By Danny
When I opened my eyes I thought
that maybe I was dreaming again because someone was standing next to my bed
holding the biggest yellow teddy bear. The bear was so big I couldn’t see who
was holding it right away. Finally, Jamie’s head appeared from behind it with a
big smile on his face.
“I brought you this!” He said.
Not totally awake yet I said,
“Huh? What the heck is it?”
“It’s a bear you idiot! What do
you think it is?” Jamie said sarcastically.
Hearing Jamie's voice brought me
the rest of the way out of my slumber. I smiled at him, “Wow, it’s big!” I
said.
“Yeah, it is!” He said smiling,
yet larger. “I’ll put it over here!” He said, taking it over and sitting it on
top of my desk. It nearly engulfed the entire top of my desk. I didn’t have the
heart to tell him it was absolutely hideous.
“So, Mickey Mouse, you going to live or what?” Jamie asked in a sort of way that I’m sure he thought was funny.
“Hey, who you calling Mickey Mouse?” I objected as he half smiled and half sneered at me. I knew that the Mickey Mouse crack was his way of retaliating for my ungrateful attitude and comment about his gift.
“Say? Where’d you get that thing, anyway?” I questioned him.
“Oh I bought it with my allowance at Toys R Us. You know the one that is closing over by the mall?” Jamie said walking over and sitting on the foot of his bed, facing me.
“Why are they closing?” I asked; sounding exasperated at the idea. “That is the best place to get video games!”
“Yeah, tell me about it!” Jamie said. He was shrugging his shoulders while at the same time looking at the floor and shaking his head. He lamented as though a dear friend was dieing. “I don’t know.”
I looked back at that big yellow bear as it sat sort-of leaning to the left as if it were trying to look out of our bedroom window. It was a great gesture on Jamie’s part; I mean it sort- of was like a peace offering between him and I, but man, I bet there have been wars started over things less obnoxious!
Having caught me eyeing it, Jamie asked rather excitedly; “So, you like it?”
OK, now this would have been one of the best times, if there ever was a best time, to lie like a rug but the truth can be a very bad habit to break and I guess I wasn’t up to the challenge just then. “I really appreciate the offer Jamie, I mean wow, you didn’t need to spend your money on me.” I paused before continuing, “But that is the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen in my life!”
No sooner had the words come out of my mouth then Jamie’s expression changed. His eyebrows dropped, his nostrils flared and still sitting on his bed, he fell backwards onto it. He had his hands over his face, his chest and stomach were heaving up and down, and I knew I’d really hurt his feelings and made him cry.
“I can be such an absolute jerk sometimes!” I thought to myself.
“Jamie! I’m sorry!” I said softly.
His hands fell away from his face and he let out the biggest scream that nearly scared the flesh right off my bones! He was pounding his bed with his fists and rolling his head back and forth. A second later, Dad came busting into our room looking like he was going to kill us both. I’m sure from Jamie’s scream that Dad had thought the two of us were at each other’s throats again.
“What is going on in here?” Dad shouted, as little flecks of spit flew from the corners of his mouth.
Jamie rolled over on his side, propped himself on one elbow and I finally saw that he had not been crying but had been laughing hysterically! Dad saw it too and in an instant his rage fell away as his eyes landed on the bear.
“That is the most repugnant thing I have ever seen in my life!” Dad said before thinking.
That was it for Jamie. He fell on the floor by the foot of his bed, screaming with laughter. It was fearfully contagious as Dad and I both broke out laughing, though really I had no idea at all what I was laughing at. Jamie fell over on his side and then rolled over onto his back, madly kicking his sock covered feet in the air.
I, on the other hand, was reduced to tears. Laughing as hard as I was, was really killing my chest but as long as Jamie was laughing, I couldn’t stop laughing either. Dad had gone over to try to help Jamie up but they were both laughing so hard that Dad ended up falling on top of Jamie’s bed. Actually he nearly fell on Jamie but at the last possible second he managed to throw himself onto the bed instead.
OK, if the three of us were not in bad enough shape, Mom came into the room, hands on hips and eyebrows sharpened to a point over her burning eyes. I was laughing and crying at the same time so hard that I couldn’t hear what Mom tried to say. Dad had got up clutching his stomach and still laughing. He kissed Mom on the cheek as he hung on her for support however she was still looking like she was ready to lay into all of us. Before pulling the door shut, Dad managed to get Mom out of our room and as he did so, he waved at us just like he’d wave away two annoying buzzing flies.
It was several minutes before the two of us stopped laughing, well mostly anyway. Jamie finally was able to get himself off the floor and lying on his bed again. He was frantically wiping at his eyes to clear way his tears of laughter. I, on the other hand, was dieing inside and had my mouth all the way open, panting for air. I had to cover my eyes with one of my arms because every time I looked at Jamie we’d both start laughing again.
“Stop looking at me!” Jamie snorted.
“Me?” I shouted! “You started this!”
He broke into fits of laughter again as he tried to say; “Oh sure I bring you a really nice present and this is the thanks I get?”
I moved my arm up higher on my head and looked under it at Jamie who had tearstains down his flaming red face, which nicely matched his ears and neck. Holding his nose, he attempted to regain control of his laugher and was doing OK, right up until our eyes met again and we both started back up.
“Stop looking at me!” Jamie cried.
I re-hid my eyes with my arm while still clutching my ribs with my other. No longer allowing myself to look his way I asked, “OK! I have to know . . . what possessed you to buy that thing for me?”
He started laughing again and it took several minutes before he could answer me. “PLEASE- PLEASE-OH PLEASE stop! You are hurting my face!” He cried and then continued in one rushed breath, “OK, I didn’t buy it! It belongs to a friend of mine that lives in my building. I asked him if I could borrow it for the weekend!”
I don’t know why but that explanation was too much and we both lost it again. It took Mom coming back into our room for us to get calmed back down. She had brought me a drink and another pill and I was again amazed at how she knew I needed it without me asking for it. She also gave a drink in one of my sipper-cups to Jamie with a pill for him, too, but his was pink where as mine was white. I figured he was probably taking pain pills for his nose.
Once Mom had lectured us about staying quiet the rest of the evening, she left, promising to have dinner ready soon. Jamie had scooted himself up onto his bed so that he was leaning against his headboard. I wanted to do the same but since laughing so hard I figured lying down was probably better for me right now.
After Mom had gone and Jamie and I were both smiling at each other, doing our best not to break up again, I looked over at the bear and had to ask, “So, you are going to take it back to him, right?”
