Tony felt the cool sensation of the powder.

He did as he was told and felt the brief being drawn up between his legs and fastened on one side and then the other.

The smell of baby powder wafted up from his crotch and reached his nose as she finished.

Then he realized what she had done.

She had diapered him!

He rose from the bed in a panic and tried to get up saying,

“No! You can’t do this to me. I’m not a baby.

Please don’t make me wear diapers!”

Rose held him easily on the bed with one hand as she sat down beside him.

She put her arm around his shoulders and said,

“the doctor told me that the medication will make you sleep very heavily.

You won’t wake up if you need to go to the bathroom.

He told me to put you in protective briefs while you sleep.

You’ll wet the sheets if I don’t.”

“These aren’t ‘protective’ briefs, they’re diapers!”, he told her mournfully.

Rose had to admit to herself that in truth, he was right.

They were diapers.

But she didn’t want his feelings to be hurt any more than they had to be.

She told him half-truthfully,

“when little babies wear them, they’re diapers. But adults have to wear them too at times, then they’re called ‘protective’ briefs.

“He looked at her trying to find the deception in her words and said,

“You lied to me! You told me you were putting body powder on me when you were really putting baby powder on me!”

She smiled at his anguished face and said truthfully,

“ baby powder is body powder.

Here, look! See?

It says so right on the back of the bottle!

I use it myself after a bath to keep dry.

“He looked at her with tears in his eyes and said accusingly,

“You told me you put it on me to prevent chafing.

What you really meant was it was supposed to prevent diaper rash!”

Ruth sighed and said, “You’re right.

I fibbed. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“But I don’t want to wear diapers!”, he wailed.

She hugged him to her and said soothingly,

“You’ll get used to them, I promise.”

“But I don’t want to get used to them.

What will my friends say?”, he pleaded.

She smiled and said,

“How will they know if you don’t tell them?

I’m certainly not going to tell anyone.”

“You’re ashamed of me.

If I had a teenaged boy who had to wear diapers living in my house, I wouldn’t want to tell anybody either,” he said reproachfully.

She hugged him again and stroked his hair, saying,

“I’m not ashamed of you Theodore.

You just have a temporary problem that will go away with time.

Try not to get upset about it. Neither doctor seemed to be very worried about it, so I think you shouldn’t worry either.

Now let me get you tucked into bed. It’s time to go to sleep.”

Tucked into bed?”, he quailed,

“I haven’t needed to be tucked in since I was a little kid!”

Rose smiled warmly as she gently forced him to lie back on the bed saying,

“I know you don’t need me to tuck you in, but I want to make sure the pads don’t slip.

You understand that, don’t you?”

Tony nodded sleepily as the medication took effect and she pulled the covers over him and began tucking them around him.

He was almost asleep when she finished with the covers and bent over him to kiss him on the forehead, saying,

“Goodnight, Theodore. Sleep tight.”

“Goodnight mama,” he murmured in his sleep.