By Danny
February 25, 2004 Wednesday
I only slept for a few hours. Not because I wasn’t tired, but because I’d been woken up very violently by someone screaming and alarms going off. It took me several minutes after waking up to realize that what had happened was that Kyle had managed to fall out of bed and when he did the wires that were connecting him to the electronic equipment that had been monitoring his condition had been yanked from their connections. I heard over the intercom, “Code Blue Room 427 – Code Blue Room 427”
Kyle had finally broken his silence and was screaming like an extremely frightened little boy would scream for his mommy, which is exactly what he was screaming over and over, “MOMMY-MOMMY-MOMMY!”
Oddly enough, Cole was the first one to get to Kyle after he’d fallen. Cole was screaming louder then Kyle, “SOMEBODY HELP! KYLE FELL OUT OF BED! HELP!”
Nurse Gabby was the first to run into the room followed by the orderly that had brought me up last night, then Bridget and then countless other medical persons.
Cole had backed away and was sitting on the floor by his bed as everyone was taking care of Kyle who was still screaming his head off. He wasn’t screaming for his mommy anymore but was just screaming.
I still don’t remember getting out of my bed and I’m equally surprised I was able to sit up on my own. I was kneeling next to Cole on the floor and had my arms wrapped around him. He was shaking so hard I could hardly hold him. I looked over to Jasper’s bed and both of the olive skinned boys, Harry and Bruce had apparently ran and jumped into bed with Jasper; all three were crying and holding each other.
I looked back at Kyle who was being strapped to a big wooden board and this one big black doctor was putting one of those foam braces around Kyle’s neck. I remember thinking that if the doctor didn’t have his beard he would have looked like a black Super Man minus the cape and tights. The sound of Kyle’s screams was ear spitting and I wanted to cover my ears but my arms were too busy holding on to Cole. I looked around the room for the other two boys; Mark and Scotty were both sitting in their beds, mouth’s open watching all this happen.
I was so relieved when Bridget and the orderly came over to help me with Cole who was still shaking. “I’m okay, help, Cole!” I shouted over Kyle’s wails as the orderly was trying to help me up too.
I scooted my wet diapered butt out of the way and was leaning against Marks bed watching everything until Gabby pulled the curtain so that none of us could see what was going on though we could still hear Kyle’s wails.
One of the doctors came over and gave Cole a shot and within seconds he was out cold and Bridget and the orderly turned their attention to me. I tried to stand up but couldn’t and the orderly slipped both arms under my armpits and lifted me right off the floor. Once I was in my bed I was having a little trouble breathing and I knew it was just my asthma that had been triggered by all the excitement. Bridget put an oxygen thing in my nose and I started breathing better right away. As soon as she had me settled she pulled the curtain closed around my bed and left me alone. I assumed that the other boys were all getting cared for the same way.
I heard them taking Kyle out of the room. He’d stopped screaming and I guessed they’d knocked him out the same as they did Cole. I was glad I’d not got drugged, too. That big black doctor came into my tented bed and checked me out. He let me keep the air for a while, which was good because the more I was breathing the high oxygen the better I was feeling. He gave me a quick check to be sure I had not hurt myself more when I was wrestling to hold Cole and the more I relaxed the more my chest started to hurt. I told him so and he ended up giving me another of those loopy shots right in my butt. Unlike the other two, he’d pulled up on the leg opening of my diaper to get the needle into the flesh of my right rear cheek. It stung more then the others did but I didn’t make a fuss about it.
I ended up falling back to sleep and when I woke up all the
curtains were open again and all the boys were back in there beds sound asleep
except for Kyle who was still gone.
Both Jasper’s and my parents were there too and came over to my bed. It took me
several minutes to get woke up enough to relate to them what had happened.
Jasper’s dad said, “Simon, you are a natural hero type aren’t you?”
I smiled politely but I didn’t think I was a hero, I just saw that Cole was in distress and needed someone. I later learned from Gabby that Cole was okay and had just gone into shock.
While I was telling them what had happened, Bull, Tater, Runt, Two-Toes and three other hulking boys came walking in quietly; they were followed by Mr. Freeman who looked like himself again in his suit and tie.
“Hi Spaz!” they all whispered and patted my legs.
“Hi guys!” I said feeling happy to see them.
“Why aren’t you boys in school?” Jasper’s dad said sounding very much like the coach that he is.
“We have permission to be here!” Bull said to his dad and handed him a note. The Coach didn’t seem too happy about it but he let them stay.
“Hi Mr. Freeman!” I said in greeting and happy to see him and the others.
“Hello again Simon! I hear you had an exciting morning!” Mr. Freeman said shaking my hand.
“Yea!” I said and thankfully my dad told Mr. Freeman and the Panthers what had happened.
“Well is the little dude okay?” one of the big jocks asked about Kyle. I recognized his face as one of the ones that had carried me around in my house but I didn’t know what his name was.
“I’ll go find out!” Mr. Freeman said but he didn’t even make it out the door before his wife, Nurse Gabby, came walking in.
“Oh there you are, dear! I was just going to come look for you.” He said to her. They embraced and kissed. She said something to him but I didn’t hear what it was.
“I’ll be right back!” Mr. Freeman said turning to us and holding up a single finger.
“Dad?” I said.
“Yea?” dad answered.
“Can you make it so that I am sitting up?” I asked.
Dad looked at the bed and seemed a bit lost, “Here, let me!” the Coach said reaching around dad and making my head rise until I was sitting up again.
“How’s that, Simon?” the Coach asked.
“Yea, that’s better!” I said and yawned.
Tater and the other Panthers only stayed for a few minutes and then they had to go back to school. “Mom, give this to Jasper when he wakes up and tell him we were here?” Bull said handing a stuffed Taz doll from the Bugs Bunny Show to her. All seven of the Panthers said goodbye to me as they left; Tater and Bull both gave my foot, which was sticking out from under the blanket a shake too.
