Not Quite an Accident

Chapter 14

Brad felt himself bumped about as his mother hopped over something and peered down… it looked like part of his crib had been stretched around the nursery door. Wait, he remembered these things now. This was one of those safety gates. Now even if he was left alone in the nursery, he’d still have to climb over that to get out!

Brad pointed down at it and then gave his mother a look. She just smiled as though she had scarcely noticed the gate she’d just hopped over, and continued with him into the living room. Brad groaned at the sight of his new imprisonment. Unlike much of his old baby furniture, this play pen was new.

It shone brightly with a different primary color on each of its four sides, but only the frame and a bit of the sides were colored, the rest was mesh so it could be easily seen through. Mia wanted to be able to keep an eye on him, especially when he was first being introduced to it. It was one of the biggest play pens on the market, but was only meant to fit a toddler. Still, when Mia considered his pottying skills, Brad probably could be counted as a toddler now.

There were only a few small toys in it, no blocks, just some soft dolls that looked like a girl would be happy playing with them. Mia hadn’t allowed any larger toys in as these might form a stairway out of the play pen, she knew how a boys mind worked. Brad started to struggle as she lifted him away from her. She tried to set him down but found some resistance, looking down to see his foot firmly on the rail of the play pen.

“I’m not goin’ in there!” He whined, struggling and keeping himself from being put down. The walls were just barely high enough to reach his neck, and he figured he could get away if his mother would leave him to it, but it was the principal of the thing. He wasn’t a baby so he wasn’t going in a baby play pen.

Then he heard his cousin giggling as she came in from the kitchen and set down her drink, making a bee line for him.

“Let me help aunt Mia. Coochee cooo!” She grinned as she tickled Brad’s unprotected stomach. Brad couldn’t help but start to kick and giggle, greatly reducing his ability to stay out of the play pen. Mia took advantage of the movement of his feet off the rim of the play pen to plunk him down squarely in the middle of it. Brad stopped giggling quickly as he looked up at his giggling cousin and he kicked the mesh wall of the play pen as hard as he could from his sitting position.

This didn’t accomplish much as the mesh wall gave easily with the force of the blow and then returned to its usual form, but it did let him know from the squish in his trainers that he was wet, probably due to Patricia’s tickling. Had he even noticed it that time?

“Mommy let me out!” He cried out, looking up at her.

“Now baby, don’t you like your new play pen?” Mia asked with an exaggerated frown.

“NO!” He replied firmly.

“Brad! Be nice to your mom. She went out and bought this just for you.” Patricia decided to add her voice in.

“But I don’t need it…” He muttered.

“Mommy knows what you need baby. And Patricia is right.” Patricia smirked importantly here. “You should thank me for your new toy.” Mia looked to him expectantly. Did she really expect him to thank her for getting him a baby play pen?

“But…”

“Or you can sit in there all day.”

“But I’m wet!” Brad complained.

“You’re always wet Brad, you’d think you’d be used to it by now.” Patricia chimed in. “Now be a good baby and say thanks. I’ll go change you and then we can get a snack okay?” She was trying to be nice at least, Brad noted.

“Thanks…” He murmured.

“For?” His mother prompted.

“Thank you for my new play pen mommy…” Brad said as quickly and as softly as he could.

“I’m glad you like it, baby boy.” Mia smiled and hefted him up out of the play pen, cuddling him to her with a smile that soon spread to Brad’s face as well, even if his was more fleeting.

“Okay go with Patricia to get changed Braddy, I’ll go get your snack started.”

With a light swat on his trainers to prompt him, Brad took his cousin’s hand and walked with her to the nursery without a sound. If he tried to talk or say anything else he’d probably end up crying, and he didn’t want to do that in front of Patricia. It was bad enough she had to change him. Then his cousin stopped. The gate was around three feet tall, and Mia could just barely slip over it. There was no way Patricia could.

With all her experience though, Patricia knew very well how to operate the gate, and she had unlocked it and swung it open in no time, tugging Brad along once more.

“Hop up” She said brightly when they reached the changing table. Brad did as he was told, eager to be out of the wet training pants and not wanting to make this experience last any longer than it had to.

“You sure are wet Brad, but don’t worry I used to change your wet diapers all the time, remember?” She smiled, trying to be helpful, but only making Brad feel more defensive.

“Least I’m not messy” He muttered.

“Awww do you go poopie in the big boy potty?” She asked, unable to resist teasing him a bit.

“Usually…” Brad muttered.

“You mean you use your diapers for that too sometimes?” His cousin looked surprised and Brad’s hands went to his mouth as he realized he’d made a mistake.

“It’s not my fault! The doctor gave me medicine and I had to go in my diaper.”

