Zeke and Lily - Making a Memory
Chapter 9
He sat in a chair, cradled her on his lap, and placed the nipple of her nighttime bottle to her lips.
“Why do you put up with me?” she asked, looking up at him with a sense of longing to hear the right words said to her.
“Because I love you,” he said, gazing back down at her.
He placed the nipple of her nighttime bottle to her lips.
“Open,” he whispered.
She sweetly parted her lips and took the nipple in her mouth. She closed her eyes and began drinking from it as she rested her head on his chest. And there they remained for the rest of the night.
The morning sun had broken over the horizon. Another beautiful day in the Bahamas had begun. Zeke stood at the Balcony window watching the sunrise as he finished a cup of coffee. He had so many things on his mind it was hard to focus on a single one of them for any length of time. There was a question burning into his soul that he desperately needed to ask Lily. Everything seemed so very near to perfect, but now wasn’t the time to ask her. There was a bigger concern on his mind…her health.
He placed his cup on the table by the couch and walked over to the bedside where she lay sleeping. He had fallen asleep himself on the balcony with her on his lap and he had only placed her on that bed a short while ago. He knelt beside her and very delicately brushed back the strands of hair that had fallen over her face. The sunlight now beginning to come through the window cascaded down onto her dreaming eyes.
He could still tell that something was wrong with her. The color of her skin was turning pale. She was sick, but she wasn’t telling him what was wrong. Instead, she kept asking him questions about his late father. He dearly wanted to know what was wrong, but he wouldn’t press the issue until she was ready to tell him. So, he would have to wait. Between now and then would be a lot of worrying and walking on eggshells.
Zeke traced her eyebrows and face with his fingertips. Her skin was so soft and smooth. She was so beautiful. As he touched her face, she awoke. Her eyes opened slowly and she gazed up at him.
“Good morning, BabyGirl,” he whispered. “Did you dream last night?”
She shook her head no.
“Well, I hope you do today,” he said as he placed his hand behind her shoulder blades and gently sat her up. He lifted her into his arms as she embraced him. He wrapped her in her baby blanket and carried her out onto the balcony, grabbing her morning bottle off the table next to the couch on the way out.
“How ya feeling?” he asked as he removed her pacifier, sat down on the balcony chair, and made her comfortable across his lap.
“I’ve never wanted to poop so badly in my life,” she said in a morning voice. “Oh my. Here I am on a dream vacation with you. I’ve never been so happy in my life and all I can do is tell you about my body functions.”
Zeke smiled and placed the nipple of her morning bottle to her lips.
“Open. That’s a good girl,” he said as she took the nipple into her mouth and began to nurse from it. “Well, if it’s comfort to you, I hope you poop yourself, too.”
They both shared a much needed laugh.
“Then I could stop worrying,” he said as his eyes welled up with tears.
Lily reached up with her right hand and brushed his tears away her tiny fingers.
He smiled down at her, and jokingly crossed his fingers as he felt the seat of her diaper.
“If it’s any comfort, I wet myself,” she said with a laugh as she paused from drinking.
Zeke smiled.
“Daddy is so proud of you,” he said in a jocular manner as she laughed.
She rested her head on his chest and returned to her bottle as she kept her eyes fixed on his face. She reached up and traced his jaw line, his lips, his eyebrows, and his nose. She felt little, and was discovering that feeling little was becoming a natural state of mind for her. He could still trigger the baby feeling in her with the right words or actions, but she was becoming accustomed to the feeling overcoming her automatically.
She finished the bottle and sat up, instinctively, so he could pat her back. She embraced him and he stood up with her in his arms. Her stomach didn’t agree with what she drank and it hurt. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as he patted gently between the shoulders until she burped, spitting up a little on his shirt.
“Sorry,” she said in a little voice.
“It’s okay,” he said, carrying her back into the room and placing her on the bed.
She lay flat on the mattress, but had trouble remaining that way as a knot had formed in her abdomen. It felt like a knife was being inserted into her and turned. The knot tightened. Lily was obviously accustomed to such pain, but that reason wouldn’t be happening for another week.