In an effort to keep from laughing again Jamie had stuck his fist into his mouth and was biting down on it. I, on the other hand, was biting the inside of my cheek. Unable to answer me with his fist in his mouth he just shook his head up and down. I could tell by the look of his eyes that inside he was laughing just as hard as before. His eyes looked as though he was begging, “Please don’t make me laugh anymore!”
A thought suddenly jumped into my head and I asked, “So is Toys R Us really going out of business?”
Giving the impression of being, to some extent, recovered Jamie removed his fist from him mouth and answered, “Oh Yeah! That part was true!” I wasn’t sure if I could believe him or not. Jamie read my carefulness and added; “Cross my heart and hope to die!” He made an X over his heart with a single finger.
Several more minutes went by with neither of us looking or talking to one another. When he finally broke the silence, his question completely changed the mood of the room. “So, are you still wearing diapers?”
I nearly swallowed my tongue and my eyes bugged out, as I looked his way. He was no longer biting his fist and he had that same look about him that he’d had the night I’d gone to visit him at his place. I suppose the best way to describe his countenance is to say he looked drugged; like the way you see people in the hospital. He wasn’t smiling but had a sort of vacant expression. We were looking right at each other and his eyes looked almost like they were imploring me to respond to the query. I was so taken off guard that I was unable to think, let alone attempt to talk.
In all the Years that Jamie’s been coming over here, never, and I mean never, has he had a single thing to say that was in any way positive about me wetting my bed and wearing Goodnites to deal with it. Whenever Jamie would come over, most of the time I wouldn’t put my Goodnites on until right before going to bed and even then I’d always go to the bathroom to change. I’d also wear pajamas or shorts over them so he couldn’t see them as I got into bed, or in the mornings. The second I was awake I’d get up, go back to the bathroom, strip off the wet Goodnite, and take a quick shower before I’d return to my room to deposit the used Goodnite in the can by my door. Never would I wear a wet Goodnite to breakfast when he was here. I did everything I could possibly do to not give him a chance to pick on me about my wetting problem. So now here he was asking me if I was still wearing diapers. What on earth made him think that I’d even consider responding to his question and open myself up to more of his mockery?
In the end I chose not to answer him but to turn the tables on him. “You know, when I was over at your place . . .” I paused and glanced his way. He was looking right at me nodding his head obviously eagerly awaiting my answer. I’d never seen him act like this before. It was kind of unnerving, really. “When I sat on your bed, I distinctly heard the rustle of a plastic sheet on your bed.”
I kept my eyes locked onto his, waiting to see even the slighted change in his expression that would alert me as to whether I’d guessed right or not about him but he just kept looking right at me, as if he was deep in thought or maybe sizing me up as well.
Like someone had flipped on a switch within him his eyebrows lifted to the top of his forehead as his eyes got wide. A small smile stretched his lips and it grew until once again, he busted out laughing, which was not the reaction I’d expected at all. My entire body had already tensed in expectation of him pouncing on me but the attack never came. Instead, he fell back against his mattress again laughing with renewed vigor.
“Oh please help me!” Jamie cried while clutching at his face. “PLEEEASE!”
This time his laughter wasn’t contagious in the least. I don’t know how I did it on my own but I managed to get myself up on one elbow. Jamie had reached over his head and grabbed his pillow to smother his laughter. I fully expected Mom or Dad or maybe both of them to come back into the room at any second but they didn’t.
I waited patiently while Jamie carried on with his fits of laughter and giggles. Still laying back with his feet hanging over the foot of his bed, he lifted his pillow off of his face. Exhausted, he managed to say while still giggling away; “You . . . You think . . . You think that I wet my bed . . . like . . . like you?” Again, he buried his face with his pillow.
Despite trying to talk through his fits of laughter, I distinctly heard the very reminiscent way in which he’d always address my nighttime problem. For several seconds I nearly reverted to my normal defensive attitude and had I not been injured, I probably would have flew out of my bed and tried to smother him with his own pillow. What he said and did next, finally explained everything.
“OK, OK!” I heard him say, though it was muffled since he still had his pillow over his face.
Throwing off his pillow, which didn’t land on his bed above him but fell to the floor, he sat up, looking to our closed door before getting up and going to it. I watched as he opened it a crack and peeked out. I supposed he was making sure Mom and Dad were not anywhere in the proximity of our voices. After re-closing the door and going to his bag he opened it and started to rifle through his belongings before pulling out a magazine. The second the magazine was removed from his bag, he slipped it under his shirt and was looking back toward the door like he expected it to burst open at any second.
He looked toward me, and then put his finger to his lips as if to tell me to be quiet. He then returned to the door and repeated his actions just as he’d done the first time. He had my curiosity peeked and I finally spoke; “What is it?”
Still by the door, he ran his hand over the crack between the door and the latch jam like he was somehow magically sealing the door. Finally, he came over and sat down on my bed next to me. He kept looking right at the door and was acting very weird. I mean weirder then he normally is. He was sitting very close to my chest and that made me more then a little uneasy. One good thump of his fist on my chest and I’d be a bawling mess! Shoot, he wouldn’t even have to thump me. He could just touch me and he’d have me beat.
He looked down at me and then to the door again before reaching under his shirt and pulling out the magazine. I knew what it was even before he’d totally removed it from under his shirt.
“Where’d you get . . .” I didn’t get to finish.
“Sssshhhhh!” He said, putting a hand over my mouth and looking very worriedly at the door.
“I found it. Actually, I found a bunch of them in a dumpster behind a bookstore not too far from my home.” He said in a barely audible whisper.
He handed the Playboy magazine to me and I held it like I was holding a priceless work of art. On the cover was a lady with long black hair and a red vinyl bathing suit which was at least three sizes too small for her. I’d totally forgot that Jamie still had his hand over my mouth to keep me from making any noise.
“That is what you heard when you sat on my bed. I’d been looking at it and hid it under my covers when I started to fall asleep.” Jamie said.
I am sure my eyes were the size of dinner plates as I slowly turned each page of his treasured magazine. I tried to say something and that was when I remembered he still had his hand cover my mouth. When I’d tried to talk he moved his hand and as quiet as I could I asked, “You found a bunch of these?”
“Yeah, and they are all different. They were brand new; still had plastic over them.” He whispered.
I reached the center of the magazine and exclaimed, “HOLY . . .” Jamie’s hand had shot over my mouth again.
“Will you keep it down?” He whispered firmly. I could only nod my compliance.
