Chapter 32
After cleaning things up I brought Kevin down to the kitchen and sat him on a stool at the breakfast bar.
“How would you like chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast?” I asked.
“Ooo, that sounds good. Mom never makes pancakes, she says she can’t do it without burning them.”
“Well, I’m an expert pancake flipper. I’ve never burnt one in my life. Plus, I have a new gluten free pancake recipe that is supposed to be delicious. So what do you say?”
“Yes, please.”
“You have to help though.”
“Okay, what do I have to do?”
Making pancakes from scratch really isn’t that much work, especially when it’s only for two, but I wanted to get Kevin involved, so I said, “I’ll get the ingredients together, but you have to help with the measuring and stirring.”
“Sounds easy enough.”
“It should be,” I said.
I went into the pantry and got together the supplies we needed. (The recipe is a secret, so, I’m not sharing it. But, it’s basically my mom’s using gluten free flour.) I got a mixing bowl and the measuring cups and spoons and put them all in front of Kevin. Then, I went and got two aprons from the pantry, nothing fancy or feminine, just what you’d expect to see a cook wearing who was serious about her business. I put one on myself, then I went around and put the second on Kevin.
I gave Kevin instructions about how much to measure, how to stir it together and when it was done, I could see the apron had been a good idea. Kevin was a mess.
“How’d you manage to get so much flour on you?” I asked.
“Lucky, I guess,” he answered smiling.
“I better get you cleaned up before you spread the flour all over the house. And stop eating the chocolate chips!”
I went over to him and took off the apron, careful to fold it up into itself. Then I got a wash cloth and wiped off Kevin’s face and hands. When he was reasonably clean, I shook my head and said, “What were like as a real baby?”
“Mom says I was like Pigpen from Peanuts, but I never knew what she was talking about.”
“We’ll have to do something about that!” I said. I decided to check Netflix after breakfast for Peanuts cartoons.
I got some syrup out of the fridge and put it in a little sauce pan to warm it up and then I began making the pancakes. I am an excellent cook and I have never burned a pancake and this time was no different. In no time, I had two nice size stacks of golden brown chocolate chip pancakes.
“I’m not cleaning you up again.” I told Kevin, “at least not so soon. Sit still a second.”
I went back into the pantry and into the supplies that had been delivered that morning. I walked behind Kevin and slipped a brand new, baby blue bib around his neck. It had a plain blue terry cloth front and a vinyl back. It was the least babyish bib that the drug store carried. I think it was actually meant for elderly people.
“What’s this? I don’t need this!” he whimpered.
“I think you do.” I said, “and I’m in charge, so you’re going to wear it. So don’t be such a baby about it.”
He snorted at that and said, “Fine.” Kevin has a fine sense of irony for an almost high school freshman.
I poured the syrup into a little pitcher and set it on the counter and the brought over the pancakes. Kevin poured way more syrup on his than he needed making it very sloppy. Kevin was having trouble feeding himself so I took my fork and knife and cut into Kevin’s stack. I mopped up some more syrup and brought my fork towards Kevin’s mouth. “Open Wide!” I said smiling.
He smiled back at me and then shut his mouth and crossed his arms, shaking his head.
“No?” I said and popped the fork into my mouth. “Mmm, yummy. Too bad Kevin doesn’t want any.”
I cut into it again and brought it back to his mouth, this time, he opened up and let me put the pancake in his mouth. There was so much syrup on it that it dripped down his chin and onto his bib. I put kept doing this until Kevin’s stack was about half finished. I cut the rest into little pieces for him and said, “Can you take it from here?” He nodded, so I started working on my own.
A couple of minutes later, Kevin said, “Carrie, could you help me get cleaned up.”
“Give me a minute.” I said, “I want to finish this before it gets cold.”
“Carrie, please. It feels all sticky and gross.”
“That’s what you get for using so much syrup.” I chided.
“Please!”
“Would you let me eat in peace?” I said.
“C’mon, now you’re just being mean.”
“Fine.” I put down my fork and got some wipes. I held his chin and wiped his face then I took his hands in mine and cleaned them up too.
“There, little Kevin is all clean and my pancakes are cold.” I said a bit exasperated.
He looked a bit ashamed and stared down at the floor. “I’m sorry,” he said and I could tell that he meant it.
“It’s okay, pal.” I said with a sigh and I reached over and stroked his hair. My hand came away sticky. “Yuck! How’d you get syrup in your hair?”
Chapter 33
The rest of the morning was pretty mellow. Kevin was kind of subdued and so was I. I think Kevin saw that he had been acting like a bit of a brat and I knew that I had been kind of snippy with him. I tidied up the kitchen while Kevin watched TV. I looked out at him a couple of times and saw that he was sucking on his thumb again and looking thoughtful. He was so cute. It’s funny, I’d much rather see a happy little kid, but there is something adorable about a sad little boy. I figured we ought to make peace.
I went back and got a pacifier and bottle that had been delivered that morning. I gave both of them a good rinse and then filled the bottle with some milk and popped it in the fridge and dropped the binky into the pocket of the apron I had on. I walked over the Kevin and dropped down on the couch next to him and draped my arm over his shoulder.
“Hi, buddy.” I said.
“Hi.” he said back as he snuggled into me. “I’m sorry about before.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“I’m not sure I want to play baby anymore. It’s fun, but I think it’s making me selfish and bratty.”
“I don’t think so. I think you’re a sweetheart. I was kind of grumpy this morning. It shouldn’t have happened the way it did. Besides, I am having fun, too.”
“So, what do you want to do now?”
“Well, I told your mom I’d take care of cleaning things up this week, so I’ve got some work to do.”
“What about the service?” Kevin asked.
“Your mom got a call that the service was short handed this week and couldn’t send anyone. So I said I’d take care of it. It’s just a little vacuuming and dusting.” I actually like cleaning, in moderation. I enjoy the quiet and the time it gives me to be alone with my thoughts.
“I’d help if I could.” Kevin said.
“I know. You’ve got one of the cleanest rooms I’ve ever seen, at least for a teenage boy.”
“I don’t like things messy.”
“Really?” I smirked. “How about your pants?”
“Funny.” Kevin responded. “I’ve got to go, now that you mention it. Could you help me out?”
“Your wish is my command.” I said as I picked him up.
I brought him to the bathroom and we went through our usual routine of my taking of his diaper for him and settling him on the throne. I went out of the bathroom while he was taking care of things and looked around to see if there was any other laundry that needed doing. While I was down the hall, I heard Kevin shout, “Carrie, could you bring some more toilet paper. We’re out.”
“Sure.” I yelled back and stopped in the linen closet where Terri kept the bathroom supplies. Then I had a thought and grabbed the package of wipes I had in my diaper bag. When I came into the bathroom, Kevin was waiting for the toilet paper and he looked a little impatient.
“Thanks,” he said as he reached for the roll of paper.
“Not so fast.” I said. “You haven’t been doing a really good job keeping clean lately.”
“I know,” he kind of whined, “it’s not my fault. I can’t get the hang of doing it lefty.”
“I figured as much. So, I’ll take care of you.”
Kevin began to blush furiously and was about to say something when I took out the pacifier and popped it in his mouth. Interestingly it lived up to its name and pacified him. He looked kind of surprised by it but then began sucking on it.
“Why don’t you work on that while I take care of your other end? Now, lean forward.” I took out a couple of wipes and gave him a good cleaning. I tossed the wipes in the trash and then picked Kevin up and re-diapered him.
As I was carrying him on my hip back to the couch I asked him, “Do you like the binky?”
Kevin just nodded, but his eyes were smiling. “Good,” I said and gave him a kiss on his forehead.
