SEVENTH HEAVEN
--------------

Part 1

	Simon lay down on the couch watching the television, grateful 
that his parents were letting him stay up late to watch a movie. 
It wasn't often that he got to actually stay up past his bedtime, 
but his parents decided that since he was 11 now that they would 
let him have some more privileges. He pulled the blanket closer to 
his chin as the screen flickered and the killer was shown, 
brandishing a knife. If his parents would have known what he was 
planning on watching they wouldn't have let him stay up, but he 
was the only one in his class that hadn't seen this movie yet so 
he decided it was worth it. He was pretty tired though, and the 
movie wasn't even that good, and before he knew it his eyelids 
were dropping down over his eyes.
	Simon woke up with a start as he heard a sound, and then as 
he watched he saw a man clad entirely in black entering the 
window. Simon sat up and tried to yell out, but he couldn't even 
find his voice to do so. The man walked over to Simon once he 
noticed him, and held up a knife similar to the one in the movie 
earlier. "If you make a sound, I will have to hurt you...and I 
don't want to do that. Now be quiet kid, and no one will get 
hurt." Simon just sat there in terror, afraid to even move at all. 
The man started going through the things in the front room with 
Simon, and as Simon saw his knife again he found himself losing 
control of his bladder. He peed his pants for the first time in 
about 7 years, and this just added to his terror. Luckily he still 
had the blanket over him so the burglar couldn't see, although 
Simon couldn't figure out why he was worrying about that when 
there was a man with a knife in the house. Simon broke down and 
started to cry, and then the man looked over at him and snarled. 
Simon stopped crying a little, but couldn't completely stop and 
the burglar exited out of the front window that he had came in. 
Simon burst into tears, and before long the whole house was up in 
the front room.
	"What's wrong Simon?" his mother Annie asked when she saw him 
in tears. She pulled the cover off of him and saw what had 
happened, and thought that this was the source of his tears. "It's 
okay honey, everyone has accidents every now and again. Let's get 
you cleaned up Simon, okay?" She noticed that her words had no 
effect on him at all, and that he was shaking profusely. She 
kneeled down in front of Simon, and noticed that he had a blank 
look on his face like he wasn't even awake. She decided to go get 
her husband Eric, but as she got up to leave Simon started to 
scream.
	"No, don't leave me mom! He'll come back, if you leave then 
he will come back."
	"Who will come back Simon? Did you have a bad dream?"
	"The...the window. A man came in...he had a knife...it was 
just like on the television."
	"Did you watch a scary movie? No wonder you had a 
nightmare...you know..." she started, but stopped in mid-sentence 
when she noticed that the front window was in fact open. She 
looked at Simon once more, and then started screaming for Eric. 
Before long he came down with a look of concern on his face. 
"Someone broke into the house while Simon was down here. Hurry, 
call the police. He could still be near." She had a look of fear 
on her face, but was still doing her best to stay calm for Simon. 
Eric ran over to the phone and started dialing quickly while Annie 
hugged Simon close to her. "It's going to be all right, honey, 
it's going to be all right."
	The next day things were a little calmer in the Camden 
household, although everyone was being especially nice to Simon to 
make it easier for him. He had spent almost all of the night 
awake, getting cleaned up and then talking to the police. They had 
not found anyone in the area, so the man was still at large 
unfortunately. Simon had not been himself all morning, and now he 
just sat at the kitchen table petting his dog Happy. Finally he 
stood up and prepared to leave the kitchen. "I'm going to go take 
a nap, I didn't get enough sleep last night. Goodnight." Simon 
climbed the stairs to his room, and then laid down and went to 
sleep.
	It was beginning to get dark outside when Simon woke up, but 
that was not the first thing on his mind. He looked down at the 
sweatpants that he was wearing to sleep in and the front was 
drenched. He was trying to figure out what to do when his mom 
walked in and saw him standing there in his wet pants. "Oh, Simon. 
It looks like you had another accident. Well, it's okay, you are 
probably just still in shock from last night. Don't worry about it 
at all, let's get you cleaned up for now. If it happens again, we 
will figure something out. Okay, honey?"
	"I'm sorry mom, I don't know why this is happening. I feel 
like such a baby. It won't happen again, I promise."
	"Don't feel bad Simon, after what you went through a little 
fear is to be expected. If it happens again I will make you an 
appointment with a friend of mine who is really good at these 
things. Now go hop in the shower, honey, and I will set some fresh 
clothes in there for you." She gave him a little pat on the butt 
to get him moving, and then picked some clothes out for him. She 
opened the bathroom door up and set them on the floor inside the 
door, and then went to take care of his bed. As she was carrying 
the sheets to the laundry room, she ran into the rest of the 
family sitting in the kitchen around the table. It was surprising 
how quickly the family recovered from a disaster, already acting 
normally and refusing to let one bad thing influence their lives.
	"Why do you have Simon's sheets mom?" Lucy inquired as her 
mom walked past.
	"Well Lucy, Simon had a little accident while he was 
sleeping. Apparently what happened last night has really shook him 
up, and he had a little problem." Lucy looked like she was going 
to laugh for a moment, but the next words from her mother stopped 
that quickly. "And no one is to mention it to Simon or to make fun 
of him for it, or there will be serious consequences. Am I 
understood?" The children had rarely seen their mother this angry, 
and Lucy quickly apologized. Before long the sheets were washing 
and dinner was cooking, and Simon came down and joined the family 
in the kitchen.
	"Hey Simon, how's it going?" his older brother Matt asked, 
apparently concerned.
	"Yeah Simon, are you doing okay?" his sister Mary asked.
	"I'll be okay...I just can't get the picture of that man out 
of my head...it is really shaking me up. I just don't feel safe in 
the house any more."
	"Simon, we are going to do something to make things a little 
more safe around here, don't worry about that" his dad said. Simon 
looked a little comforted, but not at ease yet. He sat down at the 
table and just kept to himself for the next 20 minutes until 
dinner was served. He ate, then excused himself and went back to 
bed. He still hadn't recovered from almost no sleep the night 
before, and was pretty tired. He went to bed for the second time 
that day, and before long he was asleep.
	Simon looked over at the clock on his nightstand and saw that 
it was 6 in the morning. He reached his hand down to confirm what 
he thought, and found that his pants were wet again. This was 
beginning to get to him, and he started to cry just a little bit. 
He finally got up and got some dry clothes, then went and changed 
in the bathroom. He went and got the new sheets off of his bed and 
took them down to the washer, and then went back into his bedroom. 
He laid down on the floor and stared at the ceiling, waiting for 
someone else in the house to wake up.