“My Mom caught me with one of these and she went crazy!” Jamie said. “She thinks that I only had the one she took and burned and I’d really like to keep it that way!”
I nodded again as I reached up and moved his hand away, “OK, sorry. But wow Jamie! I mean holy cow!”
“Yeah! Tell me about it!” Jamie whispered with an evil grin across his face. “Good, huh?”
“You…you got to let me borrow it!” I begged.
“No way!” Jamie said, trying to grab the magazine back way from me but I held on to it tightly.
“Please! I promise to keep it super safe! No one will ever find it and I will give it back when you come over next time!” I pleaded.
He let go of the magazine mostly because I think he didn’t want to wrinkle or rip the pages. “OK! But if you get caught with it you’d better not say you got it from me!” Jamie threatened while waving his fist only inches from my nose.
“I won’t get caught, I promise!” I said and Jamie got up from my bed and went to check the door again. He returned a moment later, standing over me and looking down.
I looked up at him, “What?” I said still whispering.
“So are you?” He asked. I didn’t know what he was talking about.
“Am I what?” I asked.
His eyes went to my blankets before returning to my eyes. There was an odd gleam in them and it unnerved me a little. “What?” I demanded.
He looked frustrated. “Are you still wearing diapers?”
“Man how slow can I be?” I thought.
I don’t know what came over me at that particular moment. Maybe it was just that I really felt like Jamie had trusted me with something we both knew was very taboo and had the potential to get us both hung out to dry. I took hold of my covers and in one fluid motion flung them off of me revealing my diaper. However, I’d completely forgot that I was wearing cloth diapers and plastic pants instead of the disposable ones and I pulled the covers back over myself as quickly as I’d removed them. I was horror stuck that I’d let down my guard for only a second and in that second, had opened myself up to a verbal attack.
I looked at Jamie. My entire head was blazing scarlet with mortification. His eyes were still looking to where my diaper had just been revealed to him. Mouth hanging open, eyes glazed, he made a noise in his throat like a combination of him clearing his throat, coughing, and a gasp of astonishment.
“I dare you to say something!” The tone of my voice scared even me. I sounded possessed.
Jamie finally looked at me but his expression had not changed in the slightest bit. My embarrassment began to morph into anger and then rage. It felt like my brain was boiling in my skull and that at any second, my eyes were going to spew fire.
Without saying a word, Jamie turned his back to me and sat down on the edge of my bed. He still had that same stunned expression but there was something else now. Almost a kind of worried aspect maybe.
He twisted his head and stared right into my eyes. I expected him to say something but he closed his mouth and turned away and made that same clearing, coughing and gasping noise in his throat again, only stronger this time.
Maybe it was a good thing that the two of us heard someone coming down the hall. I’d stuffed the magazine down between the left side of my bed and the wall just as our bedroom door opened.
“You boys ready for dinner?” Mom asked, and from the look she was giving us, it was apparent that she knew she’d just walked into the middle of something.
“What’s going on?” She asked suspiciously.
“Ahh… nothing, we were just talking is all.” Jamie said quickly, “Um, what’s for dinner?”
“Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread.” She said, still trying to size up the situation.
“Cool!” Jamie expressed, standing up and taking a step toward the door before stopping and looking back to me. “You coming?” He asked.
“I’ll be right there!” I answered.
He left the room and Mom picked up on the hint. She’d turned to my dresser even before I’d had to ask. She opened the drawer with the disposable diapers in it but hesitated, “You want to wear disposable or another of what you have on now.” She asked and I supposed that Dad must have told her I was wearing cloth diapers earlier or maybe she’d come in to check me while I’d been asleep. At any rate, she knew I was in cloth diapers right now and I felt this was a prefect chance to ask her something that had been in the back of my mind all afternoon.
“Mom? Can I ask you something?” I said.
“She sweetheart.” She said, “What is it?”
“Um, how come you got me those cloth diapers?” I asked in a very mellow tone.
She came back over to my bed empty handed and sat next to me. “Well I wasn’t sure what was going to be the best for you to use. It’s been a very long time since I’ve had to diaper anyone and lets face it, you’re just a little bigger than a normal baby.”
The way she said “normal baby” didn’t sit too well with me but I chose to let it slide for the moment.
“The salesman up at Med-Mart was very kind and helpful in that respect.” She said. Then with the same breath she added; “I think the cloth diapers will be cheaper in the long run.”
I was about to comment on that but she stood up and said, “Do you want to get changed before, or after dinner?”
“Before!” I answered very quickly and before she could ask her question again I said; “Disposable this time?” It came out more like a question than a statement. Mom took her cue from my lack of surety and came back over to the bed, pulled down my covers and proceeded to pull down the plastic pants, “Oh honey, you have hardly used these at all. Let’s just wait and change you after dinner OK?” She said, snapping the plastic pants back over the cloth diaper.
I sighed as she went and got the pants and shirt she’d put me in earlier today and helped me to get dressed. She helped me to get sat up and once she had pulled the pants up to my knees, I was able to finish pulling them the rest of the way up by myself but she still helped me to put on my shirt. For some reason, lifting my arms up over my head like that still hurt; guess because it stretches everything out.
I waddled down the hallway with Mom right behind me in case I lost my balance. We stopped off at the bathroom and washed our hands before completing our trek to the kitchen. When we got there no one was there. I looked at Mom kind of puzzled and she answered; “In the dining room sweetheart.”
“Oh!” I said, feeling kind of dumb as I went on to the dining room where sure enough, I found Jamie and Dad already at the table.
Just as he’d done before, Dad didn’t say or even draw attention to the fact that I was so amply diapered. Jamie, on the other hand, was staring right at me and gawking. Dad reached over and popped Jamie lightly on the back of the head. That did the trick to snap him out of his daze.
As I sat down, I noticed the distinctive crinkle and to me, it sounded very loud but no one else acted like they had heard anything. I sat right next to Jamie, which was something I never did in the past. We’d always sit on opposite sides of a table or room from each other whenever possible. Jamie leaned over and whispered. “Sorry.”
I didn’t know what he was apologizing for so I asked, “What for?”
“For staring at you!” He whispered back.
“Oh, that’s OK. I don’t mind.” I lied.
Dinner was absolutely wonderful. Jamie and I both had two full plates and I lost track of how much garlic bread I had. After dinner, Mom surprised us with hot and freshly made apple dumplings for desert. Man, those things were to die for! Both Jamie and I were so full that we could barely eat ours but somehow, we managed.
