, "Yeah, Thor and I were playing fetch. The last time I threw the ball out was when they grabbed me."

Thor was whining a bit and looked like he was trying to watch everywhere.

Dave looked up at me, "I think we should go home now."

I nodded and we started to turn around to go back to the road. Before we got turned around, there was the crunching of tires on gravel. Thor started growling, and I spun around to look to see what was there, and I heard Dave make an odd sound. I saw a police car up there in a driveway and then heard Dave start crying.

I bent over and gave Dave a hug. I could see that he had wet his pants and realized that he needed more than just a hug. I got down on my knees, and just held him. He buried his head on my shoulder and cried.

While we stood there, I heard a voice calling out.

"Oh shit, shit, shit, Dave I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

Dave twisted his head, "I know Deputy Wildler. It was just the noise and surprise." He sniffled.

I picked him up and turned to the cop, "I'll take him home."

"You might want to take him over to Sarah's instead."

I nodded, "That's probably a better idea."

"I'll come over after I've changed."

He turned and headed to his home, and I started towards Sarah's. I was glad it wasn't too far, because this wasn't the easiest way to carry Dave.

As I walked up to her porch the door flung open and she shouted, "What happened?"

Chapter 42: Sarah

I heard Steve's motorcycle pull in, and a few minutes later I saw them walking down the street. I hope this goes well between them. I am pretty sure that Steve wants to talk to Dave alone, I know if I had found out anything strange about one of my friends, I would want to talk to them alone.

I finished up my morning ritual, and waited until the two of them would finish their walk. I sat watching TV and peeking out the window to see if they were coming yet. I got caught up in the sports news, and when I looked out, Steve was carrying Dave into my yard.

I jumped up and ran to the door. I pulled open the door and stepped out yelling, "What happened?"

They were a bit closer than I realized, but when I yelled Dave twisted his head around and looked at me. I was surprised to see that he had been crying. I looked down at Thor and he seemed a bit distressed, but it couldn't have been anything that Steve had done.

Steve looked at me and said, "We were talking in the field where Dave was attacked. We had just decided to leave when that cop pulled in. It was the noise that his car made in the gravel, Dave just lost it."

"I'll take him inside," I said as I reached out for him. Dave twisted even more trying to reach out for me.

"Dave be careful, I don't want to drop you," Steve said. Dave stopped squirming as Steve braced him to hand him to me. "Sarah you be careful too, Dave is, ummm… a bit wet."

I looked at Dave's pants, and they were soaked. I sighed, then looked over at Steve, his shoulder and pants from the hip down were quite wet too. "It looks like you are too, Steve."

Steve looked down at his pants, and I heard a mumbled "Damn." I smiled and said, "I don't think that I can give you my standard solution to that problem."

He gave me a puzzled look, and I mouthed, 'a diaper.' He looked surprised, and then blushed.

"I have a solution," he smiled. "I got caught in the rain one too many times, and now keep a pair of shorts and shirt on my bike."

I turned to carry Dave in and he headed off to his bike. I wondered how often he had been caught in the rain to have a solution to being soaked.

"Dave are you OK?" He looked me in the eye and didn't answer. "Well, let's get you cleaned up." He nodded at that, so I carried him into the bathroom and set him down next to the tub. I started undressing him, and he helped, but didn't actually try to do anything himself.

Thor didn't help, but he did sit there watching, except when he looked to see who came into the house. He returned and sat down again watching Dave.

Steve came down to the bathroom, and peeked in. "Do you have someplace I can shower?"

I winked to Dave, "What don't you want me to give you a bath when I am done with Dave?" Dave giggled, and Steve blushed again. It was good to hear Dave giggle.

Steve opened his mouth a couple of times, before I tossed him a towel. "There is a shower off my bedroom. I'll be with Dave for a bit, unless you wanted to wait for him to finish?"

Steve got a bit redder. "Ah, no the shower will be fine," and he disappeared down the hallway. I finished undressing Dave and filling the tub. The shower started as I got Dave in the tub and started his bath.

Steve took a fairly quick shower and came past where I was bathing Dave. He looked in, "I left the towel on the rack, is that all right?" I nodded. "Oh and I hung the hangers with your bras off the washcloth rack."

I felt my cheeks get warm, and Dave started giggling again. Steve just smiled and mouthed, 'gotcha.' He walked away and I finished up Dave's bath.

I drained the tub and dried off Dave. Picking him up, we went down to the nursery. I set him down and turned opening a dresser drawer, "The only underwear I have for you to wear are those panties we got at Walmart."

Turning around to hand him the panties, I saw that he was standing there holding a diaper. "You want to wear a diaper?" He nodded. "Are you sure, Steve is still sitting out there?" He nodded again. "OK, what ever you want."

I quickly diapered him and set him back on the floor. "So do you want some sweats to wear?"

He put his hand on the drawer with the sweats holding it closed, and pulled open the drawer below it. I was shocked, that drawer held the onesies and other babyish clothes that we had bought off the internet. He pulled out a pink romper dress and looked up at me.

"You're sure that is what you want to wear?" He nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head and whispered, "Not yet."

I nodded and said, "OK, as soon as you are ready to talk, just start." I finished dressing him, and he held his arms up for me to pick him up. "Wait, let me fix your hair."

He lowered his arms, and I started brushing his hair. Once it was tangle free, I grabbed a comb and separated it so I could put it into pig tails.

He smiled up at me and held up his arms again. Picking him up, I asked, "You're sure you want to be dressed like this?"

He nodded and whispered, "I really need to be 'Baby Sissy' right now."

"What about Steve, will he be OK with this?"

Dave sighed, "I think so. I hope so. If not, be prepared to have me cry on Thor and you for a few days."

I carried Dave down to the living room. He couldn't see Steve's reaction, which was probably good. Steve's eyes popped open, and he pulled back. I gave him a questioning look and he shook himself. "Dave," he asked.

Dave twisted his head around and shook it. "I'm Sissy right now."

Steve's eyebrows raised and he hesitated, "I really can't call you Sissy. I, uh, it just doesn't seem right."

I could feel Dave start to quiver, like he was about to break down.

Steve must have seen that too, "Didn't you say another name earlier." He paused and looked up, "Cecelia, that was it. Is it Ok if I just use Cecelia?"

Dave stopped shaking and nodded. Steve stood up reached out for him. Dave reached back, and I passed him off.

Steve got a hold of him, and gave him a hug. Dave hugged back, and I could see just a hint of a tear in Steve's eye. I smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"Hang on, I'm going to sit down," he said. He sat down swinging Dave's legs around so the Dave ended up in his lap. Thor walked up and stuck his head into their laps. Dave reached over and scratched Thor's head.

"Cecelia, do you want to talk about it?"

Dave shook his head and whispered something. Steve whispered back, "OK, whenever you are ready," and held Dave a bit closer.

I looked at Steve, and did my best to read his body language. After the initial shock, he seems to be completely relaxed and natural now. I don't know if it was Dave or Steve, but I had a hard time believing that Steve was effectively cuddling a guy his age.

"Steve, would you like a cup of coffee? Or maybe some breakfast? How about you Sissy?" I could see that Steve still had a problem with hearing Dave called Sissy. I would have to ask him about that later.

Steve looked up at me, "Yes, please. Cream and sugar." Then he looked down at Dave, "How about you, do you want some coffee?" Dave giggled at that.

"I know what Sissy wants, did you want some breakfast? It's no problem."

Dave nodded, and Steve shrugged and nodded also. "OK, I'll be right back with the drinks and then make breakfast."

I made up a bottle for Dave and grabbed up a cup for Steve. Before I could get the coffee, there was a knock at the door. I answered the door, and wasn't surprised to see Deputy Wildler standing there.

"Hi Sarah, can I come in?"

I looked at him and said softly, "Right now Dave is Baby Sissy. You can come in if you promise not to tease or ridicule him."

He looked up, "I promise, I wouldn't do anything like that to him."

"Dave told me what you did after Christmas, I don't want to hear anything like that."

"I said 'I promise.' And I was an ass then. I promise I'll be good. Um, what should I call him?"

"Either Sissy or Cecelia." Then louder, "Come on in. Did you want some coffee?"

Chapter 43: Dave

Sarah finished my bath and carried me down to the nursery. She stood me up on the floor and started opening up a dresser drawer. "The only underwear I have for you to wear are those panties we got at Walmart," she said. While she was doing that I grabbed one of my diapers off the shelf of the changing table.

I was just standing there holding the diaper when she turned around. "You want to wear a diaper?" I nodded. "Are you sure, Steve is still sitting out there?" I nodded again. "OK, what ever you want."

She quickly put me up on the changing table and diapered me and then put me back on the floor. "So do you want some sweats to wear?" she asked.

I reached out and put my hand on the drawer full of sweats that she kept here for me, and pulled open the drawer below it. It was full of baby outfits and other clothes that were more immature than normal. I knew what I wanted and it only took me a moment to pick out the pink romper dress. I held it up and looked up at her.

"You're sure that is what you want to wear?" I nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head and whispered, "Not yet."

She nodded back and said, "OK, as soon as you are ready to talk, just start." She finished dressing me, and I held up my arms up for her to pick me up. She said, "Wait, let me fix your hair."

She brushed my hair and then put it into pig tails, I always liked pig tails, they were quick and looked cute. I smiled at her and held up my arms again. She picked me up and asked again, "You're sure you want to be dressed like this?"

I nodded and whispered to her, "I really need to be "baby Sissy" right now."

"What about Steve, will he be OK with this?"

I sighed, "I think so. I hope so. If not, be prepared to have me cry on Thor's and your shoulder for a few days."

She carried me down to the living room. There after a moment I heard Steve ask "Dave?"

I turned my head around and shook it. "I'm Sissy right now."

Steve hesitated, "I really can't call you Sissy. I, uh, it just doesn't seem right."

I felt horrible and was about to cry, I thought that Steve could accept me, even like this.

Steve suddenly spoke, "Didn't you say another name earlier." There was a pause and he looked up, "Cecelia, that was it. Is it Ok if I just use Cecelia?"

I relaxed and nodded. Steve was willing to accept me. He stood up reached out for me. I reached out to him and Sarah passed me off.

Steve held me up and gave me a hug, I hugged him right back, then he said, "Hang on, I'm going to sit down." He sat down swinging my legs around so that I ended up in his lap. Thor walked up and stuck his head in and I reached over and scratched him between the ears.

"Cecelia, do you want to talk about it?" Steve asked.

I shook my head no, and whispered very softly, "No, not yet." He whispered back, "OK, whenever you are ready," and held me a bit tighter.

"Steve, would you like a cup of coffee? Or maybe some breakfast? How about you Sissy?" Sarah asked.

Steve looked up, "Yes, please. Cream and sugar." Then he looked down at me, "How about you, do you want some coffee?" I giggled at that, I knew that Sarah was going to bring me a bottle of warm milk.

"I know what Sissy wants, did you want some breakfast? It's no problem."

I nodded to her, and felt Steve shrug. "OK, I'll be right back with the drinks and then make breakfast," she said and disappeared into the kitchen.

We sat there while Sarah fiddled in the kitchen, Steve gently rocking me back and forth slightly.

A knock at the door startled me and I guess I tensed up. Steve gave me a little squeeze and whispered, "Don't worry, if Thor doesn't protect you, I will and no one will hurt you while I am here."

Sarah answered the door, and after a bit of a wait, I heard her say, "Come on in. Did you want some coffee?"

Deputy Wildler walked, and said, "No thanks, I can only stay a few minutes." He yawned, "It's been a long night, and I need some sleep."

"You do look a bit tired. They're in the living room, I'll join you in a minute."

Deputy Wildler came into the living room, and knelt down next to Thor. He reached down and began petting Thor, which got Thor to thumping his tail against the floor. "Da… er, Sissy, Steve I just want to say I'm sorry. I know that you were nervous being out there and saw that you didn't see me. I should have thought about what was going to happen."

I said, "It's all right. I don't blame you. I blame the jerks that attacked me. It's all their fault." I reached out to him, and after a slight pause, he reached over and we hugged each other.

When I started to let go, he did also and made sure that Steve had me in his lap. He reached out his hand to Steve, they shook. Steve said, "It's fine, Cecelia will be OK, and nothing happened to me that couldn't be fixed by a shower and a washing machine."

Deputy Wildler yawned, "I really need to get some sleep. I'll stop by later to see how you are doing." He stood up and said his goodbyes, just as Sarah came with Steve's coffee and my bottle.

"Did you want a bottle of warm milk? It will help you sleep." Sarah asked as Deputy Wildler passed her.

I giggled, as he stuttered out, "Uhhh, no. I, ah, I'm so tired I don't think that I need any help getting to sleep."

Sarah laughed, and I could feel Steve chuckling as Deputy Wildler went out the door. Sarah handed me my bottle and Steve his coffee, then disappeared back into the kitchen to make us breakfast.

I squirmed a bit to get more comfortable, then started on my bottle. Steve grunted a bit as I moved, then I could hear him sipping his coffee.

I lie there thinking about what had happened and Steve's reaction to it. He has surprised me a bit. I hadn't really expected him to be so supportive, so quickly. He hugged me, held me, and then carried me back here, even though I had gotten him all wet. He was a better friend than I had ever thought.

I felt Steve twist a little and heard his cup click on the table as he set it down. His free hand went across my waist and he started to rock me again. It was very soothing. Between that and my bottle I started to fall asleep. Just as I was about to completely zone out, I realized where I was and what I was doing.

"Steve!" I twisted around so I was facing him. Thor jumped up and barked a couple of times and Sarah came running in.

"Cecelia what's wrong?" Steve asked me with a shocked look on his face.

"I, uh. You're the greatest," I blurted out, and then buried my face in his shoulder and sobbed.

He began patting my back and I heard Sarah ask, "What was that all about?"

Steve said, "I don't know. We were just sitting here and all of the sudden he shouted my name. Now he just started crying.

I felt Thor push his nose against my arm, and I looked up at him, "I'm OK Thor." He licked my face and went back to lie down. I turned my head, "I'm OK. I just realized what was going on and it shocked me."

Steve pushed me upright, "Sit in my lap, and tell me why it shocked you."

We got settled with me sitting is his lap. I started talking, "You were holding me and treating me like I was a little baby. Why?"

"What do you mean, why? Aren't you 'Baby Cecelia' right now?"

"Well, yeah. But I'm…"

"Shhh. Dave, if you need to be 'Baby Cecelia' or just Cecelia, or Dave. I'll treat you however you need to be treated. I'm your friend, and this is what friends do. Well maybe a bit more than friends normally do, but…" His voice kind of drifted off.

"Dave," Sarah spoke up. "I think what Steve is trying to say that he would do what was necessary for his friends, whether it was going to a bar to get one to talk, or treat you like 'Baby Sissy.' You wouldn't do well at a bar, and one of his other friends wouldn't do well as a baby girl."

"That's exactly it," Steve said as he gave me a hug. "And I've taken a couple guys out drinking to get them to talk about what was bothering them."

I hugged him back, as Sarah said, "Breakfast is ready. Ah, Steve it looks like you need another shirt."

I looked and the shoulder of his shirt was all wet from where I was crying. "I'm sorry," I started to say.

Steve cut me off, "It's OK. I won't melt."

Chapter 44: Sarah

Dave hugged Steve, as I said, "Breakfast is ready. Ah, Steve it looks like you need another shirt."

"I'm sorry," Dave started to say.

Steve interrupted him off, "It's OK. I won't melt."

They got up and started towards the kitchen, "Sarah, do you have a shirt I could borrow?"

I was about to ask whether he wanted one of my bra's also, but our teasing was over. I said yes, and he pulled of his t-shirt. I let out a little gasp. Steve's shirt had hidden that he must work out very regularly. He would not win a body building contest, but that torso could have been selling lots of Diet Coke.

Steve blushed a bit, and I grabbed his shirt and started walking away. Dave was giggling.