“See ya later Spaz!” Runt said and Tater added, “Yea, later, Spaz-man!”
After they left I gave mom the ‘come here’ sign with my index finger and she leaned in close to me so that I could whisper into her ear. “I need changed!”
She pulled away again, smiled and combed my hair with her fingers, “Okay, I’ll go let someone know.” She said softly.
While she was gone Mr. Freeman came back into the room with a smile on his face, “Good news! Kyle is doing great and will be out of surgery soon!”
“Surgery!?” I nearly shouted.
“SSShhhhhh!” Jasper’s mom hushed me and gave my big toe a squeeze.
“Sorry!” I said to her.
“Surgery?” I asked again but quieter.
“He’s just fine, Simon!” Mr. Freeman said, “He just ripped out some of his staples and broke his elbow in the fall but he is okay!”
“Anyone know how he managed to fall out of bed?” Jasper’s mom asked.
“Apparently he was trying to get up on his own and had forgot that his leg had been removed.” Mr. Freeman said looking sad.
“Oh my! I’ve heard about things like that!” Jasper’s mom said with a hand to her mouth.
I looked over to Jasper who was still out like a light. There was a big ice pack strapped to his shoulder that had not been there earlier. I guess he must have needed it. Maybe he’d hurt himself when Kyle’s screaming and the alarms going off had so abruptly woke him up.
“Is Jasper okay?” I asked his mom.
“Oh the doctor said he is just fine.” She said and I got the feeling she wasn’t telling me everything; she then added, “They gave him something to help him sleep before we got here.”
While I was looking at Jasper my eyes fell onto the books that had mysteriously returned to the side table. “Oh Mr. Freeman?” I said looking over to him.
“Simon! Call me Andy, please!” he corrected me.
“Yea right!” I said dismissively, “Um, I finished the assignment!” I said with a tone of pride. “Um, at least I think I did!”
“What?” he said sounding astonished.
“You were right, I had some free time!” I joked.
He looked to the books but didn’t see the pad of paper. “Oh, it’s under my pillow, but I have to ask a favor before you can see it!”
He was looking at me suspiciously when he said, “What’s that?”
“I also used the pad to do some journaling and that is very private! Please don’t look at those pages, okay?” I asked and looked over at mom and dad who both looked at me oddly but they both knew I kept a journal and that I was always writing in it.
“Absolutely!” he said reaching under my pillow and retrieving the pad. He tore off the report pages and then replaced the pad under my pillow. He was glancing through the first page when he stopped and looked up at me. “I’m going to have to have a talk with your English teacher!”
“Why?” both dad and me said at the same time. I nearly jinxed dad too, which caused me to laugh to myself.
He chose to answer dad’s question instead of mine despite the fact that they were the same question, “It seem Simon here is still having a problem with ending sentences with prepositions.” He turned to me and spoke more like a teacher then a principle, “And you seem to really like the word AND.”
I gave him a funny look and was about to say something when he stopped me, “Yes, I do think this will do! But let me catch you using any of these words, or any other curse words again - in or outside my school - and I’ll come down on you so hard you’ll think I was lenient with Mr. Alderman! Clear?” he barked sounding like the man I’d seen in his office that day he was chewing out Peter and the others.
“Yes Sir!” I answered back and gave him a left-handed salute.
“Good!” He said smiling at dad and me. Dad looked pleased, which I didn’t much care for but what could I do?
“Now how would you like another visitor?” Mr. Freeman asked me while folding the nine sheets of paper in half and stuffing them into the inside pocket of his jacket.
“Who?” I asked and I looked over to dad and Jasper’s parents who were all smiling coyly.
“It’s whom, Simon; not who!” he said wide-eyed.
“You know something?” I said looking and sounding a bit miffed.
“What’s that?” Mr. Freeman said with an odd little expression.
“You say I should call you Andy but it’s hard to do that when you keep turning into Mr. Freeman!” I said and knew I was being a bit disrespectful.
I was surprised that he didn’t respond to that right away, even his face didn’t change in the least; well not at first, he just sort of looked at me and finally dad said something to Mr. Freeman, “Uh, would you like me to thump him or would you like that pleasure?”
Mr. Freeman busted out laughing but not so loud as to wake the other boys. He walked over to the door, stuck his head out in the hallway and then quiet as church mice Mr. Shaffer came walking in followed by so many boy’s that I couldn’t count them all. Heck they filled the room nearly full. I recognized them all from the tryout’s last week and the competition on Monday. Every last one of them was smiling from ear to ear as Mr. Shaffer walked up to my bedside and held out his hand. I reached out and took it.
“I know you are going to be laid up for a while, however, if you want it-you’ve got a spot on the first squad!” he said with that smile of his that made him look so darn scary.
“W-w-well yes! I want it! Yes! YES PLEASE!” I said getting excited.
“Now calm yourself! You are too good a runner to leave on the reserve squad. You are a natural born runner and I’m proud to have you on my team!” the boys crowded in closer around my bed and were smiling. It was sort of creepy in a way to have all these boys staring at me with big old grins on their faces. They all looked as excited as I was and were trying to not make any noise. I suppose that Mr. Freeman had pulled some strings with his wife, nurse Gabby, to get permission for all these guys to come up to see me.
“We have something for you!” Mr. Shaffer said and gave a nod to Frank who was standing right next to my head on my left side.
He began to speak softly but with electricity in his words, “Simon, on behalf of all of us, we’d like to welcome you to the team and we all chipped in to buy you these.” He pulled a box from behind his back and gently set it on my lap. The box was wrapped in our school colors with big letters on the top that said, “Get well soon Simon”. The box was covered with signatures from all the guys. “We all signed it!” Frank added.
I lifted off the lid of the box and set it on the bed next to my leg; there was white tissue paper inside the box that was wrapped around something. I pulled the paper open to reveal a pair of track shoes just like I’d seen the other runners wearing in Monday’s race. They even had the eraser bottoms but the laces were different; they were also our school colors. I pulled both shoes out of the box and held them up. In my head I could hear myself running around the track in them “Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump” and I couldn’t wait to try them on.