He unfastened her diaper, folded it down off her front, and lifted her legs in the air. This brought her some comfort as did the soothing touch of a wipe on her skin. Then she smelled the powder, a scent which always made her feel good. Lastly, he lowered her legs and bottom back down onto the bed and a new diaper. He began to wrap it around her, fastening it snuggly to her waist. She found comfort from the new diaper, too.
Zeke sat her up and brushed her hair smooth. This was another enjoyable thing about morning time. He was always able to comfort her in different ways, and it was never too much at once, but rather exactly what she needed. He gently drew her hair up into pigtails tied with yellow ribbons.
Her t-shirt came off, and Zeke triumphantly got a yellow polka-dotted bikini top around her and even more triumphantly got it fastened. Then he put a pair of black soccer shorts with white stripes down the sides over her diaper. It concealed the diaper nicely. Lastly, he stood her up and she stepped into her sandals.
They made their way to the door. Lily grabbed his camera off the dresser as they left the room and went downstairs to the lobby for the hotel’s continental breakfast. She got a glass of orange juice and an enormous plate of bacon and sausage.
“You are really hungry, aren’t you?” he asked. “Your appetite is still good. I just wish you wouldn’t have that pale look to you. You might want to drink a lot of water today.”
“I hope it happens today. I’m tired of being full of it,” she said, laughing.
“Well, that is a very interesting way to put it,” he replied with a smile as they sat down at a table.
She took the plate of food and orange juice down quickly. Then she stood up, and took Zeke by the hand.
“Come on,” she said as she led him to the gift shop at the front of the hotel. “There’s something you need to buy me.”
“There is, huh?” he said, playfully. “And what might that be?”
“A beach bucket and a beach shovel,” she said, walking into the shop. “I want to build a sand castle on the beach just like they did at the boardwalk last night. I brought your camera to take pictures. Can we go do that?”
She looked up at him with hopeful eyes.
“Of course we can,” he said, while taking the items to the cashier.
Zeke paid for the items and then Lily grabbed them and Zeke’s hand, headed back through the lobby to the beach entrance by the back pool. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked up at him.
“Thank you, Daddy,” she said sincerely as she led him out onto the beach.
They walked halfway onto the beach and Lily began looking around.
“Okay, the first thing we need to do is find a nice flat spot,” she said. “This area right here should be good. We need to smooth out all the sand.”
So they got down on the sand and smoothed it all out. Lily stood up and walk to the center of their area.
“And the castle should go here,” she said. “How do we build a castle, Daddy?”
“Well, I’ll start digging the moat,” he said.
“What should I do?” she asked, getting excited.
“How about if you take this bucket and keep running down to the ocean and fill it up half way with water?” he asked.
“Okay,” she said quickly, grabbing the bucket and running to the ocean’s edge.
She dipped the bucket in the wave that came rushing over her feet, filled it up to the middle and ran back up to Zeke who was on his knees digging up a trench around the castle. She handed him the bucket. He filled the other half of the bucket with the sand he had just dug up, mixed the water and sand together in the bucket and then turned it upside down right where the castle would be.
“There is brick number one of our castle’s walls,” he said, handing her the empty bucket. “Can you go get me more water?”
“Yep,” she said, taking the bucket and dashing down the water again.
For the next half hour, she kept making water runs, and Zeke kept making castle wall bricks until they had built a complete castle wall about three feet high. Lily brought him the last bucket of water and sat down on the sand next to the castle. She watched as Zeke smoothed together some of the bricks on the front of the castle and formed them into a drawbridge. He carved the letter “I” on the castle drawbridge.
“What does the letter I stand for?” she asked.
“Infantilum, Princess Lily’s kingdom,” he said with a smile as her face lit up.
“Watch this,” he said as he took the bucket of water, walked around to the back of the castle. “Get ready for a picture.”
Lily readied herself with the camera as he poured the water into the trench he had dug. The water filled the moat in the back and rolled around the sides of the castle to the front. Lily became an obsessed photographer all of the sudden, taking picture after picture of their hard work.