I tossed all the clothes in the washer and started it. Looking for a shirt, I had to dig for a minute, because I didn't think that Steve wanted a pink, yellow, lavender, or other girlie colored shirt. I grabbed a light blue one and returned to the kitchen. "Here, try this."

As he pulled the shirt on, I saw that he had Dave in his high chair, and had brought in Dave's bottle and his coffee cup.

We sat down to breakfast. Steve and I chatted while we ate. Dave tried to join, but every time he opened his mouth, I put some eggs, toast, or something else in it. Dave was way too polite to talk with his mouth full.

We finished breakfast and I cleaned up Dave. Steve got up and refilled our coffees, and then picked up Dave and carried him into the living room. I fixed another bottle for Dave and then joined them.

I handed Dave his bottle, and then sat down facing them. I looked at them, "Dave are you ready to talk yet?"

His eyes got a little wide, and he sucked on his bottle for a moment. He nodded and started talking.

We talked for quite a while, actually Dave did most of the talking. He was talking about how afraid he was, and while some things scared me, nothing terrified me. I was afraid of spiders, but after the initial shock of seeing one, I could deal with it.

Steve surprised me though. At one point when Dave paused, he moved Dave so he could look him in straight in the face and started talking. "Dave, I want to think back to the whole time you've known me. Now have you ever seen me on a balcony, or looking out an upper story window, or anything like that?"

Dave sat there for a little bit, and then slowly shook his head. Steve nodded, "You're right. You won't see me on one either, or on a roof, up a ladder, or any place high. I'm terrified of heights. Not as bad as you and dogs, but there have been times when I just couldn't move. That's also the reason we never had balcony seats anywhere. I can't walk down to my seat, even the higher up seats in Assembly Hall scare me."

"But, you can't be…" Dave's voice trailed off, his head shaking.

Steve nodded, "I am. I even been scared by some scenes on TV shows. As scared as if I had been standing where the camera was. I'm lucky though, I don't really have to worry about a tall building surprising me."

Dave looked at me, "Are you scared of anything Sarah?"

I shook my head, "Spiders scare me, but not like you are afraid of things. I'll jump when one surprises me, but then I just deal with it."

Dave turned back to Steve, "You wouldn't lie to me, would you Steve?"

"Not about this. I might about something else, but this is too important. I really am terrified of heights."

I spoke up, "Dave you make me proud to be your friend. You could have hid from Thor in your home, but you went for your walks. You went out, even though you wet yourself whenever he came near. You kept walking even though Mrs. Parks found out you were wearing a diaper. You went out dressed like a girl even though you were upset, and probably scared about being discovered. Monday you let Bob drag you out for your walk, even though you could have said no."

Dave protested, "But, Bob would have carried me around."

"Do you really think that Thor would have let him do something that put you in that much that much distress?" He shook his head. "And the rest of the week, you kept going out. Steve, Joe and I could have dragged you, if Thor let us, but Judy couldn't have made you. You've been brave ever since I've known you."

Dave jumped off Steve's lap, ran over to me, and jumped into my lap to give me a big hug. "Do you really think that I'm brave?"

"Yes Dave I do. You keep going even though you are scared. That's what bravery is."

"Steve, what about you, do you think that I am brave?"

"I told you, heights terrify me and I avoid them. You seem to have faced your fears. That makes you braver than me. I don't plan on facing mine either," Steve answered him.

"So, how do you feel now?" I asked Dave.

"Uh, wet, and tired, and all stuffy."

Steve spoke up, "Well Cecelia, I think we can fix those problems, a clean diaper, and a nap should help." He got up and stepped over.

Dave had a surprised look on his face as he stood up and turned around. Steve picked him up, and turned towards the hallway. "Steve, are you sure you don't me to handle it?" I asked.

"I think that, with a little help from Cecelia, I can handle it. She can give me some instructions."

I caught up to them, and heard Dave whisper, "You smell like Sarah." Steve stumbled.

I chuckled, "That's probably because he is wearing my shirt and showered with my soap. Or do you usually use lavender soap Steve?"

"No, I don't and that is probably a good explanation."

As they turned into the nursery, "I'll toss the clothes in the dryer."

I moved the clothes and started the dryer. Walking back past the nursery I glanced in and saw Dave sitting on the changing table with a big smile on his face as Steve was pulling out a nightie.

I rinsed out our cups and Dave's bottle and put them in the sink. I heard Steve washing up in the bathroom as I went and collapsed into my chair.

Chapter 45: Steve

We'd finished talking with Dave and I confessed what I had not to anyone else, my fear of heights. A couple of people knew, but none of them how much they scared me.

"So, how do you feel now?" Sarah asked Dave.

"Uh, wet, and tired, and all stuffy."

I jumped in without really thinking, "Well Cecelia, I think we can fix those problems, a clean diaper, and a nap should help." I got up and walked over.

I saw the surprise on Dave's face when he turned around and I picked him up. As I turned towards the hallway. Sarah asked, "Steve, are you sure you don't me to handle it?"

"I think that, with a little help from Cecelia, I can handle it. She can give me some instructions."

As we made our way down the hallway Dave whispered, "You smell like Sarah." I almost tripped over my own two feet.

Dave must have said it loud enough for Sarah to hear, because I heard her chuckling, "That's probably because he is wearing my shirt and showered with my soap. Or do you usually use lavender soap Steve?"

"No, I don't and that is probably a good explanation."

I carried Dave into the nursery, and Sarah walked past saying, "I'll toss the clothes in the dryer."

I looked around and set him on the changing table. His outfit puzzled me for a moment, then I noticed the snaps at his crotch. I undid them and pulled it past the diaper. I thought that diapers only had one tape on each side, these had three. Live and learn. Dave was giggling as I fumbled around. "You could give me some advice here." Dave shook his head, "OK, but if you end up leaking, you'll be the uncomfortable one."

I undid the tapes, and pulled it out from underneath him and set it aside. I grabbed a wipe and started wiping him clean. The lack of hair surprised me, but I guess it kept him cleaner.

I grabbed a diaper and opened it up, thanks to taking the wet one off, I knew the tapes went in back. I lifted him up and set him on the diaper, he helped me get it positioned right, I guess he didn't want any leaks. I pulled up the front and taped it closed. He smiled at me.

I sat him up and pulled the dress thing up over his head, with his arms up and face covered, I had the chance to tickle his belly. He started laughing and thrashing around. I stopped and finished undressing him. "That wasn't nice," he told me.

"I enjoyed it. Where are your PJ's?"

He pointed at a drawer. I opened it and pulled out a pink nightie. I resisted tickling him again as I pulled it down past his head. I picked him up and gave him a hug, "Anything else?"

I could feel him trying to reach something behind me, so I turned and stepped that way. He grabbed a pacifier and lisped past it, "All done."

I looked down at the floor to see where Thor had gotten to. I had felt him bump into my legs a couple of times. He was standing out of the way, so I stepped over and put Dave into the crib. "You have a nice nap Cecelia."

He pulled the pacifier out, "You'll be here when I get up?"

"I will, I promise."

I turned off the lights, and looked back. Dave's eyes were already closed, and Thor had laid down next to the crib. I thought back, and they were right. I would have woken Dave and Thor would have attacked me.

I stopped and washed my hands, then went back into the living room and collapsed onto the couch. We stared at each other for a moment, before I said, "God, I hope that I don't have to go through that again."

"I've had a few talks with Dave, but none were like this. I knew that he was afraid of a bunch of things, but not that he was that afraid all of the time. Were you telling the truth about being afraid of heights?"

"Absolutely. There have been a couple times that I was stuck having to drive over tall bridges. If I had had to do anything to avoid an accident or something, I doubt I could have. Assuming I noticed it at all.

“I ended up getting stuck driving through West Virginia. Through the Charleston area there are four bridges over whatever river it is there. I was terrified the whole time. I even had to check on a map to see how many bridges there were. I thought it was at least six."

I guess I shook or something, because Sarah said, "I guess it did shake you up. Just thinking about it seems to scare you."

"It's not one of my favorite memories."

"Speaking of memories, where is changing Dave's diaper going to rate?"

I thought for a moment. "It was weird, but not really unpleasant. I don't think that I want to deal with a messy one though."

"Messy ones aren't fun, did I tell you about the time Dave and Bob decided to have shellfish for dinner?"

"Yes you did, and I am glad I didn't have to deal with that." I said. "Hey, I thought that diapers only had one tape on each side."

Sarah laughed, "I thought that too. But when Dave bought these, they had three on each side. When we looked for others on the internet they all had either two or three on each side. I guess that is how that make adult diapers."

I shrugged, and then we stared at each other for a few minutes. I think we were both still bleeding off the stress of talking to Dave.

Sarah suddenly spoke up, "So Steve what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"I know what they were. Now I am not so sure."

She laughed, "So something came up to change your plans?"

I laughed back, "Maybe, maybe not. My first thought after you called, was to see if Dave would take the day off. Then I thought about getting up to Chicago to see the Cubs game, but I realized that between trying to get tickets and the crowd that it would be a bad idea."

Sarah smiled, "I have a confession to make. I have tickets to a Cubs-Cards game later this season. I figure we can make a day of it up in Chicago. I'd invite you, but our tickets are on the upper level, near the bottom."

I shuddered, "I'll pass. Now that I think of it, any tickets I probably could have gotten today would have been up there."

"You're almost certainly right. I bought these when single game tickets went on sale."

"So I was going to suggest that we watch the game instead, and just relax all day. I think that the relaxing is a good idea after what happened. Although I think I'll pass on the nap in the crib."

She smiled, "Awww, but you would be so cute."

I blushed, "But I wouldn't fit."

We laughed. Thor woofed. I looked and saw him staring at the door. "I think that Thor wants out. I'll go let him out."

I walked over and opened the door. Thor looked back down the hallway, and then at me. "Don't worry, we won't let anything happen to him." He woofed again and bounded outside.

I returned to the couch, and Sarah asked, "Did you just talk to Thor?"

"Well, before he would go out, he looked back towards Dave, and then at me. I'm not sure if he would have left if I hadn't reassured him."

"You know that Dave treats him more like a person than like a dog?"

"I've seen him talking to Thor, so yeah. Hey if Dave wants to treat him like a person, I can indulge him."

"Steve, why can't you call Dave ‘Sissy‘?"

I sighed, "It goes back to our Freshman year. I wasn't all that happy with Dave as a room mate. At first I thought I was stuck with a kid. I even went to see if I could change room mates, but found out there was a waiting period, except in dire cases. So I figured that I would just wait and then change.

By the time we could put in for changes, I had changed my mind. Dave was quiet, clean, and didn't mind cleaning up after me. There were times when I would either come in, or wake up and not even notice that he was in the room. While he wasn't really what I wanted in a room mate, he probably helped me graduate by not being a partier."

When I paused, Sarah asked, "What does this have to do with why you can't call him Sissy?"

I continued, "Well, one of the guys on the floor, I had talked to about switching room mates, started acting like an ass. He kept pushing me about switching rooms, it was easier if you had people willing to switch. After I told him no, first he implied that, well I don't want to talk about that. Then he started calling Dave my 'sissy room mate.' I don't think that he ever used it where anyone else could hear. At least no one ever told me he did. He was kicked out a couple weeks later."

Sarah looked at me with a bit of a horrified look on her face. "I'm almost certain that he never heard of it, and I can see why you don't want to use it."

"Yeah, it brings back bad memories. If I heard someone use it derisively it would be a race between me and Thor to see who got him first."

"I'm glad you weren't here when Bob used it, even if he didn't really mean it," Sarah said.

We sat there talking for a while about nothing in particular until Thor showed up. I went to let him in. I looked down at him and said, "Dave's fine, and just where you left him." He turned and walked down to the nursery. I followed him and looked in on Dave. He was still asleep and Thor was again laying there.

I stopped off and relieved myself, before I returned to the living room, only to find it empty. Sarah came back a couple of minutes later and said, "Too much coffee."

I chuckled and agreed. We continued talking for a while, until we heard a soft, "Sarah," come from down the hallway. She got up and went down the hallway. I sat there relaxing until they returned.

It didn't take long before Dave or rather Cecelia came waddling down the hallway. He was wearing a pair of overall shorts, and a pink t-shirt now. I half caught him when he tried to jump into my lap. He gave me a hug and said, "I was afraid you'd leave."

"I said I'd be here. Besides I planned on spending the day with my friend."

"Even if your friend is dressed like a baby girl?"

I said, "Even if he peed on me, and ended up in diapers, dressed like a baby girl."

Dave's eyes got big and he hugged me again. I returned the hug.

Sarah came in carrying a bottle and when she sat down. Dave wriggled free and got into her lap. I watched the two of them for a few minutes and almost couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Something seemed to change in both of them. Dave looked even more like a baby girl. Sarah looked intensely happy. She was smiling, but there was more to it than that. It was almost like she was radiating that happiness.

I glanced around and saw that Thor had followed Dave into the room, and right now he was just laying there watching Sarah and Dave as if everything in the world was right. It struck me that he may know something, and I joined him.

When Dave finished the bottle the spell was broken. What ever had been there, was still there, but it was greatly diminished. The difference between sunlight and moonlight, maybe. "Has anyone ever watched you feed Dave a bottle?"

Sarah blinked and answered, "Ashley I'm sure, but I don't think anyone else. Why?"

They were both looking at me, and that made me a little nervous. "Well, it was… I'm not really sure how to say this. I guess the best word is special."

"What do you mean, special?"

"Ah. I don't know if I can explain it better, but I'll try." I thought for a minute, and I could see them getting impatient. "The best I can do is, that while you were feeding him, it was like nothing could go wrong. Everything was right in the universe."

Dave spoke up, "That seems kind of silly."

"It may seem silly. If you don't believe me, get one of your friends, and have them come over and watch. Tell them to just sit, watch, and don't say or do anything. If none of them see anything, then I'll admit I imagined it."

Chapter 46: Sarah

I finished feeding Dave his bottle when Steve startled me. He asked, "Has anyone ever watched you feed Dave a bottle?"

I blinked and answered, "Ashley I'm sure, but I don't think anyone else. Why?"

I stared at him, and he got a bit of funny look on his face. "Well, it was… I'm not really sure how to say this. I guess the best word is special."

I asked him, "What do you mean, special?"

"Ah. I don't know if I can explain it better, but I'll try." He sat there for a minute or so before continuing. "The best I can do is, that while you were feeding him, it was like nothing could go wrong. Everything was right in the universe."

Dave said, "That seems kind of silly."

"It may seem silly. If you don't believe me, get one of your friends, and have them come over and watch. Tell them to just sit, watch, and don't say or do anything. If none of them see anything, then I'll admit I imagined it."

Dave said, "I still think it's silly."

Dave whispered, "Let me down." I did and he went and sat in the middle of the room. Thor padded over and Dave hugged him, then started petting him.

They played for a bit, and that got Dave giggling. When they were taking a bit of break, Steve softly said, "Dave."

He turned and with a bit of a quiver to his voice, "What?"

"It's nothing bad, I just wanted to talk to you about an idea I had."

Dave sounded like he was about to cry. I'm not sure if Steve could tell, but I could. Dave said. "What kind of idea?"

"It's an idea for you to advance your career as a writer," Steve said.

"Huh?" Dave was less than eloquent with his reply.

Steve laughed, "I glad you write better than you talk."

"Hey, you just surprised me. So what is this idea?"

"I think that you should write a book," Steve said.

"A book, what would I write a book about?"

"Well, you could write one about being treated like a two year old girl, but I don't think that it would sell."

I laughed at that, and Dave glared at me. "I can't write about that."

"How about one on how airplanes work, or better yet three or four books."

Dave's jaw dropped, and then he said, "I could probably write one on how airplanes work, but three or four?"

Steve smiled and had a bit of a smug look on his face. "Dave you aren't thinking. OK, I didn't give you time to think about it and I have been for a while now."

I cut in, "Steve what do you mean by writing three or four books?"