After dinner, the two of us went back to our room. Jamie helped me by walking in front of me and letting me hold on to his shoulders. Actually, I didn’t need him but he wanted to help, so I let him. Once back in our room, he helped me to lay down and then went over and fell onto his own bed, moaning his discomfort. We were both so full that we were in pain but it was a good pain. The two of us talked for a while until Dad came in and asked if we wanted to watch a DVD in the living room but we were both still feeling too uncomfortably full, that we just wanted to continue laying on our beds.
When Dad left us alone again, Jamie sat up. “Want to watch something in here instead?”
“OK!” I agreed.
Jamie got up from his bed and came over next to mine. “Scooch over.” He implored. Though we’d never been in such close proximity before, I shifted myself closer to the wall so that he could lie down next to me.
I let him have control of the remote and to what we would watch. He ended up stopping on the newer version of Planet of the Apes. I’d seen it a couple times before but it’s a good enough movie that I didn’t mind watching it again. We’d come into the movie about ten minutes after it started and seeing as how he’d never seen it before, I had to explain to him what had happened up to that point. Then the two of us laid in silence, watching the movie.
Well honestly, I wasn’t really getting into the movie. Actually, I was having a hard time concentrating on it with Jamie laying right beside me. The fact that our shoulders were touching was sort of weirding me out. I wasn’t covered up with my blankets and aside from the fact I had on the sweatpants and a warm shirt, it was still wholly noticeable that I had on a large cloth diaper. Also, the fact that Jamie wasn’t acting like himself at all bothered me too. I mean, he was trying to be nice to me and not say anything monumentally stupid and that was uncharacteristic for him.
Right at the point in the movie where the humans escape with the aid of one of the female apes, Mom came into our room and found us in bed together watching the movie. Mom’s tack was nothing short of awesome!
“You boys OK?” Mom asked.
“Yes” We both said at once.
With the back of Jamie’s hand, he lightly swatted my hip, accidentally making contact with my diaper. He and I both know he did it but we both acted like it didn’t happen. “Jinx!” Jamie said.
I was Jinxed and thus couldn’t utter a single word until someone said my name. Then Mom, right on cue, asked; “Simon, do you need anything?”
Jamie sat up and spun around to look directly at Mom. “Ahhh! You weren’t supposed to say his name!” He complained.
I laughed, “Ha haaa! Saved by Mom!” I chanted.
Now I knew exactly what Mom had been asking and the truth was I knew I was getting close to needing changed but the idea of Mom changing me with Jamie anywhere around didn’t set well with me.
“Yeah, I’m cool!” I said craning my head back to make eye contact with her.
“OK, you boys just let me know if you need anything.” Mom said, looking right at me.
Mom left again and we both settled back into the movie but not before I glanced at the clock to see that it was getting late. I remembered that Bull and Tater were supposed to show up at 10 PM. The longer I thought about it the more I realized how fundamentally stupid I would have to be to attempt to try to leave the house. Not because Jamie was there but because I was in absolutely no shape to go gallivanting across town in Bull’s car. Heck, I still couldn’t turn myself at my waist, sit up, or lay down, without someone’s help. In the end I resolved that I wasn’t going to go with them when they showed up but my resolve was not as concrete as I had wished it to be.
I felt torn inside. I knew that if I could just get ten minutes alone with Bull, Tater, and Runt, I could talk some sense into them. However, at the same time, I still had that voice in the back of my head telling me that I should call the police and tell them everything I knew and hope I didn’t get sent to jail for my part in the one robbery.
Out of the corner of my eye I glanced at Jamie to see if he was still watching the movie, which was nearing the end. His eyes were glued to the screen and he looked tense like he was preparing for the worst. We were right at the point were the hero, I can’t remember his name in the movie, was going to blast the apes.
“Jamie?” I said softly.
“What?” He answered without taking his eyes away from the movie.
“I need to ask… well, tell you something.” I said.
Forgetting the movie for a second, he looked right at me; “You need your Mom to change you now?” He asked.
I was caught off guard by his comment. “Uh, um I; No, that’s not it!” I stammered.
“Have you heard about those robberies that have been on the news?” I asked.
His expression changed to one of confusion. “Uh, Yeah.” He said hesitantly.
“Well, um . . . if I tell you something do you promise not to tell a living soul?” I asked.
Jamie propped himself up on one elbow and was completely focused on me now, having forgot about the ending of the movie.
“You got to swear!” I demanded.
“I swear!” He said.
“No I mean it! You got to really swear!” I said, emphasizing the word ‘really’.
“I swear! I swear! What?” He said quietly but excitedly.
I craned my head to see that Mom had left our door open. “Close the door.” I whispered.
I hardly had the words out of my mouth and he was up and doing just that. He dropped himself back down beside me leaning one his elbow again. “OK they are nowhere in site, now WHAT?” He demanded.
“I know who’s been doing them.” I admitted and when I did so I couldn’t look him in the eyes.
“Oh my gawd you been robbing all those stores?” He said, getting up on his knees.
“NO!” I snapped, still trying to keep my voice down. Jamie’s eyebrows lowered a bit. “Well not all of them.” I said and his eyebrows went further up on his forehead than before.
“I was only with them once; you know the night I came to see you? I didn’t even know what they were doing. Heck, I got so scared when I finally figured it out that I had one of the worst asthma attacks I’d ever had!” I was trying hard to make it sound like I was completely innocent, though I didn’t believe it myself.
I finally looked at Jamie who had turned completely white with shock. “Who?” He asked.
“Well you know that kid that I saved from getting beat up?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He answered.
“One of them is his big brother, Bull.” I added.
“You mean ‘THE BULL?” Jamie asked, placing his hands behind his head and attempting to squeeze his brain with his forearms.
I shook my head to let him know he was right. “And two of his teammates.” I said.
Jamie swore under his breath as he turned and got up off the bed. He was pacing the floor and repeating the ‘SH’ word over and over while still squeezing his brain with his arms. Suddenly he stopped and turned toward me. “Does anyone else know?”
I shrugged my shoulders, “I don’t even think the police have a clue who’s been doing it!”
Jamie proceeded to pace the floor and let several mumbled curse words leak from his mouth from time to time. Every couple of steps he would look at me, shake his head and then continue pacing.
I finally said, “I’m scared that if I tell that I will go to jail too!”
At this he quickened his pace and was now saying the ‘F’ word over and over again. He’d switched from squeezing his head to pulling at the hair on the back of his head.
“Will you please stop that! You are freaking me out!” I admitted.