“Wow!” I said as I raised them up to the light. “Wow-wow-wow!”
I looked at all the guys and then to Mr. Shaffer. “Thank you!” I said and it was all I could get out without breaking down right then and there.
“Okay, boys, come on, let’s let him get some rest now!” Mr. Shaffer said as he herded the boy’s from the room but he stopped and turned to me before leaving and said, “Soon as you are back to school, even if you can’t train, you are to report to practice! Understood?” he said pointing a single finger at me and giving me his usual mean bulldog face.
I smiled and managed to say, “Thank you so much, Coach!” and he gave me a wink, “Yep, you are one in a million, Simon! Also, when you come back to school you come see me and I will get you a Varsity team shirt that fits you!” and then he left.
“I’d better get back to the school myself.” Mr. Freeman said shaking everyone’s hand.
“Thanks Mr. Free . . . Andy!” I said with a smile. He patted the top of my head before leaving.
Mom had been standing off to the side the whole time with nurse Bridget in tow and after the team, Mr. Shaffer and Mr. Freeman all left Bridget came over to change my diaper. Jasper’s and my parents said their goodbyes and my mom and dad said they would be back after they went and had some coffee and had a chance to talk to the doctor to see if I could go home today.
Once Bridget and I were alone and before she had started to take off my diaper I asked, “Would it be okay if I went and sat on the toilet?”
“Oh well, sure, Simon!” she said sweetly. I put my new track shoes back in the box, replaced the lid and handed it to her. She put it on the table between Jasper and my bed. I looked over at Jasper and wished he had been awake to see the team. He would have been as proud as I was.
Getting up out of bed was infinitely more difficult this time then it had been a few hours ago when I’d raced to Cole’s side. I felt like I was moving about as fast as I’d seen Scotty moving across the room yesterday.
I stood by the bed holding on with one hand for a few minutes, “You okay?” she asked standing in front of me and holding on to me by my waist.
“Yea I think so, just feeling a bit unbendable and sore is all.” I answered.
“You can expect to feel even worse tomorrow as your muscled and ribs begin to heal but it wont be long before you are chasing after the girls again.” She said and I couldn’t help but blush.
I started to take a step and the diaper I had on was so wet that it was drooping down and making it that much harder to walk, well actually I didn’t walk, I waddled like a duck across the room to the bathroom door which was behind the door to our room.
Once inside the bathroom the light came on automatically and Bridget helped me get lined up with the toilet seat. Before I lowered myself down she reached out and unfastened just one of the tapes and the diaper slipped off of my hips and hit the floor with a nice squish. We both giggled, me out of embarrassment and I think her out of the way the diaper just fell away. With a lot of help from Bridget I lowered myself onto the toilet. When I was settled into place she finished removing the diaper by having me raise my feet.
She only left me alone for a minute or so while she got rid of the soaked diaper. When she left I’d wished she would have at least closed the door to the bathroom but she didn’t. She returned promptly and asked, “You done?”
I gave her a look as if to say, “Yea right I have a super shooter in my butt and I can poop faster then a rocket ship!” but what I actually said was, “Nope not yet!”
“Would you like to take a shower, too? Or just have me wash you this morning?” she asked and I saw that she had a towel and other bathing items in her hands.
I looked down at the tape that was wrapped around my chest. “Oh don’t worry about that, it’s waterproof tape.” She said reading my thoughts.
“Oh well in that case, yea I’d like to take a shower!” I said with a smile.
“Do you think you will need help? I can go get one of the orderlies if you would like.” She said.
“No, no, I think I can do it myself.” The idea of having some strange guy standing in the shower and watching me wash myself or worse yet doing the washing himself did not appeal to me in the least, which I now think was kind of odd considering how much I had enjoyed showing with Tater in his basement.
“Okay, see that button right there?” she pointed to a button on the wall beside the toilet, “When you are done going potty just press that and I will come help you okay?”
“Okay!” I said and was glad that she finally left me alone to do my business. I didn’t think I could poop with her standing there watching me. Pooping is a private matter and I don’t even care to poop in a bathroom stall when I know there are others in the adjoining stalls.
It took me a bit longer then normal to go because I couldn’t push it out at all. Even the slightest attempt to urge it along was too painful so I had to be patient and let gravity and nature take its course.
One thing I’d not taken into consideration was wiping myself when I was done. Oh I was able to reach the toilet paper on the wall but I couldn’t reach around to wipe myself without hurting my ribs a lot! I eventually had to concede that I was in need of help and I pressed the little button on the wall.
Bridget was back at the door to the bathroom within minutes. “All done?” she asked.
“Um, I can’t reach.” I said holding out the toilet paper.
“Oh let me help then.” She helped me to stand back up. I turned toward the wall to hold myself up and she proceeded to wipe my bottom clean. “There you go!”
I’m still astounded that I could stand there nearly completely nude, aside from the tape around my torso and not get a stiffy! I’m so glad I didn’t either!
The shower was really big; I mean it was about the size of our whole bathroom back at home. Bridget turned on the water for me and got it to a nice warm temperature. I stepped under the water and it felt so good as I stuck my head under it and let the water rain down soaking my hair. Now I’ve had to shower in the locker room shower many, many times and in a way I’d sort of gotten use to showering where everyone could see me but having Bridget standing there watching me was really weird. It made me feel . . . well just weird! I figured she was watching me to make sure I didn’t fall or something; I’m sure it was just for hospital safety and all but it still made me feel all weirded out especially when I had to wash my boyhood parts, which I did with my backside to her. Washing my bottom proved to be as difficult as wiping had been and I had to finally step back out of the water and let Bridget wash all the parts I couldn’t get to, including my legs and feet.