"Well, Dave could write one for little kids, with simple pictures and simple sentences about what the parts of the plane do. Another for older kids, with simple explanations of the science of how the parts work. Another at maybe high school level, with some of the math and explanations of lift and drag and all those fun engineering terms. Then a final one with all the math and complex stuff. I don't know if the last one would be worth it though."

Dave's mouth opened, then closed. Then opened and closed again. Finally he got something out, "Steve that's a great idea. Well maybe not the last one, it's too much like a textbook. I don't want to write a textbook."

"That is a great idea Steve. So are you going to do it Dave?"

He looked back me, "I think…" his voice trailed off. Then he started up again, "Sarah, do you have some paper and a pen?"

"Sure, just let me go get it." I got up and went down to my office where I grabbed a pen and a legal pad. I also grabbed a crayon out of the nursery.

I came back into the living room and they had moved the coffee table out. Dave was sitting behind it and Steve was sitting over his shoulder. I set the pad in front of Dave and dropped the crayon down with it.

HE looked up at me and glared, "Sarah I can't write with that."

I laughed and handed him the pen, "You aren't going to write the books now are you?"

"No, I'm going to write down some ideas on how to organize the books. If I can come up with a way for all the books to follow the same plan. It will be easier to write them."

We sat there helping Dave go through ideas on how to organize the books. Front to back, bottom to top, importance, all sorts or ways. He filled up a bunch of pages of notes. It was a bit odd, seeing him dressed like a little girl, and talking like an adult.

Finally Dave leaned back against the couch. "That's enough. I'll need to refine what I have, and go see what little kids books look and read like. I don't want to use words that are too big or sentences that are too complex."

He climbed up on the couch and lunged into Steve's lap. "That was a great idea Steve."

Steve gave him a hug, "I've been told all my ideas are great."

"I seem to remember hearing about an idea you had to take Dave to a bar once," I said. Steve gave me a mock glare and Dave started laughing.

"OK, most of ideas are great."

Dave laughed louder at that. "Sarah?" he asked.

"What did you need?" I asked. I hoped it wasn't what I thought.

"I'm hungry. Can you make me some lunch?"

I wasn't ready for that, and looked over at the clock. It was already after noon. No wonder he was hungry, and now that he mentioned it I realized that I was hungry too. "Sure, how about you Steve? Do you want some lunch?."

"Yes. Did you want some help?" Steve replied, as he tickled Dave just enough to get him laughing again.

"No. Just keep Sissy entertained. Is soup and sandwiches alright?" They nodded and I went into the kitchen.

While I made lunch, I could hear occasional giggles and laughs coming from the living room. At least Steve kept him entertained. Lunch didn't take to long to make. I called the two of them in. Steve carried Dave in and put Dave into the high chair. I put the tray on and put his lunch and a bottle of juice there. "Steve, what would you like to drink? Beer, Coke, juice, milk, water?"

We sat and ate lunch chatting about what we would do the rest of the afternoon. Dave asked Steve how long he was going to stay. Steve told him, not until Dave wanted him to leave. Dave smiled at this. We decided to watch the Cubs game this afternoon, and see who was available for dinner.

After lunch Dave and Steve went got some drinks and snacks set up to watch the game, while I put up the ring the buzzer for help sign on my office door. I also made a few phone calls. I told Susan not to bother walking with Dave tomorrow. I talked to Judy and she said she would be by when Ashley got home. I left a message for Bob.

Dave and Steve were sitting on the couch. Snacks and drinks were all set out. I sat down and saw that they already had the pre-game on. "So what do you think of the Cubs chances today?"

Dave spoke up, "With Prior pitching today, the Cubs have a good chance to win, but both the Cubs and Rockies aren't very good this year."

We sat and watched the game. It was tied going into the 4th inning, when the first pitch was lined back at Prior and bounced off his elbow. I winced in sympathetic pain. Steve must have winced also, because I heard a sharp intake in his breath. Dave buried his head into my side. The third baseman caught the ball, as Prior writhed in pain on the field.

After a few moments I wanted to bury my face too. I'd watched enough sports to see all sorts of injuries, and this looked to be one of the most painful I remembered. The trainers eventually got him under control and got him up and off the field. Dave had sat back up, but it was easy to see that he was still uncomfortable about what had happened.

I don't know if that inspired the Cubs, but they broke out and blew away the Rockies. It was a bit of Pyrrhic victory though, Prior would likely be out for a while.

During one of the later innings, Steve started squirming in his seat. Dave noticed this, and asked him what was wrong. Steve looked at him, and said he needed to use the restroom. Dave laughed and said he should have worn a diaper, then he wouldn't need to worry about that. At the end of the inning, Steve jumped and didn't quite run to the bathroom. Dave and I laughed about that.

During the rest of the game Steve must have been poking Dave in the side, because Dave kept squirming around. After the game I took Dave down to change his diaper. I just finished taping on his new diaper when there was a knock at the door.

Chapter 47: Steve

Sarah was down changing Dave when there was a knock at the door. I hesitated a moment, then got up and answered it. It was Ashley and her mom. "Hi. Come on in."

"Hello Steve, where are Dave and Sarah?" Judy asked.

"Sarah's changing him, they should be back soon."

When I said that, Ashley turned to walk down the hallway. "Ashley come back here," Judy said.

She turned around and walked back pouting just a bit. I chuckled a little at the look on her face and she stuck her tongue out at me. I responded in kind and then she giggled a little.

We went and sat down in the living room. Judy asked, "How is Dave doing?"

I sighed, "Better than he was this morning. He spent a long time just being cuddled, and then all three of us had a long talk. It was a bit exhausting, and very stressful. Dave is scared almost all the time he is out by himself, and this attack just made it worse."

Ashley gasped, and Judy asked, "Is there anything we can do to help him?"

"I don't know. I do know that he is one of the bravest people I know though."

Ashley got a really puzzled look on her face, "That doesn't make sense. How can he be brave if he always scared?"

Before I could answer her mom said, "Because even though he is scared, he keeps going on. You remember when he gave Thor that big chew toy?"

Ashley smiled, "Of course, it was the first time I saw him in a diaper."

"Well he's doing the same thing all the time. Going out and facing what scares him," Judy finished.

"I have a question for the two of you. Have either of ever just watched Sarah feed Dave a bottle?"

Judy shook her head, "I don't think I've ever even been around when that happened. Why?"

"I've seen it lots of times, but we're usually talking or doing stuff."

"I don't really want to say, but if you get a chance, just watch them and keep quiet," I said.

Just then, I heard Dave call out, "Ashley," although his voice sounded a little different. Ashley jumped up and squealed out "Sissy."

I must have winced or something, because as Ashley ran to Dave, Judy said, "Are you OK?"

"Um, I just have a hard time with someone calling Dave 'Sissy.' I'll explain later."

Ashley, Dave, and Sarah came into living room and Sarah said, "Let's go outside and enjoy the rest of the day."

Dave got a slightly pained look on his face. Sarah gave him a squeeze on his shoulder and said it would be OK.

Ashley grabbed Dave's hand and pulled him towards the door. We followed them out and sat down on the porch while Thor, Ashley and Dave went out into the grass and started playing.

I was staring at the three of them playing and laughing in the yard. It was strange to see Dave acting this way. We had gone out and played with a Frisbee or soccer ball, but I always had the impression that he was only doing it because I dragged him out. I did drag him, but he needed to get out more.

"Steve, earth to Steve," I vaguely heard someone say.

"What?"

Judy was staring at me, "I asked you a question. You said you had a hard time with people calling Dave Sissy. I was wondering why."

"Oh, that." I went on to tell her about the jerk in the dorms our freshman year.

We chatted for a while and when I looked back over at them, Thor was missing. I gave Dave a questioning look. He said that Thor had gone to play with the other kids. That made me chuckle.

Sarah asked me what I was laughing at. I told her what Dave had said about 'other kids.' That got a little laugh out of both of them.

"Steve, when Dave came out this morning as Sissy you surprised me." Sarah said.

"Hmm, how so?"

"Well, not only did you accept him, but you actually held him and cuddled him and acted like nothing strange was happening. I know you said it was because he was your friend, but doesn't that go a bit beyond friendship?"

I heard Judy gasp, as I sat there for a moment, and then looked at her. "Maybe it does, but I really didn't have a choice. I could have given him a hug and let you hold him all morning, but that would have hurt him. He would have wondered if I really accepted him that way."

Judy asked, "What was he wearing?"

I started to answer, "This pink dress thing. I don't know what you call it."

Sarah laughed, "It was a pink romper dress. Something you might see on a two year old. I don't think anyone but me has seen him in that until today. It is about the most immature clothes he has."

"I hadn't realized that," I said. "Back to what I was saying. My second choice was to completely reject him. If I had done that, it probably would have been easier to just shoot him then, myself. I like Dave too much to have done that to him. So I held him and fed him and cuddled him and did what was necessary to reassure him."

I stood up, stretched and looked down where Dave and Ashley were sitting. They would have looked like twins, except for their hair color. Seeing them sitting there gave me an idea. I turned and asked Judy if I could do something to Ashley that might surprise her. She said OK.

I caught Dave's eye, and put a finger up to my lips. I crept up behind Ashley, reached down grabbed her under her arms and then picked her up and tossed her into the air. She squealed and when she came down, I tossed her again giving her a twist as I did. This time I caught her held her up on my hip.

She grabbed me and held on, "That wasn't nice."

"But was it fun?"

"Yes. Hey you smell like a girl."

Dave started laughing and was rolling around on the ground. "I had to take a shower and use Sarah's soap because someone peed all over me."

That got Dave to stop laughing. I set Ashley down and said, "So Cecelia do you want try that?"

"Um…"

Ashley said, "You have too Sissy, it was fun."

"OK, just don't drop me."

"I won't, now sit up." He sat up and I tossed him into the air, maybe a bit higher that I had tossed Ashley. I tossed him a second time and caught him like I had Ashley.

He said, "You do smell like a girl."

"That's because after I showered and put on a clean shirt, someone cried all over it and made it soggy."

"Hey," he said.

I put him down. "So what were you talking about?"

Ashley spoke up, "He was telling me about today."

"Oh, did he tell you about my brilliant idea?"

"I hadn't got that far yet." We sat down and talked about the books, Ashley didn't look real interested. I guess she wasn't a big fan of airplanes.

Dave was still talking enthusiastically when we heard a woof. All of us looked over and saw Thor walking up to us. He came up and sat down next to Dave, who gave him a hug.

Dave looked at Ashley and asked, "Can you go get Thor's water bowl?"

"OK," she said as she jumped up and ran to get it.

"Ah, the energy of youth," I said. I laid back on the grass relaxing. "Oof," I said as a heavy weight landed on my chest, a wet tongue licking my face told me it was Thor and not Dave. I wrestled him off of me and let him go when Ashley called him.

Once Joe and Bob showed up, we got Sarah's grill going and supper was cooked. After dinner we sat down to chat in Sarah's living room.

I noticed after a while, that something was wrong with Ashley. I leaned over and whispered to her, "what's wrong?"

She whispered back, "Nothing."

"Come on, you can tell me."

"It's… just that everyone is holding Sissy, and no one is…"

"No one is holding or hugging you?"

She nodded. "Well climb into my lap and I'll give you a hug."

She climbed into my lap, and I gave her a hug and held her like I had held Dave earlier. When Dave moved to the next person, she wriggled free and picked someone else to sit in their lap. From then on both of them moved from lap to lap getting hugs and cuddling.

Eventually we called it a night. I changed back into the clothes I had worn that morning and got my helmet and jacket from Dave's. Ashley wanted to stay at Sarah's that night, but her mom said no. I told Dave I would come by tomorrow afternoon. He seemed happy about that.

I rode home a bit distracted, not the best way to ride but nothing bad happened. Dave's change into Cecelia had surprised me, but my reaction surprised me even more. If someone had asked me a week ago how I would have reacted to my friend dressing and acting like a baby girl, I would have never said that I would act like it was normal.

Chapter 48: Dave

After everyone left, Sarah carried me down to the nursery, and got me ready for bed. I was laying in my crib and said to Sarah, "Sarah? Do I have to go for my walk tomorrow?"

She turned around, "No Dave, you don't have to go for your walk tomorrow. No one will ever make you go on your walk again. But if you want, some one will always be there to walk with you."

"OK. Goodnight Sarah."

"Goodnight."

I thought for a long time before falling asleep. Was I ever going to go for my walks again?

Saturday was great, it almost made me forget what had happened. Saturday morning Sarah treated me as a baby. I did nothing, and wasn't under the stress that I was Friday. All afternoon, Ashley and Steve were there, we played video games, and played outside with Thor.

The evening ended early, at least for Steve. Ashley had brought clothes and her homework. Once it was down to just the three, four with Thor, of us, she tried the same thing with Sarah, as she had with me. She still wanted to see what it was like wearing a diaper. Sarah told her that she had two conditions. First she would call and ask her parents and second Ashley would have to follow the same rules as me. That meant that she would have wear diapers the whole time and the bathroom was off limits. Ashley changed her mind then.

Sunday was even better, I helped Ashley with her homework, then we played the rest of the day. After dinner she went home, and after talking with Sarah for a while I took my notes on the books and Thor home with me.

I spent the rest of the evening talking to Thor. He didn't answer much, an occasional woof, but talking out what I had been thinking about. I had made my decision.

Monday I got up, and after a bit of delay, I put on a diaper and got dressed. I sighed and looked at Thor, "Come on Thor, we're going for a walk."

Thor woofed, and we went out the door. Thor turned to walk the way we usually did, but I called him over as we went around the other way. I started out briskly and we quickly made our way passed the field where it happened. I saw a couple of people out and about during my walk and they all waved and smiled at me. I waved back.

When I got to Mrs. Parks house, she was just bringing out a blanket and toys for the twins. This time I led Thor over to the yard. I was surprised when a man carried the twins out of the house. Then my brain clicked on, if there was a Mrs. Parks, there was probably a Mr. Parks too.

Thor woofed at the twins, and they twisted their heads around to look for him. They cried out together, "Doggie," when they saw him. A moment later and they cried out "Davey," right after that.

Mr. Parks walked over and looked at me, "So you're the famous Dave."

Before I could say anything, Mrs. Parks said, "Dave, this is my husband, George. George this is Dave."

"It's nice to meet you George." I almost stuck out my hand, but instead stuck out both of them and took one toddler from him.

"Thanks, it's hard to put them both down. What brings you out here?"

"Oh, I was going for my walk, and when I saw Susan bringing out stuff for the twins to come out I figured I would stop by. Thor likes to play with them."

"I thought Thor belonged to, ah, that guy that mows all over."

"Bob? Yeah Thor belongs to him, but I think that Thor believes that I belong to him. He rarely lets me out of his sight, while I am out."

We sent the twins down on the blanket, and Thor submitted to their petting and climbing on him. George stuck out his hand and we shook. "Well I have to go to work. It was nice to meet you, Dave," he said and he walked over to his car after giving his wife a kiss goodbye.

We watched him leave, and Susan looked over at me, "Do you want to talk?"

She sat down on her chair and I sat down next her. "I guess so." I told her what had happened Friday, and everything that followed it.

Once I had finished, she looked at me. "Even after all that, you still went out for your walk this morning, and all alone?"

"I guess that I needed to," I answered. I paused and thought about it, "No, I had to. If I hadn't I'd have spent the rest of my life sitting in my home afraid to go out."

She looked closely at me, "So, are you saying that you aren't afraid?"

I laughed, "I'm terrified. Every noise scares me." I looked over at the twins and whispered, "I'm wet, and I'm not sure if I'll ever make it through my walk without that happening again."

"Are you afraid right now?"

"Just a little. I feel safer with you."

She laughed, "Dave, I'm about your age, a little taller than you, and I doubt that I could do anything to save you from anyone."

I blurted out without really thinking, "But you're an adult."

She laughed even louder, "So are you Dave."

"Sometimes, no most of the time, I don't think so."

She stopped laughing, "What do you mean?"