“You don’t have to blame other people Brad, I understand. You’re just going through a phase, and boys are messy anyhow, so maybe not all of them ever outgrow that phase.” She smiled a bit at this bit of wisdom. “How about a fresh pair of training pants?” She offered helpfully as she wiped Brad up.

“Okay…” He muttered, trying to ignore it as his cousin dabbed over his peepee with the baby fresh wipes. Patricia poured some baby lotion into her hands to warm it and proceeded to rub it over his diaper area and tummy before helping him down and offering the trainers to step into.

“There now that’s better isn’t it? Lets go see what your mommy made us to eat!”

“It really isn’t my fault…” Brad murmured softly. His cousin’s teasing irked him at the best of times, but now that he felt so helpless he had no defense against her at all. At least no conscious defense. She was already seeing him as too much of a baby to be picked on anymore…and what was this about the doctor?

“I believe you Brad. You said the doctor gave you medicine?” Patricia asked.

“Yeah I was just wetting the bed sometimes but then when I saw the doctor it got a lot worse and the diapers were her idea too.”

“If you were wetting the bed, you did need diapers, silly.” Patricia smiled, and added in to placate him. “But I’ll ask your mom about it okay? Now lets go see what kind of snack she has for us. What do you think it’ll be?”

“Chocolate milk and cookies I bet!” Brad giggled excitedly, following after Patricia without a thought to getting his pants on. A tee shirt concealed his trainers well enough, and let him get to the potty faster.

“I don’t think so.” Patricia laughed as they went along.

The snack was, rather predictably, not cookies and milk, but rather some chopped apples and carrot sticks. Mia did like getting more fruit into Brad’s diet and introducing softer foods for him. Brad sat and ate quietly, but it wasn’t long before the liquid he was introducing to his tummy triggered a reaction further down.

“Mom I gotta pee.” He complained.

“Okay see if you can make it to the toilet this time.” There was an odd sort of tone to her voice, but Brad figured he could show his cousin he was still a big boy. He scampered off at top speed for the bathroom. It was odd, lately as soon as he felt the urge to pee it seemed to be such a pressing matter almost the minute he noticed it. He ran around a corner and towards the bathroom door and then skidded to a halt, bumping in to mesh and padding in front of him. Another safety gate.

“Mooooooom!” He whined.

Mia took her time going to check on him, but couldn’t help but chuckle as she saw him trying to climb over the gate. His attempt at getting a leg over the top paused while Mia watched, and his trainers began to sag. Brad looked down and whined a bit… This explained why she’d said toilet and not potty.

“This stupid thing was in my way!” He glared and stomped his foot.

“It’s to keep you from getting into places you shouldn’t be. You know the grown up toilet isn’t for you, you use the baby potty.” Mia scolded.

“Brad why are you fussing so much, did you not make it?” He heard Patricia’s voice as well as her footfalls approaching down the hall.

“I doubt he did, he didn’t think to use the potty I have him go on. Have you seen it?” Mia asked.

Patricia came in and poked a finger into the waist of his trainers unceremoniously.” Yep he’s wet, and I don’t think I’ve seen his potty. Maybe you should show it to me just in case he needs it.”

“That sounds good, I can get him changed after. He’s really getting to be more of a baby everyday, it won’t be long before he needs diapers all the time, will it Braddy?”

Brad wasn’t about to speak up now and just stomped his foot, glaring at her crankily and following to the living room, where his baby potty awaited him.

“Okay Brad, show your cousin what a big boy you are and go sit on the potty.” Mia said.

“I’m already wet!” Brad complained.

“And that wet should be in the potty, so go sit on it so you can get changed.” His mother had used this in her early attempts at toilet training to get him to equate pee with the potty, but of course that had failed. Luckily it wasn’t as though she were trying to successfully potty train him,. Just keep up appearances.

Brad looked between his mom and Patricia and pouted. Where moments ago he’d seen an opportunity to use the toilet just like his cousin, to prove himself her equal, now he was sitting down on a blue plastic baby potty, and in a wet trainer no less!.

“Whose mommy’s big boy?” Mia cooed as she smiled down at him on his seat.

“I’m a big boy!” Brad said, feeling a little better.

“That’s right baby, mommy will change you this time since you were good.” Brad was glad to have the familiar touch of his mother, and tried to hop up to get a hug from her.

“Not yet baby. See if you can go pee a little bit more on the potty this time.” His mother chided.

“But…” He pointed at Patricia indicatively and groaned.

“Your cousin will have to take you potty too Brad, remember? Just go ahead she doesn’t mind, do you Patricia.”

“Of course not go ahead I’ve seen everything you’ve got, just today if you remember.” She snickered and Brad pouted rather unhelpfully. Luckily his mother was quite ready to help, and tugged his trainers down.