“Okay,” she said, placing the camera down leading Zeke over to the sand next to the castle. “One more sand sculpture…of you.”
She had him lay down and she began to cover him with sand, just leaving his head uncovered.
“Oh my,” Zeke said with a smile, realizing now what she meant.
In short time, he was completely buried in the sand from the neck down. Then she began to add arms that had big muscles on them and were flexing. She carved muscles on his legs and abdomen, and she gave him a pair of bikini briefs like a professional wrestler would wear in the ring. She began to give him huge pectoral muscles on his chest, but then stopped, having thought of a much more amusing idea.
She scooped up big handfuls of sand and made two piles on his chest. With most careful attention to detail, she began to mold the piles of sand into boobies.
“Oh no,” Zeke said, trying not to laugh too hard for fear that he would move the sand piled up on top of him.
Lily finished her sculpting, grabbed the camera, stood up and took at least a dozen pictures of him. Suddenly, Zeke sat up and broke out of the sand shell around him. He grabbed Lily around the waist and lifted her into the air, tickling her all the way to the showers by the pool at the back of the hotel. He stood under the water and took the quickest shower possible because the water was ice cold.
They re-entered the hotel and took the elevator to their floor.
“So what’s next?” she asked as they exited the elevator and walked down the hallway.
“A trip, but first I need to get in the shower,” he said, unlocking the door and opening it for her to enter. “And you need to drink two bottles of water.”
He handed her the first bottle from the fridge.
“You’re just trying to get me to wet myself,” she said, smiling.
“What makes you say that?” he said, turning on the shower in the bathroom.
“I don’t know what it is, but every time a girl gets sick she is drowned by all the water a guy gives her to drink,” she said.
“Well, if you start drowning, I’ll dive in and save you,” he said. “Which leads me to a question. Do you get seasick?”
“You mean like do I need to take Dramamine before I get on a boat? No, I’ll be fine,” she said with a smile and a wink. “You’re starting to slip a little in keeping things a secret from me?”
“That or you’re starting to figure me out,” he said.
She laughed out loud.
“Go get your shower,” she said, still laughing.
Zeke got in the shower. The moment he closed the door, Lily gently lay herself down on the bed. Her stomach was in so much pain and she wasn’t feeling well. The situation wasn’t getting any better. She still hadn’t found the courage to tell Zeke what was wrong and she felt weak.
She opened the bottle of water and began drinking from it. Touching the bottle to her forehead, tears came to her eyes as her mind began racing with worry. She heard the thoughts in her head as if she were saying them.
“If I only knew what Zeke’s reaction would be when I tell him what’s wrong, I’d feel better. But he’s all ready told me he would stay by my side through my illness. But that was just a hypothetical situation I was giving him. He doesn’t know that I’m ill. What if he thought I was joking? What if he didn’t mean what he said? This water tastes horrible. Maybe it’s expired, but wait a minute! Water can’t expire, can it? It’s water! I just wish this pain would go away. Maybe if I sit on the toilet, Ill finally get some relief,” she thought all at once.
Lily got up and walked out onto the balcony. She looked down at the sandcastle. It was huge. She smiled, remembering how much fun she had building it with Zeke. She looked at the mound of sand next to the castle and laughed, thinking back on his reaction to being given sand boobs.
She walked back into the room and sat on the couch, picking up Zeke’s camera and scrolling through the pictures she took. She smiled at each one and then began crying softly. Every thought of Zeke, even a picture made her happy she had him and fearful that she would lose him at the same time. She turned the camera off, knowing she was just torturing herself by looking at it.
She stood up, crossed to the dresser and looked at her complexion in the mirror. She definitely looked pale. So she got out her make-up kit and went to work on her face, hoping to freshen up her look.
In the mirror she could see the bed behind her and her diaper bag that still needed to be packed. Packing it would be a wonderful distraction from her thoughts. She picked it up and packed diapers, fruit snacks, socks, shoes, a romance novel (just in case this boat trip got boring), and everything else she could think of the pack.