Once I had rinsed off, I stepped from the shower and she turned off the water and wrapped the towel around me. She had me hold onto a bar on the wall while she dried me off from head to toe. “I bet you feel better already!” she said and I have to admit I did despite my embarrassment at having been watched and helped so much. I’d thought I was going to get back to bed without any further embarrassment but I was so very wrong. As she was drying me off she reached around me with the towel and slipped a few fingers wrapped in the towel into my butt crack and in a downward motion she dried all the way between my butt cheeks. That wasn’t so bad but then she started to dry my boyhood parts-that was the one that got me. My little penis at being touched with the soft towel sprang to life so fast that I couldn’t believe it myself. Within no time at all it was pointing nearly straight out from me. I couldn’t look at Bridget and my ears and cheeks felt like they were on fire. The weird thing about all that was that I started to cry. I don’t know why but tears started to flow and I couldn’t do anything about them or my rigid penis.
“Here, lets just wrap this towel around you.” She said calmly as she tucked it around my waist and then reached over and pulled one of those hospital gowns off a shelf. “And we’ll put this on you to help keep you warm.” She said which was kind of a dumb thing to say since there was no way one of those flimsy hospital gowns was going to do anything to keep my body warm but she slipped it onto my arms and had me turn around so that she could tie it shut in the back. When I turned back around I was still crying. She smiled, picked up the wet rag and wiped the tears from my face.
When we both came back out of the bathroom all the guys were awake and Gabby was changing Mark while an orderly that I’d not seen before was changing Jasper’s diaper. There was a definite stench in the air and I knew that one or more of the six of them had made a mess in his diaper.
I had to have Bridget’s help to get back into bed. My journey to the bathroom and my shower had taken a lot out of me. She lowered my bed so that I was laying flat and when she pulled the curtain around me I got a little concern for a few seconds but as it turned out she was just looking out for my own mental state. She lifted my gown and opened the towel. I helped her by lifting my bottom off the bed so she could slide the towel out from under me and slide a fresh diaper under me. This small effort on my part was incredibly hard to do; actually I was surprised to learn just how many things are hard to do when you’ve got busted up ribs.
After I was snuggly diapered again Bridget lowered my gown and pulled the covers back up over me and put my bed back up so that I was sitting up before she opened the curtain again.
As she pulled the curtain open I saw that Jasper too was sitting up and smiling. “Hi!” he said kind of goofy like.
I smiled at him coyly and said, “Morning! You feeling okay?”
“Yea, I’m okay now; just a little sleepy still.” He said with a small yawn.
They started bring in our breakfast on trays about then too. I got French toast with little speckles of powdered sugar on them and yummy maple syrup. The orange juice was warm and tasted watered down but the milk was cold and good. I also had orange Jell-O on my tray and I didn’t eat that. I mean who wants Jell-O for breakfast? Well maybe Kyle but he’s still not back.
Most of the boy’s had visitors during the morning including Jasper and me. I’d told Jasper about Bull and the other Panther’s coming to see him when he was still out of it and also about me making the team and how the coach had brought in the whole team to see me. He was really upset that he’d slept through all that. I showed him and the other boys in the room my shoes. They were all impressed with them as much as I was.
It was really nice to get to meet each other’s families and even Kyle’s parents stopped in to see the other boys and brought us a big plate of homemade cookies and brought a little stuffed bear for Harry since he wasn’t allowed to eat cookies. Actually Harry isn’t allowed to eat or drink anything at all. All his food goes in through his tube in his side. I kind of felt bad for him when we were all eating the cookies but it didn’t seem to bother him in the least bit.
About ten o’clock my doctor came in to see me and told mom and dad that he wanted to run a few more tests and take another look at my ribs before he gave the okay for me to go home. I’ve had and still have mixed emotions about that. I mean I really like being here with the other boys and secretively I am really enjoying being diapered and taken care of but I also just want to go home, to my own bed.
Oh yea, mom and dad also brought me some things from home, which I’m so glad they did. They brought me my notebook, bathrobe and my slippers. And dad with his odd sense of humor bought me a joke book. One of the things that hurts me more then anything else is laughing and leave it to my dad to give me something that I could hurt myself with!
After our visitors had gone all the boys congregated on Jasper and my bed. We talked about Kyle and about everything else under the sun. Everyone seemed to be doing a lot better this morning though Jasper seemed to be a little more out of it then he was yesterday and I attribute that to his medication. Cole also was doing fine again and was back to his old self though he was being very clingy to me which I kind of like actually.
The guys also asked me to read some of the jokes out of my new book and I did though normally I don’t really like to read out loud. I’m not the best reader in the word but the guys didn’t say anything when I had to stop and sound out a word. We laughed and I’m guessing the nurses let us have our fun seeing how we’d had such a rough morning and all. We still tried to keep our voices down but there were times when I’m sure our laughter permeated through the hospital ward. The best joke by far was about this kid that didn’t know how to pee. It went like this . . .
Because his son wasn’t the brightest
kid in the world; Old Billy-Joe took his son to the outhouse one day to teach
him how to urinate properly, “Now you listen good, son, ‘cus here’s watcha
gotta do.
One: Take out yer penie-pipe.
Two: Pull back the foreskin.
Three: Pee
Four: Push back yer foreskin.
Five: Put yer equipment back.”
The boy said he understood, but
the next day while splitting wood, the man’s wife came running over. “Oh
Billy-Joe, come quickly! Yer son went pee an’ he won’t come outta the
outhouse!”
“Heck what’s he doin’ in there?”
Old Billy-Joe asked.
His wife looking very strange
indeed said, “I dunno! He keeps sayin’ Two-Four, Two-Four . . .”
After reading that joke we laughed wildly and that was the turning point of our conversion. We started talking about girls, about masturbating-the guys called it ‘Playing with themselves’-and what happened when they did. As it turned out Cole and I were the only two of the seven of us that had ever managed to produce any sperm and we were sort of hailed as mighty heroes.