When we were back in the living room and he was settled back on the couch, I said to Kevin. “I’ll make you a deal. If you keep on sucking on the binky and I don’t hear from you until after I’m done cleaning, I’ll have a special treat for you tomorrow. What do you say?”
Kevin nodded again and looked a little excited about the prospect of a surprise treat.
“Great,” I said, “now, what do you want to do?”
He looked at suspiciously.
“What?” I asked, then I realized, “Oh, this isn’t a trick. Quiet time will start after I get going with the cleaning.”
Kevin thought for a few seconds and then smiled. He took out the pacifier and said, “Could you go up to the attic again and get my Matchbox cars?”
“Sure, why not?” I replied and headed for the attic stairs.
I found the matchbox cars easily enough, like I said before everything was labeled, but I also spent a couple of minutes getting out Kevin’s baby book and photo albums. I also opened up a carton that said, “Kevin’s Old Clothes.” I found some interesting garments in their that looked like they’d fit my little man. I grabbed that too.
“What’s taking so long, are you okay?” Kevin called.
“Nothing, just having a look around.” I called back. I put the books and the clothes in my room for future examination and brought the box with the toy cars down to Kevin.
“Sweet!” he said. “Thanks for doing this. One thing that I really don’t like about growing up is putting my old toys aside.”
“Ever see Toy Story 3?” I asked.
“No.”
“Really?!?” I said surprised.
“I guess I missed it.” he said.
“We’ll have to fix that!” I said. I put the bin with the cars in front of Kevin and walked into the kitchen.
I returned with the baby bottle of milk and a package of animal crackers and put them on the coffee table. “Here’s the deal,” I said. “I don’t want to hear from you unless you need to go to the bathroom or if there is an emergency, until I’m done working. You’ve got the TV, you’ve got your toys, and you’ve got a snack. You should be good for at least an hour and a half. Okay?”
“Okay…” then Kevin noticed the bottle. “A bottle? Do I have to?”
“No, but I thought it would be the best way to make sure you don’t spill anything. Plus, it’s a special thermal bottle that will keep the milk nice and cold for you.”
“Okay, I guess,” he said back. He sounded sad, but there was an interesting look on his face.
I popped the pacifier back in his mouth. Gave him a kiss on his forehead and a pat on his backside and then set to work.
Ch. 34
I went back upstairs and got the cleaning supplies out of the linen closet. I started by vacuuming the hallway, but I found I kept glancing into my room at the things I brought down from the attic. I finished the hall and then went into my room and pulled out Kevin’s baby book. The book told me a lot of stuff about Kevin’s birth that Terri had already told me. That he was a preemie, that only weighed about 4 and a half pounds at birth. Then there were pictures of him in the incubator at the hospital that nearly broke my heart and the a picture of his mom and dad taking him home. This was the first time I’d seen a picture of Kevin’s dad, he was very handsome and he and Terri seemed so happy. There were pictures of his christening, he looked about the size of a baby doll, small family though. I saw who is godparents were. I also saw that there were memorial card from their funerals tucked into that page.
I learned he said his first word at nine months, impressive, that he did his first steps at 16 months that was a bit late. So, intellectually he is advanced, physically he’s a bit behind the curve. That made sense. There were pictures of his first and second birthdays, still tiny, but with an intelligent look in his eyes. I thumbed through that for a little while longer then I turned to the photo albums.
I could have spent the whole day looking at them. Kevin and Terri and…, I realized I didn’t know Mr. O’Neil’s first name, anyway, they were a beautiful family that seemed very happy and Kevin was always super cute. I found the picture that Terri told me about and it was almost identical to the picture I sent her that morning. I chuckled a bit at that. Then there were the usual pictures you’d expect to see of a little boy; sitting on Santa’s lap, (I flipped through the years quickly, he had done it every year, right up to last year. I guess being little isn’t all bad.) first day of kindergarten, wearing his Catholic school uniform, Mickey Mouse lunchbox in hand. There were pictures from family parties, gymnastic tournaments, step dancing… Hold on, step dancing? There he was, wearing the traditional boys outfit, white shirt, tie, knee high white socks, and a navy blue, knee length kilt, kicking his legs out. That made me smile. In the next picture, same outfit, blushing and holding a trophy while getting a kiss on the cheek from a very cute little red haired girl in full traditional dress. I’d have to find out more about this.
I noticed that some of the gymnastic outfits he had more in common with the rompers that toddlers wear than they had with the mature outfit Kevin had worn during the exhibition. I looked in the box of old clothes and some of them were in there. I started having some ideas about that.
After about a half hour flipping through pictures and nosing through the box, I figured I’d better get back to the task at hand. I finished cleaning upstairs and then headed down to the main floor. Kevin was seated on the floor in the living room, with his feet stretched out under the coffee table moving his cars through a little playset that looked like a small town. He was totally absorbed. I just don’t get the boys’ fascination with cars, but I had a doll house when I was little and I could spend hours playing with that. (I remember when I was in my teens, I used to love it when my little cousins came over because, I’d sacrifice myself for a couple of hours and play with it with them. Everybody thought I was being the good older cousin, really I just loved the excuse.) Kevin still had the binky in his mouth. The bottle of milk was almost empty and his animal cracker box was lying on its side empty.
I walked over to him and cleared my throat. He looked up and smiled behind his pacifier and waved.
“Hi ya pal. Everything good?” I asked.
He smiled again and gave me a thumbs up.
“Need to go potty?” I asked.
He paused for a second and then nodded.
“You know,” I said, “I didn’t mean for you to be silent when we made our deal. I just wanted some quiet time. You can talk to me.”
He took the pacifier out of his mouth and said, “Oh, I misunderstood the rules…Could you take me to the bathroom?”
“Sure thing.” I said and reached down to pick him up. The I noticed that the front of the diaper was swollen and had a yellow tint to it.
“Uh, Kevin, it looks like you already went.”
“What? No… I…” he looked confused then he put his hand on the front of his diaper and felt it and then he looked worried, even scared and the tears started.
“Didn’t you know you went?” I asked.
He sobbed and shook his head. “I don’t know what happened,” and then the tears really started.
I went down on my knees next to him and put my arms around him. “It’s okay, it’ll be fine, don’t worry.” I said over and over.
Then I said, “Do you still need to go?”
He nodded his head.
“Do you want your pacifier.”
Again a nod. So I slipped the pacifier between his lips and picked him up and brought him to the bathroom.
I decided a call to the doctor was in order.
Re: Summer Nurse
Ch 35.
Once I got Kevin sorted out and in a dry diaper, I settled him on the couch with a fresh bottle and Emmett the Otter. I said, “Why don’t you watch a little TV while I give Doc Tom a call?” He looked up at me and nodded. The tears had stopped by now, but he looked miserable. His eyes were red and puffy and his cheeks had that blotchy blush you see on babies after they’ve had a good cry. I rubbed his back and said, “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”
I went to the phone in Terri’s room because it had all the emergency numbers programmed and because I wanted to be out of earshot of Kevin when I made the call. After the first ring, I heard a cheerful man’s voice say, “Doctor Fisher’s office. The Doctor is in!”
“Hi,” I said, “Is this Doc Tom?”
“It is indeed and based on the caller ID, this must be the lovely and talented Carrie Sullivan and since you didn’t use the emergency number, it can’t be tooooo serious, so, how is our petit pal? ” I could picture him smiling as he said this.
I couldn’t help but chuckle a little at this. “Well, that’s why I’m calling,” Then I chuckled again, “Duh” I said, “why else would I call.”
“Tell me oh my mistress of the obvious, what’s up?”
So, I filled him in on what was going on with Kevin, starting with the first time he began to wet unexpectedly. He asked a few questions, but mainly listened.