He stopped and sat on the corner of his bed. I noticed that the credits of the movie had just started rolling so I clicked the TV off.
“I can’t think like this!” He said, standing back up and continuing his pacing.
“Do you know for sure it was them?” He asked.
“Well Yeah! I mean I was with them that one time and they even told me they been doing it for sometime!” I told him and he started squeezing his head again.
“I don’t know for sure if it was them that shot those two people though.” I added and from Jamie’s reaction, I could tell he’d not heard about the shootings.
“What? They shot someone?” He said forgetting to whisper.
I put my finger to my lips to remind him to keep it down. He put a hand over his mouth and repeated himself like I had not heard him the first time. “They shot someone?”
“I don’t know if it was them or not!” I said strongly, managing to get myself up on one elbow again.
Without being asked, Jamie came over and helped me to sit all the way up. His method for doing so hurt more but I didn’t complain.
“You got to tell someone!” Jamie whispered.
“But what if it wasn’t them?” I countered.
“Look you already know they been robbing stores right?” Jamie asked but before I could answer, Dad came into the room.
“You boys need to start thinking about bed.” Dad said.
Jamie looked like he was having a hard time hiding his emotions but I managed to keep a fairly level head. “Can we just stay up and talk if we are quiet?” I asked.
“As long as you are quiet and in bed!” Dad said, pointing at the two of us. “Jamie, why don’t you go get your shower now?”
With absolutely no argument Jamie got up and started out of the room but Dad stopped him just as he was about to head out the door. “You feeling OK?” Dad asked.
“Yeah, fine!” Jamie said not too convincingly.
“He’s just a bit bummed about the way Planet of the Apes ended.” I interjected quickly.
“Yeah, it was a stupid ending!” Jamie added and quickly made his exit before Dad could say anything else.
Dad watched Jamie walk down the hallway to the bathroom before turning back to me, “You Mom will be in to help you get ready for bed in a minute.” Dad said with a peculiar countenance.
Still sitting on the side of my bed, I waited for Mom to come in. When she did, she didn’t seem too happy that I was up. “Just because you are feeling a little better doesn’t mean you can start horsing around again.” Mom lectured.
“We weren’t, we were just watching a movie, and then we started talking.” I said and Mom gave me one of her looks. “Honest!” I said, putting my right hand over my heart and my left hand into the air.
“You heard what I said!” Mom said and then she continued; “Lets get you laid back down so that we can get you cleaned up and ready for bed.”
Mom had me out of the overly wet cloth diaper, cleaned up and into one of the disposable diapers in record time. She had allowed me to choose which I liked better and though the cloth diapers seemed to allow me to go longer between changes, I liked the disposable better because they were not so bulky and it wasn’t as hard to move around and walk in them. I could tell she was rushing so that she’d be done before Jamie came back from his shower. She’d slipped on a pair of shorts over the diaper when she was done, tucked me into bed, and was just leaving the room when Jamie came back in the room wrapped in just his towel and carrying his clothes in his arms.
In the past, whenever one of us had to change clothes or get dressed, one would go to the bathroom, usually me, and the other would get dressed in our room. However this time as Mom left, Jamie closed our bedroom door and dropped his towel. It was the first time I’d ever seen him naked. The closest I’d ever come was when he would wear his Speedo swim suit in the summer time when we’d go up to the public pool to swim.
I never got a look at the front of Jamie but I did get a pretty good show from the rear. He bent over and pulled open his bag as he rummaged for something to put on. He pulled out a pair of black boxer shorts, stepped into them, and pulled them on before pulling down his bed and jumping into it leaving his wet towel lying on the floor. Any other time, I’d have gone off on him for leaving it lying there but I let it go seeing as how I didn’t want to start something with him.
We didn’t take up our conversation again until Dad came in and tucked Jamie into bed and then came over to make sure I was tucked in well too. As soon as Dad left, closing the door most of the way, Jamie kicked of his covers and went over and made sure the door was completely closed. He then came over and sat down on my bed by my hip with one leg on my bed and the other hanging down to the floor.
“So?” He asked in a hushed whisper.
“I don’t know!” I said exasperated.
“OK! I was thinking while I was in the shower and I got an idea.” He crossed his arms in front of himself and was rubbing his biceps.
“You cold?” I asked.
“A little.” He answered.
“Want to get under the covers with me and we can talk?” I asked.
He looked at me funny, “Promise you won’t pee on me?” He said.
I instantly got mad and I felt the fire erupt in my face but Jamie smiled, “I’m only joking! Sheesh, get a grip Simon!” He said, and acted like he was going to punch me in the leg but didn’t.
“You’re a jerk!” I joked and he stood up, pulled my covers down and started to get in but stopped.
“Hey?” He said sounding confused and a little shocked and again forgetting to whisper but catching himself he covered his mouth with one hand.
“What?” I asked.
“What happen to the other diaper?” He asked, remembering to whisper this time.
“I needed a new one.” I said, without going into detail. I was relieved when he accepted that and climbed in next to me.
He was indeed cold as I felt him against me. I slid over enough to allow him more room so that he wasn’t laying right on the edge of the bed.
“Man you are cold!” I declared.
“Yeah!” He said. “I didn’t wait for the water to warm up much.” He said.
From under the covers, I extended my left arm across myself and started to rub his upper arm and shoulder to help warm him up. “Better?” I asked.
“Yeah” He answered.
“So what is your idea?” I asked finally.
“OK, I seen this movie where these guys robbed all these banks and one of the guys was forced to do it because the other guys had some dirt on him. Anyway, this guy that was forced to do the robberies didn’t like doing it and he ended up calling the police and giving them an anonymous tip-off where the next robbery was going to happen.” Jamie explained.
Sensing where Jamie was going I interrupted, “Yeah but I don’t know where they are going to rob next!”
“Well you don’t have to. All you got to do is tell call the police and tell them who’s been doing all the robberies.” Jamie added confidently.
“Yeah but then they will get into trouble.” I said stupidly.
“Hello! Simon!” Jamie knocked on my forehead as though he were knocking on a door. “They been robbing and maybe shooting people!”
I took hold of his hand and pulled it back under the covers so that he couldn’t knock on my head anymore. I also didn’t let go of it once I had it under the covers but continued to hold onto his wrist.
I let out a sigh. “I’d actually thought about doing that already. I guess I am scared that the guys will know it was me and then tell the police that I was with them that night.”
Jamie tucked against my grip once and accidentally bumped me in the ribs. I sucked in air and held it as I slammed my eyes shut as I tried to ride out the pain without crying out. Jamie had sat bolt right up in the bed. “Oh Simon!” He gasped, realizing what he’d done.