"The only time I really feel like an adult is when I am working. Even then, if Thor is with me I only sorta feel like one. The rest of the time, I am not really sure what I feel like. No that's not entirely true. When Ashley and I are playing, I think I feel like a kid, but I am not sure what being a kid really feels like. When Sarah and I are, ah playing. You know what we do?"

She nodded, "A bit, and it's OK."

"Well, I definitely don't feel like an adult then. I don't even really feel like an adult, when I am out walking with Thor."

"Have you talked to anyone about this?"

"I'd never thought about it before. I'm not even sure who to talk with about this."

"Not me, even though I got you to think about it."

"No, not you. I'll have to think about it. Now though I'm going to go play with your kids."

"Go have fun."

I rolled over and crawled over to the blanket where they were playing with Thor. I joined them and felt myself relaxing, the tension from walking around slipping away.

We'd been playing for a little while, and were now playing horsey, with me as the horsey, when all of the sudden which ever twin wasn't on my back said, "Davey. Diapee?"

The other one twisted around, "Davey diapee!"

I looked back and saw that my pants had slipped down, and my diaper was sticking out. I'm not sure why but this made me feel horrible. I looked over at Susan, and she must have seen something in my face.

"Boys," she said. The two of them looked at her. "Yes Davey wears diapers."

This didn't really make me feel any better, and what one of them said next nearly put me over the top. "Davey baby?"

"No, Davey is not a baby. He just wears diapers."

"Davey not baby? OK. Giddy up, horsey."

I 'giddy upped' and we went on playing for a while. I kept trying to pull up my pants, but with one of them on back and me on my hands and knees, I couldn't do it. I kept looking around, hoping no one else would show up. Eventually our play ended and I helped Susan gather up everything.

Just before we carried them in, Jason, at least I think it was Jason, said, "Davey wet, mommy change."

I'm not sure how he knew I was wet, or if he just guessed because he was, but Susan said, "It's OK, Sarah will change Davey."

"Sawah Davey mommy?"

"No, Sarah is my, ah, sitter," I said hoping to end this before it got out of hand.

Jacob, or at least the other twin, piped up, "Sawah good babysittew."

"Yes she is," I blushed. "Bye bye."

They waved and I got out of there.

The rest of the week, went much like Monday. I did notice that there seemed to be more people outside than usual. I normally saw two or three people out and about, but this week it seemed like six or seven every day.

I called all my friends and asked if we could meet Sunday afternoon. Everyone said they'd be there, but Bob, he was working until that evening.

Sunday, I finally decided to confront Sarah about what was going on. I went over just before the others were going to show up.

Sarah invited me in, and we went and sat down. "So, I heard that you are out walking in the mornings."

"Yes, I had to, it was that or live the rest of my life in my home." I told her my reasoning and about the talk I had with Susan Parks. Sarah sat there listening, and when I finished she got up and gave me a hug.

I told her about the Parks twins finding out that I was wearing diapers, and now they think she changes my diapers. We laughed about that, and she asked me if I needed a change.

Finally I asked her about what I had come over about. "Sarah, have you asked people to be outside when I go for my walks?"

She looked surprised, "No. What do you mean?"

I explained about seeing so many new and different people outside while I am walking. All of them waving or saying hello. I didn't really mind, but I didn't want them to mess up their schedules just to watch me.

She denied it and asked me if I wanted her to ask about it. I thought about it, and told her no. I figured that they would get bored with it soon.

We sat around talking until everyone arrived. I stood up, and had a moment of panic, until I remembered that these were all my friends. "I have a couple of things to tell everyone, and figured that this would be easier."

"First of all," I continued. "I talked to the State's Attorney the other day. He called me into his office to ask me some more questions about what had happened. It turns out that one of the guys that attacked me, is the cousin of the kid that's in Juvie for attacking me.

"All three were telling the same story, that it was a prank on his 'friend.' After confronting the other two with what was found in the van, and a few mentions of some nasty charges against them, they were jumping at the chance to testify against the leader."

Everyone tried to ask at once, "What did they find in the van?"

"A couple of bags with Ducktape and a heavy blanket. The police think that they were going to wrap me up in the blanket and the tape, then dump me somewhere. The two guys, claim to know nothing about the bags, and that they were just going to drive out into the middle of nowhere and leave me."

Sarah came over and gave me a hug, followed quickly by everyone else. I almost broke down and started crying. It took me a minute or two to collect myself.

Sarah pulled me over to where she had been sitting, and then onto her lap once she had sat down again. "Go ahead as soon as you are ready," she said.

"The States Attorney also told me that if it goes to trial, Deputy Wildler and those two guys are going to have to testify at the trial. I probably wouldn't have to, although he would like me to be there just in case. I really hope I don't have to."

We talked about it for a little while. Mostly they were asking questions, but I didn't have many answers. Finally I was asked what the other thing I wanted to tell them was.

"This is good news. I emailed my editor and told him about Steve's idea for the books. He said that the magazine doesn't do books, but that he also works for a book publisher and he thought it was a great idea."

"So, you're going to write them?" Steve asked.

"I was going to write them anyway, but now I don't have to look for a publisher. Anyone know any little kids I can have test read the first one?"

Almost in unison, they all said, "Just you."

I stuck my tongue out at them, and said, "The only little kids I know, are the Parks twins, and they are too little, and Ashley, but she's too big."

Ashley piped up, "Who are you calling little?"

"Ashley!" Her mom said.

"I'm only kidding, but I am bigger than he is. I will read it for you though."

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking. I noticed Ashley was getting bored, so I went and got a game. We got Steve to join us, and played while we were talking. I think the distraction helped Ashley, because she slaughtered us.

Chapter 49: Sarah

Monday morning I was going to see if Dave wanted to go for a walk, and if he wanted me to go with him. I was just about out the door, when I saw him and Thor part way down the street. They were walking the opposite direction that they normally went, and Dave had a distinct waddle to his walk.

I was really surprised to see him out walking with just Thor. I thought that I had better watch out to see when he got back. It wasn't easy to watch out the window, and I didn't want to sit outside, like I was waiting for him. I grabbed the nanny cam that I used to film him way back when, and propped it in the window. The picture wasn't great, but I should be able to see him on the screen.

I sat watching the morning news, and glancing at my laptops screen. I saw Mr. Parks drive by and checked the clock, Dave should coming by soon. After ten minutes went by and he wasn't there I was a little concerned. Thirty minutes and I was worried.

I went outside and started walking towards where he would be coming from. I got to the corner and looked up the road. I could see Dave with one of the twins on his back as he crawled around. I watched for about a minute and then hurried back home.

It wasn't too much later that I saw him coming up the street, he was waddling more than he had been when he left, so I guess he had wet his diaper. I waited to see if he was going to stop by that morning, but even giving him time to shower and eat, he didn't show up. I gave up waiting and went to catch up on things I had let go over the weekend.

The rest of the week had gone the same, I watched out a window as Dave waddled off with Thor. I didn't always catch him coming back, but when he was he was obviously, at least to my eyes, wet.

Thursday he stopped while I was in my office, and asked if he could have a little meeting at my house Sunday afternoon. I agreed, and we chatted for a little while. Neither of us mentioned his walks. I was glad that he was out, but I was worried. Sunday afternoon came and Dave showed up a bit early, I had expected it.

I asked him about his going on his morning walks. He told me his reasoning and about the talk he had had with Mrs. Parks. I didn't mention that we had talked when she paid her rent.

He also told me about her twins finding out that he was wearing a diaper. She had told me that part also. We joked about it and when he told me that they thought I was his babysitter, I asked if he needed a change. He blushed and said no.

Then he got serious and explained about seeing more people while he was walking. He didn't accuse me of asking them to be out then, but he did ask if I had asked them to be out then. I denied it, I really hadn't heard about it.

I asked him if he wanted me to check on it, but he said no, and that they would eventually get bored with it. I thought about it and figured that I knew whom had spread the word, and Dave was probably right that it wouldn't last too long.

As everyone showed up, I noticed that Ashley seemed a bit disappointed when she got here. Dave was definitely in Dave mode, and he probably wasn't going to change.

Once everyone was here, Dave told us about his meeting with the States Attorney. I was shocked and very glad that Deputy Wildler got home when he did. Before he had finished, he had nearly broke down, and everyone was giving him hugs. I sat him on my knee while finished.

The other thing he told us about was that he had someone to publish the books Steve had suggested. That was great, from everything I had heard that can be one of the hardest things for a writer to do.

We kept talking all day. Although Dave got out a game, that he, Ashley and Steve played. Ashley won, much to her delight.

That night as I lay in bed, I thought about Dave and what else I could do to help him out. As I thought over the past year or so, I realized that Dave hadn't been out of the trailer park for more than a few hours at a time, other than his stay in the hospital. He also spent way too much time cooped up in his trailer. Dave needed a vacation, I doubt that he ever had gone on one. I made a mental note to check out some dates on the internet in the morning.

A little internet research and I found a couple of weekends where the Cards had home games, and some other things to do in St. Louis. I checked on ticket availability for the games, and then decided to talk to Dave about it.

I walked over to Dave's to see if he wanted to go on a vacation. Actually I was going to bully him into going on a vacation with me, and Ashley if Joe and Judy will let her, I planned on bullying them too.

I knocked on his door and heard Thor start barking, then a muffled voice yelling at him. Dave opened the door and turned to Thor, "See it's just Sarah."

I laughed a little as Thor woofed a greeting to me. Dave opened the door, and Thor slipped out. "Come on in," Dave said shaking his head at Thor's antics.

"Thank you," I said as I made my in. "How was your walk?"

He got a little teary eyed, "The walks are OK, but I'm always wet by the time I get home. It sucks, I figured once I got used to Thor, that I wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. Now, though, everything scares me. Noises of all sorts, especially if I don't see what it was. Cars are the worst though."

I pulled him to me, and gave him a hug. "Hopefully they will stop you bothering soon."

He cried on my shoulder for a couple of minutes before stopping and asking me, "So, did you just stop by to ask me about my walks?"

"No, I actually came over to make a proposition to you."

"Hmmmm, the last propositions you made to me ended up with me in diapers and with pierced ears. So this one will either end up with me in pre-school, daycare or the flower girl for someone's wedding."

I actually took a step back, was Dave really that upset that I tricked him into what had happened. I noticed that he started grinning.

"I got you," he said. "Actually though, daycare and pre-school are right out, and the only one I would be a flower girl for is you. Uh, and maybe Ashley, but don't tell her."

"I'll remember that," I said, as I picked him up and spun him around. "Dave are you upset at me for what I did. I knew that I was going to win those bets, that is why I made them as opposed to something I wasn't sure about?"

"A little bit, but not really. I mean that the end result has made me so happy that I am not mad about them. I still need to come up with one I can win and get some free rent."

I laughed at that, and then went on. "Dave how would you like to go on a little vacation with me and probably Ashley?"

"I don't know, I've never been on a vacation. And who would you like to go?"

"A fair answer, so let me give you my idea. I was thinking that the three of us could go to St. Louis for the weekend. We would leave Thursday night, spend most of Friday at Six Flags. Saturday lounging around the hotel's pool, that evening go see the Card's. Then spend Sunday at the Zoo."

"I've never been to an amusement park, or a zoo, or a Card's game. I've been to Cubs games though. I noticed you didn't answer my question though."

"Sissy, I would want you to go as Sissy. Ashley would too. Did you notice yesterday she was sad that you were Dave and not Sissy?"

"No, I didn't. But then again I can't always be Sissy."

"No, you can't, but then again if we go on this trip it will be much easier on you if you are Sissy."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well if you go as Dave, that means that you have to go use the men's restrooms by yourself. You would have to stand around outside the women's waiting for Ashley and me all by yourself. You would have to put up with being called a girl all the time. I probably could come up with some other reasons if you want me too."

Dave sighed, "Those are good reasons. So when did you want to go?"

"The Card's are home in a couple of weeks and there are tickets still available. I figured that would be a good weekend to go."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, "I can have everything done by then, so I'm free that weekend. Have you asked Ashley yet?"

"No, I haven't. I didn't want to use her to get you to go. Do you want to go ask her now?"

"I know what she's going to say, I think it's more of going to ask her parents."

I laughed, "That's true enough, so shall we go see if her parents say it's OK?"

"Let me put on my shoes and then we can go."

We walked down to Joe and Judy's, one of them was bound to be home, because Ashley wasn't with one of us. Joe answered when we knocked, "Hi Sarah, Dave. What's up?"

"Is Ashley around?" I asked.

"No, she's out playing with some of her friends. Why, did you need her? Come on in."

I thought for a moment, as we entered. "Actually, it's probably better that we talk to you first. Dave, or rather Sissy, and I were planning on going to St. Louis for a weekend, a couple of weeks from now, and were wondering if Ashley could join us."

Joe looked over at Dave, "Sissy's going?"

Dave blushed a little, "Yeah. Sarah convinced me it's a bit safer to go as Sissy. I won't have to either go into the men's room alone, or stand around alone waiting for Sarah. Besides as Sissy, I can act more like a kid."

Joe nodded, "So what are your plans for the weekend?"

I explained what I had planned. Joe asked a couple of questions about our plans, and I came up with answers. Finally he said, "Well, I need to talk with Judy, and then if she agrees, with Ashley. I don't really see a problem with it though."

"We didn't think that you would have a problem, and I think if we had planned a trip to a, um, rutabaga farm she'd want to go with us."

Dave looked a little puzzled, "Why would we want to go to a rutabaga farm?"

Joe chuckled and I answered, "We wouldn't Dave, my point is that no matter where we were going Ashley is going to want to come with."

"Oh. I understand."

"I'll talk to Judy and Ashley, then let you know tonight or tomorrow."

We said bye, and headed back home. Dave gave me a hug and headed inside.

I went in and ordered tickets for the game, and made hotel reservations. I thought about what I would need to pack for Sissy and I. I decided what I would take, and pulled out some clothes that I hadn't worn for a while to wash, including my swimsuit. That reminded me, I didn't even know if Dave could swim. He certainly didn't have an appropriate swimsuit.

I went and checked Sissy's clothes to see if there was anything else that was really needed. I looked through the clothes, and decided that what was needed was some normal summer outfits. There were lots of dresses, and clothes that were, well just a bit juvenile for Sissy's apparent age.

Chapter 50: Dave

I said bye to Sarah and went into my home. It was strangely quiet without Thor. He'll be back soon, I thought.

I went and sat down at my computer planning to get some work done, but I was distracted. I was going on a vacation with Sarah and Ashley. I was sure that she would be able to go with us. Visiting Six Flags, I hadn't ever been to an amusement park, or even a fair. I sat there daydreaming about what it would be like at the park.

My thoughts drifted to what else she said we would do. I'd been to a couple of Cubs games with Steve, so the Cards game wouldn't be much different. The zoo though, that could be fun, I'd never been to one before. I'd always kind of liked animals, except for dogs, and I don't think that zoos have dogs in them.

I'm not sure how long I had been sitting there, when someone knocked at my door. I jumped, startled by the knocking. When I opened the door, Sarah was standing there.

"Dave, I need to know a few things. First can you swim? Do you have a swimsuit? Are you busy, we need to go shopping? Are you…"

"Sarah slow down," I cut her off. "Come on in, and have a seat."

We went and sat down, "Sorry, I was just thinking and getting ready, when I realized I that there wasn't anything appropriate for you to wear."

I got a puzzled look on my face, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you've seen how Ashley dresses, when she is just out playing and goofing around?" I nodded. "Well you don't have any clothing that is like that. What you have is too dressy, or too juvenile."

"Yeah, when I went through Ashley's old clothes that was what she pushed on me. I resisted most of the frillier stuff she had."

"Well, we need to get you some clothes that is right for just playing. There was a pair of slacks, a couple of shirts, but not enough for the whole weekend."

"I guess I would look out of place wearing a dress to the ball game, or the park."

"You certainly would. Can you swim?"