Part 2

	After about an hour, Annie got up and decided to check on 
Simon. Even though she hadn't told him yet, yesterday she made an 
appointment with a psychologist she knew. She wasn't sure if it 
would help, but figured that Simon needed some type of help if he 
was to feel safe at home again. She walked into Simon's room, and 
saw him laying on the floor instead of in his bed. She sighed a 
little, feeling bad for her little boy. "Simon, I am going to make 
a little breakfast, do you want some?"
	"Mom, I...uh...I," Simon tried to say it but couldn't even 
finish the sentence. His mom just patted him on the head and then 
hugged him, and started walking down the steps with Simon.
	"It's okay Simon, I know it's not your fault. Later today we 
will go see a friend of mine and you can talk to her, she is a 
really good listener and helps out kids who feel scared all of the 
time. Now let's get some breakfast and then we can go." Annie 
walked into the kitchen and started making a nice breakfast for 
Simon with eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Pretty soon the whole house 
was awakened by the smell, and within the hour everyone was up and 
had eaten. Annie sent Simon up to shower and get ready, and then 
got ready herself. At about a quarter till 10 they left the house 
together to go see the child psychologist.
	"Now Simon, you don't have to talk to her if you don't want 
to, but she really will be able to help. Just give her a chance 
and you will see that she just wants to help you. Okay?" She 
looked over at him as she pulled into the parking space, and he 
had a nervous look on his face.
	"I promise I won't do it again mom, can we just go home?" 
Simon looked petrified now as his mom started to climb out of the 
car.
	"Simon, honey, this isn't a punishment. She isn't going to 
hurt you, she just will talk to you. Just come with me this once, 
and if you don't want to come back you don't have to. Deal?" Annie 
looked over and Simon's face had brightened up a little bit.
	"Okay mom, I will go this once. I love you mom." Simon was 
looking like his old self for a moment, and Annie smiled broadly 
along with him. She got out of her door, then came over and helped 
Simon out as well, and they approached the small brick building 
together. They walked in, and a smiling woman was sitting behind a 
desk looking at the door.
	"Dr. James will be with you in a moment, Annie. She is 
finishing up with another patient right now." She smiled and 
looked down at Simon for a moment. "And what's your name?"
	"I'm Simon. What's your name?"
	"My name is Lucy, it's nice to meet you Simon."
	"I have a sister named Lucy too. That's pretty neat."
	"It certainly is. If you want to go have a seat there are 
some books over there that you might enjoy. Have fun, you have a 
few minutes to wait still." She kept smiling at Simon the whole 
time, and Simon relaxed even further. He went over to a small 
table and sat down, and started reading the Highlights books that 
were on the table. He especially liked the pictures where you had 
to find a lot of hidden objects, and he didn't look up until he 
heard a door open somewhere behind him.
	"Okay Jennie, I will see you back here next week at the same 
time, and here's a sucker for being so talkative today. Bye." A 
fairly tall woman was smiling down at a little girl that looked 
like she was about 9, and she was smiling too as she took the 
lollipop. She turned and walked out of the building with her 
mother, and looked to be quite happy. "Are you Simon?" she asked 
as she looked down at where he was, and then kneeled down so that 
she was on his level.
	"That's me...who are you?" Simon was curious as to who this 
was, as he was expecting a doctor.
	"I'm Dr. James, but you can call me Laura. How are you doing 
today? Are things going well?"
	"Yeah, things are pretty good." Laura stood up, and started 
walking back towards her office slowly.
	"Why don't we come in here, Simon, that way we can get a 
little more comfortable. We'll be back in about an hour Annie. 
Make yourself at home." Simon followed her into her office, and 
she closed the door behind him. About an hour passed, and then the 
door opened again and Simon came out. Dr. James followed him out, 
and gave him a sucker as well. "Why don't you finish reading your 
magazines Simon, I want to talk to your mom for just a minute. 
Hold any calls, Lucy."
	"So, Laura, what did you find out?" Annie looked nervous, but 
Laura just waived her hand a bit and calmed her down.
	"Annie, there's nothing wrong with Simon, it is just normal 
problems that follow something like what happened. As far as the 
bedwetting...I thought at first that it was just normal fear, but 
I don't think that's it. Simon kept talking about how unsafe he 
felt in his own home now, and I think that is causing some 
regression when he sleeps. He is returning to a time when he felt 
safe and secure all of the time."
	"So, Simon is just going back to infancy in his mind? What 
for?"
	"That's the only way that he can feel safe, and everyone 
needs to feel safe for a certain amount every day or else they 
can't function properly. I have a suggestion, but it may not seem 
like a good idea to you or Simon."
	"What do you suggest?"
	"Well, they make diapers for older kids, for problems like 
bedwetting. It seems a little extreme, but I really think that it 
will contribute to his feeling of safety if he is in fact 
regressing during sleep. He may not like the idea at first or say 
that he likes it, but I think that he will feel a lot safer 
because of it. It will also allow him to stop feeling guilty for 
wetting the bed. I really believe that it will be beneficial for 
him."
	"Won't he be embarrassed? Do you think that this will do more 
good than harm?"
	"It is your decision entirely Annie, and Simon's. But if you 
just explain to him that it will keep him from wetting the bed, 
and promise him that only you and him will know, then I think that 
it will help him out a lot. I think that since you have a motherly 
bond to him, if you suggest it to him then he will agree to it. 
Let him put them on himself unless he asks for help so that he 
doesn't feel as embarrassed, and I think that the problem will 
solve itself within two weeks at the most. Try it for that long at 
least. What do you say?"
	"Well, if you think that it will help I will suggest it to 
Simon. If I can't get him to agree to it though, I am not going to 
go through with it."
	"That's a good idea, but I think that after you explain it to 
him you will be surprised at how open he will be to the idea. You 
should go talk it over during lunch, maybe take him to his 
favorite restaurant so that it is easier to discuss. And if 
nothing else, I will see you next week at this time."
	"Thanks Laura, I hope it works. I will see you next week at 
this time. Thanks again."
	"That's what I'm here for. It was good seeing you again."
	"You too." Annie walked out of the door, and Simon stood up 
and got ready to go. "Let's go Simon, if you want to we can go to 
McDonald's for lunch. How does that sound?" Simon's face lit up 
instantly, and he ran to the door.
	"Sounds good mom, let's go!" He ran out and climbed in the 
car, and Annie climbed in the driver's side door.
	"I need to talk to you during lunch, okay honey?" She looked 
over, but Simon didn't change his expression at all.
	"Sure mom, no problem." She started the car and drove off, 
heading for McDonald's so that they could take care of lunch, and 
decide what Simon was going to do. Now Annie was the one that was 
nervous, but she hoped and prayed that it would all work out for 
the best in the end.