“Let me pull up his records…Okay,” he said after a moment of silence, “it sounds like he’s got a bit of a bladder infection. He used to get these a lot when he was little…well littler. He probably doesn’t remember them since the last time he was about 8 years old. Does he have a fever?”
“I’m not sure,” I replied, “I felt his forehead yesterday when he was complaining about the headache, but he felt cool.”
“Well, it might be kind of low grade. Tell ya what, check his temp. If he’s got a low grade fever, the bladder infection is probably what it is and I can prescribe some antibiotics which will clear it all up in a couple of days. Call me back when you’ve got his temp, okay?”
“Sure thing, give me a couple of minutes.”
“Oh, before you go, how’s the stress therapy going?”
“The stress therapy?”
“You know, the diapers and stuff.”
“Oh. I didn’t know you knew.”
“Terri told me before she left.”
So, I filled him in. “That sounds like it’s doing what it’s supposed to. It’s a bit unorthodox, but if it works, I’m all for it.”
I went back down to Kevin and said, “I spoke to Doc Tom and he said it sounds like you might have a bit of an infection. But, I’ve got to take your temperature to make sure. Where does your mom keep the thermometer?
Kevin thought for a moment and then said, “She keeps all that kind of stuff in the cabinet above the fridge.”
“Okay, be right back.” I went to the kitchen and pulled over a chair to stand on while I looked in the cabinet. Right in the front was a digital thermometer which I brought over to Kevin.
“Sooo, let’s see.” I said and tried to turn it on…nothing. “Hey, Kev, you know how to work this thing?”
“Let me see…Looks like the battery’s dead. I think we’ve got more in the junk drawer by the phone in the kitchen.”
Off I went again to do some rummaging through the junk drawer. It was a surprisingly neat junk drawer, but there were none of the button type batteries the thermometer used.
“Does your mom have another somewhere.”
Kevin shrugged and said, “Sorry, I really don’t know. Maybe there’s something in one of the boxes upstairs.”
Once again, I went to the attic. Thank God someone is anal about labeling things. I found more boxes of old clothes, winter clothes, baby clothes, toys, books, baby supplies. Nothing that said “medical” or “first aid.” Then I thought, maybe baby supplies and sure enough, there was a thermometer in its case in with the baby monitor and the mobile and other baby stuff.
“Great!” I said out loud to nobody but myself and headed back to Kevin.
I went into the kitchen, gave it a good washing and brought it to Kevin. “Open up!” I said. Then I realized, oops, wrong end.
“Sorry pal, this looks like its a rectal thermometer.”
“So?” he asked.
“It doesn’t go in the mouth.”
“Ear?”
“Nope.”
“Eww. Really?”
“Sorry. Let me get some vaseline.” I zipped up to the medicine chest and found a jar and a roll of toilet paper and came back down to Kevin.
“Roll over onto your tummy.” I said.
“Is this the only way?” he asked.
“I’m afraid so. Besides, after where it’s been, do you really want it in your mouth?”
“Gross…okay.” he said as he rolled over.
Then I had a thought. “Hang on for a sec.” I said as I dropped down next to him.
“Here, lie over my lap.” When he as in position, I said, “Are you comfortable?”
“I guess,” he replied.
I pulled up his shirt and untaped his diaper folding the back of it away from his hiney. The front of the diaper was still giving me protection in case we had another accident. I poked the thermometer into the jar of vaseline and got a good glob onto it. Then I spread his cheeks and as gently as I could, slipped the thermometer in. Kevin gasped and I could feel his body tense, but then he relaxed.
I held Kevin steady with one hand on his bottom and rubbed his back with the other. I hummed a little tune I remembered my mom humming when I was sick and she was taking care of me, I’ll have to ask what it’s called next time I talk to her. It all seemed to relax Kevin.
When the time was up, I extracted the thermometer and wiped it clean with the toilet paper. 100.0 it read. “Yep,” I said, “you’ve got a fever.” I closed up the diaper and helped Kevin back into a seated position. I went and washed my hands and tossed the toilet paper into the toilet. Then I called Doc Tom back.
“Yeah, that’s what I figured he said…Look, since I’ve got to swing over by your neighborhood this morning anyway, I’ll drop by and double check.”
“Really? You do house calls?” I asked.
“Not usually, but Terri and Kevin are friends. I’ll see you in about 20 minutes. Oh and let Kevin know I know he’s wearing diapers these days. It’ll make this less awkward for us and less work for you.”
And 15 minutes later, Doc Tom was at the door with a medical bag in hand. This time he was wearing Panama hat, a Hawaiian shirt and bright yellow knickers. We exchanged greetings and I think he could tell I was a bit confused. “I have a tee time in a half an hour” he said by way of explanation for his attire.
“Oh,” I said.
“Well, where’s the patient?” I showed him into the living room where Kevin was lying on the couch.
“Hey, my man!” Doc Tom said.
“Hi.” Kevin said back.
“I hear you’re a little under the weather.”
Kevin nodded.
“I think I know what’s bothering you, but I wanted to have a look to be sure.”
“I’ll be right back.” I said as Doc Tom went over to do his examination.
“No, Carrie. Please stay.” He said, “I prefer to have another adult in the room when I do an examination of a child. It’s…well you know, a good policy. Keep it in mind when you have a practice.”
“Gotcha.” I said and had a seat in an armchair across the way.
The exam took less than 10 minutes and when he was done Tom said, “Yeah, it’s what I thought. I’ll call this prescription in to the pharmacy and tell them to deliver it here. You, my friend, should be fine in a couple of days, maybe even by tomorrow. You probably don’t remember this, but this used to happen a lot when you were little.”
He gave Kevin a pat on the head and said his goodbyes and was off.
“See,” I said, “I told you it would be all right.”
Kevin was smiling now. “Thanks for looking out for me,” he said.
“My pleasure. Want to watch TV for a while or do something else?”
“What do you want to do?” He asked in reply.
“Ooo. I get to pick!,” then I thought for a moment and said, “Well, there are some pictures I was wondering about.”
Ch 36
I ran upstairs and got the baby book and the photo albums, then I had an idea, and climbed the stairs for the attic and went through a couple of boxes of Kevin’s things until I found what I was looking for. I slipped everything into a big old dufflebag that was in the attic and went back to Kevin in the living room.
“Okay,” I said, “first I want to get some details about some stuff I saw in the photo albums and then we’re going to play dress up.”
“Oh, come on! I don’t want to play dress up. That’s girly and you promised you wouldn’t ever make me do something embarrassing!” he whined in response.
“First off, you said I get to pick. And I want to play dress up.” I said. I knew I’d get this response. But I thought if he imagined I’d make him wear a dress and makeup, it would be easier to get him to do what I really wanted. Then I added, “And secondly, I always keep my promises. I only want to see you in some of your old clothes. Okay?”
“Well, I guess.”
I sat down on the couch and pulled Kevin up next to me. He cuddled in next to me and I opened the baby book first. “So, tell me who these people are.” After we went through the highlights of that book. I went from there to the photo albums.
“So, Santa?” I asked when I got to the first picture.
“What about him?”
I went through all of the pictures of him on St. Nick’s lap and then got to last years. “Well, what about him?”
Kevin looked a little sheepish and shrugged. “I know about him. Jeez, I’m not a baby. I just always liked the whole Santa and the elves thing and Mom seemed to get a kick out of it…”
“Are you going to do it again this year?”
He blushed a bit and shrugged.
“You are! That is so cute.”
Kevin rolled his eyes and I gave him a little kiss on the top of his head and a little squeeze on his shoulder. “I think that is adorable!” I added.
Then I flipped to the step dancing pictures. “I didn’t know that you did this.”
“Well, I stopped last year when my teacher retired. I’m probably going to start up again once we get settled.”