"Yes, I had to take a Phys-Ed class to graduate, so Steve and I took a basic swimming class. I think he just wanted to look at the coeds though. I do have a pair of swim trunks, Steve wanted me to get some Speedo's, but I was having a hard enough time taking the class as it was. He has some Speedo's, I think they were a size too small though."

Sarah chuckled at that. "I'm not sure that you could get away with just wearing trunks though. In college, they knew you were an adult, out in the public though, especially with your hair and pierced ears, everyone will think you are a young girl. So we should get you a swimsuit that fits Sissy."

I felt my cheeks get warm. It seemed a bit strange that I would blush over wearing a girls swimsuit, when I had been out wearing diapers and girls clothes a bunch of times. "Um, Sarah thinking back to that class, those bikinis and swimsuit's the girls were wearing didn't leave much to the imagination. I don't know about young girl's swimsuits, but if they are the same way we have a problem."

Sarah looked at me blankly for a moment, then got a surprised look on her face. "I forgot about that. I'm not sure what girl's swimsuits look like now, but we will find out when we go shopping. Speaking of which, are you busy now?"

"No, I was daydreaming until you started knocking on my door."

"Good, let's go get you changed, and then we can go shopping."

I sighed, "OK, let's go." I wasn't really big on shopping, and looking for a girl's swimsuit doesn't feel like it would be fun.

We went over to Sarah's and down to the nursery to get me changed. As I sat on the changing table, Sarah grabbed a diaper, "Sarah, I'm not going to be wearing a diaper under the swimsuit, am I?"

She stopped, "Uh, no."

"Then I probably shouldn't be wearing one to try on the swimsuit. Uh, can I even try on a swimsuit?"

"Yes, but you have to keep your underwear on."

"Do you still have those panties, that you bought when I fell in Wal-Mart?"

"Yes. Good idea." She put the diaper back and opened a dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of panties.

After I was dressed, we headed out to shop.

We started at the girls section and picked out a couple outfits for me to wear. Then we checked out the swimsuits. Looking them over, I got a bit worried, none of them looked like they would provide much in the way of coverage.

We picked out a couple, although I did put my foot down on a couple of overly girly ones. Sarah also grabbed a bikini for me to try on.

We went over to the changing rooms and took the swimsuits in. Inside I quickly stripped down to my panties and tried on the first swimsuit. It took a bit of rearranging and mirror looking, but I would either end up with an ungirlish bulge, or some over exposure.

We checked all of the suits, and no matter what I did I couldn't hide everything. When we finally gave up, Sarah gave me a hug, I guess I looked a bit tearful.

We picked up a few other things we would need, and headed back home. "Sarah, what are we going to do? None of those suits will cover me up."

She sighed, "I'm not sure, but we'll come up with something."

I glanced over at Sarah, she didn't look confident that we would come up with something. I stared out the window the whole way back, thinking that this trip wouldn't be nearly as fun.

We got back to Sarah's and took everything in, Sarah said she would wash and pack everything I would need, so I wouldn't have to worry about anything. I was a little worried about that, but I figured she was past doing things to me. I changed back into my normal clothes, gave her a hug and headed home.

I sat around moping, before I decided that maybe I could find some better swimsuits on the internet. My search was a bit more depressing, every time I saw a suit that might work, it turned out to be for a baby or toddler. I was small, but not that small. I felt weird looking at girl's swimsuits, even if it would have been for me.

I'm not sure how long I was looking online, when my phone rang. For the second time today, I was startled by something that I probably should have expected. Judy was on the phone, asking if I could come over. I said yes, and grabbed my shoes.

I opened the door to leave and Sarah was standing there about to knock. I laughed and asked if Judy had called her? She nodded and off we went.

We got to Joe and Judy's and Joe let us in. I looked over and saw Ashley sitting on the couch, bouncing on the couch really. I guess she wanted to go. We exchanged some hugs and handshakes and sat down.

Joe and Judy asked Sarah some questions about where we were staying and everything we had planned. Ashley didn't look real happy about the baseball game, but I figured that I could keep her entertained during the game. There were lots of little things going on, that most people didn't know about, that I could tell her.

Joe asked Sarah, "I thought you said you planned on swimming one day?"

"We were, but we are having a hard time finding a swimsuit that will cover up everything on Sissy."

Ashley got a puzzled look on her face, then an "oh" escaped from her. "Uh, have you thought about board shorts?"

"What?" I asked.

"Board shorts. They're, um, like boys trunks. Well some are boys swim trunks, but some are for girls. They wear them over their suits, and some girls wear them while they swim. They should cover everything." She blushed at the end.

"Sarah, I don't remember seeing anything like do you?"

"No, but I wasn't looking for anything like that either," Sarah said. "We can go looking again tomorrow, and now we know what to look for."

Ashley smiled and asked, "Can I come and help you pick one out?"

I was about to say no, when Judy spoke. "I don't think so Ashley, they will have to go into the changing room, and I don't want you standing around by yourself. And no, you can't go in with them."

Ashley pouted and leaned over and gave her a hug. I whispered to her, "It's ok, if you hadn't suggested the shorts, we probably wouldn't be going to be able to swim on the trip." That got her smiling again.

We talked for about a while, about what Ashley needed to pack, and what needed to be done in the park while Sarah was gone. Bob usually answered emergencies, and Joe and Judy agreed to handle anything routine.

The next day Sarah and I went shopping again. It was a bit anticlimactic, we found a suit and matching shorts that I was willing to wear. I'm glad that Ashley wasn't there, it was bad enough that Sarah was pushing a pink Disney suit complete with Tinker Bell on it.

The next couple of weeks passed rather quickly. I was all caught up with my work and I let my editors know I would be gone all weekend. Sarah had made arrangements with Bob, and Deputy Wildler to keep an eye on everything.

Chapter 51: Sarah

I was all ready to go on the trip, I had packed Sissy's and my clothes, and a bag with diapers. I had planned on packing them with Sissy's clothes, but they took up too much space.

I hadn't told Dave what I was bringing for Sissy to wear, I wanted it to be a surprise. I knew he would be surprised by the diaper bag that I had bought. I wanted to bring spare clothes for Ashley and Sissy to the Park, and a couple spare diapers, and that seemed to be the easiest thing to use. I really didn't need to buy a pink one, but he would be dressed as a girl.

Thursday morning, Dave showed up around 9:30 instead of in the afternoon like I had suggested. "Morning Dave, what brings you around so early?"

"I was bored. All my work is done, and I didn't feel like just sitting around alone all morning."

"Good idea. Besides you can help me watch Mrs. Parks twins for a couple of hours."

"Cool, I can play with them for a while."

"Yep, now let's get you dressed."

"What do you mean? I am dressed," he said with a slightly scared look.

"You need a diaper and different clothes. The twins already know that you wear diapers, and it might confuse them if you aren't wearing one."

"They are so little, they probably don't remember. It might confuse them if I am dressed as Sissy though."

"Well, I want you in a diaper, and I didn't plan on dressing you as Sissy anyway. Now come on, or do I have to carry you?"

Dave sighed, and headed down to the nursery. I followed along chuckling at him. In the nursery I picked him up and sat him on the changing table. I stripped and diapered him, then pulled out a blue onesie for him to wear. With him dressed I picked him up.

He yelled, "Sarah I need more clothes than this," and started squirming in my arms.

"No you don't, unless you were planning on going out. You weren't planning on going out were you?"

"No, but…"

"So what's the problem? The twins aren't going to care, and no one else will see you," I said, knowing full well that Mrs. Parks would.

"But," he sighed giving in.

"Don't worry," I said as I carried him back to the living room.

Dave was sitting on the floor sort of playing with the toys I had gotten out for the twins, and just waiting, when there was a knock on the door. I peaked out to make sure that it was Mrs. Parks before letting her in.

She lifted the twins in one at a time, and they ran in yelling "Davey." Dave looked up and saw Mrs. Parks, his eyes got big and he blushed a dark red.

Mrs. Parks looked over at Dave, "Hi Dave." He mumbled a hello, and then she turned back to me, "So is Dave helping or are you babysitting three?"

"Oh, Dave is going to play with them. We're leaving tonight, and he came over early."

"I hope you are going to let him get dressed before you leave," she laughed. "Thanks for watching them, I'll be back in a few hours. Bye boys."

All three of them looked back and the twins cried out, "Bye Mommy." Dave took that opportunity to start tickling them. Mrs. Parks went out the door, and I watched them for a little bit, before going to my office.

For the next few hours, I finished up my work for the week, occasionally hearing some laughs and squeals coming from the living room. I'm sure that some of them came from Dave too.

When I heard a knock on the door, I glanced at the clock, and figured that it would be Mrs. Parks. Coming down the hallway, I saw Dave headed towards the door. "Dave do you really want to answer the door looking like that?"

He stopped and looked down at himself, went "Eeep" and ran back to the twins. I laughed and answered the door. It was Mrs. Parks and she stepped in. When she said hello, the twins came running out calling out 'Mommy."

She kneeled down to give them hug, and I heard one say, "Davey wet, Mommy change?"

She looked up at me, and I shrugged. "It's up to Dave, I don't care."

She looked over at Dave, "Do you need a change?" He nodded. "Do you want me to do it?"

Dave looked scared. I could tell that he didn't know what to do. I had changed his diaper, and maybe Judy and the nurses at the hospital. I was older than he was, and the nurses were, well nurses, but Mrs. Parks was his age.

He finally nodded, and they went off to the nursery. I heard him giggle, and wondered what was happening. A few minutes later they came back. Dave and I gave the twins a hug, and Mrs. Parks left with them.

I looked at Dave, "Is everything OK?"

He went and sat on the couch, "Yeah, I was just really nervous. I mean, she's my age. I guess she treated me like she does her twins. At least she didn't seem to be bothered. She was surprised by my lack of hair."

"You weren't nervous when Steve changed your diaper," I pointed out.

His jaw dropped, "Uh, when did Steve change my diaper?"

I think my jaw dropped when he said that, "You don't remember Steve changing your diaper?"

"No, I don't. When did he do that?"

"The Friday that he went on with you on your walk. Just before you took a nap. Do you remember talking to Steve and I?"

He got a thoughtful look on his face. "About me being scared all the time?" I nodded. "Steve said he was afraid of heights?" I nodded again. "Then… He did! I had forgotten about that, but then again I don't remember a lot from that morning."

"So now that you remember it, what do you think about it?"

He looked like he was about to cry, "Sarah, how will I ever face Steve again?"

I stifled a laugh, "Dave, he was here most of the next day. Did he do or say anything to make you think that he wasn't still your friend. Or that he thought any less of you?"

"No," he dragged out. "I'm lucky to have him as a friend. You too."

I nodded, "And Ashley, and Bob, Thor, Joe, Judy, and even Mrs. Parks. So you are fine with her changing your diaper?"

"Yeah, but I don't want her to do it all the time." Dave gave me a hug, "I guess I'll pick up all these toys now."

I smiled as he started crawling around picking up toys, "Dave I'll make us some lunch."

We had lunch and Dave got all messy again. I gave him a bath, and rediapered him. This time I put him into a pink onesie, and shorts. I put his hair into pigtails, and told him that other than his sandals he was set to go.

I went back to my office, and Dave went to watch TV. Not long afterwards there was a knock at my door, and then it opened. A yell of "Sissy" confirmed that Ashley was here. I walked down to where they were and saw Dave giving Judy a hug.

Judy gave me a hug and then Ashley one. Then she spoke to Ashley, "Ashley, I want you to do everything that Sarah and Dave tell you to do. And to not give them any troubles."

Ashley nodded, and said, "Yes mommy." I didn't really expect any problems from her.

Judy looked at me, and then back down to Ashley. "Ashley, Sarah told me that you asked her if you could wear a diaper. I imagine that you have asked Dave too." Dave nodded. "I'm not mad, but you should have asked me. Now if you want to wear one this weekend, you can. But there are some rules. First you have to tell Sarah before you leave, and you have to wear one the whole weekend. That means that you can't use the bathroom at all."

"Mommy I still want to know what it feels like to wear one, but not that much. I won't ask Sarah or Dave to let me wear one any more."

"OK Honey. You have fun this weekend, and I'll see you when you get back. All of you have fun." She gave everyone a hug, and left.

We finally got on the road after making sure we had everything we needed, all the bags, snacks and drinks. I had just pulled onto the Interstate, when Sissy announced, "Sarah, I need to go potty."

"Sissy, why didn't you…" I started, then, "I'm going to get you for that." Both of them started giggling after that.

About fifteen minutes later Ashley giggled, "Sarah, I have to go potty."

I expected this, and had a solution, "Sorry Ashley, there's no place to stop, but if you want I can pull over. I think I brought enough of Sissy's diapers for you to share, but remember the rule. You have to wear them all weekend."

She stopped giggling and said, "I can wait until we get to the hotel."

Sissy start giggling loudly at what I said. Fifteen minutes later, Sissy said, "Sarah I went potty."

I sighed, "Ashley, I better not hear the same thing from you in a few minutes."

Ashley gasped. "Don't worry you won't."

Thankfully they were quiet the rest of the trip. At least until we got to the hotel. I noticed that Sissy was waddling a bit as we walked into the lobby, I guess his diaper was wet.

We checked in and headed up to Room 205.

Chapter 52: Dave

When we pulled into the hotel parking lot, I was impressed. This place looked much nicer than the places I stayed during breaks my freshman year at college. It also appeared to be a lot bigger.

I was ready to check in and get to our room. I had been in this diaper for a long time, and it was soaked. I really needed a change.

We grabbed some of our stuff and headed into the hotel lobby. I saw Sarah was carrying a pink diaper bag, that made me blush. I hoped that no one would notice or associate it with me. Sarah got us checked in and we went up to Room 205.

Sarah opened the door and led us in. I followed Ashley and nearly ran into her when she stopped suddenly.

"Sissy, look. Sarah got a bed for you too," she said pointing into the room.

I looked where she was pointing and saw a crib set up. I turned to Sarah and almost wailed, "Sarah why did you get a crib?"

Ashley was giggling, and Sarah looked startled. "I didn't ask for a crib. I don't know why it's here."

I looked closely at her, and realized that she didn't know why it was here. She was a poor liar when she was surprised and couldn't hide her surprise that well either. "Are you sure?" I asked anyway.

She stepped over and gave me a hug, "I really don't know why it is here. I'll ask down at the front desk when we go to get our bags." Then she looked at Ashley, "Stop teasing."

Ashley stifled her giggling, "I'm sorry Sissy. I just saw it there, and thought that it was funny." She let out one more little laugh, "It is kind of funny isn't it?"

I tried to give her a mean stare, I don't think it worked. "Yeah, it is kind of funny now. It wasn't when you said it though."

Sarah let out a little giggle of her own, "It is a bit funny."

I glared at her.

She said, "Ashley, don't you have to potty?" Ashley nodded. "Well you go potty while I change Sissy, and don't come out until I say to."

Ashley skipped off to the bathroom, and Sarah pulled out a changing pad and proceeded to change my diaper. I smiled when she commented on how heavy it was. "What did you expect, I've been in the same diaper since lunch!"

Once she had the new diaper taped on, she called out to Ashley that she could come back in. Ashley giggled as she saw Sarah doing up the snaps on my onesie. With my shorts back on, we went to get our luggage.

On the way we stopped and Sarah asked about the crib in the room. The first response from the clerk was that the crib was requested. After Sarah denied that, the clerk checked the days housekeeping orders, and saw that the order was for 206. "I'm sorry about that," the clerk said. "I'll get it moved right away."

Sarah also asked about nearby ice cream shops. When I tried to pull one bag out of her trunk, I found that it was quite heavy. "What's in here?"

Sarah looked at the bag, "Your diapers!"

"Did you bring all of them?"

"No, just enough for you and Ashley for all weekend. Although I guess I won't need any for Ashley."

As we brought the bags up to the room, Sarah said, "We'll go get some ice cream. That will give housekeeping time to move the crib out of the room."

Ashley and I turned and smiled at each other. I was still catching up on all the ice cream I had missed out on as a kid.