Part 3

	Annie pulled up to the cement bar marking the parking space 
and stopped the car. She opened her door and got out, and Simon 
did the same on the other side of the door. They went into the 
building, and Simon stood a little ways from the counter as he 
tried to decide what he wanted. He hadn't had one in a few years, 
but he thought that he wanted a happy meal. He wasn't very hungry, 
and that would let him get a little food and a toy as well. They 
just had cheap toy cars in the happy meals, but he figured that it 
was better than nothing. "Hey mom, I think that I want a chicken 
nugget happy meal. I am not all that hungry so it should be 
enough. Orange soda in it too please."
	She looked down at Simon and smiled, wondering just how right 
the doctor had been. "Okay dear, that's no problem. Why don't you 
go get us some seats, somewhere quiet please."
	"Sure mom. I will be back there." He pointed off towards one 
of the far corners, and Annie approached the counter and placed 
the order. After a few minutes she had a tray of food, and went 
back to where Simon was sitting. She sat down opposite him, and 
they both ate contentedly for about 5 minutes. Annie was done with 
her sandwich and eating her fries slowly, and decided that now was 
the time to talk to Simon.
	"Simon, I need to talk to you now. I want you to listen to 
everything that I have to say before you react honey. When I 
talked to the doctor after you talked, she told me what we needed 
to do to help you. I don't think that you are going to like what 
she suggested, but she convinced me that it was for the best. She 
suggested that, while you sleep at least, you should wear some 
protection at night."
	"What do you mean mom? I know, I could go back to diapers!" 
Simon laughed at his mom a little, and then went back to his 
fries. He looked up and saw the look on his face, and then his 
face fell. "No way mom, you can't be serious. There is no way that 
I am going to wear diapers. I am not a baby!" His voice had risen 
a little bit in the restaurant, and one group of people looked 
over at him as he yelled.
	"Quiet down honey, and let me explain it to you. First off, 
aside from Dr. James, your dad and me no one would have to know. 
We would make sure that you got privacy at night, and your brother 
and sisters wouldn't know. This would just be while you sleep, so 
you wouldn't have to worry about anyone seeing them. I will even 
throw them out right away to make sure no one else has to know 
about it. Of course you can change yourself, so you don't have to 
be embarrassed by that. This will just allow you to not be upset 
by wetting your bed, and it will save me from doing laundry. Then 
once you get over your fright you can stop wearing them. Dr. James 
thought that it was the best idea, and that it would help you get 
over being scared a lot quicker. But if you don't want to, you can 
keep wetting the bed until you get better. It's your choice Simon, 
I won't make you do anything that will upset you, but I want you 
to know that I will be there for you no matter what."
	Simon looked at his mom for a second, and he appeared to be 
close to tears. He hung his head, either in shame or defeat, and 
finally looked back up at his mom. "If you and Dr. James think 
that it will work, I guess I will do it mom. I trust you, and as 
long as no one finds out so I won't get made fun of I will do it."
	"No one will make fun of you Simon, I promise. I will even go 
into the store and get them by myself so you don't have to be seen 
when I buy them. And whenever you want to stop using them you can, 
I will support you dear. Now if you're done, let's go to the store 
and then we can head home." She smiled down at Simon, and she was 
quite content as he smiled back. It felt good to see her old boy 
back, and she emptied their trash into the can and they got back 
into the car. She drove towards the grocery store to pick up the 
diapers she would need, hoping that she wouldn't see anyone she 
knew there for Simon's sake. She smiled as she drove since Simon 
was singing along to the radio. She loved seeing him happy, and 
hoped that he would get better soon. There was no tension in the 
air at all as Annie pulled the car into a parking spot outside of 
the grocery store, and then headed inside.