Our conversion went on to discuss how some of us had gotten stiff while having our diapers changed by the nurses and with some embarrassment I told about my experience in the shower earlier but I left out the part about me crying. The guys all kidded me about it.
We each took turns talking about who we thought was cutest at our own schools; who’d kissed a girl before, which I was surprised that all except Mark said they had and we even talked about who’d seen any part of a girls private parts including her boobies.
“One time when I was ten I got sick in school and puked all over the lunch room floor. This girl happened to step in it and she went flying and for like one second her shirt flew up too and I saw her bra!” Scotty said with the most mischievous grin ever and his little cheeks turn a cutest shade of pink.
“Yea, well, one time when my sister had a bunch of her friends over for a slumber party in our basement. I snuck down and spied on them and I seen this one girl . . . her name was Candy!” Harry was wiggling his eyebrows knowingly while saying her name. “And she didn’t have on a shirt or a bra or nothing!”
“What’d ya do?” Jasper asked excitedly.
“Nothing! My mom caught me looking and she started yelling at me and then the girls all started chasing me around the house.” Harry said and we all busted out laughing.
“Did they catch you?” Cole asked.
“Na, I locked myself in my room and I didn’t come out until I was sure they had all left the next day! But man my sister sure was mad!” he said with an evil grin.
“Okay, you guys can never ever breath a word of this to anyone!” Jasper said lowering his voice so much that we all had to lean in closer to hear him. “Last night, after I’d been changed I was watching nurse Bridget changing Simon and I was watching her bottom from behind and she kept moving it around. I got so excited I thought I was going to die and then all of a sudden I got this amazing feeling and I couldn’t breath for a few seconds!”
The guys were all sitting, looking at him quietly when Cole laughed and whispered, “Jasper! You had an orgasm you idiot!”
“A what?” Jasper said with the cutest and dumbest expression I’d ever seen on his face.
“Holy Moses . . .” Cole said looking right at me, “Would you explain it to him please?”
“Me? Why me?” I said in mock objection before proceeding to describe, in detail, what had happened to me the first time I ever did it and about how my dad had figured it out. I shared with them what dad had told me and every one of them sat in quiet rapture and hung on every word.
When I finished Cole said to Jasper, “You see! That’s what happened to you!”
“Whoa!” Jasper said in astonishment and leaned back against his pillow while he gazed out the window with a most satisfied expression.
The rest of us continued to talk for a while until nurse Gabby came in and said that it was lunchtime. My mom and dad both came back while I was eating to check on me and to bring me a couple special visitors. It was my half-brother Jamie and his mom. When Jamie’s mom saw me setting in my hospital bed she got all teary eyed and started to blubber and was hugging me all up which did hurt but I didn’t let on that it did. I was relieved when mom and dad took her out to the hallway; it gave Jamie and me time to talk.
“Wow you are looking a lot better!” I said to Jamie.
“Yea, I can even breathe through my nose now!” he said and demonstrated it for me.
“You back to school yet?” I asked.
“Na, not till next week mom says.” Jamie said taking one of the soggy and limp French Fries from my tray. “Oh man those are gross!”
“Tell me about it!” I said with a laugh and it must have shown on my face just how much laughing hurt.
“You’re dad said you have some broken ribs.” Jamie said pointing at my chest with his pinky finger as he took another fry.
“Yea, but it’s not too bad as long as I don’t breath too deep and don’t try to move too much.” I said taking a bite of my mashed potatoes.
I went on to tell him about the fight, about Peter, Max, Johnny and Steven being sent away and eventually about this morning’s excitement with Kyle.
In all the time that Jamie and I have known each other, we’ve never, and I mean never, talked like we did today. I don’t think there has ever been a time that we’ve said more then ten civil words to each other. I think our fight and my going to apologize to him at his apartment changed our relationship as brothers forever.
While we were talking I couldn’t help but think about the fact that I’d heard a plastic sheet on his bed and I wanted so badly to say something or ask him about it but I was scared to do so for fear of embarrassing or making him mad again. I can only hope that sometime in the future I can get into his room again and check his bed to be sure I really heard what I am sure I heard.
While we were talking we both got a whiff of poop and Jamie made the funnies face ever. I was chuckling quietly to myself, which really hurt. Jamie got concerned at seeing me in so much pain. “Simon you okay?”
“Ya, it just hurts to laugh!” I managed to say.
“I’m sorry! I won’t make you laugh no more!” He said still sounded concerned.
“It’s okay, really!” I said and then he leaned in to me and asked, “What’s that smell?”
I looked around the room and sniffed the air but I couldn’t tell from which boy the smell was emanating.
“Someone must have had another accident in his diaper.” I said the words before I knew what had come out of my mouth.
Jamie’s eyes got as big as beach balls, “What?” he said with bewilderment all over his face.
I closed my eyes for only a second, took a breath and then whispered that all of us were in diapers and that the nurses would change us when we needed to be changed. Jasper’s expression never changed and even as I was saying it I was expecting and even bracing for his verbal assault but it never came. After I finished telling him this he looked around the room and then back to me before he said, “Yea, that makes sense!” and snatched other of my fries.
That was the end of our discussion about diapers and he didn’t ask if I was in a diaper though I am sure he knew I was. I was both relieved that he let the subject drop without a single sarcastic remark as well as disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to pursue my suspicions about him. Our relationship as brothers was on new un-trodden ground and I think we were both being overly careful not to step on one another’s toes.
After a while Jamie’s mom and my parents came back into the room. Jamie’s mom had pulled herself back together and we talked for a while. Before she and Jamie left she told me, “When you are feeling better, you should come and stay over some time.” To which Jamie added, “Yea, I got the new Harry Potter game for my computer!”
Jamie turned to my mom and whispered something to her that I couldn’t hear. Mom smiled and said, “I think it will be okay but just be careful okay?” Jamie walked over to my bedside and gently leaned over and gave me a hug around my neck, which was really awkward, but then I heard him whispering into my ear so that only I could hear him, “I think it’s the older boy that pooped his diaper!” he pulled away and gave me a knowing glance; we both smiled.
