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