Part 4

	Annie walked into the grocery store and looked around to see 
if there was anyone around that she knew. She didn't recognize 
anyone and then headed back towards the diaper products. When she 
got there she wasn't sure what to do, but a quick glance at the 
baby products told her that Simon was way past those. There was no 
way he would fit into something made to hold 50 pounds at the 
most, so she skipped on to the adult products. She looked closely, 
and thought about going for some of the products that were more 
like underwear than diapers. She figured that this would be better 
for Simon...but after a second she remembered what Dr. James had 
said about it being a security issue. She went to the adult 
diapers, and found a package of small diapers that were made to 
fit someone between 90 and 115 pounds. This seemed like it would 
be perfect, and no childish designs to make Simon feel 
embarrassed. She headed to the checkout, feeling a little 
embarrassed herself at what she was buying. She just lowered her 
head and walked towards the front, but didn't make it as another 
mother she knew stopped her.
	"Hi Annie, how are you today?" Annie looked up and knew that 
she had to talk now or else she would be considered pretty rude.
	"I'm pretty good Deb, how about you? Everything going well?"
	"Yes, as good as can be expected I suppose. Are you having 
some problems with one of your little ones too?" Annie looked over 
and saw Deb holding an identical package. She smiled and looked up 
at Deb's face and finally relaxed.
	"Yes, I am. If you didn't hear, we had someone break into the 
house the other day, and the person threatened Simon quite a bit. 
He has been having some problems ever since. What about you?"
	"Well, I am not sure what caused our little problem. Allen 
has just been having accidents this week. I figured that this 
would save me the laundry trouble, and save him from feeling so 
bad for wetting the bed. I have a question for you Annie..."
	"Go ahead. What's your question?"
	"Well... I told Allen that I was going to do this and he is 
pretty upset...do you mind if I tell him that Simon is having the 
same problem? Make things a little easier for him?"
	"Well, I guess so. Can I tell Simon, too?"
	"Sure, maybe we can even make a slumber party out of it 
sometime."
	"We just might have to. Well, I have to go now Deb, I will 
talk to you later. Feel free to call if you need anything."
	"Sure Annie, thanks." Annie turned and went through the 
checkout lane, and then went back to her car where Simon was 
looking a little nervous now.
	"Hi there Simon, how are you? Sorry it took so long."
	"What took so long, mom? Have trouble finding them?" Simon 
glanced about anxiously, clearly not comfortable any more.
	"Well, I ran into Allen's mom in the store. I talked to her 
for a little bit. That's what took so long."
	"You didn't tell her about...my problem...did you mom? Please 
say you didn't."
	"Actually Simon, I did."
	"Mom...how could you? I will be the laughing stock of the 
whole school when we go back!"
	"No Simon, actually Allen has been having the same problem 
that you have. That's why I told his mom. She was shopping for the 
same thing that I was, actually."
	"Wow, that's weird. Why is he having problems?"
	"His mom isn't sure why honey, but make sure you don't say 
anything about it to anyone else. Now let's head on home." It was 
getting kind of late, about 3 o'clock now, so Annie drove them 
home and then took Simon's package up to his room for him. She 
made dinner and the night flew by for her...but it crept by for 
Simon. Finally it was time for bed, and Annie walked Simon up to 
his room.
	"Are you going to be okay, Simon? Do you need any help?"
	"No mom, I think that I can handle it. Stay outside of the 
door though, just in case. Okay?"
	"Sure honey. Go on now.they are in the bottom drawer of your 
dresser." Simon walked into his room like a man approaching an 
execution, and he soon was inside and had his door closed. He 
slowly got undressed down to his underwear, and then went over to 
his dresser. He pulled open the bottom drawer and saw the stacks 
of diapers there. He pulled one out, and also the baby powder that 
his mom had put there, and then went over to the floor. He spread 
the diaper out, then slowly sprinkled powder all over it. He 
removed his underwear and lay down on top of the diaper, and then 
slowly brought the front half into place. The look on his face was 
pure ecstasy as he started taping up the side of the diaper. The 
soft cotton felt great, and Simon was feeling more secure than he 
had in years. He was kind of worried about enjoying this, but it 
quickly passed out of his mind as he relaxed. He got the other 
side taped up, and then slid into bed wearing just the diaper.
	"Okay mom, you can come in." Annie slowly opened the door, 
and then closed it behind her. Simon was tucked safely into bed, 
and didn't appear to even have a shirt on. It was odd for him, but 
Annie figured whatever made him comfortable. She noticed the baby 
powder out and then put it back into the drawer, and went over to 
Simon.
	"Are you ready for bed, honey?" She pulled the cover down 
slowly, waiting to see if Simon was going to stop her. He didn't, 
and she saw that he was wearing the diaper. She smiled, happy to 
see her child looking so cute. She pulled the cover back up to his 
neck, and tucked him in.
	"I will lock the door as I leave so no one will come in 
during the night. If you need something just come get me, in the 
second drawer from the bottom are some flight pants that will make 
what you are wearing unnoticeable. I love you, dear."
	"I love you too mom. Goodnight." Annie walked out, and Simon 
was feeling quite content. He quickly slipped into sleep, having 
warm and safe dreams and finally not having nightmares. He hoped 
that he could sleep through the night without wetting his diaper, 
but at least he didn't have to worry much about it now that it 
wouldn't' make a mess. If anyone had looked at him as he slept, 
they would have seen an angelic face that was finally free from 
care after such a harsh ordeal.

Part 5

	As Annie was cooking breakfast the next morning, she heard a 
patter of footsteps behind her and turned to see Simon walking 
down the stairs in a pair of flight pants and a T-shirt. The pants 
made a lot of noise as he walked, but as Annie really looked at 
him she realized why he had chosen them. Underneath his pants she 
could vaguely make out the shape of the diaper he was wearing last 
night. She was surprised, but at least he didn't seem to be too 
embarrassed by it. "Hey there honey, did you sleep okay last 
night? Did you have any problems?"
	"A little one mom, but it didn't seem to be as bad as it has 
been. I couldn't really tell though, if you know what I mean."
	"I do honey, I do." With that she gave him a little swat on 
the butt and he looked up surprised at her, realizing she knew 
that he hadn't changed.
	"Can you tell...that I...you know?" He had a look of fear on 
his face, and also a look of wonder.
	"I only can tell because I know what to look for. If I 
wouldn't have had a reason to look, I wouldn't have noticed a 
thing." About that time Lucy walked into the kitchen as well.
	"Wouldn't have noticed what mom?" Lucy's curiosity was 
piqued, but her mother stopped that quickly enough.
	"Oh, nothing Lucy. Just something I was talking with Simon 
about." Lucy looked like she was about to continue pestering her 
mom until her curiosity was satiated, but then decided not to 
after all. She sat down at the table and started talking with 
Simon about little things, nothing of any importance. They decided 
to head to the park after breakfast, and once they were done they 
started to leave the house. "Simon, don't you think you should 
change honey?" Simon looked up and a look of surprise came over 
his face.
	"Yeah mom, these aren't really outside clothes. I will be 
back down in a minute Luc." Simon went upstairs and laid down on 
his floor, forgetting to shut the door in his hurry. He had his 
pants off and was starting to undo the tapes on the diaper when 
Matt walked by the open door. Simon was so busy taking the diaper 
off that he didn't notice his older brother standing there, and 
Matt ran down the stairs before Simon could see him. Simon heard 
the noise and decided to close the door, and then finished the job 
and quickly got dressed in some old play clothes. Downstairs, 
however, a much less relaxed scene was taking place.
	"Uh, mom.can I talk to you about something?" Matt shifted his 
step slightly, showing some unease that his mother didn't fail to 
note. She hoped that he wasn't going to make some revelation about 
being into drugs or sexually active, but as a mother she knew that 
these things were likely to come up some time. Matt was not 
normally this nervous unless there was a big problem, so she 
feared the worst.
	"Sure, Matt, you know that you can talk with me or your 
father about anything. What's on your mind?" He seemed to relax a 
little, and started talking again.
	"Mom, did you know that Simon is wearing a diaper?" He looked 
down at the ground when he said this, obviously clearly 
embarrassed. Annie sighed, distraught but at the same time 
relieved.
	"Matt, have a seat. We need to have a talk." Matt did as he 
was told, and sat down at the table. As they were sitting there 
Simon ran out of the front door and joined Lucy outside, heading 
for the park to play outside. "Matt, have you noticed me having 
some extra laundry to do here lately? About every single morning 
when Simon wakes up?" Matt looked thoughtful for a second, but 
then spoke.
	"Actually, I did but it didn't even register."
	"Well, ever since Simon was scared by the intruder, he has 
been having some problems. Every night since then he has wet his 
bed. I took him yesterday to see a child psychologist to see what 
was wrong, since I figured it was related to that. It turns out 
that she thought Simon was probably having a problem feeling safe, 
and she suggested that I try that until he overcomes the problem 
and can feel safe again. I went ahead and followed her advice, and 
Simon agreed to try it. He slept in diapers last night and didn't 
have as much of a problem it seems. That's why he is wearing 
them." Matt just looked shocked, but he regained his composure.
	"Wow, poor guy. I had no idea he was still that scared. Well, 
the secret's safe with me, I won't tell Mary or Lucy, and I won't 
mention it to Simon either. I hope he gets better." Annie was 
proud of Matt, glad that he was mature enough to see this as a 
problem and not as something to tease his younger brother with. 
She smiled and got up, and gave Matt a hug. She was glad that she 
had such a great family.