As mom and dad were escorting them out of the hospital room I called over to
Jamie, “Hey Jamie?” he stopped and turned around. “Come to my birthday party
this weekend?”
He smiled a wide toothy smile and shouted, “YEA!”
I finished eating my lunch and just finished when my parents came back. “A party?” mom asked sounding a little upset but only a little.
“Well yea! I got to have a party!” I said with my best effort at looking cute and adorable despite my busted up face.
“I suppose you want clowns and ponies?” dad said jokingly.
“Dad! I’m not five!” I protested.
“I guess I’m throwing a party!” mom said with a sigh and she started mumbling about what all she was going to have to get and do.
“So what do you want for your birthday?” she asked in mid-thought.
Now I knew what I wanted, and they knew what I wanted but the chances of me convincing them to get it for me were slim to none but I was hoping that recent events and maybe a bit of guilt on their part might play in my favor!
“I want . . .” but I didn’t get to say anything else as just at that second someone else said, “He wants the Red Roster Skateboard with the free-shaft titanium bearings and nylon grinding bars.” I looked over toward the direction of the voice, which was the doorway and there stood BJ and Lowell.
I heard Jasper call out, “LOWELL!” and the two boys came strolling into the room followed by a lady that I recognized as Lowell’s mom from Wal-Mart and much to my horror; walking in behind the three of them was my Aunt Catharine.
“Hi BJ! Hi Lowell!” I greeted them and totally ignored my Aunt.
I was so relieved when Aunt Catharine only stayed for a couple minutes. I honestly think she only came to support mom and not out of any concern for me in the least. She didn’t say hardly a single word to me while she was there and I’m actually glad of that. I was a bit miffed that mom invited her to come to my party but then Aunt Catharine has always come to my parties though she is usually half sauced when she gets there.
When she left-Jasper, BJ, Lowell and I got to talk for a bit. Lowell’s mom turned out to be the nicest lady. She brought both Jamie and I a small bag filled with candies. Mom, Dad and her got to talking which let the four of us talk for a few minutes but they didn’t get to stay long, Lowell’s mom ushered them back out of the room after only a few minutes but it was long enough for me to invite them both over for my birthday party.
While BJ and Lowell were visiting I got to find out form BJ what happened after I was taken to the nurses office after the fight. He told me that the police had arrived and that everyone in the fight was taken to the office. BJ said he got two days of ‘In School Suspension’, which meant he had to spend two whole days in what amounted to two days of all day detention. BJ also said that Mr. Freeman had to give him some kind of punishment even though Mr. Freeman knew that BJ was just trying to help me since the fight was basically four against one; “It is school rules after-all” BJ said shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t start it until next week though.” BJ added then added that he had not even known that Jasper had been stabbed until Mr. Freeman told him later.
I was also able to find out how BJ and Lowell ended up coming to the hospital together. After school that day BJ had gone to my house to find out how I was but no one was home. He then went to Jasper’s house to see if he could find out how Jasper was. As it turned out BJ and Jasper are in drama club together at school. While BJ was at Jasper’s house talking to Bull and Tater, Lowell came riding up to the house on his bike. Lowell had not heard about the fight until then.
Lowell spoke up next and directed his words to Jasper, “I was so scared that you were hurt really bad and might die!”
Jasper smiled and said, “What? Me die? I can’t die; I’m immortal! Didn’t you know that?”
“Yea but even Super Man can be killed by Kryptonite!” I said and that sent BJ off on a tangent about what could kill each comic book Super Hero. I made some kind of remark to Jasper that his Kryptonite must be pocketknives!
While we were talking BJ was sitting on Jaspers bed and Lowell on mine. I noticed that the back of Lowell’s shirt had rode up a bit on him and I could see clearly that he was wearing a Goodnite! I knew I was smiling a bit too big because of this but I hoped that they would just mistake my exuberant smile for being happy they came. But really I was happy to finally know for absolute certainty that I’d been right about Lowell from that first day I’d seen him; which is why, of course, that Lowell knew that I wanted that skateboard. It was after all what I was ogling when we’d met that day I’d skipped school to go stake out the diaper isle at the Wal-Mart Super Center.
After a few more minutes of us talking BJ sneezed and I heard Nurse Gabby say all right who was that. I looked to see where she was because I didn’t even know she was in the room again. Cole’s curtain had been pulled closed and I figured out that she must have been changing his diaper. Until that second I’d forgot about the smell and wondered why I couldn’t smell it anymore. I guess I got used to it.
Gabby came out from behind the curtain, “Okay, who sneezed?”
BJ lifted his hand very apprehensively. “That’s what I thought! Okay, visiting time is over! No sick children allowed!” she said and of course that was the wrong words to say ‘cause that got the other boys started.
“Good does that mean I can go home too?” Mark asked and the others made similar comments. Gabby ushered BJ and Lowell out of the room along with their mom. It was actually a very funny scene to watch.
Cole, from behind his curtain kept saying, “Nurse Gabby if you don’t let us all go home it will be anarchy! Totally bedlam! We’ll go on strike!” and then all the boys started chanting, “STRIKE-STRIKE-STRIKE”
“You watch too much TV!” Nurse Gabby said in a mock angry tone.
I started laughing again but I was careful not to laugh too hard. Jasper and I both said goodbye to Lowell and BJ.
“See ya at the party!” Lowell said and BJ added, “Yea see ya
then!”
It took a few minutes for us boys to calm back down. Mom and dad had followed BJ, Lowell and his mom out of the room but returned in a few minutes.
Dad was giving me a look and I said, “What? I didn’t sneeze!” to which he just shook his head and walked over to the left side of my bed while mom stood beside him.
“Now what makes you think we’re going to give in to your demands for the skateboard now?” dad asked with a grin and I knew I was finally gaining ground with them.