I smiled at him. He looked a little embarrassed. “It’s great exercise,” he said trying to justify it.
“You don’t have to justify yourself. I think it’s great. All my brothers and sisters and I did step dancing. My grandma insisted. It’s part of your heritage she used to say. I’ll show you some time.”
“Yeah, and it’s a great way to meet girls!” he responded.
I laughed. “Speaking of which, who’s your little friend?” I asked as I flipped to the picture of his dancing partner.
“That’s Moira McDonald. She was my partner when we were little. I think I’m 10 in that picture and she’s about 8. She was really sweet, but we stopped dancing together.”
“How come?” I asked.
“She got bigger than me and it looked funny. Even though I’m two years older than her, it was like she was dancing with her baby brother. She said she wanted me to stay as her partner, but I know she was just being nice…I kind of miss her though.”
“Where is she?” I asked.
“Her mom’s job transferred her up to Toronto when I was in seventh grade. We get Christmas cards from her and her family but that’s about it. Last year’s is probably in here. It’s one of those family picture ones and Mom always keeps those.” He said as he flipped to the back. “Here it is.”
He showed me the picture, it was one of the most beautiful families I’d ever seen. Four girls and a baby boy, each with flaming red hair, wearing Irish knit sweaters and perfect smiles. The oldest girl was about my age. Kevin was pointing to Moira, the youngest girl, she had grown up a lot. She would be gorgeous when she was an adult. He sighed and looked at her wistfully.
“First love.” I thought. Then I said, “maybe we could get in touch with her this summer.”
“Really?!?”
“Sure. Toronto isn’t that far. Do you have a passport?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, we’ll talk to your mom about it after Cape Cod. Okay?”
Kevin looked excited and nervous about it and said, “Ah, yeah. O.K.”
“Now,” I said, “time for Dress Up! Right?”
“No makeup?”
I smiled, “Spoil sport…No, no makeup.”
“Okay then.”
“Cool!…First outfit, Kevin the Step dancer!” I said as I pulled his kilt and dancing shoes out of the dufflebag.
He actually smiled at this one.
“Let’s get you out of those clothes first.” I said as I reached over and pulled of his shirt. I tickled him a bit as I did it and he started giggling.
I helped him into the white dress shirt which he buttoned up and I gave him the tie. “A clip on? Really” I asked.
He laughed a bit at that. “Mom said I need to learn how to tie a real one before I start school. Do you know how?”
“Me? No, I’ve never worn one. I’m a girl, remember. One of my brothers or my dad can teach you when we’re on the Cape. I forgot to mention you need a tie in the dining room.”
“I don’t own one yet.”
“That’s okay, we’re going shopping tomorrow to get you some clothes for the trip and to get you that hair cut. We’ll pick up a tie.”
“Oh. Great.”
“Now, let’s get you into your skirt.” I said.
“It’s not a skirt. It’s a kilt!”
“I know, I’m just teasing.” I wrapped the kilt around his waist and fastened its belt. Then I pulled on his socks.
“All set!” I said. “You know, you would have made a very pretty girl.”
“Stop that.” he laughed. “It’s a kilt and kilts are manly. I am not a cross dresser.”
“Right, if you say so. You know. It would be easier for the diaper changes if you wore one of these all the time though.”
“Not happening.”
“Please?” I asked as I started tickling him again.
“No!” he laughed. “Quit it!”
“Fine. You’re no fun. By the way, how is your diaper?” I said as I slipped two fingers into the leg hole.
“It’s fine, but could you take me to the bathroom? I think I need to go.”
After the pitstop it was time for our next outfit. One of the pictures I had seen was of Kevin as the ring bearer at somebody’s wedding. The outfit was a pair of black knee britches, with a black satin sash, patent leather strapped shoes with white stockings, and a cream colored silk shirt. The britches were a tight fit over the diaper, but it worked out.
He was absolutely adorable. “You’re ready for the next royal wedding.” I said.
“Really feel silly.” he said. “Do I have to do more of these.”
“One more and I’ll take you for ice cream.” I said.
“Deal!” he responded.
So, next was the gymnastics singlet that I had seen in the pictures. I thought it looked like a onesie in the picture. In real life, not so much. But the diaper made the butt stick out in a way that made Kevin look like a tall toddler. Cute, but over all, a disappointment.
“Last outfit, time for ice cream!” Kevin cheered.
“Let’s get you into some street clothes, unless you want to wear your ring bearers outfit.”
“No way, I’d rather wear the kilt.” Kevin said.
“Okay,” I responded, “The kilt it is.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Kevin said back.
“I know, just kidding, but think about wearing it around the house. It would make the diaper changes easier.” I said as I picked up a pair of Kevin’s cargo shorts and helping him into them.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Where do you want to go for ice cream?” I asked. He told me the name of a place in the mall.
At that point, the bell rang and when I opened the door, it was the delivery guy from the pharmacy. “Doc Tom called this in, he also asked me to bring over a rental pediatric wheel chair.” He said as he handed me a small bag and pushed a normal looking wheelchair.
When I tipped him and he left, Kevin said, “Great! now we don’t have to worry about running into someone we know when we’re out!”
CH 37
I was mildly confused about the wheel chair. The prescription had a note attached to it that read, in effect, “I heard about the stroller the hospital gave you. I think this might be a bit less embarrassing for Kevin around here.” Doc Tom is a thoughtful guy.
I said to Kevin, “I thought you didn’t mind the stroller.”
“I don’t,” he said, “if nobody is going to recognize me. But around here, I might run into somebody I know or somebody who might remember me when school starts. This is a small town.”
Makes sense, I thought. “Okay,” I said. “It says I’m supposed to give you one of these pills and a full glass of water every two hours. Might as well start now.”
I walked into the kitchen filled up a glass of water and gave Kevin his medicine. He took it like a good boy and I said as much. He rolled his eyes at me for that.
“Let me get my bag and we’ll get you that ice cream I promised.” I said as a ran upstairs to get my bag. I stopped by Kevin’s room and got some supplies – a clean diaper, wipes, and that sort of thing.
I carried Kevin out to the garage and got him situated in the front seat of the car. I swapped out the stroller for the wheel chair and then we were ready to go.
“Did we buy that stroller thingee or is it a rental?” Kevin asked.
“It’s a rental.” I said.
“And you had to assemble it yourself…That sucks.”
“Yep.” I said as I clicked the garage door opener, put the car into gear and pulled out of the driveway.
We drove a couple of blocks and then I said, “So, where are we going?”
“Oh, do you mind if we do frozen yogurt instead of ice cream? Cause if that’s okay, my favorite place is just by the entrance to the mall. They have 18 flavors of yogurt and you self serve and then mix in the topping you want. It’s great.”
“Well, if you feel that strongly about it…I’m cool with it.”
To make small talk, I said, “When do you turn sixteen?”
“Not until October.”
“So, no driving this summer?”
“No…It’s okay though. I’d probably get stopped by the cops for driving without my mommy. I really don’t mind. None of the other freshman would be able to drive, so I don’t feel like I’m missing anything.”
We pulled into the mall’s parking lot and it wasn’t nearly as crowded as it had been the last time we were there. Good thing, because now I had a wheel chair to navigate and a mob would have sucked. I got the wheel chair from the trunk, opened it up and helped Kevin in. I grabbed my bag and slipped over my shoulder. Then I thought again and said, “Here…Carry this on your lap. No one will be able to tell you’re diapered this way.”
“Great camouflage… a diaper bag to hide my diapers,” he said back.
“It doesn’t look like…”
“I know, I know,” he interrupted. “I’m kidding…Thanks for being thoughtful.”