Part 6

	As Annie started walking towards the living room to go read 
her magazine, she was almost run over by Simon bursting in the 
door followed by Lucy. Simon had a huge grin across his face and 
went and gave his mom a hug as Lucy ran up the stairs. "Hi honey, 
how was the park today?"
	"It was great mom! I ran into Allen there and he said that he 
wasn't doing anything tonight. Do you think we could call his 
house and invite him to spend the night? Please, please, please?" 
Simon just smiled up at her and was pretty sure that he would get 
his way. His mom was normally very understanding, and she would 
realize how this would help him. After a moment of silence Simon 
wasn't disappointed.
	"Sure honey, just let me make sure that it is all right with 
Allen's mom." She went over and picked up the phone and Simon sat 
down next to her to see if his friend would get to come over after 
all. "Go play for now Simon, and I will come tell you when I am 
done on the phone." She called the number, and after talking to 
Deb for a few minutes they decided that it would be good for the 
boys to spend the night together. Deb agreed to drop Allen off 
after dinner in a couple of hours, and Annie hung up.
	"Simon, come back down here." Annie heard the pattering of 
little feet coming down the stairs, and then Simon came dashing 
into the room.
	"Yeah mom? Can he stay over?" Simon's face was alive with 
excitement, and Annie didn't say anything for a minute just to 
watch him agonize over the decision. She then put a frown on her 
face and Simon thought that Allen wasn't going to get to come over 
for the night.
	"Yes he can stay over Simon." She laughed as the smile 
instantly popped onto his face again and he gave her a big hug. 
"But I guess Allen is kind of uncomfortable about.getting dressed 
for the night over here, so his mom said he is going to wear his 
night clothes over if you understand, Simon." Simon looked 
thoughtful for a moment but then realized his mom was just trying 
to not have to say diapers.
	"Yeah, mom, I understand. That's fine with me."
	"Okay, and if it doesn't bother you I want you to go upstairs 
and get your own night clothes on Simon, so that he doesn't feel 
weird wearing his. Is that okay with you?"
	"Sure mom, it is not a problem. I will go do that now. I will 
just change and then put my flight pants back on from this 
morning."
	"Why don't you just try wearing your jeans, honey. If it is 
noticeable then you can go put your other pants on, but let's see 
if you can tell first. Now run along while I go start on dinner." 
Annie headed into the kitchen, and Simon started walking up the 
stairs. He had a huge smile on his face as he was kind of looking 
forward to getting to wear his diapers again. He wasn't sure if it 
was right to be having those feelings, but he figures that since 
they were serving a purpose it was okay. Maybe he would get a 
chance to ask Allen tonight if he liked his diapers, too. He hoped 
so, but he certainly didn't want to alienate the one person who 
might understand. Simon opened his door and closed it behind it, 
and made sure it was locked. He then went over to his dresser, 
took out a diaper and the baby powder, and looked at it for a 
minute while standing there.
	After a minute Simon took his pants off and then laid the 
diaper down on the ground, and then took his underwear off as 
well. He laid down on the diaper and sprinkled a large amount of 
baby powder over his diaper area, and then went to work closing 
the diaper up. He relished in the secure feeling he got as he 
taped it up, and was enjoying it so much that he had trouble 
finishing the job. He thought maybe he should make up some 
problems with getting it on.and then have his mom do it for him 
some night. He dismissed the idea as just a little too much, 
though, at least for now. He finished taping the diaper up, and 
then went and stood in front of the mirror admiring his 
reflection. He giggled a little at the sight of himself, and then 
retrieved his underwear and threw them in the dirty clothes and 
slipped his pants on. He pulled them up over his diaper and looked 
in the mirror again, but could only see a faint outline through 
the jeans. He walked over towards the door and could barely hear 
the crinkling sound when he strained his ears for it, so he 
figured that he was fine. He walked downstairs and into the 
kitchen where his mom was making dinner and where his dog Happy 
was sitting. He started petting Happy as he stood there.
	"Hi mom, how are you doing?"
	"I am doing fine, Simon...turn around real quick so I can 
check something." Simon did as he was told, and Annie just smiled. 
"Okay, you are fine, you can't hardly notice it. The smell is 
pretty strong though, honey, you don't have to use so much powder 
next time." Simon blushed a little as he stood there. "Why don't 
you set the table for me, honey."
	"Okay mom, no problem." Simon got the dishes out and set the 
table, being extra careful since he didn't want to break anything 
since his mind was other places. He set the table and then asked 
if he could go play. His mom didn't care and he ran out of the 
room, laughing after his mom gave him a little swat on the butt. 
He went into his room and played until dinner was done, then went 
and ate. He was anxiously counting down the minutes until Allen 
got over.