We dropped the bags off, and I took one last look at the crib. As we headed back out the door, I told Ashley, "I don't think that that crib is big enough for me anyway."

She looked over at me, "You would have slept in it?"

"No, I only sleep in Sarah's."

The ice cream shop was nearby, and we spent some time sitting there eating and talking. Ashley got an ice cream headache. Sarah chuckled at Ashley as she tried to get rid of it. I suggested that giving away the ice cream would get rid of the headache.

The crib was gone from the room when we returned to the room. I hid in the bathroom while Sarah and Ashley got ready for bed, then I came out and Sarah changed me into my nightie. We went to bed, Sarah and Ashley sharing one bed, and I got the other one.

I woke up and had to pee, I was about to get out of bed when I remembered where I was. I sighed and wet my diaper. I was laying there in my wet diaper thinking about what we had planned for the day and realized that at sometime Sarah would be changing my diaper. I didn't really like her changing me out and about, but I didn't have a choice.

I heard Sarah softly say, "Sissy are you awake?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Good, why don't you go and shower. I'll get Ashley up and while she's showering, I'll get you dressed."

"OK." I got out of the bed and quietly went into the bathroom. I pulled off the nightie, untaped the diaper and rolled it up for the trash. I looked longingly at the toilet and sighed. I took my time in the shower and made sure that my hair was well washed.

I got out and dried off, then realized that I didn't have anything to put on, except the nightie I had worn last night. I ended up wrapping my towel around my waist and putting the nightie back on.

I came out of the bathroom, and heard Sarah telling Ashley that if she didn't get up and take a shower we couldn't go to the park. It took a couple of seconds and then Ashley all but jumped up and started running to the bathroom. "Ashley get your clean clothes," Sarah said stopping Ashley.

I giggled at Ashley as she swerved over to her suitcase and started going through it. With her clean clothes in hand she turned, stuck her tongue out at me, and headed to take a shower.

Sarah rolled her eyes and joined me over by the bed I used, a diaper in her hand. Ashley closed the door, and I started to pull the nightie off, Sarah quietly said, "Wait a minute."

I pulled it back down and sat on the bed, about a minute later the bathroom door opened with Ashley loudly saying, "I forgot my…"

"Ashley," Sarah cut her off. "Get back in there and if you come back out before you finish your shower, I'll give you a spanking and we'll go home."

Ashley 'eeped' and went back into the bathroom. Once the shower started running, Sarah pulled the nightie and towel off me and diapered me.

I looked up at her, "Would you really take us back home if Ashley comes back out her?" I was hoping she would say no, not that I thought Ashley would come back out.

Sarah paused in what she was doing, "I would, and once we dropped Ashley off at her parents, where she would probably get a second spanking, we would turn right back around and return here. We would miss out on going to Six Flags, but we would still go see the baseball game and go to the zoo. We would have to find something to do tonight though."

"You would do that?"

"Yes, and Ashley should know better." She looked at me and gave me a hug. "Don't worry she won't come back out until I say she can. She'll even ask before she opens the door all the way."

I just lay there, while Sarah went and got the clothes that she had packed for me to wear today. She returned with a pink and white onesie with Winnie the Pooh on it and a matching pair of shorts.

With me dressed, Sarah started combing out my hair. I wasn't real happy with my outfit, it made me look even younger than usual. While she was putting my hair into pigtails, there was a knocking on the bathroom door.

"Sarah," Ashley softly called out, "is it safe to come out now?"

Sarah chuckled, and whispered to me, "See I told you." Then to Ashley, "If you are dressed, then we are ready for you."

Ashley came out of the bathroom and loudly called out, "Of course I am dressed."

"And your timing is perfect, I just finished Sissy's hair, and I am ready to take my shower. You two be good, while I get ready."

We said, "Yes Sarah," at the same time, and started giggling. I turned on the TV and started flipping through the channels. I wanted to stop on SportsCenter, but Ashley got me to switch over to Cartoon Network.

We watched cartoons until Sarah came out. She grabbed the diaper bag, and stuck several diapers, some shorts, tops and other clothes into it. I asked, "Do you have to bring that with?"

She looked at me, "Yes, unless you want to stay in that diaper until tonight. Besides there are spare clothes in there in case your or Ashley's clothes get messy. Come on, let's go eat, and then off to Six Flags."

I sighed, and stared at the bag. Ashley gave me a long hug, "Come on Sissy, it's going to be fun, and I won't let anyone make fun of you."

We got to Six Flags well after they opened, Sarah said it was to avoid the crowd that would be there when they opened. As we went into the park, the attendant asked to go through the diaper bag. I wasn't happy about that, and I asked what he was looking for.

He smiled at me and said, "Oh, we check for weapons, food, alcohol, and other stuff we don't want people bringing in."

He didn't comment about what he saw in there, but did tell us to have a fun day and suggested that we drop off the bag at the lockers they have for rent. We said thanks and headed in.

We dropped off the diaper bag, and Sarah put her wallet and mine into a fanny pack that she had. As we walked out and I saw all the people, I grabbed Sarah's hand. She looked down at me and then grabbed Ashley with her free hand. "That's a good idea," she said.

"So where do you want to go first?" Ashley asked, tugging on Sarah's arm.

Chapter 53: Sarah

Ashley pulled on my arm and asked, "So where do you want to go first?"

I looked down at Dave, and he looked like someone had just hit him over the head with a club.

Dave said, "I don't know."

Ashley stopped pulling and looked at her. "Are you OK, Sissy?"

"Huh, I… uh… yeah, I'm OK."

"Are you sure? You don't look OK."

Dave shook himself. "There's so much stuff and people."

I let out a little chuckle and then pulled them over to a bench on the side of the path. "Let's sit here a minute, until Sissy catches up."

Ashley let out a little sigh, and sat down. I just kept my eyes on Dave as he sat there a bit glossy eyed. I heard Ashley mumbling about rides and other places. I guess that she was deciding what she wanted to ride on.

Finally, Dave shook himself and seemed to be ready to go. As we stood up Ashley asked again, "So where to first?"

I looked at Dave, then at Ashley, "Let's go ride the Colossus."

"Which one is that?" Ashley asked.

"The Ferris wheel?" Dave said.

"I don't want to ride…" Ashley started, and Dave turned her and pointed at the Ferris wheel. "That thing is huge, how high up will we be?"

"Around 200 feet, you can see a long way from up there," I answered her question.

Ashley grabbed my free hand, Dave was still holding my other hand, and started pulling us towards the ride. "Come on."

We went on most of the rides, well at least Dave and Ashley did. I don't like roller coasters, so I only went on the first one. Ashley started to tease me, until Dave whispered something to her.

We took a break after a few hours to get something to eat, and for me to change Dave's diaper. When I changed his diaper, I told him to use the potty. I didn't, and I'm fairly sure he didn't, want to deal with a messy diaper.

Late that afternoon, Ashley asked me what we were going to do for dinner. I suggested that we leave and get something to eat on the way back to the hotel. Ashley started to say that she wanted to stay longer, but was interrupted in the middle by a yawn. Ashley said she wasn't tired. Dave laughed at her and she stuck her tongue out back.

We ended up leaving, and stopping at a pizza buffet near the hotel. Ashley was happy, even though the pizza was only OK. I asked her about it, and she said that her parents always ordered just pepperoni, and she doesn't really like pepperoni.

At the hotel, I told Dave to go shower first, and then Ashley. After Dave had finished and Ashley was in showering, I diapered him and pulled his nightie over his head. "So did you have fun?"

He looked at me, and before I could I do any thing, he had jumped up and grabbed me in a big hug. "That's the most fun I've ever had."

I hugged him back, "Even more fun than last Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween?"

He paused for a moment, "OK, one of the funnest. Uh, most fun things I've ever done."

I laughed and gave him another hug. "I'm glad you had fun."

He yawned, and I heard the bathroom door open. "Is it safe for me to come out," Ashley asked.

I gathered up my clothes and headed into the bathroom, Ashley and Dave were sitting on one of the beds talking. When I came out, I couldn't hear them any more, they had fallen asleep. I moved Dave to the other bed, turned everything off and went to bed.

In the morning I woke and saw that Dave was laying on his back. That told me that he was awake, since he almost always slept curled up on his side.

I carefully got out of the bed and whispered to Dave, "You want to have a little fun?"

He nodded.

I prodded Ashley and told her to get up.

"Huh," she mumbled.

"Come on Ashley it's time to get up."

"Is it morning?" she asked sleepily.

"No, it's time to get ready to go to the game. You slept all day," I said.

She jumped up, "But we were supposed to go swimming…" She looked at Dave, and so did I. He was holding sides trying not to laugh. "Sarah that was mean."

"It was, but it got you up. Now get cleaned up and dressed, while I get Sissy ready so we can go have breakfast."

She grumbled, but grabbed her clothes and went to get washed up and changed. When she came out and I went in to change.

When I came out, she asked, "What about Sissy?"

I looked at Dave, "She can get cleaned up after breakfast, that way we aren't using a clean diaper for just little while. You'll be OK for a while longer, won't you?"

We had a nice breakfast, the hotel had a very good free breakfast set up. It was a bit crowded, so we couldn't really linger around. I liked to sit and relax with a cup of coffee too. I did grab a cup to go as we left though.

After breakfast, we went up and to get into our swimsuits, Ashley called first as we went into the room. Dave and I were giggling at her as she grabbed her swimsuit and went into the bathroom to change.

When she came out and Dave went in to shower and change, she asked me how long we would have to swim, and I said until about three or so.

I looked over at the clock and said, "We'll take a break for lunch, and we can always just lounge around."

Dave came out about then and I went in to change. I came out and they were talking. Dave seemed to be squirming a bit, so I asked what was wrong.

He looked over at Ashley, and said, "It's a bit tight in some places." He went back into the bathroom for a moment.

Ashley looked over at me, "Are we going to be able to go swimming?"

"Yes, Sissy just needs to make some, ahhh, adjustments."

"What does she need to adjust?"

"Ahh, you know that boys and girls are different?"

"Yes, I've helped Mrs. Parks change her twins… Oh yeah, Sissy is a boy. I keep forgetting that."

I looked over at her, "You keep forgetting that?"

"Yeah, it's Sissy, not Dave, that came on the trip with us." She looked at me, and I must have had a look on my face. "Oh, I know that Sissy and Dave are the same person. It's just that she, er he is so different when he is being Sissy, that I just think of him as her. Does that make any sense?"

"I guess," I said, still looking at her. Dave came back out looking a bit more comfortable.

"Everything OK?" He nodded. "Then lets go."

I grabbed my bag, and saw Dave look at it, "No it's not your diaper bag."

Ashley looked at it, "What's in the bag?"

I sighed, "Towels, a book, t-shirts. I thought you wanted to go swimming?"

"Yes," Ashley exclaimed, and off we went.

Down at the pool there was no one else swimming, so we had the pool all to ourselves. The three of us spent about an hour swimming and splashing. I even tossed each of them up a couple of times. I couldn't toss them like Steve had, but I could get enough of them out of the water to make them splash.

I got out to take a break, and just watch the two of them. They looked like they were having a blast. They raced, had breath holding contests, played tag, and otherwise made goofballs of themselves.

While I was reading, I noticed a young woman, about Dave's age, come in and look at the pool. She was fairly short and rather cute. She stood there watching the two of them for a while. They stopped what they were doing and looked at her. I heard her say, "Hi, my name is Tiffany."

Ashley answered her, "I'm Ashley, and this is my friend Sissy. It's nice to meet you."

"Is that your mom over there?" She asked pointing at me.

Ashley giggled, "No she owns the trailer park where we live."

"Oh, you two have fun, I'm going to go talk to her for a few minutes."

The two of them said bye and watched her walk over to me.

I looked up at her as she came close, "Hello."

"Hi, I'm Tiffany if you didn't hear."

"I heard, my name is Sarah."

"Those are two cute girls over there," there was a slight catch to her voice when she said that.

"Yes they are. They are my surrogate kids. I'm acting 'in loco parentis,' accent on the loco." I quipped.

"You must have known them for a long time, for their parents to trust you with them."

I smothered a chuckle, "I've known them both since they were in diapers." 'Even if that meant this morning for Dave,' I thought to myself.

"Ashley said that her friends name was Sissy?" There was that catch in her voice again.

"It's a nickname, short for Cecelia." I wondered where she was going with this.

"Aaaaah," she said.

I looked closer at her, she gave me the odd feeling that she didn't quite believe me.

We chatted for a while. I explained about owning the trailer park, and how I met Ashley and her parents, and using Bob for Dave's dad. I felt bad about lying to her, but I couldn't tell her the truth about Dave, besides I would never see her again.

She told me about growing up in New Mexico, and skiing with her best friend Amy. I was rather amazed with some of the things that she had done as a kid. It was odd though, I got the feeling that she, like me, was hiding something.

Finally I asked her, "So why did you stop by the pool?"

She looked out at the pool, "Let's just say, that a swimming pool led to the biggest change in my life. When I saw the two of them, they reminded me of Amy and I. Well I should be going." She looked straight at me and said in a very serious voice, "Take good care of them, they are two of the special ones."

I did my best not to tear up, "I will, and they are."

She started to walk away, turning to the pool and waving, "Bye girls, have a wonderful day."

I called the kids out of the pool, and asked them if they were ready for lunch. They said yes, and Dave looked at me, "So what did you talk about?"

"Nothing important," I answered.

"Sarah," he stated.

I looked back at him, "I'll tell you about it in the room."

We gathered up our stuff, and headed up to the room. I ordered sandwiches, and then Dave wanted to know what I had talked to Tiffany about. It was funny seeing him trying to look all serious and adult, while wearing a purple girls swimsuit. I almost started laughing at him.

Chapter 54: Dave

After the lady Sarah had been talking to left, Sarah asked if we were ready for lunch. We said yes, and I looked at Sarah, "So what did you talk about?"

"Nothing important," She answered.

"Sarah," I said, I got the feeling that she was hiding something from me.

She looked back at me, "I'll tell you about it in the room."

We gathered up our stuff, and headed up to the room. Sarah called for sandwiches, and then I asked again "So what were the two of you talking about?"

Sarah looked at me and I stared back. It looked like she hiccupped, "Really Dave we didn't talk about anything serious."

I stared at her for a little bit.

She went on, "I told her about the trailer park, and how I met Ashley and her parents. I made up a similar story about you, by the way Bob is now your dad." She chuckled at that.

Ashley and I giggled about it for a moment too. Sarah added that Tiffany told her about growing up in New Mexico. "Like I said we didn't talk about anything really."

I looked at her, "Come on Sarah, what else did you talk about?"

"Nothing really, but I got the feeling that she was hiding something from me. Of course I was hiding something from her too."

"So what was she hiding?"

Sarah laughed, "I don't know, she was hiding it." She grabbed me and gave me a hug, "Don't worry Dave, she just thought that you and Ashley reminded her of herself and her friend."

We sat around and chatted until the food arrived. The sandwiches were surprisingly good. Sarah made us wait a while before we headed back down to the pool.

We got back down to the pool and were pleasantly surprised that it was still empty. Ashley and I played for while. Occasionally someone would step in and either look at, or ask how the pool was. Once I saw the lady looking in at us again, she had a strange look on her face.

I was watching her when Ashley dunked me. While I was under I grabbed Ashley's legs and pulled her under. We both came up sputtering, and then splashed each other for a while.

Eventually Sarah said it was time to go get ready for the game, Ashley let out a big sigh. As we headed up to the room, I promised Ashley that I would make going to the game fun. She gave me a look that said there is now way I'm going to have fun at a baseball game.

We showered, changed and headed out to the game. We got to the game not long before it started, and found our seats. With nachos, popcorn and pop, we were set to watch the game.

Ashley made a big deal of yawning. I looked at her, and said, "You can't tell me you're bored already, you just sat down."