I rolled Kevin into the mall and he directed me to the frozen yogurt shop. It was all funky colors and neon lights. Kind of cool, in its way, I guess. When we crossed the threshold, a girl’s voice cried out. “Oh my God, Kevin! Is that you?” Kevin and I looked over to the source and behind the counter was Ashley Dunn, the girl from Church.
Ashley stepped from behind the counter and walked over to Kevin. She knelt down in front of him and said. “Wow, Kevin! I heard the gymnastics thing. What actually happened? How long are you going to be like this?”
Kevin was blushing furiously and seemed to have lost the ability to talk. So, I spoke for him, “He sprained both ankles and his wrist. The doctor wants him off his feet at least until Tuesday. No crutches because of the wrist, so he’s stuck in the wheel chair.”
“Aw…you poor little guy! I’m so glad it’s not worse,” she said to Kevin with the same sweet/sad smile I’ve seen kindergarten teachers give their charges to console them when they fall down and hurt themselves. Then to me she said, “Wow, I’m being rude. Hi, Carrie. It’s nice to see you!”
“You too, Ashley. How are things?”
“Pretty good…Summer job at Mom’s fro-yo place. Not a bad gig. It’s pretty dead right now, but it’s usually hopping” She chuckled.
Now I could see why this was Kevin’s favorite place. He did have a crush on Ashley. Even if he was going to be embarrassed by it, he was loving her fussing over him.
Then Ashley called out, “Mom, could you come here?”
Ashley’s mom came out of the back room. She was a taller, somewhat heavier version of her daughters. She had a really sweet face though. “What’s the matter sweetheart?” she asked as she stepped behind the counter.
“Kevin O’Neil is here with his cousin.” Ashley replied.
“Oh, Kevin! How are you?”
This time Kevin remembered how to speak and replied, “I’m okay, Mrs. Dunn. Thanks for asking, just sprains, but I’m off my feet until next week.”
“Oh, you poor thing! I was there when you had your accident. I’m so glad it isn’t worse. I think the best thing to get you better is some calcium rich fro-yo. It’s on the house for you both.”
“You don’t have to…” I started to protest.
“No, no. Kevin is such a good influence on my youngest guy, it’s the least I can do…But I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Rita Dunn.” She said as she held out her hand with a big smile.
“I’m Carrie Sullivan. I’m staying with Kevin while his mom is out of town.” I replied smiling as I took her hand in mine.
“Beth Fisher told me about you. You’re off to Med School in the fall. I think Ashley has aspirations in that regard. Maybe the two of you could sit down some time and she could pick your brain.”
I looked over at Ashley who rolled her eyes but smiled. “Be glad to,” I said.
Ashley stood up and said, “Let’s do this. Can I help Kevin get his yogurt?”
“Sure.” I said as Ashley took the handles of the wheel chair and moved Kevin over to the machines. She was whispering something to him and he was shaking with laughter.
Rita called me over so that we were out of earshot and whispered to me, “I think Kevin has a crush on Ashley.”
I chuckled, “Ya think? Is it mutual?”
“Might be. It’s hard to say. She really likes him and knows he’s only a little younger than her, but I think she sees him more like a little boy that needs looking after than a possible boyfriend.”
“I know the feeling.” I whispered back.
“Now, you go help yourself to anything you’d like. Then we can all sit and talk for a while.” Rita said in her normal voice.
Once Ashley, Kevin and I had gotten our treats, Rita joined us at a table.
“Rita,” I started, “where would do you bring your son to get a haircut? Kevin needs one before we head up to Cape Cod on Saturday and he doesn’t have a barber in town yet.”
“Snips and Snails here in the mall. They are great with little boys and they look really cute…er… handsome when they are done.” She responded and glanced over at Kevin who was totally absorbed in Ashley.
“Need an appointment?” I asked.
“Yeah, usually a week in advance. But if you want, I’ll call over for you and get you one tomorrow. It’s a professional courtesy the shop owners here in the mall extend each other.”
“Please.”
“What time?”
“Try for 10, but anytime in the morning will be fine.”
“So you’re going to Cape Cod?” Ashley asked.
“Yeah, my family is having a reunion there. It’s kind of a tradition. Kevin’s coming too.”
“I love the Cape.” Rita said, “But I haven’t been there since Heather was born.”
“Have I been there?” Ashley asked.
“Yes, but not since you were in diapers.” Rita answered.
Ashley blushed a bit and said, “Mother!” But Rita just smiled at her.
I noticed Kevin blush a little, too.
We chatted for a while longer and then some customers started to come into the store. “We’d better be going,” I said, “But, could I return this favor? Would you like to come to our place for dinner tomorrow?”
“My husband and I have an engagement tomorrow,” Rita said, “But the girls can if they want.”
“I’d love to and I’m sure Heather will want to come too. But we can’t leave Mark out. Can we bring him too?”
“Mark?” I asked.
“He’s their little brother and the littlest guy on my gymnastics team.” Kevin replied, then added, “Of course he can. I don’t want to be totally out numbered by girls!”
“Well, it’s settled then! How does six sound?” I asked.
“Sounds good to me,” Ashley said. We said our goodbyes and I began pushing Kevin to the door.
Ashley called out, “Carrie! Come here a sec.” I locked the wheels and said to Kevin “Be right back.”
“What’s up?” I asked
In a very low voice, Ashley said. “I think Kevin’s diaper is wet. You can change him in the family restroom around the corner.”
Re: Summer Nurse
Ch 38
I looked at Ashley for a second with my mouth open and then she said, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul…I babysit a lot and when I was talking to him, I heard a familiar sound.”
“Wow…Okay…” I replied. “Thanks, I’ll take care of it when we get home…But, please…”
She cut me off and said, “Really, don’t worry. I won’t even let Kevin know that I know. But what’s going on?”
“Bladder infection. It seems he gets them on occasion.”
“What are you doing for it?”
“Doc Tom prescribed antibiotics and plenty of water to flush the infection. Well, that and time.”
“Aw, poor little guy,” she whispered. Then loudly she said, “So, it’s agreed then, I’ll bring the dessert.”
“Thanks, that sounds good.” I said out loud and then more softly, “Really, thanks.”
She winked at me as I left and took Kevin to the car. When I was in the parking lot I asked Kevin, “How are you feeling?”
“Fine, why?” he asked.
“How’s the diaper?”
“Hmmm, oh…” he said as he shifted his weight…“Oh God, I wet myself in front of Ashley and I didn’t even know it!”
“Calm down, calm down.” I said, “It’s the infection, you don’t have any control over it.”
“Do you think she noticed?” he asked, panicked.
“I’m sure it’ll be alright.” I responded avoiding the question.
“If she noticed…this is awful. How can I see her tomorrow?”
“Don’t worry.” I said. “Look, it’s obvious she likes you. I don’t think your being sick is going to change that.”
“You think she likes me?” he asked hopefully.
“Yeah, I really do.” I answered truthfully. Although I thought, “But probably not the way you’d like her to.”
“Now, can we get you home so I can change you?” I added
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Doses of medicine with plenty of water, followed by diaper changes; watching TV, playing board games, a simple dinner of soup and salad. More medicine, more water, more diaper changes. Then, just before we went to bed, Kevin asked me to take him to the bathroom so he could pee.
“That’s good sign!” I said cheerfully. “Maybe, you’re getting over the infection.”
“God, I hope so. I would really like to be out of diapers tomorrow when the Dunns come over.”
“I don’t blame you.” I said, “But we’ll have to play it by ear.”
“What do you mean?” Kevin asked.
“Even if you’re not wearing a diaper tomorrow, we should probably go with pull-ups. You know, just in case.”
“I guess you’re right,” he said glumly.
“Come on.” I said, “Let’s get you ready for bed and we’ll see what Frodo, Sam and the boys are up to.”