Part 7

	After what seemed like ages Simon heard someone knocking on 
the door and ran down the steps as fast as he could. He slid to a 
stop in front of the door just as his mom got there and was 
opening the door. "Why hello Deb, hello Allen, how are you two 
doing tonight?"
	"We are fine Annie, aren't we Allen? It's a lovely evening, 
and I know that Allen sure is excited."
	"Simon is too, he has been wound up for a couple of hours 
now. Won't you come in for a cup of coffee?"
	"No, I'm afraid I can't stay long. John and I are going to go 
out for the evening since Allen is sleeping over.it's not too 
often that these chances arise."
	"I understand completely. Luckily between the older kids we 
normally have no problem finding someone to watch the house. Well, 
I'm sure Allen will be no problem tonight. I will just bring him 
back over to your house in the afternoon some time, okay?"
	"That sounds great. Oh, and here's his book bag... it has 
everything in it he might need tonight. I will see you tomorrow 
afternoon, and thanks for having him over."
	"Thanks for letting him stay. I'm sure he'll have fun 
tonight." With that Deb walked back to the vehicle and Annie shut 
the door as Allen and Simon just stood in the entranceway, looking 
uncomfortable now that the wait was over. "Why don't you two boys 
go play in your room, Simon? Later there is a good movie on and I 
will make you all some popcorn. Go play for now though."
	Allen and Simon went up the stairs and into Simon's room, and 
they shut the door behind them. Simon briefly thought about 
locking the door, but decided against it after a second thought. 
He went over and sat down on the floor by his bed, and Allen sat 
down with him. "So, what do you want to do? I have some checkers, 
I have Connect 4, even a chess set if you know how to play that. 
That's about all I have that would be fun with two people 
though... but you can pick. What will it be?" Simon hoped that he 
wanted to play chess, as it was one of his favorite games even 
though no one realized it. The strategy that was required and all 
of the thinking made it a real experience. Simon thought about it 
and realized that tonight would be like a chess game if he wanted 
to find out if Allen had the same feelings about his diapers that 
Simon did. His thoughts were interrupted when Allen started 
talking, though.
	"How about Connect 4...that's my favorite game. Is that ok 
with you?"
	"Sure, I love the game too. Let me get it out." Simon went 
over and reached underneath his bed and pulled out a tattered box 
that rattled when he moved it. He put it between the two boys and 
opened the box up, and then set up the little yellow board. The 
first game was a tie, and after it the two boys seemed to loosen 
up some. They started talking about what was going on at school, 
neat movies, and cool toys that were out. The games continued, and 
Simon picked up the next one pretty easily after Allen didn't 
remember to block him. Allen stretched the next game out and ended 
up having two ways to win, so Simon couldn't block and Allen won. 
Simon decided that the time was right, and he prepared to speak 
up.
	"Allen...if you don't want to answer this question just tell 
me.but I still have to ask it. Do you.you know." Simon was 
interrupted with a knock on the door however, and then Annie 
poking her head in as she opened it up.
	"Hey there guys, there is a movie on that you might like. 
It's a Disney movie so I know you are too old for it, but why 
don't you come watch anyway. It's Aladdin." The boys got up and 
went down the stairs, and Annie's words did the trick. Now they 
didn't have to worry about feeling like little kids for watching a 
Disney movie, they could just enjoy it. They jumped on the couch 
when they went downstairs, and as Simon looked at the familiar 
window in the room he shuddered. After a moment he forgot about it 
and they just enjoyed the movie and the popcorn. Once it was over 
Annie rushed them up to their room and kissed Simon goodnight. She 
told them they could play for a while, but not to be up too late 
or be too rowdy. With that she locked the door as she left, and 
pulled it shut behind her.
	"So, Simon.what were you going to ask me before we left?" 
Allen seemed to understand that it was something personal, as he 
hadn't brought it up at all in front of Annie. Simon looked 
hesitant for a minute, but then decided to plow on.
	"Well.you see...I was going to ask if you.I don't know, you 
might think I am weird if I say this." Simon just put his head 
down, but Allen came over and gave him a reassuring pat on the 
shoulder.
	"We're both wearing diapers, Simon...I don't think anything 
you can say is going to be any weirder than that." After that he 
started laughing, and then Simon joined him. Finally he had the 
courage back up again.
	"Do you kinda like wearing your diapers?" Simon lowered his 
head after he said that, knowing that he couldn't stand to see 
Allen's face if there was a disgusted look on it right now. He 
waited anxiously for his answer.
	"What?"
	"Never mind...I was just joking. I don't really either, I'm 
sorry I asked."
	"No, I do like them Simon, I just thought that I was weird. 
Earlier I was hoping that you would ask something like that 
because I couldn't get up the courage to."
	"I'm so relieved. After I asked I felt sure that I was going 
to have one less friend."
	"Well, you don't have to worry about that. Man, this day has 
been tiring. If I just would have said something at the start of 
the day, we wouldn't have had to wonder about this all day long. I 
just didn't have the nerve to do it."
	"Believe me, that was the hardest sentence I have ever said. 
Well, how about another game of Connect 4?"
	"Okay, sure.but this time you are going down, Simon."
	"In your dreams!"
	The two boys stayed up for another couple of hours, and the 
subject of diapers didn't even come up. There was a comfortable 
air about them now, and neither of them was worried about being 
thought of as weird. After a while they both changed into shorts 
and went to bed, Allen sleeping in the pallet of covers that Annie 
had made on the floor, and Simon sleeping in his bed. About 
halfway through the night Simon woke up and was uncomfortable with 
the shorts over his diaper. He took them off under the covers, and 
when he looked down on the floor he was surprised to see Allen had 
done the same. He rolled over and went to sleep feeling extremely 
content.