”Are you OK?” He pleaded as if willing me to be OK.
I let my breath out slowly as a tear ran out of the corner of my eye. “Should I get your Dad or Mom?” He asked, holding his head.
“No!” I gasped. “No! I will be OK in a second.” For some reason actually talking got my tears really going. Jamie looked like he was on the verge of tears himself.
“Hey” I said softly.
“What? Anything! What?” Jamie said frantically.
“Do me a favor and don’t do that again.” I managed to joke.
“Are you OK? Tell me you are OK!” Jamie’s voice cracked.
I took two breaths, the second deeper then the first. “Yeah I’m OK now I think.”
“I am so very sorry Simon! I didn’t mean to!” His voice cracked again.
“Really, I am OK!” I assured him.
I wiped my tears from the sides of my face. “Are you sure you are OK? I didn’t mean it Simon; really I didn’t!”
“Don’t be a jerk! I know you didn’t mean to.” I said continuing to wipe at my eyes.
“Maybe I should go back to my bed.” Jamie said, sounding like he was crying now.
“Really bro! I’m OK!” I said and when I called him ‘bro’ he lit up like the Fourth of July.
“You sure?” He asked one more time.
“Yeah, I guess I had that coming!” I said.
“What?” He said totally confused.
“Well you did owe me one since I attacked you the other day for something as stupid as you using my computer!” I said.
Jamie wiped at his left eye and placed the same hand on my right thigh. “I really am sorry!” He said again.
“Shut up and lay down again!” I said with a smile this time.
Jamie laid himself down but very slowly. He was trying to stay as far from me as he could to keep from accidentally bumping my ribs again.
“Jamie! I’m OK! You don’t have to lie all the way over there on the edge! Come on back over!” I said and reached my right hand and pulled on him. He moved back over but wouldn’t touch me.
“Here!” I said taking hold of his arm again. He must have been scared to resist for fear of hurting me again because I was able to take his arm and he rolled over on his side facing me. I could see that he was crying and took his arm and laid it across my bare stomach. He was looking into my eyes and looked scared as could be.
“Would you relax? I’m not going to break!” I whispered.
I looked up at the ceiling and we didn’t talk for quite a while. I was thinking about his plan and listening to his breathing get softer and softer until I drifted off to sleep. I awoke right at ten minutes to ten when Dad was picking Jamie’s body up out of my bed and placing him in his own bed.
When Dad saw that I was awake he whispered, “Everything OK tiger?”
I nodded my head and looked at the clock again, it now read nine minutes to ten. “Bull and Tater will be here any minute.” I thought to myself.
Once Jamie was tucked back into his own bed Dad came over and helped me get resituated before tucking me in again. He tousled my hair and whispered, “I’m glad you and Jamie have mended your fences but you need to be more careful. He could have accidentally hurt you in his sleep without even knowing it.”
I just nodded again and he left the room, pulling the door closed again. I listened to see if Jamie was really asleep and from the sound of his breathing I guessed that he was. I looked at the clock; it now read five minutes to ten. My heart was already racing and I was trying to sift through my brain for a plan that would allow me to not go with them.
“I could fake like I am asleep and if they come to my window the way I am expecting them to, then they will see that I am asleep and leave.” I said quietly to myself.
“No that will never work! If they tap on the window they might wake up Jamie or maybe even Mom and Dad will hear them.” I argued.
“Simon, what are you going to do?” I asked myself before looking back at the clock again. It was now two minutes to ten.
Pulling my covers off myself, I got myself up on one elbow and swung my legs over the side of my bed and let them drop to the floor. Using the weight of my legs, I was able to slide my backside off the bed and the rest of me followed. I’d managed to end up kneeling on the floor and I’d hardly felt anything at all. Using my bed, I got myself to my feet and walked over to the window. My diaper sounded so loud I was scared it might wake up Jamie but I’m sure that was mostly just my imagination working in overdrive.
I looked out for the first time all evening. It was like looking into one of those snow globes. Everything was covered in white. Even the street was white, though I could tell that the snowplow had gone down our street sometime recently. I had not heard them and assumed it must of come by while I was sleeping. The snow was still falling and the road had already been re-covered with a thin blanket of white powder.
Standing there next to the window, I could feel the cold radiating off the glass. Goosebumps crept across my skin and I consciously fought off the urge to shiver. Shuffling my feet I turned around and pulled off the quilt from my bed and wrapped myself in it before turning back to watch out the window.
Another glance at the clock told me it was not five minutes past ten. “Maybe they won’t come!” I whispered to the window.
I’d decided my course of action. When they came I would tell them I was not going, that I couldn’t go because I was hurting way too much. By twenty after ten, I’d pretty much convinced myself they were not coming. My feet felt like they had froze to the hardwood floor beneath the window and I kept telling myself; “I’ll give them five more minutes and then I’m going back to bed.” I did this several times.
“Maybe they can’t drive in the snow? Maybe they got stuck someplace?” I kept whispering to the window, my breath would fog up the glass and I would watch as it evaporated off again.
At twenty minutes to eleven a car started down the hill slipping and sliding. Dad had been right earlier in the evening when he said all the rain would freeze. From the look of the car, the driver was having a very hard time on the ice. As it passed by my window I saw that although it was moving on down the hill, neither of the two tires facing me were turning. I watched it until it was out of sight. I never heard any crunching of metal so I guess whoever was driving had managed to reach the bottom safely.
It was very peaceful standing there at my bedroom window, watching the snow fall and refill the tracks left by the car that had passed over twenty minutes ago. Across the street, one of the neighbor’s lights went on for a few minutes and then went back off. I guessed they must have got up to use the bathroom. That reminded me that since getting beat-up, I’d hardly had any use for a bathroom. I thought about the time in the hospital when Nurse Bridget had let me sit on the toilet and then I realized I couldn’t wipe myself when I had finished going; I’d felt so helpless then.
My hand found the front of my diaper and with a gentle squeeze I could tell I was wet. “Must have done it when I was asleep.” I tried to convince myself. Standing there feeling cold, despite having the quilt wrapped around me, I felt the need to go again and before I could think what to do, I was already going in my diaper. It sagged with this added weight and I started to wonder if it would get me through the night. “I should have let Mom put the cloth ones on me.” I told the window.