Chapter 39
The next morning, I got up early like I usually do and gave Terri a call on Skype. Before I went to bed, I sent her an email letting her know what was going on and telling her I’d give her a call around 7:00 my time which was lunch time for her. We chatted a little bit and she said she thought I was handling everything the best way possible. She make a joke that I should be getting combat pay. Before I signed off, she asked me to have Kevin give her a call when he was up and dressed. She wanted to have a chat with him after they had missed each other yesterday. I also saw that I had a text from Mrs. Dunn that she was able to get an 11:00 appointment at “Snips and Snails” for Kevin’s haircut.
Then, I hit the treadmill for about an hour. It is kind of boring compared to running outside, but as long as Kevin is laid up, I guess it’s for the best. I watched the news as I ran. The thing I was most interested in was the weather since we had guests coming that evening and I wanted to eat outside on the patio. It looked clear to me. I finished my run and then straightened up the house. It wasn’t too bad to begin with, actually, but I wanted to put the toys away and I still had the close from yesterday’s “Dress-up” session to get back in the attic.
When everything was away and the house ship shape as my grandfather used to say, I figured I should get Kevin out of bed. I went and filled the bath tub with warm water and then I walked into his room to wake him up. Every time I did this it brought a smile to my face. This time, he had kicked his sheets off and was lying on his tummy with Emmett the otter under his arm and his thumb plunged into his mouth. It has been a hot night so all he went to bed in was his diaper and a tee-shirt. I could see his diaper was totally saturated. I walked over to him and gently placed my hand on his back and gave him a little shake. “Hey buddy, time to get up!” I whispered into his ear.
“Okay, Mommy.” he mumbled back and then rolled over. I felt my heart jump when he said that.
I gave him another minute and said, “C’mon pal, got to get rolling.”
“Huh,…Oh sure…’morning Carrie.” he mumbled as his eyes slowly opened.
“Big day ahead, lets get you cleaned up. Okay?”
By now he was basically conscious and sitting up. He said, “Right, sure…um, I’m pretty wet…”
“No foolin’” I said. “Let’s get you into the bath. But first…” I gave him his morning does of anti-biotics and a glass of water. “Drink it all!” When that was accomplished,
I leaned over and grabbed him under the arms, “Upsy daisy!” I sang as I dropped him on my hip and carried him to the bathroom.
“Now,” I said, “we have an 11:00 appointment for your hair cut so we don’t have a lot of time to waste this morning. Plus, your mom wants you to give her a call after you’ve gotten cleaned up.”
“No problem.” Kevin said as I laid him on the floor and undid his diaper. He sat up and I helped him get his shirt off.
“We need to change these bandages today, I think. They are getting kind of ripe.” I told him.
He just nodded as I lifted him up and lowered him into the tub. “Can you take care of yourself this morning, or do you want some help?” I asked.
“No, I’m good.” he responded.
“In that case, I’m going to get the bandages together. Be right back. Will you be alright?” Part of my training was telling me “never leave a baby alone in the bathtub.” But Kevin isn’t really a baby. In fact, he was certainly old enough and usually mature enough to be a babysitter. So, no problem, I thought. “Call me if you need anything.” I added before I left.
I could feel him rolling his eyes. “Okay, Mommy!” he said sarcastically. My heart didn’t jump quite so much this time. I gave Kevin about 10 minutes and then came back in. “Almost done?” I asked.
“Yeah, but what about my hair?”
“They’ll wash it when you get your haircut.” I told him. “I’ll just comb it neat before we go.”
“Okay. In that case, all done.”
I let the water out of the tub and picked Kevin out, wrapping him in a nice fluffy towel.
“I was thinking, we’ll stick with the Pampers for this morning and maybe by this afternoon when the Dunns are over the infection will be under control and we can switch to pullups. What do you think?” I asked.
Kevin grimaced a bit, but said, “Yeah, that’s probably for the best.” So, I diapered him, re-bandaged his wrist and ankles and got him dressed in a pair of cargo shorts and a polo shirt. I wet comb and did my best with the unruly mop on the top of his head. When I was done, he looked presentable. “All right. You need to call your mom and I need to take my shower.” I told him. I picked him up and carried him to the computer. “I’ll see you in a few.” I said as I left the room.
I got my shower supplies together and my clothes for the day together and then headed down the hall to use the deluxe shower in Terri’s room. Ah, heaven. When I have a house, I’m getting a set up like this even if it means all my furniture comes from Ikea. I finished up and dressed myself in a polo shirt and a pair of capris. I dropped my stuff by my room and then knocked on Kevin’s door.
“Come in.” he said. Kevin was in front of his computer with a headset on smiling and nodding as he spoke with his mom.
“…Okay mom. Love you too. Do you want to say anything to Carrie, she just walked in…Oh, I’ll ask… Carrie do you need to talk to mom?”
“No, I’m good” I said as I leaned down and waved into the camera. Terri waved back with a big smile.
“She says she’s good…love you lots…talk to you soon…bye bye.” He said and ended the connection with a sad little sigh.
I smiled at him and rubbed his back. “Let’s get you breakfast so we can get going to the mall.”
About 15 minutes and a diaper change later (not a good sign) we were on the road to the mall.
When we got there the parking lot was pretty empty. The mall opens at 9:00 for senior citizen walkers and the shops open at 10:00. It was about 10:30 when we got there so most of the action hadn’t started yet. I got the wheelchair out of the car and helped Kevin in. Snips and Snails was on the second floor of that mall’s atrium, right next to the main food court. After some searching we found the elevator and rode up to a part of the mall I hadn’t been in yet. It was kind of cool. It was all kind of upscale shops that would cater to kids – A Build a Bear workshop, Lego store, Pottery Barn for Kids, Gap Kids, Baby Gap and of course, Sugar and Spice girls’ salon and Snips and Snails boys’ barbershop.
It turned out that the salon and the barbershop were the same business. There were separate entrances for the boys and girls and the boys’ side of the shop (kind of a Honey I Shrunk the Kids decor with barber chairs that looked kind of like saddles on the backs of snails) was different from the girls’ side (which was very pink and looked like something out of a Carebears cartoon.) but it was all one big shop. In the middle were some seats around a TV and some kind of cool looking preschool toys. There was also a coffee maker and today’s papers. So, we went in the boys entrance and spoke to the receptionist.
“Hi, I have an 11:00 appointment for Kevin O’Neil for a haircut.” I said
“Oh, hi!” the very bubbly receptionist said back as she looked down the list, “Yep, he’s right here. You’re just a bit early Kevin. Do you guys mind waiting in the waiting area until your barber gets in?”
“No problem.” I said back.
“Sweet. Can I get you some coffee or something?” She said to me.
“Yes, please!” I said realizing I needed some caffeine just then.
“And would Kevin like some milk or apple juice?” She asked Kevin but was looking at me for the response.
“Milk, please.” Kevin said. And I nodded.
“White or chocolate?”
“Oh, Chocolate please” Kevin replied. The young woman looked at me and I nodded again.
“I’ll bring it right over!” she said.
Kevin and I settled into the waiting area which was really very comfortable. The girl brought over our drinks in disposable paper cups and I realized that she couldn’t have been any older than Kevin. So I asked her, “Where do you go to school?”
“Memorial High School,” she said, “I’m a rising sophomore.”
“Yep,” I thought same age as Kevin, could even be younger.” “How is it you’re working here.”
“It’s my mom’s place, so we can bend the labor laws a bit….How about Kevin where does he go to school?” She asked me.
“He’s new in town and is starting at St. Albert’s once school begins.”
“Wow, Kevin, I’ll bet you’re excited!”
Kevin looked at her and nodded.