“Go peepee for mommy.” Was Mia’s command.

Brad couldn’t do it, he had just wet moments ago. It was a good five minutes before a light tinkling sound placated his mother enough to let him up.

“Good boy!” She cooed, and Patricia joined in the clapping.

Brad did feel a bit better now that he’d been able to show he could do it, though he had to admit it had been a great deal less complicated just going in the trainers. His mother opened her arms and he charged into them as if they had been magnetized, smiling happily up at her. Mia decided to get him into some new trainers this time, and Patricia watched in curiosity, wondering just why she hadn’t given up entirely. The end result of Brad’s frequent accidents seemed obvious to both of them.

Mia let Patricia and Brad occupy themselves, as she had some business to attend to. As Mia was heading down for the door she turned to see Patricia leaving the living room in pursuit. Patricia asked her about Brad’s training problems, a conversation she had been sure was coming for a while. But she just promised to discuss it after her work was done and Brad was in bed.

“All right…” Patricia said, now quite curious about all this. “Do you want me to start dinner or will you be home by evening?”

“I’ll bring pizza and then we’ll talk, promise.” Mia smiled and headed out to get the wall paper sorted.

Mia had originally planned to renovate the spare bedroom into a nursery and move Brad into it when she was ready. That would make painting easier, and allow the room to air out while the paint dried – she didn’t want her little one inhaling any nasty smelling paint fumes, and certainly couldn’t have the nursery furniture absorbing them.

Patricia occupying the guest bedroom had changed her plans, and caused them to accelerate. Mia was glad for the help though, and especially for having a good excuse to avoid painting. With Brad’s room pretty much how she wanted it, she didn’t want to have to move everything out and put down sheets to catch stray paint droplets. Wallpaper was more expensive, but well worth the work and aggravation she’d save, and she could get a great border as well. Without the messy paint present, she thought, she might even manage to have Brad help out with the decorating.

With that in mind she bought a turquoise stripe pattern, and an adorable bath time themed border with a diapered bear and a duck around a bath tub. Brad would hate it, for now, but he had loved bath time once, and surely would again once the training was over. That wouldn’t be long now, she thought. That brought a smile to her face as she checked out her items.

Back at home Brad was rather complacent with his TV, and he had noticed that Patricia was paying more attention to him now, checking in on him more frequently and even seeming more affectionate to him. Still, like any boy, he was rather glad when his mom got home. Mia quickly set down the bags she had gotten and patted his head.

“Who’s ready for pizza?”

“ME!” Came the reply from Brad.

“I don’t know, only good little babies get pizza.” She chuckled… She really didn’t want him having all that grease and meat.

“He’s been perfectly fine Aunt Mia.” Patricia intoned.

“Okay, one slice and you can eat it at the table. Patricia, can you make him something healthy as well?” Brad’s face dropped, but he did relish what he had of the pizza, and slept rather well that night.

The next day continued much the same, except that Patricia was carrying his diaper bag at home, and using the changing mat for him… and he wasn’t seeing a lot of his mother except at meal times, which were usually done by Patricia with one thing for him and something else for her and his mother. Such as the pea soup (ick!) apple sauce and grilled cheese he got for dinner while they had pasta, garlic bread, and a Caesar salad.

“How come she gets to eat grown up food?” Brad complained.

“Because she didn’t just pee in her pants til they almost leaked.” Patricia chuckled as she answered. Mia nodded, she was too tired to worry about it, but she was feeling rather accomplished.

“Bed time is coming up Brad, and I have a special surprise for you. You don’t have to sleep in your crib tonight!” Mia revealed cheerily.

Brad was overjoyed at this before the quite obvious question that it brought up came into his mind. “Yaaaaaaaaay!” He squealed. Then a pause. “Where am I gunna sleep?” He asked.

“You can nap with mommy, you’ll have your nighty time diaper on so it won’t matter if you pee.”

“How come?” He asked, ever curious.

“Because mommy has been putting up wallpaper in your room today and it might smell icky for a bit.”

“I bet it looks so cute!” Patricia said, youthful exuberance entering into her voice despite her determination to show how old and mature she was. She was excited about the redecorating.

“We can take a look at it tomorrow, Patricia. I think I said I’d talk about some grown up stuff with you? Brad, why don’t you go get the changing supplies set up in the living room and you can have a cookie after we get you diapered.” Mia smiled encouragingly and patted him on his trainers to send him off.

“But I’m not wet.” He protested, a bit confused.

“Oh you will be soon, run along.” Patricia laughed, tickling him to see if that didn’t help her prophecy to come true. It did, of course, and Brad pouted at her as he toddled off to find his diaper bag.