The clock told me that it was now seventeen minutes to midnight and I finally gave up on them. Actually I’d given up on them coming long before but somehow, standing there watching the snowfall was so relaxing. The snowflakes seemed to dance as they drifted through the beam of the street lamp. I shuffled my feet back over to the side of my bed, draped the quilt over the footboard, and tried to lower myself down onto my bed. It proved to hurt more than I had thought it would, but finally I found that just letting my butt fall to the mattress was the best plan. The jolt hurt quiet a bit and I sank my teeth into my bottom lip to keep from crying.
The clock read midnight before I tried to move again. I rolled over on to my elbow and then backwards until my head hit my pillow. Swinging my feet up proved to hurt too but not as much as sitting had. I wasn’t exactly lying in the most comfortable position but I didn’t want to hurt myself anymore than I had already. I pulled the covers over myself and closed my eyes but I’d not fallen back to sleep yet when I heard a soft crunching sound from outside.
Hurting too much to try to get back up right away, I just waited and listened. It was very quiet for a minute, maybe two, and then the muffled crunching started again. I knew that sound; it was someone walking on the snow.
I lifted my head and saw the silhouette of a head lit from behind by the street lamp. It was unmistakable that it belonged to Tater. A second later, there was a second silhouetted head in my window. It didn’t look anything like Bull’s head so I guessed it must be Runt. I could hear hushed whispers even with the window closed.
“I can see him in his bed but he looks to be sleeping.” That was defiantly Runts whispered voice I heard.
“I told you he wouldn’t still be up!” I heard Tater whisper.
Maybe it was stupid of me and I still don’t know why I did it but I lifted my head and put my finger to my mouth to let them know I could hear them. They’re whispers stopped and I saw Tater motioning me to come to the window. I shook my head no but he kept waving his hand for me to get up. I gave in and just as I had done before I managed to get myself out of bed. I was still kneeling on the floor, panting as I was hurting more than I cared for. I got to my feet slowly. It occurred to me that had Mom not put the shorts on me when she’d changed me, the diaper I was now wearing might fall off of me from being so wet. I felt like I was walking with a small pillow between my legs as I made my way back to the window. Before I opened it, I looked over at Jamie. His face I could see was turned away from me. I was glad for that.
Opening the latches, I kept my eyes on Jamie for any movement. I only cracked the window enough that we could talk through it. The cold from outside was spilling in fast and without the quilt wrapped around me, my body wanted to shiver but again I fought it off.
“Spaz! Sorry we’re late but we couldn’t get away until just a little while ago.” Tater said and then added, “Quick, get dressed and lets go!”
“I’m not coming!” I said with more confidence then I was feeling.
“What?” Runt asked.
“I’m not coming! I’m hurting too much!” I said.
Tater was fidgeting in his pocket, “I came prepared, here take this! It’s what we take when we get hurt. It will take all the pain away and make you feel like a million bucks.” Tater said holding out a small green and blue capsule.
“I’m not taking that!” I said, pushing Tater’s hand back out of the window.
“Trust me Spaz! It’s nothing bad and it will take away the pain like magic.” Tater attempted to convince me but I wasn’t falling for it.
“I don’t much care what you say it will do! I am not putting that in my mouth and I’m not coming with you!” I said resolutely.
“Come on Spaz! We need you!” Tater said as Runt turned away from the window and made an ‘I don’t know’ gesture at Bull’s car that was parked on the street directly in front of my window. I could see that there was someone else in the backseat and I could only guess that it was Two-Toes.
Tater had reached in through the window again and had taken hold of my arm, “Listen Simon! You need to cut the crap, get dressed, and come on! We got to go!”
I jerked my arm free hurting myself in the process. “No! I’m not coming! And you should know that I’m planning on telling the police what I know!” I couldn’t believe my bravery.
Tater tried reaching in to grab me again but I’d stepped back out of his reach. At that second the bear Jamie had brought me as a gag gift toppled over and fell across the window, hitting Taters arm. Tater let out a muffled yell but it was loud enough that it woke up Jamie. Tater had pulled his arm back out of the window and I quickly slammed it shut and latched it. The look Tater was giving me through the glass was one of pure rage like I’d never seen from him before. He was clutching his arm tightly to his body and cradling it with his other arm. I looked back over at Jamie who was out of bed and standing halfway between his bed and mine. He was looking groggy but angry all at the same time. With one last look at Tater and Runt making their way back to Bulls car, I pulled the curtain closed.
Without a single word Jamie helped me back to my bed and I was just sitting down when the door to our room flew open. “What’s going on?” Dad demanded and when he saw me sitting up he started to get mad.
“Ah, I think Simon fell out of bed!” Jamie said quickly.
“What? Are you OK?” Dad asked coming over and squatting down in front of me.
“I’m OK. I just was hot and I wanted to get some air but I think I hurt myself trying to get back in bed.” I lied, while looking right at Jamie. I knew it was cold in the room since having the window open and I felt I covered myself well enough.
“Simon! I don’t want you trying to get up on your own again! If I catch you trying to get out of bed on your own again more than your ribs is going to be hurting! Do you understand?” Dad was using a tone of voice that I’d rarely heard from him.
I shook my head. “Yes sir!” I answered.
Dad helped me to lay back down and tucked my covers around me again before doing the same for Jamie.
Before leaving the room again, he looked down at me. “I mean it! Don’t get out of that bed again without help!”
“I won’t!” I assured him, although I knew as soon as he was in bed, I was going to be getting back up again.
This time, when he left, he didn’t close the door but left it all the way open. Even in the dark I could see that Jamie was sitting up again on his elbows and looking right at me. I listened intently until I was sure Dad was back in his room. I tried to get back up on one elbow but I was hurting so much that I couldn’t.
“I need your help!” I whispered through the dark to Jamie.
“No way!” Jamie whispered back.
“Come on Jamie! I got to go call the police right now!” I said as strongly as I could while still managing to only whisper.
A moment or so passed before I saw Jamie move again. I figured that he’d been trying to decide whether he should help me or not. He got out of bed, came over, and knelt down beside my head.
“What if your Dad hears you?” Jamie asked.
“I have to call now! I think they are on their way to go do another robbery right now!” I continued to plead with him. “Listen, all we have to do is sneak into Dad’s office and use the phone in there. He won’t be able to hear us all the way through the house.”
Jamie shook his head as if disagreeing but he said, “OK, but if we get caught, I’m going to kill you!”
“If we get caught, you won’t have too cause I will already be dead!” I said as Jamie took a hold of both of my hands and pulled me up.
I had to sit on the end of my bed for several minutes before I could attempt to stand up. I was really hurting a lot now but I knew I had to call now or I might never do it!