“Bit shy? That’s okay. You are a real cutie. You’re going to be fighting the girls off when you’re older. If you were my age…” she got cut off because the barber had just walked over and said, “Lara, is this my 11:00 appointment?”
We all moved over the first snail and I helped Kevin in. The barber smiled at Kevin and said “Hi, Kevin, I’m Dominic. You’re not afraid are you?…No?…Good…What are we looking for in a haircut?” This last question was directed at me.
I looked at Kevin, “You don’t want a crew cut, do you?”
Kevin looked at me and violently shook his head. “So,” I said, “no crew cut.” I pointed at a picture of a little boy with moderately short hair parted on the side. “How about that?” Kevin said “Yes, please.”
I pointed it out to Dominic. “Great, I love doing the classic cuts. Everybody does these trendy things. It’s like they want to make the little guys look like hipster Mini-Me’s. If I see one more toddler wearing a fedora, I’ll puke.” he laughed. “Now you can either stay and watch or you can be sit and be comfortable either way, I’ll need about a half an hour.”
“I think I’ll sit…Will you be okay, buddy” I asked Kevin. He smiled and gave me a thumbs up. I kissed him on the forehead and walked back to the sitting area. I heard Dominic saying, “So is she your girlfriend? Does she have an older sister?” And I heard Kevin laughing. Good start I thought.
I wandered over to the girls’ section and was looking at the stuff in the boutique thinking I should probably get some stuff for the nieces and nephews before we head to the Cape tomorrow. Everything was so pink! I picked up some really girly-girl hair decorations and costume jewelry and went over to the register to pay. Lara was manning the register and asked me who these things for. I told her that Kevin and I were going up to Cape Cod and I wanted to bring some stuff for the little nieces and nephews.
“Is Kevin your brother?” she asked.
“Cousin.” I said in reply.
“I thought there was a family resemblance. He really is cute. You’re very pretty too. I wish I had hair like yours.”
“Thanks,” I said. “It’s nice of you to say that.”
“Say, do you want to get your nails done while you’re waiting for Kevin?”
“Err…”
“Don’t worry we’ve got grownup colors, too. I’ll get Maria over to help you out if you’re interested.”
“Sure, thanks.” I said.
So, about 20 minutes later I had one of the nicest nail jobs since my senior prom and Kevin was freshly shorn. I walked over to see him. He looked absolutely adorable and even younger than I was used to seeing him.
“Wow, you look really handsome” I said as I picked him up out of the snail chair and lowered him into the wheel chair. Then to Dominic I said, “Great job! Thanks.”
“Thanks, it was a pleasure. Your cousin is a very nice boy. He told me a lot about you. Good luck at Hopkins next year!”
I went over to the register to settle up and then rolled Kevin out of the shop. “You two had a nice little conversation.” I said.
“It was funny, he was really easy to talk to…Before we do anything else, could you take me to the bathroom?”
I got Kevin to the family restroom and he had no trouble getting to the toilet and taking care of business. “This is promising!” I said to him.
“Yeah! I really want to do pull ups tonight instead of diapers.” Then he chuckled, “I don’t think to many rising freshmen make statements like that.”
“Nope.” I laughed.
Before we left the mall, we stopped in the Lego shop and I picked up a supply of age appropriate toys for my nephews. You can say all you want about gender neutral toys. Little girls like jewelry and little boys like Lego. We made a stop at the supermarket to pick up supplies for dinner and then headed home.
It was already about 3:00 when we pulled in the drive way. I suggested Kevin take a little nap before our guests arrived, he agreed right away. I think the anti-biotics were making him a bit drowsy. After a quick trip to the bathroom where Kevin again was dry and able to use the toilet, I laid him down on his bed for a nap telling him I’d wake him in an hour. This gave me an hour of quiet to get things ready for our little party.
Chapter 40
Just as I closed the door on Kevin’s room, the phone rang. It was Ashley asking if it was alright for her and Heather and Mark to come at 5:00 rather than 6:00. “Mark,” she said, “was having some issues and he needs to be home earlier than we planned.” She told me she’d fill me in once they got there. I told her it wasn’t a problem at all. Then she asked, “Do you like mocha?” I told her I did and she said great.
Getting dinner together was easy, it was going to be a barbecue of burgers, hot dogs, salad, and corn on the cob on the back patio. So, I began by putting away everything that I thought might be embarrassing for Kevin if Ashley, Heather, and Mark were to find them – bottles, pacifiers, bibs, sippy cups, but I left the Legos and the toy cars nearby figuring it might be good for entertaining Mark.
At 4:15, I went into Kevin’s room to wake him. He was lying on top of his covers curled into a ball with his thumb in his mouth. The thumb sucking gets me every time I see it. It is so adorable and seems so natural for him. I made a mental note to ask Terri about his thumb sucking the next time I talk to her. I leaned over a gave Kevin a little nudge on the shoulder. “Time to get up, buddy.” I said.
“Mmmhmm.” he said as his eyes fluttered open. Then he realized that he was sucking his thumb. He looked up at me I could see he was beginning to blush. I winked at him and said, “Don’t worry, I didn’t see anything.”
He grimaced, “I don’t normally do that…Do I?”
“Pretty much ever time I’ve woken you up.” I said.
Now he was really blushing.
“After what we’ve been through together, that’s embarrassing you?” I laughed.
Now he chuckled. “That is kind of silly, I guess.”
“C’mon. Do you need the bathroom?”
“Yes, please.”
I hoisted him on my hip and carried him to the bathroom. When I got his diaper off, it was completely dry. “This is good,” I said, “you haven’t leaked a drop all day. The infection must be passing. Do you want to try wearing a Goodnite and boxers instead of a Pamper while our guests are here?”
“I’d prefer just boxers…but that probably is taking too much of a chance. So, yes, please.” Kevin responded.
“I think that’s a good choice. Be right back,” I said and walked up to Kevin’s room and collected the needed supplies.
Once Kevin was dressed, I gave him a once over and told him, “You can’t even tell that you’ve got the Goodnite on.”
“I really hope you’re right.”
“Oh, nearly forgot, The Dunns are coming over at 5:00, not six.”
“How come?” he asked.
“I’m not sure, Ashley called and asked if it was okay. She said Mark was having ‘issues’ and needed to be home earlier. I told her it wasn’t a problem.”
“Fine.” Kevin shrugged.
“Actually, it’s good because we can take a quick shot over to the mall after dinner now and see about getting you some of the clothes you need for the Cape. I was going to do it in the morning, but this will take some of the pressure off.”
“Sounds good to me.” Kevin said.
We took care of the last few things we needed for dinner. Actually, I took care of them and Kevin sat on one of the stools telling me where everything was. He definitely wanted to help more, but his immobility made that impossible.
As I was chopping up some vegetables for the salad, I said “So, tell me about Ashley and Heather.”
I glanced over at Kevin to see he was blushing. I smiled and said, “Well…?”
“They are just girls from Church.” he stammered.
“Really?” I teased, “Is that all?”
“Well, they are both really pretty. And Ashley is really sweet. Heather is nice too, but she’s kind of silly. Ashley is going to be a senior at St. Albert’s and Heather is a rising sophomore. I met Ashley when they had orientation for new students at St. Albert’s she was in charge of my group.”
“And Mark?” I asked.
Kevin smiled, “He’s their little brother. I didn’t know they were related until I saw them all in Church together. He’s a really nice little guy.”
“How old is he?” I asked.
“I think he’s about 7, but he’s kind of like me and really small for his age.”
“Does he go to St. Albert’s, too?”
No, he’s in special needs program at the public school. He was adopted by the Dunns when he was an infant. His mom drank a lot when she was expecting him and he has…shoot, I forget what it’s called.”