"OK, I'm not bored yet, but…"

I interrupted her, "I said you wouldn't be bored, and I'll prove it. If you look down in front of us," I pointed at a lady wearing a very flowery hat, "see the hat?"

She nodded, and giggled. I continued, "We're going to have a little contest to see who can find the silliest hat. You get to find the next one."

In between silly hats, I explained how to fill out the scorecard, and explained some of the rules that she didn't know about. When she started to look like she was getting bored again, I found another game for us to play, we looked for the skimpiest dressed man and woman - both should have had more clothes on. I told her interesting, at least to me, trivia about the players, and the park.

It took a bit, and thanks to a quick game, I kept her entertained, and even got to watch a bit of the game too.

Sarah told us to wait for a minute or two before we left. We watched as the ground crew came out and started working on the field as we waited. When the crowd had thinned, we started making our way out of the stadium. I grabbed one of Sarah's hands when we caught the crowd, and saw her grab Ashley with her other hand.

We finally made it back to the car, and slowly made our way to the highway. While we were driving back, Sarah asked if we were hungry.

I thought about it for a minute before deciding that I was, but not a lot. I let Sarah know, and Ashley agreed. The snacks at the game weren't really a meal.

We stopped to get something to eat, and the waitress asked if we wanted a regular menu or the kids menu. I was about to say regular, when I realized that I wasn't real hungry, and the kids portions should be smaller. I said, "A kids menu."

Ashley and Sarah both looked at me with surprise on their faces. "I'm not that hungry."

"I'll take a kids menu too," Ashley said. "I'm not that hungry either."

Sarah shook her head, "I want a regular menu."

The waitress chuckled and led us to our table. We ordered our drinks, and she headed off. I looked over the kids menu, before starting to do the activities. I glanced over and Ashley was busy coloring on the menu too.

I noticed that Sarah was shaking a bit, as if she was laughing. I stuck my tongue out at her, and went back to the word search. The waitress brought our drinks back, and we ordered.

After she returned with the food, Ashley said that the ballpark should have these. Both Sarah and I laughed about that. "Next time we'll bring you some crayons and a coloring book."

She stuck out her tongue at me for that. Dinner was what you would expect from a chain restaurant. By the time we were finishing up all three of us were yawning.

In the morning, after I showered, Sarah dressed me in a pair of white shorts and blue shirt. Ashley came out a few minutes later wearing a similar pair of shorts and shirt, except the colors were reversed.

We both started giggling uncontrollably. Sarah gave us a strange look and went to take her shower. We eventually got control of ourselves and started packing up our stuff, so we could leave sooner.

Sarah came out and smiled at us, then finished packing up her stuff. We made one last check for anything that we didn't want to leave behind, and then picked up our bags to leave.

Sarah said, "Let's go get something to eat, then we will come back up here and make one last check before we check out."

Breakfast was good, and best of all free. We finished up and then went back up to get our bags.

Sarah lifted one, "You know, most of the time when you go on vacation the bags get heavier. This one is a lot lighter."

Ashley looked at it and giggled. I looked, "Hey! Be nice."

We put the bags in Sarah's car and went back in to check out. While we were standing there, I noticed the lady from yesterday, Tiffany, over by the breakfast area. She was staring at me again and this really odd look on her face.

She waved, and I waved back, then she disappeared into the hotel. I moved around to the other side of Sarah and tucked in next to her. Sarah put her arm around me.

Chapter 55: Sarah

We were standing there waiting to check out, when Dave moved around to the other side of me and tucked in next to me. He probably looked like a little kid hiding by his mom. I put my arm around his shoulder and gave him a little hug.

As we were walking out to the car, I asked him what was wrong. He looked up at me and said, "That woman from yesterday was staring at me again."

I looked around. "No, inside while we were checking out. She had come out of the breakfast room."

I looked back at the hotel, and didn't see her standing anywhere. "Well we're leaving, and you will never see her again."

"I hope not, she was giving me a really strange look, almost like she knew about me." He looked like he might cry.

I glanced back at Ashley, she had been listening and was looking at Dave. All of the sudden her eyes got wide, and she moved up close behind Dave. "Let's get into the car quick," she said.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I'll tell you in the car. Let's get in."

We got into the car and I asked Ashley what she wanted to tell us.

She looked over at Dave, "Uh, I could, kinda, tell that Sissy has a diaper on."

I quickly leaned back and covered his mouth, while Ashley leaned over and gave him a hug. "Ashley, what do you mean?"

"Well when Sissy said that woman was giving her a really strange look, I decided to see if I could see anything wrong. I didn't see anything at first, then I noticed when she stepped the back of her shorts would pull tight against the diaper and I could tell it was diaper. But it took a while to tell."

Dave was almost in tears, "We're leaving and no one here will ever see you again. I have a different set of clothes for you to wear, and we'll change you into it before we go to the zoo."

Ashley was still hugging him when she said, "Really I could only tell after looking for a long time, and because I knew it was there."

"Dave she probably didn't even notice. She was acting a little strange yesterday when we talked. I doubt she noticed it. Are you not going to scream?"

He nodded, and took my hand off his mouth. He was crying softly. I sighed, and started to drive away. I hope that he would get over this quickly. A few blocks down the road, I spotted a McDonalds.

We pulled in there, and I grabbed the shorts and top out of the diaper bag. "Let's go get you changed."

He was still sniffling a bit, but he nodded. We trooped into the bathroom, and after making sure that no one else was in there we quickly got Dave changed. He washed his face and asked if we could tell.

Ashley and I looked and watched as he walked around. I felt a bit like a weirdo staring at his butt. "I can't see anything, how about you Ashley?"

"Nope, I can't see anything either."

"Do you just want to go home?" I asked.

I could see him thinking, he looked at Ashley. She was just looking at him. "Are you really sure you can't see anything?"

We both nodded in answer. "OK, let's go."

Ashley gave him a big hug, then I did put my arm around his shoulder and gave him a squeeze, "If you change your mind just let me know, and we'll leave."

He looked up and nodded, and we headed back to the car. The rest of the trip to the zoo was uneventful, and slowly Dave came out of his funk.

The zoo was fun, Dave loved seeing all the animals. Fortunately there were no wolves. There was some dog thing, but it wasn't big, and it didn't really look like a dog.

It was fun watching Dave. His expressions were almost unbelievable, and he looked a lot more like the little kid he was at my house than the adult he really is. Ashley looked a bit like Dave, although she wasn't quite as wide eyed.

All in all it was one of the most enjoyable days I had in long time. Eventually though it had to come to an end. They both looked a bit sad, so I told them I would see if there were any zoos closer to home, and that we would go visit them. That got smiles on their faces.

We got home about 5 and had just finished getting all the luggage in when we heard Thor barking. Dave jumped and ran outside. Ashley wasn't far behind. I heard a last woof from Thor and looked to see Ashley petting Thor, while Dave had his arms wrapped around Thor giving him a huge hug.

A year ago he was absolutely terrified of Thor, now he had ran to see him. I was glad to see that he wasn't afraid of Thor anymore, but I wish I could get him over the rest of his fears. I sighed and watched the three of them play, then I saw Joe and Judy walk up, and Bob just after them.

I joined them outside and we chatted for a few minutes before Joe and Judy invited over for dinner. All of us agreed, we grabbed Ashley's stuff and headed down to their house. I stopped Dave and asked him, "Do you want to change before going down there?"

He stopped, and looked down at his clothes thought for a second and said, "No it's OK, this is fine for right now."

I was a bit surprised, but he was big enough to decide what he wanted to wear. Dinner was good, and Ashley and Dave wouldn't stop talking about the trip. I answered a few questions, but for the most part just enjoyed listening to them. Eventually we had to end the evening, Ashley and Dave were yawning and I was a bit tired too.

On Tuesday I saw Dave out with Thor in between our homes, they seemed to be playing tug of war. Well mostly Thor was dragging Dave around, then licking him. I went out to see what was going on.

"Good morning Dave, what's up?"

He looked up at me, Thor took advantage of his distraction and pulled him over. "I'm playing with Thor. We can't play over in the field, so I figured we could play here. Besides today is a special day."

I paused and thought, "What's special about today?"

He gave Thor a big hug and said, "It was a year ago today that Thor saved me from those boys."

I just stopped and thought about it. I wasn't sure if it was exactly a year ago, but it had to be close. "So last weekend was the anniversary of your first weekend as Sissy?"

He blushed and nodded. "Yes it was, and the vacation was a fun way to celebrate it. Even if I was the only one that knew."

"So what else do you have planned for today?"

He laughed, "Well I got Thor this new toy, a big rawhide bone, and some treats. Other than that I just plan on having fun with him."

At that point Thor knocked him over again. He laughed and pushed Thor off of him. "I tell you what, I'll make you lunch today, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Thanks."

"Just give me a yell if you need anything," I said before going back in.

I kept an eye on them, and saw several people join them off and on all day. At lunch he looked very happy and said that everybody was giving Thor a hug after he told them what they were celebrating.

I was watching them play with Thor's present, when it hit me 'present.' Dave's birthday was coming up. I hadn't done anything last year, but I hadn't realized how much he needed a party then.

I went down to my office and checked his lease, I had 3 weeks before his birthday. I thought about who to invite and what to get him. I called Judy and got Joe, he was all for the party. Bob thought it was great idea, as did Deputy Wildler. After a few minutes, I called Steve, he seemed embarrassed that he didn't know that Dave's birthday was coming up.

He did ask who was having a birthday, that threw me for a loop. I wasn't sure whether we should have one for Dave or for Sissy. Steve suggested Dave, he explained that it hurt to hear others calling him Sissy. I told him that I would talk to everyone and let him know.

I spent a couple of days trying to come up with a solution about who to have the party for. Steve wanted Dave, Ashley would want Sissy. No one else would really care, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it should be for Dave.

I finally decided to call the others and ask for their advice. Bob came up with the best solution, we would have a party for Dave, and then when people went home, Ashley, Sissy, and I could have our own time together.

I confirmed that this was OK with Joe and Judy, and then let Steve know. He thought this was a good idea.

Chapter 56: Steve

When Sarah called and told me about her plans for Dave's birthday, I felt like a jerk. I had known him for 5 years, and all I knew was that his birthday was in the summer. I had never thought to get him a card or anything. I quickly agreed to come to it, but asked about who the party was for. I suggested Dave, because hearing him called Sissy actually hurt. Sarah told me she would get back to me on that.

Now though I had to come up with a present. I spent several hours, before remembering where we had gone to get him a coat that made him look almost like an adult. I figured that I could take him back there and get him a suit, or something else that looked adult.

Sarah called the a couple days later, and told me about her idea of the party for Dave, and then a sleep over for her, Ashley and Cecelia. I sighed and thanked her. I could sort of handle Ashley calling him Sissy, but I really cringed when adults did.

I called Dave a while later and asked if he was busy that afternoon. Unfortunately he was 'in a groove' writing as he put it. I told him to give me a call some afternoon, when he wasn't. He sounded very happy when he said he would. I decided that if I was going to spend some time with Dave, I should really work on my thesis now.

Saturday my phone woke me up, I grumpily answered it.

"Steve, what are you doing?" I recognized Dave's voice.

"Sleeping," I answered.

He giggled, that was a bit strange. He hadn't laughed much, if at all, while we were in school. I almost missed what he said next while thinking about how good it sounded to hear him laugh.

"So what are you doing this afternoon?"

I twisted so I could see my clock, it was 11. "Uh…," I thought for a moment. I didn't have any plans other relaxing, laundry, and watching whatever game was on. "Nothing important why?"

"Bob, Joe, Sarah and I were going to watch the game, and grill out. Do you want to join us?"

It didn't take me any thought to answer, "Let me shower and wake up, then I'll be right over."

"Great. See ya later."

"See ya, Dave."

I rubbed my hand over my face, got up, and headed to the shower. Twenty minutes later, I was feeling awake and refreshed. A half an hour after that I was knocking on Dave's door.

I heard Thor barking, as Dave opened the door. He yelled, "Steve."

I did my best to imitate his expression and yelled, "Dave," back.

He punched me in the side, and laughed. I chuckled back as Thor woofed at me and wagged his tail. I said hello to him and reached down to scratch his head. I turned back to Dave, and asked, "Is there someplace I can change?"

He looked at me and said completely seriously said, "Why? I haven't peed on you yet."

My jaw must have dropped six inches, and Dave pointed at me and started laughing. "I'll get you for that." I said and started tickling him. After a minute or so, he was saying "I give" between his laughing, so I quit.

He pointed down to his bedroom, so I went and swapped out my boots and jeans for cutoffs and sneakers. As I was coming back, there was knock on the door. Thor started barking and Dave shushed him.

Sarah walked in and Dave wrapped his arms around her and gave her a big hug, I said hello and she waved. I set my boots next to Dave's shoes and laid my jacket and jeans on the chair next to my helmet. "How come I didn't get a hug?"

Dave let go of Sarah, and turned to me. "Your hands were full," he said and jumped up and gave me a hug. I returned the hug and noticed something.

While I held him up, I whispered, "Are you wearing a diaper?"

I heard a little quiver to his voice as he said, "Yes."

I whispered back, "It's OK, I was just wondering."

I felt him relax as he said, "I don't want to pee on you again." Then he started laughing again.

Sarah must have overheard because she said, "Just in case he does Steve, I'll go get you a shirt to borrow." She paused for a moment, "But the only clean ones I have are pink."

I turned still holding Dave and stuck my tongue out at her. She laughed and asked if we were ready to go. I set Dave down and said, "yes."

Dave grabbed something and we headed down to Joe and Judy's. I noticed that Thor was wandering around more than he did when Dave and I walked that morning. I didn't know if it was because he was comfortable, or because Sarah was here.

As we got close to their house, I saw Ashley jump up and run down the stairs, Dave and Thor ran off to where she was. I noticed that her shoulders slumped a bit when she saw how Dave was dressed.

I asked Sarah, "What's up with Ashley?"

Sarah looked at me, "She was probably hoping that Sis-Cecelia was coming over, not Dave."

"But he'll still play with her, won't he?"

"Yes, she just likes it when he's dressed in girls clothes."

Dave gave Ashley a hug, and said hi to everyone, something we did too when got up there. I joined the adults in getting everything set up to watch the game, then joined the kids out playing with Thor.

Dave had a rope toy that he and Thor were having tug-o-war fights with. Ashley was watching, and laughing at Dave as Thor kept pulling him over.

"Dave, let me try," I said.

He puffed to catch his breath, and said, "Here."

I grabbed the rope and pulled a bit. Thor gave a little growl and I 'grrrrrred' back. He wagged his tail and pulled back on the rope. I was surprised, and he nearly pulled me over. I got my balance and started pulling harder, Thor matched me growling and wagging his tail.

We fought for a few minutes before I lost my balance and he pulled me over. Dave and Ashley were laughing, and Thor came up to lick my face. I sat up and saw that the adults were laughing at me too.

I stood up and dusted myself off, "Come on Thor, best two out of three." I grabbed the rope again, and held it for Thor. He woofed and bit it. This time I was using both hands and had good balance. Both of us were pulling for all we were worth, when all of the sudden someone began tickling me on both of my sides.

I twisted a little and Thor pulled me over. I looked back at Dave and Ashley, each had taken a side to tickle me. I reached back and pulled Dave up and started tickling him. "See how you like it?"

He was laughing, Thor was bouncing around and woofing at us, Ashley was giggling. I looked at her, "I'm going to get you too."

She stopped giggling and backed away a bit. Dave managed to get out, "Stop or I'll pee my pants."

I stopped for a moment, "You won't pee your pants," then I whispered, "you'll pee your diaper."

"Then I'll get Sarah to make you change it."

"OK, OK, I'll stop." Both of us were laughing now.

All of the sudden Dave froze and his eyes got big. I wondered what was wrong. Then I recognized the sound of a car coming down the road. "Don't worry Dave, I won't let anything happen to you or Thor."