Part 8

	Simon rolled over in his sleep and ran into an obstacle. He 
looked over and noticed that Allen was lying in his bed with him. 
He shrugged his shoulders and rolled back over, but then noticed 
how light it was in the room and decided he should probably get 
up. He carefully climbed over Allen and pulled his shorts back on 
to cover his diapers. He grabbed a shirt as well and then opened 
the door and started down the stairs.
	About halfway down the stairs Simon heard noises behind him, 
and when he turned around he noticed that Matt was coming down the 
stairs. "Hey Simon, you might want to pull your shorts up just a 
little bit higher. When your shirt goes up, it makes for an 
interesting sight." He kind of chuckled a little, but Simon new 
that it was good natured.
	"Thanks Matt, I will make sure to do that. It is way too 
early to be up." Simon yawned and stretched and when he looked 
down he could see that his diaper was peeking out over the top of 
his shorts quite a bit. He hitched his shorts up and walked into 
the living room where his mom was sitting on the couch. Matt 
followed him into the room and stood behind him.
	"Hi mom. What's up?"
	"Nothing really honey, where's Allen at?"
	"He is still sleeping up in the room."
	"Why don't you go get him up and I will fix you all some 
breakfast. How does that sound?"
	"Sounds pretty good. We will be down shortly."
	Simon headed up the stairs and opened the door, and Allen was 
still lying in the bed. Simon went over and gently nudged him and 
he rolled over, but went back to sleep. Simon nudged him again and 
he woke up. "Hey Simon. What time is it?"
	"About 9 or so I think. Time to get up." Simon went and shut 
the door so that Allen could get up without worrying about 
exposing his diapers.
	"I slept pretty good, sorry about climbing into bed with you 
though."
	"No problem.but out of curiosity why did you do it?"
	"Ever since my dad died about a month ago, I have not been 
sleeping well. I have been wetting the bed, having nightmares, and 
having problems sleeping. I had a bad nightmare last night and 
just crawled into bed with you."
	"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I wondered why you had to wear 
diapers.but I didn't really want to ask."
	"That's why.it hit me pretty hard when I lost him."
	"I can see why.that would be really hard to deal with. And I 
thought I had a bad problem."
	"What happened to you anyway? Mom wouldn't really say."
	"I was sleeping downstairs.and someone broke into the house. 
He had a knife and told me that if I made a sound that he would 
hurt me. After he left I just couldn't feel safe any more. I got 
so scared when I went to bed that I wet in my sleep."
	"I'm sorry Simon. That would be really scary to deal with."
	"It is, I am not sure if he will come back or what. I am 
scared all of the time."
	"I would be, too. So how long are you going to have to 
wear.you know."
	"I guess until I stop getting scared. But I am not in any 
hurry at all, I kind of like the security it gives me."
	"Me too, and it is hard to tell when I don't wet the bed 
since these things absorb so well."
	"Exactly!"
	"If it wasn't for the little lines I wouldn't know when I wet 
at all."
	"That's what the line is for? I wondered what that was all 
about."
	"Yup, that's it. If it gets darker then you know that it was 
a bad night."
	"Oops, it sure was dark this morning."
	"Mine too, but oh well. I hate to change the subject.but is 
there anything to eat around here? I sure am hungry for some 
reason."
	"Oh, shoot, I forgot that I was supposed to come get you so 
we could eat breakfast. It should be ready, so let's go on down."
	"Cool, let me put something else on real quick." Allen got up 
and pulled his shorts on, and then they both went to the door and 
started down the stairs. They went into the kitchen and had 
breakfast, and then took turns showering and getting ready. Allen 
went back later that day, and Simon was quite relieved to know 
that someone else shared his secret. He felt better than he had in 
days, but unfortunately the coming night would take care of that 
feeling.

Part 9

	"Night mom, I am going to bed!" Simon hurried up the stairs 
after he shouted to his mom, and was soon in his room. He shut the 
door behind him but didn't bother locking it. He was feeling so 
good after his day that he didn't really care about his diapers 
any more; he was just going to enjoy them. Simon went to his 
dresser and pulled out a diaper and the baby powder, and then went 
to the middle of the floor.
	Simon took off his pants first, and then he removed his 
underwear next. He spread the diaper out and laid down on it, and 
then sprinkled powder all over the area the diaper covered. His 
face was completely covered by an ear to ear smile; he was 
enjoying this experience immensely. He rubbed the baby powder in 
just a little bit, and then he pulled the front half of the diaper 
up. He relished the soft cottony feel against him, and enjoyed the 
crinkling of the diaper as well. Even the ripping sound the tape 
made as he unfastened it was music to his ears, and before long 
all of the tapes were fastened and the diaper was secure. With the 
diaper secure Simon was also secure, and he felt more protected 
and safe then he had in days. Now that he didn't worry about 
liking the diapers, or about the burglar, Simon was feeling great. 
He switched into pajama tops and bottoms, and hopped into bed.
	Before long Simon was asleep, and his dreams were pleasant as 
he lay in bed. In the middle of the night, though, he heard his 
door click as it opened and he rolled over to see who was coming 
in. He stifled a scream as he saw a familiar-looking blade, and 
recognized the man who had broken into their house not long ago. 
He noticed Simon was awake and made a gesture telling him to be 
quiet, and followed that up by making a slicing motion across his 
throat with the knife. Simon backed up into the farthest corner of 
his bed, and he was too scared to notice wetting his diaper as he 
sat there. The burglar came closer and closer, and stopped at the 
foot of the bed near where Simon was huddled.
	"How's it going, kid? Probably better than things have been 
going for me, that's for sure. You see, after I left here the 
other day there were a lot of cops coming around looking for me. I 
wasn't sure what to do, because even though I had my hair covered 
with my cap the other night you still saw enough of my face to 
provide a pretty good identification. I figured the best thing to 
do would be to come back here and have you lead them astray. So 
that's what we're going to do. Do you understand me?"
	"P-p-p-please don't hurt me. I swear I didn't tell them 
anything. I was too scared to remember what you looked like or 
anything! Please just go away. I won't tell them anything this 
time, either."
	"You're a smart kid, but that isn't good enough. I need a 
solid cover story. You will tell the police about me, but this is 
what you will tell them. Tell them that it turns out it was a girl 
and not a guy you saw, a pretty well built girl at that. Small 
chest but pretty big muscles, and this time you could tell that I 
had short blond hair to about the bottom of my ears. Repeat it 
back to me!"
	"Blond hair... to your ears. Big muscles but not a big chest, 
a girl, and pretty well built. A pretty deep voice too, and kind 
of raspy. Will that work?"
	Simon felt a little more pee escaping into his diaper, and he 
hoped that the man would leave now. He was praying and praying for 
him to leave, but he wasn't sure if it would help any in this 
situation.
	"That's a nice touch, kid. One final thing before I go, 
though. See this knife? I am going to give you a nice little scar 
across the back of your hand. If you ever feel the need to tell 
the truth about me, you look at that scar and realize that it 
could be put somewhere else instead. If you cry out I will do 
whatever it takes to silence you, so I wouldn't suggest it. I have 
been cut before, and it only stings for a minute. Now hold still."
	The burglar started approaching Simon, and he started wiping 
the blade on the leg of his jeans as he walked. Simon kept 
crawling back further and further, but he could not disappear into 
the bed no matter how he tried. The burglar stopped and looked 
down at Simon, and prepared to do the task set before him.