“Fetal alcohol syndrome?” I supplied.
“Yeah, that’s it. Mom said it’s a mild form of it, but he’s never really going to grow up.”
“He does gymnastics though?” I asked.
“Yeah, well, kind of not really. Our coach took a bunch of us to his school for an exhibition. He liked it so much he begged his mom and dad to let him take lessons. Coach is a really good guy and he couldn’t say no, so Mark comes to practices and exhibitions and he suits up like the rest of us and some of the older guys and I help him with some of the tumbling stuff. He likes it and, well, he is a nice little guy.”
“That’s really nice.” I said.
“Oh, just so you’re prepared, Mark’s a hugger.”
We finished everything up and I moved Kevin over to the couch to await our guests.
Right at 5:00 the doorbell rang and I went over to welcome our guests. As soon as the door opened up, a tiny blond haired blur flew in and hugged me around my knees. “Well, hello!” I said smiling as I leaned down and picked him up under his arms, “you must be Mark!”
He wrapped his little arms around my neck and kissed me on the cheek. I shifted him a bit so that he was sitting on my hip and my arm was cradling his bottom. By the feel of things, I could tell that his underwear and Kevin’s were fairly similar.
Then I turned to Ashley and Heather. “Hi! and welcome.” I said as I pushed the door wide so that they could come inside. Ashley came through first. She was dressed in a pale blue sundress that brought out color in her eyes. Over one shoulder she was carrying what could only be a diaper bag.
“Hi, Carrie!” Ashley said, giving me a kiss on the cheek and taking Mark into her arms. “Do you remember Heather?”
“Of course I do. Hello Heather, I’m glad you could join us.”
Heather gave me a big smile and a kiss on the cheek too. Heather had on a pair of white capris and a pink tee-shirt. She held up a white bakery box and said, “We come bearing gifts, fresh from the gluten free bakery! Where’s Kevin?”
“Right this way!” I said as I ushered our guests into the living room.
Kevin was sitting up on the couch and started saying “Hi…” as Mark pulled out of Ashley’s grasp ran straight at Kevin. Kevin caught him with surprising gentleness and firmness and said, “Easy, buddy, I’m wounded!” The little boy looked like he might cry, but then Kevin grabbed him under the arms and swung him onto his lap. Mark hugged him around the neck. Kevin looked at me and winked. I started to laugh and so did Ashley and Heather. Yet another reminder that Kevin really is a young man and not a little boy.
“Kevin,” I said, “I bet Mark would like to see your Matchbox collection.”
“What do you think, Mark? Want to see my car collection?”
Mark beamed and nodded his head up and down. Kevin began to take the cars out of their box one at a time explaining every one to Mark. The girls and I walked into the kitchen.
“What can I get you girls to drink? We have some fresh brewed raspberry iced tea, sodas, orange juice and some flavored waters.”
“The iced tea sounds good to me,” Heather responded.
“Sounds good to me,” Ashley chimed in.
“We’ll make that three then.” I said as I got the pitcher from the fridge. “How about for Mark?”
Ashley reached into her bag and pulled out a sippy cup, “do you have milk?”
“Absolutely.” I responded and handed her the bottle.
Ashley filled up the sippy cup and screwed the top back on. Then she said, “Carrie, I’m really grateful for you for being understanding and changing the time for dinner on short notice. I told you Mark was having ‘issues’ so we had to get home a bit earlier. I didn’t want to talk about it over the phone because Mark is sensitive about it and he was in the room with me.
“Mark started wetting his pants again a couple of days ago so Mom put him back into Pullups. We have an appointment with Doc Tom tomorrow evening to see what’s going on. He wants us to monitor Mark’s sleep, fluid intake and output for twenty-four hours before the appointment. He said everything should be as routine as possible. Normally Mark gets his bath at seven, a story at 7:30 and is asleep at 8:00. We usually keep to this pretty strictly, but we would have made an exception for tonight, but because of the doctor…”
“I understand completely and it was no bother.” I responded. Then I grinned and said, “I thought I felt something under his clothes when I picked him up.”
Heather sighed, “Don’t let Mark hear you say that. He is so sensitive about needing the Pullups. It’s silly though, he has always worn diapers to bed and like a third of his classmates wear them to school. Ashley and I take care of him and we never make fun of him. You’d think he’d be okay with the whole thing. You’re lucky you don’t have do deal with diapers with Kevin.” Then she chuckled, “Anyway, he’s big enough to change himself if he needed them.”
I glanced over at Ashley who caught my eye and shook her head a little. I’m sure she kept her promise not to tell anyone about Kevin.
“It’s hard to figure little boys.” I said. “Speaking of which, let’s see how ours are doing.”
I got Kevin’s wheelchair and then we walked into the living room where Mark was sitting on Kevin’s lap totally enthralled with the cars that Kevin was describing for him. As soon as he caught sight of the wheelchair, Mark jumped up and ran to it. I started to say, “How about we move out to the patio…” when Heather let out a little gasp. Everybody looked where Heather was looking. A big wet patch covered Kevin’s lap. Kevin and I made eye contact. He shifted around a bit and then shook his head. Then I looked down at Mark who had tears running down his face as Ashley knelt down and hugged him. The whole rear of his pants was wet and he was dripping onto the hardwood floor.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Ashley soothed him.
“Kevin…thinks…I’m…a…bbbabbby…” Mark said between sobs.
“No, of course he doesn’t,” she said to him and she looked over Mark’s head to Kevin.
Kevin waved for her to bring Mark over to him. Kevin opened his arms for Mark to climb into his lap, but he stayed rooted in place.
“I don’t think you’re a baby.” Kevin said, “Accidents like this happen…even to big boys.”
Mark was still crying and seemed inconsolable. Then I could see Kevin make a mental decision. “I’ll tell you a secret if you absolutely promise not to tell anyone ever.”
This got Mark’s attention. “Do you promise?” Kevin pressed.
Mark nodded.
“Sometimes, I have the same problem you do, so I have to wear Pullups to bed and sometimes even during the day.” Mark didn’t seem convinced.
Then Kevin said, “I have one on right now. I’ll show you…” Then he added, “Carrie, could you help me out?”
I stepped over to Kevin who had lain back. I helped him undo his shorts and pulled them down to his thighs and then I rolled back to the top of his boxers so that the Goodnite was visible. Mark’s eyes widened and he stopped crying. Heather’s eyes widened, too and her jaw dropped open. I helped Kevin get dressed again and then helped him to sit up.
“Okay?” Kevin asked. “Now, you’ve got to remember your promise.”
Mark made the universal crossing his heart symbol and then climbed onto Kevin’s lap. Kevin said, “that’s my buddy!” and give him a kiss on the top of his head.
We were all quiet for a moment and then Heather said, “Carrie, could you help Mark into some dry clothes. Ashley and I need to talk to Kevin.”
I was a bit surprised by the request, but said, “Uh, sure.” Mark grabbed the diaper bag and I took his hand and led him to the guest bathroom for a change. He was very docile as I did this. It was like being changed by a stranger was the most normal thing in the world to him.
When I got back, Ashley said, “We’ll wait out on the patio while you help Kevin out.
Once they were outside, I pulled Kevin into my arms, supporting him in front of me rather than on my hip. I thought this would look more dignified if the girls saw us.
“That was very nice of you.” I said as I lowered Kevin onto the counter of the bathroom.
“He just seemed so miserable. I had to do something,” he responded.
“Still, very nice. What did the girls say?”
Now he smiled a little. “They said that it was brave of me to do what I did and that I was the nicest boy they had ever known and that they would die before they would ever tell anyone about me… Then they both kissed me.”
“Well, I agree. One hundred percent” and I gave him a kiss on the cheek.