“Well it sure would make me feel a lot better having it!” I said and Jasper had to go and open his big mouth, “Oh Brother!” he exclaimed.
“Hey you!” I objected, “Can’t you see I am working here?” I said to him in a bad Italian accent!
Jasper smiled and said, “Oops Sorry!” and then pretended to lock his lips shut with a key.
Mom was staring at dad and giving him one of those looks of hers and dad threw up his hands and said, “Hey! He’s your son!”
Mom made me laugh when she stuck her tongue out at him. Dad laughed too and turned back to me, “So, you are not going to try and get a car out of this?”
“I can have a car?” I said with pseudo excitement.
“Dream on!” dad said and mom crooned, “Absolutely not!” which made me laugh again and I had to wrap my arms over my chest to reinforce myself against the offending ache.
I let slip a groan and mom asked, “You okay?”
“No, I think I need more drugs!” I tittered despite my discomfort and dad pressed the call button for me.
Gabby came back in and gave me another shot and within a few minutes I was feeling no pain again.
“Wow that’s good magic you got there, baby!” I joked as she pulled the needle back out of my hip.
“Behave, Simon, or I’ll tickle you!” dad said.
Gabby left and after about ten more minutes mom and dad both left. Dad said he was going to stop by his office for a while just to make sure everything was okay and mom said she wanted to go home and get cleaned up but that she would be back later.
After they left I turned to talk to Jasper but he was sound asleep again so instead I started talking to Cole and Bruce who were the other two that were awake. Mark was not in the room and I’d not seen him taken away. Cole said that he’d been taken for another treatment, whatever that meant; I didn’t pursue it, I guess cause I wasn’t thinking too clearly after the shot.
Cole and Bruce both got out of bed and came over and sat on my bed. Bruce had the fifth Harry Potter book and read to the two of us out of it. I’d already read it last summer when it had come out but it was still cool to have him read from it. Cole said he’d never read any of them but that he was going to now that he’d heard some of it. I sat in my bed with my eyes closed and listed to Bruce read for a while.
“That Snape sounds like a real nasty!” Cole interrupted.
“He’s one of the good guys.” I said with my eyes still closed and Bruce said, “Yea, but I think he’s playing both sides so that no matter who wins he will be on the winning side.” To that I just shook my head.
I still don’t know how the conversation got switched back to Super Hero’s and we were talking about who we thought would whip whom. Actually this conversation helped me regain some of my faculties back from the medication. We talked for a good while until Bruce’s doctor came in and Bruce had to go have some tests done.
Cole and I continued to talk for a while until he said his arm was bothering him and that he wanted to lie down. I offered to slide over and let him lay down beside me and we could watch TV together. I scooted over to the left side of my bed and let Cole get under my covers with me. We were watching the Teen Titans when Gabby came back in the room to check on everyone. She gave use a look like she wanted to tell Cole to get in his own bed but she let us stay since we were being quiet. We both told her that we were dry but that wasn’t true. I was wet but I didn’t want Cole to have to leave; it was nice having him lay next too me. It wasn’t like it was with Tater, I just felt better with him there.
We watched several shows and eventually he fell sleep next to me. I let him sleep and kept watching TV. I started watching the movie Shrek, which is always a good movie. I was about fifteen minutes into it when my doctor came in. When he saw that Cole was sleeping in my bed he said he would get someone to move him back to his own bed but I protested, “He’s fine! Let him stay! I like sharing my bed.”
But he said that it was too risky that Cole could accidentally hurt me. He stepped out of the room and then returned right away. He was at least whispering so as not to wake Cole. “I just got of the phone with your father and I told him that I am going to let you go home this evening but I want you to limit your activities and keep this rule in mind for the next few weeks, ‘If it hurts, then don’t do it!’ Listen to your body, it will tell you what it can and can’t do. I told your father that you are to follow up with your family doctor and that I want to see you again in two weeks. OK?”
I looked over to Jasper who was still sound sleep, “When’s he going home?” I asked.
“I don’t know, I’m not his doctor but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s out of here soon too.” He said and right on cue in walked the same orderly that had brought me up here. He lifted Cole out of my bed and I noticed right away that his diaper was wet. The orderly carried him across the room and softly deposited him into his own bed without waking him at all.
My doctor patted the side of my foot! “You’re going to be just fine as long as you take care of those ribs.”
“I’d rather stay here with Jasper.” I said to him.
“You’re friend will be just fine.” He said as he walked out with the orderly.
I fixed my covers and went back to watching Shrek. I was feeling both excited about going home and sort of like I was abandoning the guys. Shrek and Donkey did a good job of taking my mind off of it as I got back into the movie.
Also since I had my bed to myself again I pressed the call button and Bridget came in this time. I motioned her in closer to me, “Can you change me?” I asked quietly. She smiled and said she would be back in to do it but a few minute later instead of her another orderly that I didn’t know came in and changed me. I didn’t much care for his approach. I guess I had got use to having lady nurses do it and I didn’t like having a guy do it. Also he had cold hands but I will say this much for him, he managed to get my diaper off and the new one on me without causing me even the slightest twinge of pain and he also didn’t try to make small talk but let me enjoy my movie. The only thing he said to me was as he was finishing, “How’s that feel?” to which I nodded and said, “Good” and he left carrying the wet diaper along with him
About ten minutes before the movie was to end-it was right at the part where Shrek was tossing Donkey up into the air to see what was going on inside the chapel-that was when they wheeled Kyle back into the room. This managed to wake up all the boys including Jasper and Cole; it was almost like all the boys somehow sensed in their sleep that Kyle was back without a sound made by the nurse Bridget or the two orderlies. I know I was sure glad to see him even if he was all drugged up and not really too conscious. The guys were all excited to see him, too.