He relaxed, and I glanced at Thor, he was moving between Dave and the road. I saw Ashley on the other side of Thor, she had a puzzled look on her face. I nodded at the car, and she changed to an understanding look. Then she carefully began talking to and petting Thor. Once the car had passed Thor relaxed and came over to Dave.

We stopped playing and had lunch. Then set up to watch the game, Ashley sighed and ran off to play with other kids somewhere.

We chatted during the game. I noticed that no one mentioned Dave's party, so I guessed it was supposed to be a surprise. The rest of the day was a blast, after the game Ashley and Thor came back, and we spent all afternoon playing and talking.

Chapter 57: Dave

That summer started to get much better after our little vacation, I took the day off that Thor had saved me and spent all day playing with him. We were in the yard between my house and Sarah's. It was fun, and people kept giving Thor hugs and treats when I told them what day it was.

That weekend I woke up Steve and we had a get together to watch a baseball game that day. He sounded grumpy, but came out and we had a blast watching the game, and playing with Ashley and Thor. I think Thor liked playing tug of war with Steve better than me, because Steve was so much bigger and stronger.

Steve came over at least once a week after that. Sometimes we just sat around talking, sometimes Sarah joined us and sometimes it was like a party with everyone together. I think I was happier then, than I had ever been before, not that that was saying much.

One Friday afternoon Ashley came over and said that Sarah needed me. She wouldn't say what it was about, but she seemed more hyper than usual. I saved what I had been working on, and shutdown my computer.

She dragged me over there. "Ashley calm down, you're going to pull my arm out of its socket."

"Sorry Dave, but it's important," she said as she pulled slightly less hard.

She pulled me inside and I heard a bunch of people yell, "SURPRISE!"

I nearly wet my pants, but realized that Ashley wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I looked around and saw all my friends there. Ashley grabbed me in a hug, and I heard another yell, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

I hugged Ashley back, and thought, 'It's my birthday?' The more I thought about I realized that my birthday was on Monday. My birthdays hadn't ever really meant anything before. My parents certainly hadn't done anything for them.

I let go of Ashley and looked around, Sarah, Bob -holding Thor-, Joe, Judy and Steve were all standing there smiling at me. I must have had this stunned look on my face, and I could feel tears starting to form in my eyes. I was doing my best to hold them back, when Ashley gave me a little push.

I started walking over to where everyone was standing and I saw a big banner that said 'Happy Birthday Dave,' it looked like something was behind it. There was a cake sitting there with candles and something written on, it was upside down, and there were some tears in my eyes making everything a little blurry.

Sarah stepped up and actually picked me up in a big hug, over her shoulder I could see presents. There weren't a lot like we had for Christmas, but I think these were all for me, I wasn't completely sure how birthdays worked.

I got or gave hugs to everyone, Thor licked my face. Just as we were finishing the hugs, there was a knock at the door. Sarah opened the door and Deputy Wildler walked in.

"Dave I'm sorry I have to miss your party, but I have to work. I did want to drop off these cards though and say 'Happy Birthday.'"

I went over to give him a hug, and said, "Thank you. Stay safe out there."

He handed me two cards, waved to everyone and said, "Have a good evening everyone."

Sarah gave him a hug, and said that she would save him a piece of cake.

All of us went outside, where we chatted and played with Thor, while Bob cooked dinner on Sarah's grill. After we ate, it was back inside for cake and presents.

Sarah had me sit on the floor next to the cake, while she lit all the candles. Once they were lit, everyone sang Happy Birthday, and I was told to make a wish and blow the candles out. I thought about the wish, and then did my best to blow out all the candles. They all went out, with a little help from Ashley.

While Sarah was cutting the cake, Ashley started handing me presents. The first were the cards from Deputy Wildler, one was from him, and had a note to come and pick out a book. The other was from a bunch of the deputies, and had a Monopoly 'Get out of jail free' card in it. Everyone laughed at that.

Ashley and her parents got me a video game. Sarah got me this big electronic doggie door, it would let Thor come and go, but keep everything else out. Steve gave me a card that was worth a trip up to Chicago to get some more adult clothes in my size. Bob got me a big dog bed for Thor. Now he would have someplace warm and comfy to sleep at my house.

When I was done opening presents, Sarah passed out cake and ice cream. We ended up sitting around and chatting for another hour or so, before people started to say goodnight. I was a bit confused, it was still pretty early.

As Steve was leaving he gave me a hug, and told me to call him about going shopping. He cryptically told me to have fun that night before leaving. Joe and Judy followed him out, and said goodnight.

I turned around and saw Ashley still sitting there with a big smile on her face. I looked at Sarah questioningly, when I heard Ashley say, "Can we start Sissy's party now?"

Sarah walked over and picked me up, "Yes Ashley we can." And she carried me down to the nursery.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"We decided that we would have a party for Dave, and then we would have a sleepover for Sissy and Ashley."

I let out a little gasp as Sarah started to undress me. She diapered me and dressed me in the frilliest party dress that Ashley had given me, actually as I thought about it, I hadn't taken this dress.

As I walked, well more like waddled back into the living room, I still wondered how Sarah made these diapers so thick. Ashley was sitting on the couch, she yelled "Sissy" when she saw me. She had pulled down the 'Happy Birthday Dave' banner, and a 'Happy Birthday Sissy' banner was in its place.

I sat next to her and she gave me a hug. Sarah came in carrying some stuff, and I asked, "What are we going to do now?"

Sarah answered, "First we're going do your nails and hair. Then we're going to do Ashley's and mine. Then we'll watch a movie and chat."

It didn't take them too long, before they had painted all my nails and braided my hair. Then Sarah pulled out a camera and took some pictures of me. While I was sitting for the pictures, Ashley handed me a small present.

The tag on the present said 'To: Sissy From: Ashley,' and Ashley told me open it. I did and found a pair of earrings with little baby bottles on them. I blushed when I saw them, and Sarah snapped a picture.

Ashley handed me one other present, it was from Sarah. As I ripped off the paper, Sarah took a couple more pictures. Inside the box was Tinkerbell pajamas. It was cute, and had a top and shorts.

I gave Ashley and Sarah hugs and Sarah carried me down to the nursery. "Time for another change of clothes. Ashley you should get into your pjs too."

"Why are we changing so early?"

She looked at me, "Because you really can't do anything in that dress, and we want to have some fun."

Sarah changed me into my new pajamas and sent me down back to the living room. I met Ashley on the way, she looked at me and giggled that my diaper made the shorts bulge. I stuck my tongue out at her.

We had fun all night, Sarah and I did Ashley's hair and nails, then Ashley and I did Sarah's. We watched a movie and talked. I guess we stayed up a bit late, because we were startled by someone knocking on the door.

Sarah peeked out the door, and saw Deputy Wildler standing out there. She let him in, and he said, "Hi everyone, I can't believe you're still up."

I looked at the clock and saw it was one AM. That surprised me, I didn't think we'd been up that long. "Hi Deputy."

Sarah asked, "Did you come by for your cake?"

He blinked, "I didn't even think about that, I just saw that your lights were still on, and thought I would check on you."

Sarah smiled, "Thanks, I'll get your cake."

I got up, walked over to him and gave him a hug, "Thanks for the present."

"You're welcome."

"Were did you get all those books anyway?"

"The aircraft books? I got them from my grandfather, he was an airplane mechanic in World War II and afterward. Sometime when we're both free and awake, come on over and pick one out."

Ashley yawned and waved at him, he smiled and waved back. "I guess it's past her bedtime," he mused.

I giggled a little, "It's past all our bedtimes."

Sarah returned with his cake. He thanked her, and said goodnight. Sarah looked at us, "It probably is bedtime."

We got everything set up for Ashley, and said goodnight to her. Sarah carried me down to the nursery, changed my diaper, and put in the crib. I gave her a hug and thanked her for the best birthday I'd ever had. I think I saw a tear in her eye as she turned out the lights.

We slept in on Saturday, and Ashley and I ended up playing video games and outside with Thor all day. Sunday all of us got together for lunch and I got to thank them all again. All in all it was one of the better weekends of my life so far.

Monday during my walk, Mrs. Parks gave me a card and a hug wishing me a happy birthday. When I got home the card was for a two year old, but it was cute. I put it and all of my other cards up on a shelf, they were the first birthday cards I ever remember getting.

Chapter 58: Dave

Judy came over one day, and asked me for a diaper. I must have looked at her strangely, because she said, "I'm going to put it in Ashley's drawer, and she can decide if she wants to wear it or not."

I gave her one, and she gave me a hug before leaving. A couple days later, Ashley asked me, "Dave, did you put a diaper in my drawer?"

"No, did you find one in there? I told you when you asked me for one before, it isn't up to me to decide what kind of underwear you wear."

"Then I wonder who did put it there."

"Santa?" I joked. She glared at me. "Did you ask your mom or dad?"

She blushed a little, and said, "I can't ask them."

I chuckled, "Ashley, I'm sure they both know you want to know what it is like to wear one. You know your mom knows."

"I know, but it's kinda embarrassing."

"Then just try it on."

She sat there for a minute, "Can I bring it over here and try it on?"

I thought for a moment, "No, I think that you should do this at your house. Maybe when you go to bed."

She tried using puppy dog eyes on me, but I held firm. "Ashley, you should do this at home, or maybe we could go over to Sarah's. She has certain rules though."

"No that's OK, maybe I'll wear it tonight, or tomorrow."

I smiled, I'd known that she didn't want to get stuck with Sarah's rules. Messy diapers weren't really fun to wear, and the smell was usually bad. I don't know how Sarah dealt with it.

Ashley came over a couple of days later and told me that she had worn it one night. I asked her what she thought of wearing it.

She sat there thinking for a few minutes, then she said, "It was OK, but I don't think I'll ever wear one again."

"That's OK, I didn't really expect you to want to wear one. To be honest I don't really like wearing them either. I wear them either because I have to, like when I am out walking, or when I am playing with Sarah. I don't dislike them, they are just another kind of clothes."

The rest of the summer went by quickly. It seemed like every weekend we were doing something. Steve and I went up to Chicago to go shopping, and then went to a White Sox game, neither of us were Sox fans, but their tickets are a lot easier to get than Cubs tickets.

It was weird having the new door for Thor. There were a couple of times that he woke me in the morning, or disappeared after we went to bed. Other times he would come in and get me to go play. Fortunately he wasn't the quietest dog, and he only surprised me if I was asleep.

Sarah surprised me, with a trip to see the Cubs, and I surprised her back with a trip to Memphis to see the Redbirds play. I even got the announcer to welcome her as their 'Biggest Fan' in between innings. She also took Ashley and I to one of the more local zoos.

Once school started back up, I resumed helping Ashley with her homework. I noticed that she didn't need as much help, although there were still times that I had to explain things differently than her teachers had. As it got closer to Halloween, she convinced me to go with her once again. Picking out a costume was interesting, and Ashley finally convinced me that matching cheerleader costumes would be good.

We had our Thanksgiving dinner together again, and this time Steve joined us. It was another wonderful dinner, this time Steve brought the wine, and I helped with the cooking. Steve enjoyed dinner, and even commented that Thanksgiving with family was good, but it was even better with friends.

We made plans to go get pictures and see Santa during the next week. Ashley got out of school, and the two of us got dressed up in Christmas dresses. Everyone was there, even Steve met us there. Ashley and I had our portraits taken, and this year I looked more like her little sister, than her twin.

We got into line to see Santa, and slowly made our way through the line. I wondered what it would be like to have tried this on a weekend or after school got out. Ashley went first and smiled for her picture.

I got up to Santa and sat on his lap, he looked at me and asked, "What do you want for Christmas little girl?"

I looked at him, and then over where Ashley was joining everyone. I saw all my friends, except Thor, standing there smiling at me and I realized that I now had everything that I could ever want right there. I looked back at him and said, "All I want is a picture with you, because everything else I need is right over there."

THE END.

Epilogue: Dave

I had just finished my morning walk, showered and gotten dressed, when there was a knocking at my door. I was wondering who wanted to see me this early in the morning.

I opened the door and Ashley stood there with a big grin on her face. "Hi Dave," she said.

"Hi Ashley. What's up?" I asked as I invited her in.

Her grin got even bigger, "Do you know what day it is?"

I looked up at her, "Um, Tuesday?"

"Yes, but what Tuesday is it?"

"August the 9th," I said playing dumb.

She glared at me, "And do you know of anything special about that day?"

I looked around the room, "It seems to me that it is someone's birthday, but I can't remember exactly whose it is."

She started tapping her toes, "It's my birthday, my 18th birthday to be exact. Now since this is a special birthday for me, I am going to choose my own first gift for the day."

"I don't seem to remember that being a rule, of course I didn't get any birthday gifts until I moved out here."

"Well, it is for me, and I need you to put on some shoes and come with me, so I can have my first gift."

I slipped on my shoes. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," and she grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door.

I barely got the door shut as we left. "Slow down." She pulled me over to Sarah's. She knocked and opened the door.

"Hi Sarah," she said, and yanked me down the hallway.

"Oww! Hi Sarah," I yelled as I was pulled down the hallway.

I heard a vague, "Hi Ashley, Dave."

Ashley pulled me into the nursery, and quickly set me on the changing table. "I've been waiting almost 7 years for this."

"Huh," I said as she quickly started pulling off my clothes. I tried to stop her, but she was much bigger and stronger than me. "Ashley, I don't think that you should be doing this. What would your parents say?"

She paused for a moment, "I'm 18, and now considered an adult, they really can't say anything, besides I told them what I planned before I left my house."

"Uhh," I wasn't exactly at my best at the moment. The next thing I knew she pushed me flat and pulled out one of my diapers. She diapered me and then put me into my crib.

"You have a nice nap, and I'll be by later to change you," she said and kissed me on the forehead.

I sat there kind of stunned as she gathered up my clothes and walked out of the room. I heard the door shut and a "Bye Ashley" from Sarah. A moment later Sarah walked into the nursery and chuckled.

I stood up in the crib, and held out my arms. "Sarah help me out of here."

"I don't know. Apparently your babysitter put you down for a nap."

"Sarah!"

"I guess you do need a nap, besides Ashley ran off with your clothes." She kissed almost exactly where Ashley had, and said, "You lay down and take your nap, and I'll get up in an hour or so."

I gave up, laid down, and closed my eyes.

Authors Notes:

When I started this, I never expected it to be this long, or to take this long to write. There are few things that I would like to comment on though.

No, much to my regret I am not Dave's size, nor do I own or know a dog named Thor. If I ever do get a dog, it will be named Thor though.

A few of the things that happened or are described are based upon real events in my life though.

I do live in a trailer park, but my landlady hasn't made me her baby girl.

The fear that Steve describes is based upon my own fear of heights and the drive through Charleston, WV actually happened with me and a friend of mine. I was driving and terrified, if something had happened I could not have reacted. I also thought that I drove across at least six bridges in the city, not the four that exist. My heartbeat does race and I do shake a bit while thinking about it. And certain scenes on TV do scare me. And like Steve in the story, I do my best to avoid the places that scare me.

The scene in the hotel room with crib actually happened to me with my parents. I was twelve or thirteen, and we had gone to Michigan for the weekend. We walked into the hotel room and my dad said, "Look there is even a separate bed for you." It took me a moment to realize that he meant the crib. I was at a point where I was had just begun to really understand what infantilism was, although it would be a long time before I ever heard the term.

The characters are based quite a bit on my family. Sarah is a bit of me and my sister thrown in with what I would I want as a “mommy.” Bob is very much like my brothers. Judy is very close to my sister that is a nurse, and Ashley is based a bit on my nieces. Physically Dave is what I wished I was, his background came from me thinking up about the worst way you could raise a child, without really physically harming it. His reaction to his fears are based upon my own, but exaggerated a bit, you have my condolences if you have a phobia as bad as I or Dave have.

Thor is special, he is not a normal dog if you hadn’t noticed. He is based a bit upon what I imagined a Mercedes Lackey Valdemaran Companion would be if it was dog (if you haven’t read Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar books, I suggest that you do), along with what I would want in a pet dog.