Ella lunged forward, her previous anxieties about being thought of as slow now unimportant in her current state. She struggled with the pull up, but Heather reached forward and ripped it off in one swift motion. She threw herself down on the seat just in time. The feeling of relief was pure bliss. She didn’t have to let it out in small spurts, or worry about accidents or leaks. She could sit here and pee as much as she needed and it felt heavenly.
“Were you able to go?” Heather asked. She sounded worried. Ella realised what was missing as a horrible thought crossed her mind. What if she was missing the bucket and peeing on the floor? She looked down between her legs to investigate the lack of sound, but was relieved to see her stream merely hitting the inside of the bucket and quietly flowing down. She re-adjusted herself and spread her legs a little more so it drummed noisily against the bottom of the bucket until she was finished.
“We are one step in the right direction!” Heather cheered. Elle wiped herself before standing back up. Suddenly she was met with a ferocious hug. “You did it! Good job! We will work our way up from here and hopefully we can get you enrolled back in school in the fall!” Ella watched Heather pick up the bucket and move it back behind the head board. Ella then noticed her bed was now closer to the door by several feet to make room. “It’ll be here for you whenever you need it. You don’t need to wait for anyone, or ask anyone. We’ll keep it here behind your bed so you can have some privacy. In a few days when things have settled down and you’ve gotten more used to your surroundings we’ll try for the bathroom again, okay?”
Ella doubted a few days would make much of a difference, but she just nodded along.
“Now, you know what will make you feel even better?” Heather asked with a smile. “A bath!”
And that was how Isabella Marsh became known to the neighbors as the infamous Chicken Pox Streaker of Cedar Circle. It was about to be a long summer.