Kyle’s parents were also with him and they told us that Kyle was okay but that he was going to be sleeping for a while yet. His dad leaned down and kissed Kyle on the forehead then kissed Kyle’s mom and left with a wave to us boys. The two orderlies were strapping Kyle’s arms to either side of his bed rails and also strapped his only leg to the foot of his bed before covering him up and putting an extra blanket on him. I thought this was a bit odd but I figured it was to keep Kyle from trying to take any more walks and hurting himself more.
After the two orderlies left, Kyle’s mom pulled the curtain around Kyle’s bed and I figured she was just being a mom but I heard the sound of diaper tapes and knew she was changing his diaper for him. That idea sort of freaked me out, not that Kyle’s mom was changing him but the thought of my own mom changing me and for the first time I wondered about that. I’d often thought about that very thing when reading teen baby stories but I’d never thought about it seriously. I wondered if after I went home whether I’d be able or even allowed to go to the bathroom on my own. Seeing how I couldn’t wipe myself, I supposed that I’d have to have dad and mom help me with that. The whole idea of it all was overwhelming and I managed to push it out of my head.
Mom and dad showed up about an hour after Kyle had been brought back. I’d spent that hour talking with Jasper and the other boys as well as doing a bit of writing. I’d told the other boys all about my party and I invited them though I was sure only Jasper might be able to come. It was another hour before nurse Gabby came back in the room and gave mom and dad a stack of papers, prescriptions for pain medication and a bunch of other stuff in a big gray plastic bag. She also told them a lot of things but it all went over my head. I wasn’t feeling too good about leaving Jasper in the hospital but I knew I didn’t have any say in that.
It was a while after that before they actually came with the wheelchair to take me home. Dad had gone to get some more coffee-I’d noticed how much he was drinking since I’d been put in here too-and mom was talking with Jasper’s mom who’d come back to sit with Jasper who wasn’t looking so good. He’d told me earlier that he was feeling hot and I heard Jasper’s doctor telling his mom that Jasper had a small infection and was a little dehydrated but that they would knock out the infection with antibiotics. Jasper’s been lying over there sucking on crushed ice and drinking a lot of juice. I bet if he’s not now, he will be pretty darn wet soon.
As I was being wheeled out of the hospital room all the boys said goodbye and wished me well. Even Kyle managed to wake up enough to tell me to bring him a Whopper from Burger King. I was so happy to hear him talk that I said, “Okay, will a file in it so you can escape!”
We had to stop before getting outside because I’d forgot my notebook. Dad went back up to get it for me while mom, nurse Gabby and I waited down by the door. While we were waiting a boy came over and sat in a chair close to me. He looked to be about seven or maybe eight years old. He was wearing a Chicago Bull’s sweatshirt with a matching baseball cap. Mom was busy talking with the Gabby about some recipe but I wasn’t really paying attention to them. This boy that had sat himself down was looking right at me but I got the feeling he wasn’t looking at me but through me.
“Hi” I said.
“Huh?” he said looking as though I’d just beamed him back from some distant planet.
“I just said hi is all.” I repeated.
He reached up to take off his cap and revealed short midnight black hair, “Oh hi” he said before moving his gaze to the floor. He looked sad, really sad; not the sort of sad that makes you cry but that kind of sad where you feel like the entire world is sitting on top of you.
“My names Simon; what’s yours?” I asked trying to strike up a conversation.
“Huh?” he said again.
“You okay?” I asked.
He sighed, stuck his cap back on his head backwards and just shook his head before looking back at the floor again.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He shrugged his shoulders, “My mom’s having a baby.” He said still staring at the floor.
“Oh!” I said suddenly getting the picture as to why he was so disheartened.
I looked over at mom who was still talking away; I turned back to the boy and was about to ask him if he had any other brothers or sisters but he beat me with the same question. “Do you have a little sister or brother?” he said looking up at me with glassy brown eyes.
“Yea I have a brother, he’s almost a year younger then me.” I answered and thought to myself that, that was the first time in my life I’d ever used the words, “I have a brother” and not “I have a half-brother” or “I have a step-brother.”
“Daddy said that mommies having a little girl.” He sighed again before continuing, “I hate girls!”
“Would you be happier if they were having a little boy?” I asked while trying to readjust the blanket that was draped over my legs and lap.
He shook his head to indicate that he wouldn’t.
“You know something?” he said.
“What?” I asked.
“I wish she wouldn’t have a baby at all; she doesn’t need another baby!” he said and hung his head.
I was about to say something else when a man called from down the hallway, “Ryan?” and the boy spun around in his chair to look toward the man. He slowly got up from his chair and began to walk away but as he was doing so I noticed his pants were hanging down in the back and I could see clearly that he was wearing a white disposable diaper. Of course this perked me right up instantly, “Hey Ryan!” I called after him.
He stopped and turned his head towards me. I motioned for him to come back over and he did so quickly glancing back at the man that had called him first. Ryan stopped a step or so away from me; I leaned forward as much as I could without causing myself pain and whispered, “Your diaper is showing in the back.”
He must have turned twelve shades of red in as many seconds as he reached behind himself and gave his pants a tug before shuffling off to the man that had called him.
Dad returned with my notebook in hand and a message from Jasper. “He said to save him some cake.” Dad said handing me my notebook.
I smiled and said, “Thanks.”
Getting into the van was a new adventure in pain. For some reason, sitting in the backseat hurt so very much so instead I laid down across the backseat and dad tucked the blanket around me. Getting back out of the van proved to be as equally difficult when we were home.
It was raining again, lightly and it was cold. I was glad that mom and dad had brought me my shoes and sweat pants, the exact same pair Peter had worn and wet himself in. Of course they were washed now but still the idea of it was kind of funny to me.
Once inside the house I went straight to my room with dad helping me all the way. Dad pulled down my covers and then helped me take off my bathrobe and slippers. I was only wearing the hospital diaper when he helped me to lie down. Mom came in behind us, she was still wearing her coat. She gave me a pill to take and a glass of water. I’d intended to do some writing but my eyes had other ideas and no sooner had I taken the pill and laid my head back into the pillow that I went right to sleep.