Part 10

	"I really am sorry kid, but you can't disappear into the wall 
there. I didn't want to have to do this, but you have left me no 
choice. You are getting off lucky, though, really, I could make 
sure you don't talk and kill you. Is that what you want?"
	"No... please don't hurt me. I promise that I won't tell 
anyone... you don't even have to cut me. I will remember every 
time... never mind."
	"What were you going to say kid? Please feel free to share 
anything with me."
	"Nothing, I swear. Please help!" As Simon shouted out for 
help he looked over the man's right shoulder, and he turned and 
looked in that direction. Simon took advantage of the distraction 
and darted off to the other side of the man. He turned around in 
time though, and grabbed Simon by the back of his pants. His pants 
slipped down most of the way and Simon kept struggling, trying to 
get out of them and free from the man. It didn't work though, and 
he picked Simon up and put him back on the bed.
	"You were going to say you will remember every time you put 
on a diaper, huh kid? Is that what you were going to say? I bet 
the poor baby didn't want to let me know that he was wearing 
diapers though."
	"I'm not a baby... and it's your fault that I have to wear 
them anyway! YOUR FAULT!" Simon screamed at him, and the man 
advanced, ready to silence him if necessary.
	"I wouldn't advise doing that again, kid, and I suggest you 
hold your hand out now before I get really tired of this."
	Simon looked at the man's face, and then looked over his 
shoulder. The burglar caught his glance, but just looked straight 
at Simon and smiled. "You think I am going to fall for that again, 
kid? I don't think so."
	Just then a figure kicked the man in the back of the leg and 
he fell to the ground. The knife clattered away, and another man 
jumped on top of the burglar. He twisted his hands behind his 
back, and quickly handcuffed him. The man just looked at Simon and 
glared as the other cop looked curiously at Simon sitting there in 
a diaper.
	"Thank you officers... he was about to cut me. How did you 
know to come, though?"
	"You have good neighbors, they saw him sneaking in and called 
us. We came as quickly as we could. I don't want to intrude son, 
but aren't you a little old to be dressed like that?" The 
policeman didn't seem to have any malice in his gaze, and Simon 
just looked back at him.
	"I have been scared ever since he came the first time. I 
started wetting the bed in my sleep, having bad dreams about him 
coming back. It seemed like the best solution at the time."
	"Well, you don't have to worry about this guy coming around 
any more... he's going away for a long time. I suppose we should 
get your parents up now, what do you say?"
	Simon went and got his parents up, surprised that the noise 
didn't wake them. It took most of the night, but they were finally 
calm. Simon went and got some pants on before the commotion woke 
everyone else up, and the entire family ended up sitting around 
the kitchen until dawn. Finally everyone had calmed down, even 
Simon, and all of the kids went back upstairs to sleep away the 
day.
	Simon went into his room and locked the door behind him, and 
then took his pants off. He took the diaper off too, and then went 
over to his dresser. He opened the drawer up and took out the baby 
powder and the diaper, and then went back to the middle of the 
room. He lay down and sprinkled the powder all over his privates 
and the diaper, and the scooted over to where he was on top of the 
diaper. He pulled the diaper up between his legs, and smiled to 
himself as he felt the comforting cloth enclose him. He grinned 
even wider as he heard the sound of the tapes being fastened, and 
then stood up and felt secure. He went and unlocked his door and 
then hopped into bed, quickly falling asleep.
	Simon felt someone shaking him awake, and he opened his eyes 
to see his mom gently trying to rouse him from his slumber. "Simon 
dear, it's time to get up. Otherwise you won't sleep at all 
tonight."
	"Okay mom, that's fine." Simon hopped out of bed still only 
wearing his shirt and diaper, and his mom smiled down at him.
	"You look so cute like that, dear. You really do. And what's 
this...the line doesn't look like it changed color at all."
	"You mean... I finally stayed dry? Yes!"
	"You sure did... I guess we can throw out all of those 
diapers now, what do you say?" Simon looked at his mom, and a sad 
look crossed his face for a moment. His mother noticed it and 
marked it in her mind. "Or maybe we should leave them in there, in 
case there are nights where you are feeling pretty scared. What do 
you think?"
	"I think that would be better mom. I think that would be a 
lot better."
	"Okay honey, it's fine with me then. Why don't you get 
dressed and come get something to eat?"
	"Sure thing mom." Simon went to his dresser and started to 
find some clothes for the day, and then turned back to watch his 
mom leave. "Mom?"
	"Yes hon?"
	"I love you."
	"I love you too. I love you a lot." She turned and went down 
the stairs, beaming with a huge smile on her face. Simon looked 
the same, and was so happy he got dressed without even taking his 
diaper off. He went downstairs to eat, feeling totally safe and 
secure.

THE END