“Now then, I guess you’re wondering why I’ve been helping him to need diapers again?” Mia asked, figuring her apt babysitter had caught on.

The conversation continued on until Brad returned. He had grown bored after the few minutes it took for Mia to explain her plan, and decided to be proactive. His now-damp trainers down around his ankles and in his hands a container of baby powder and a new pair of the training pants. Mia and Patricia both sighed, but couldn’t help but chuckle at how cute he looked.

“Can I have my cookie now?” He asked.

“Come on kiddo let’s get this fixed.” Mia smiled, and Patricia got up to help. Brad was soon toddling along in his night time diapers, and not the trainers he had picked out. Mia didn’t want a boy shaped pee spot in her bed! She did have to give him the cookie though, as once it had been mentioned it had become the sole focus of Brad’s entire life.

Mia was tired after her day’s work and she soon went to bed, which meant Brad had to as well, despite whatever energy he had.

“MOOOM! I’m not sleepy!” He complained. Mia just hefted him up into her arms as he whined and said goodnight to Patricia. She could entertain herself for a bit on the computer without either of them, and Mia knew Patricia deserved some time to herself as well without a wet complaining toddler running around.

“Its nap time baby. Come on lets go sleepy bye.” Mia cooed in the usual babyish tone.

“No!” Came the obvious rebuttal.

Regardless of his complaints Brad was soon cuddled in with his mother. Mia checked to make sure his diaper was still fitting snuggly, and then began to hum. Brad was happy to have the affection and settled in her arms, but only slightly. Mia’s humming put her to sleep faster than Brad, as tired as she was.

Brad waited what seemed like forever. She might just be faking. And, besides, Patricia had to go to sleep too. The room was quiet with only the rustle of his diaper under the covers. It was a warm night and he hadn’t needed anything else. So his feet were rather soundless as they hit the floor. He moved for a bit and groaned at the “swish, swish, crinkle, swish swish” that sung out each of his steps. These diapers weren’t just to keep him from getting messy, they were some kind of evil alarm device too! Still, he wasn’t going to submit to having his big kid toys taken so easily! Not without a fight.

The door had been left cracked, no child safety gate here. And he toddled right through it, peering down the hall at the computer desk. Patricia was gone! This was perfect! He moved down to the hallway closet and looked around. Most of his toys were in a bin he didn’t want to look through, but then he saw his X Box in its original box.

“Pretty obvious hiding spot, mom” He thought with a muted giggle.

He grabbed the box up and started to swish and crinkle his way to the nursery. He tried to open the gate in the dark, gave up, and hefted the box over it, laying it gently on the other side. Then he wiggled his leg over top and with even more crinkling, slowly slung himself over. He didn’t know it, but someone was watching him lay over the gate like a hobby horse. Patricia concealed a giggle of her own as she watched his puffy white bottom wiggle and then slip over.

The nursery did have a new smell to it, and the windows were open so it was a bit chilly. Still, this was his room, and the TV was still here. He had everything he’d need to play for a while before bed. But first he’d need the light switch. Hmmm…. He flipped it on, then off… nothing. Why had his mother taken out the lights?

Patricia had actually done this, adding wall mounted lamps that would be high enough to be out of his reach, so Brad couldn’t turn the lights off and hurt himself in the dark, or get up in the middle of the night somehow and be bad. Funny how she seemed to have seen the future and all, but she did know boys rather well.

Brad simply groaned, but he could work without the light. He wiggled over to the TV stand, finding his diapers crinkled less if he took small steps. He had to be like the stealthy ninja, if the stealthy ninja wore Huggies.

Brad felt along for the electrical outlet and smiled when he found it, then he began to poke the plug at it… Scraping along the wall and the plastic, but it wouldn’t go in. He felt along with his hands and discovered the outlet covers had been stuck into all the unused outlets. He whined audibly and moved a little louder to another outlet he remembered being near, feeling along for it more noisily, but this one was similarly secured.

“Okay, fine” he thought. He could just watch some TV. He tried to turn it on… but again, all he felt was that familiar firm plastic where the buttons should be. The TV controls had been child proofed as well! He had to get the lights on to find the remote. The lamps were a bit high, but he could get some of the books stacked up and get to them. He started on a stack of books, taking one load, then two, ignoring the crinkling of his diaper and the two pairs of eyes watching him silently from the hall. Finally after hius third trip, arms loaded with books and diaper swishing about between his legs as he took longer, big boy steps, wanting to get this done.

Finally he climbed atop the pile, holding a shelf for stability, and reached up for the lamp. Not only did its light show him the state of his room, but also his mother and cousin out in the hall, neither of whom looked terribly pleased.