✅ Over Protected

54. Alice Likes Fish

"I guess she looks happy," Sarah conceded, as I made grabby hands to request more finger food from whoever happened to see. "We'll have to see how she gets on at home. I'm still worried about her."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Monique reassured her. "The pressure of having to act your age is always tough, and her condition will only be making it harder. I've seen it before with Jinny, when she's somewhere like this with her peers. There's not the expectation on her to try, and she can let it happen and take a little break. Maybe it would be good for you too, not worrying so much about what's expected of you. Usually Jinny does so much better afterwards, when she cn feel more comfortable with her situation."

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. "I'll look into it more, I just want to understand. But now's the fun day out, right? We can talk about the serious stuff when we're home."

"I think there's other things you and your mummy need to talk about," Monique said, and Sarah turned her attention back to her own meal. There were things she didn't want to discuss, but she knew there was only so long she could put it off for. I might have been vaguely aware that there were things going unsaid, but I didn't really pick up on anything until I came to think about it later. It was just beyond the thoughts of a little baby.

When dinner was over, one of the other mummies helped to clean all the food off my face, while I wriggled a bit because I wanted to go and play. I knew that I should behave, but now I wasn't thinking so hard about the food in front of me, I'd started looking down at all the slides again, and I couldn't watch people playing without wanting to join them.

"She really is enjoying herself," Scott said with a smile, and then bent down to talk to Piggy about me. That made me laugh again, and then when Scott told me that Piggy was excited about going home, suddenly it was the only thing on my mind. I could show Piggy my room, and teach him how to play, and we were all going to have so much fun. I was impatient again, but this time all the grown-ups started laughing.

""This young man knows a thing or two," Monique said, and smiled. "I think we should declare you an honorary Mummy."

"No thanks," Scott said, and hurried off to one of the private changing rooms before anybody could say anything else. Monique looked perplexed for a moment, but Mummy just put a hand on her arm and told her that she didn't want to ask. And then we were walking back along the balconies, and with each step I got a little more excited about showing Piggy where I lived.

Some of the babies made it hard to get them back into their regular clothes, so their mummies just strapped them back into their buggies as they were. I thought I could have done that as well; I'd almost dried out while we were having dinner, except for my soggy diaper. But I wanted to be good as well, and I lay back and let Mummy dress me so long as she gave Piggy back to me after every time she needed to take something off or put something on over my hands. It was like a game trying to keep all the hands from getting tangled up, and it was the perfect end to a perfect day. Mummy put me back in rainbow diapers for the ride home, and helped me to count all the different colours as she put me back into clothes that included a red top, orange socks, a yellow hairband, and all the other colours too. By the time I was fully dressed, I was really happy to know that I was wearing a whole rainbow.

I didn't remember the drive home. This time, it might actually have been because I nodded off. But I was waving bye-bye to Jinny and Monique and all my new friends, and before I knew it Sarah was unbuckling me to help me out of the car at home.

As soon as the front door was open, I was trying to run up the stairs so I could show off my room to Piggy. I fell down pretty quickly, because my legs were all wobbly, but Scott quickly picked me up and carried me to my room. It was so easy to get carried away showing my new toy around, and letting all of the other dolls cuddle him. I didn't need to think about anything else, and I didn't really notice when Scott left the room again. I heard the voices talking downstairs, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.

It was quite a bit later that my thoughts started to be more structured again, and I might have been able to put them into words. And then I knew that I should make sure Sarah was okay. I left Piggy to cuddle new friends on the bed, and just took Reggie with me for moral support. After all the diaper changes in the day, and how wet they had been even if I didn't have an accident, it was no surprise that my brain had felt super, extra fuzzy. But I thought I was starting to feel like a big girl again, and I could find my way downstairs if I was careful and took it one step at a time.

"You're just not listening!" I heard Sarah yell, and then the lounge door was open and she strode out before shouting back over her shoulder: "I'm old enough to make my own decisions."

"I've listened," Mummy answered, and she sounded kind of upset. "And you're not as old as you think you are. Maybe Monique was right after all. You're not ready to grow up yet!"

"And what does that mean?"

"Fool around and you'll find out," Mummy barked, and I felt a little scared then. "Wait and see."

"There's nothing you can do. You're just trying to control me, like you always did." And this time, Sarah actually stormed off up the stairs. She was in such a mood that I don't think she even saw me as she went past. I heard her door slam upstairs, and I didn't know what I could say. I waited a little while, and then went into the living room. Mummy turned around like she was prepared to yell again, expecting Sarah back for a second round. Then her expression softened, and I wondered if she needed somebody to cuddle so she could feel better.

"Scott had to go home," Mummy told me. "But I think Sarah's being a little bit silly. She doesn't want to listen to her mummy now."

"I'll listen to you!" I said. "Always!"

"I know you will. You're a good girl. Sarah is too, really. I don't want to upset either of you, but I don't want to see her get hurt either. And she's not as grown up as she thinks she is."

"She tries hard," I said. "You could try to cuddle her until she feels better?"

Mummy cuddled me, and it did seem to make both of us a little happier. But I could tell that she couldn't do that with Sarah right now. I didn't want to ask what was happening, but I could kind of guess; and I thought it might have been my fault for saying more than I should have when I'd been too childish to understand.

"Are you okay today, sweetie?" Mummy asked after a little while, and I just nodded.

"That's good. Did you like meeting new friends?" Another nod, and a grin that probably said more than any words could.

"I think somebody let you try some new diapers that I hadn't considered," she said, a little more thoughtful now. "I never wanted to push you that far, because I thought it might upset you. I thought you would be happy to be a little girl, but maybe less so if I tried to make you like a real baby."

"It's okay," I said. "I was like... too tiny to understand. It's only icky when I got big enough to understand. But I don't really... it's not important how much littler I am. Like, if I can't help doing that or whatever. The thinking thing matters more to me, so it's up to you if you want to do that with me again. Surprise me."

"I will," she said with a smile. "Maybe we've had a year of your baby time now, but I promised, there are still some little surprises I can show you. You're such a good little baby, and I wish you didn't have to grow up again. Thank you, Alice. You can't understand just how much this means to me. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mummy," I answered, and hugged her close. And it wasn't long before I fell asleep again in Mummy's arms.