“Can you get me my robe from the closet?” I asked. “And my slippers too?”
“Yeah, hang on!” Jamie said, getting up and going to the closet. It took him awhile to find them in the dark but he when he did locate them, he brought the robe and slippers, and even helped me put them on.
“OK, I’m ready!” I said.
I had to really lean on Jamie a lot getting up. I was hurting nearly as much as I had when I’d come home from the hospital. We walked so very slowly down the hallway. Jamie was in front of me walking backwards so that he could hold on to my arms to support me.
As we passed Mom and Dad’s room, we moved even slower. Neither of us made even the slightest sound. It took us over fifteen minutes to get from our room to Dad’s home office. I leaned against Dad’s desk as Jamie went and closed the door but didn’t latch it for fear of making any noise. I clicked on the desk lamp because it was too dark to see without it.
“Well, here goes everything!” I said picking up the phone and dialing the emergency number.
“911 Emergency Services, how can I help you?” The voice on the other end of the line answered.
I swallowed hard and tried to make my voice sound deeper as I spoke, “Listen! I know who’s been robbing all those stores and who shot those two people!”
“Sir, what is your name?” the voice asked.
Completely ignoring the emergency operator I continued to talk. I gave her the four names as well as Tater and Bull’s addresses. I didn’t know what Runt’s and Two-Toe’s addresses were. I tried to stress how certain I was that they were going to rob another store soon and maybe even tonight. I hung up the phone without saying good-bye and looked to Jamie for validation.
“That should do it!” Jamie said with a smile. He then went over to the door and before he opened it, I clicked off the desk light. Even though we were both feeling excited and pumped up, we still took our time getting back to our room. Until we had the door shut to our room again, neither of us uttered another peep.
Holding on to my headboard for support I whispered to Jamie, “Tell me I did the right thing!”
“You had too!” Jamie said, paused, and then added, “But now you have a new problem.”
“What?” Even though I was whispering, it was still clear how on edge I was.
Jamie pointed at my shorts; I looked and sure enough they were showing signs that my diaper was leaking. At this point I was hurting so much that there was no way I could even think of trying to deal with this problem. With all the help Jamie had given me tonight I still was scared and expecting him to say something mean but he never did.
Like an idiot I just stood there unable to think what to do. It was Jamie that again came up with a plan. Why don’t you get back in bed just like you are? I will then go get your Mom and tell her you need her. Then she can come and help you.
“I don’t suppose you could help me instead?” I asked.
“Not on your life!” Jamie said without thinking.
In the end, Jamie’s plan worked out perfect. Mom followed Jamie in, wearing her robe and slippers. Without saying anything, Jamie got back into bed, rolled over on his side, pulled his covers over himself, and either went back to sleep or did a good job of faking like he was sleeping.
“What’s the matter sweetheart?” Mom asked, petting my hair.
“I-I think I got a problem.” I said pointed toward my diaper area that was hidden under the covers.
Mom pulled back my covers and saw what I meant. “Oh, we can take care of that sweetheart.”
As she was pulling my shorts down my legs I wanted to ask her for another pill but I was afraid that she might suspect that I’d been doing something I shouldn’t and that was why I was hurting so much.
When she had the tapes for the wet diaper removed she said, “Lift up sweetie” but when I tried, it hurt something horrible. I let out a small cry that I couldn’t hold back.
“Shhhhh! It’s OK. Now, now, now, it’s OK! Just breathe, breathe for Mommy!” She said trying to get me to calm down and just breathe.
She pulled the front of the wet diaper back up over my boyhood and then pulled my covers back up to my chin. “Mommy will be right back, just lay still OK?”
I couldn’t talk, so I nodded my agreement. She was back in a matter of seconds with one of my pills and a fresh sipper cup. It only had water in it as I found out when I took the pill.
“OK now.” She said, taking the cup and setting it on my side table.
“You let Mommy do everything and let me know if you hurt. OK?” She was talking so sweet and soft that it made me relax.
I nodded and she pulled back my blankets again and then the diaper. Ever so gently, she lifted my right leg just enough to get the wet diaper out from under me, then lowered my leg again while she rolled the diaper up and took it over to the can by the door. She quietly set it in so as not to disturb Jamie who at this point, I was hoping, had gone back to sleep. I learned later that he had been secretly watching the entire time.
Even though there was little light in my room since I’d closed my curtains earlier, Mom seemed to be able to make her way around ok. She went to my dresser and pulled out another of the cloth diapers and a pair of the plastic pants but when she brought them over I could see that the pants were different than what I had worn earlier. They were a sort-of clear, brownish-gold color, with snaps on the sides.
With a mother’s touch, she lifted my leg back into the air, slipped the plastic pants under me first and then the cloth diaper, before lowering me onto them. She had to return to my dresser to get a couple pins for the diaper. However, she didn’t come right back to me. Instead, she walked back out of the room, leaving me lying there nude and exposed to the night. I was thankful it was so dark.
I figured out where she’d gone when she came back with a wet washcloth in hand. Before coming over to me she stopped and picked up the towel from the floor that Jamie had dropped there earlier and tossed it into the hamper. She then came over and wiped my diaper area and I’m not exactly sure why, but what she said next embarrassed me so much, I thought I might die.
“It looks like you might be getting a bit of a rash. Mommy will have to get you some diaper cream tomorrow.” Mom said, still in her best Mommy voice. I remember wondering how she could see that as dark as it was. I know Moms have special powers and I guess one of hers is the ability to see in the dark.
When she was satisfied she’d got me cleaned up enough she pulled the diaper up, pinned it into place, and then pulled the front of the plastic up over the diaper and snapped it together on both sides. Before covering me back up, she gave the side of my diaper a pat, leaned forward, and kissed my forehead. “Now you should be OK the rest of the night.” She cooed to me.
She made sure I was tucked in nicely, then went over and dropped the washcloth she’d used on me into the hamper before checking that Jamie was tucked in, then going back to bed herself.
As soon as Mom had left, Jamie sat up in his bed looking at me. I was glad I couldn’t see his face clearly or I probably would have been even more embarrassed.
“How do you stand that?” He whispered.
I knew what he meant and I suppose I should have answered him but instead I just laid still looking at the ceiling. He eventually laid back down but neither of us slept the rest of the night.
When the morning light started to appear around my bedroom curtain Jamie got up, pulled open the curtain, and said; “Good morning” in an almost normal tone which seemed odd since we’d done so much whispering in the night.