As she finished packing it, Zeke walked out of the bathroom in a pair of tan shorts, a white t-shirt and a white button down shirt. It was made of a thin material and it served to break the wind on the beach nicely. She had worn it several times to do just that.
“Ready,” she said with a smile as she picked up the bag and crossed to him.
“Are you sure you packed everything?” he said, quickly stuffing his pockets with a wallet and keys.
“You betcha,” she said, putting on a pair of sunglasses, slipping the bag over one arm and tucking the other arm around him.
“Okey-dokey. Let’s go,” he said as he opened the door and they left.
They caught a cab and as they pulled up at the marina, Lily’s eyes grew big. The boat wasn’t as big as the Royal Caribbean, but it still had a second deck and was still pretty long. They walked aboard and were immediately taken to the dining area for lunch.
They sat in the center of the room and were given menus, but Lily took no time in looking at it. Food wasn’t very appealing to her right now. Still she ordered the same thing Zeke got…salmon, and she made certain to ask for a bottle of water.
A few minutes later, the boat began moving and a voice came over the speakers.
“Welcome aboard everyone and thank you choosing Bahama Pete’s tours for your journey across our beautiful blue waters today. About a half hour from now, we are going to be arriving at our first destination. We won’t be docking anywhere but we’ll be passing through some crystal clear water where you’ll be able to see all the way down to the bottom. You’ll be able to see our wondrous underwater life and who knows maybe we’ll even see a mermaid or two along the way?” the guide’s voice said. “For now enjoy your lunch and relax. Your next adventure has just set sail.”
It didn’t take long before lunch was served. Lily hadn’t even taken down a whole piece of bread yet. The salmon was huge and filled her whole plate.
“They don’t have doggy bags on this ship do they?” she said, grinning. “I’ll never be able to eat all of this.”
“I may not be able to either,” he said as they began to eat.
A few minutes into the meal, Lily began to marvel over how much better felt with a little food in her stomach.
“I didn’t think I was all that hungry, but I’m glad I ate,” she said. “I’ve had horrible stomach pain for a day or so and this is really hitting the spot.”
“It’s amazing what a little food and some sun can do,” he said.
A few minutes later, the guide’s voice came over the sound system again.
“Folks, if you want to finish up your meals and begin to head to the front of the boat, you’ll begin to see some really fascinating underwater terrain through our glass bottom,” the guide said. “No hurry. We won’t be there for a few minutes yet.”
Zeke and Lily finished eating and joined the crowd, slowly forming around the glass bottom at the front of the boat.
“If you look beneath us, you’ll see some tropical wonders. Full of color and life,” the guide said. “Now this isn’t quite as breath-taking as the reef on Andros Island, which is the third largest barrier reef in the world. But it is a part of that reef. Sort of … the suburbs to Andros Island’s reef. Known affectionately by locals as the Big Yard, this reef runs for over 140 miles. That would be roughly 230 km for those of you who don’t live in America."
Everyone shared a subtle laugh.
“There are eight main types of coral reefs around the world: fringe, barrier, patch, apron, bank, ribbon, atoll and table. What you are looking at is a barrier reef,” the guide continued. “Coral reefs are structures produced by living organisms, found in nutrient deficient waters. In most reefs, the predominant organisms are stony corals. They secrete something called calcium carbonate. It’s the stuff that bones are made out of. This material accumulates and is splashed around by waves, but it eventually forms the coral structures you see beneath us. These structures support a great variety of other animal and plant life.”
Traveling up the island side, they saw several areas like this one. All were very fascinating, with various colorful tropical fish and other sea life swimming through the reef as if it were a playground. Lily continued listening to the guide as he went into great scientific detail about the reef, but her mind began to wander. She looked up from the glass bottom at the various island shores not too far away. The water was very clear. The weather was warm, but not hot, thanks to a steady breeze that accompanied them on the trip. Lily returned her attention to the glass bottom. Suddenly, her abdominal pain returned.
She leaned over the railing a little further than normal, trying to ease the pain until it passed, but it didn’t seem to be getting any better. Then her face went flushed and she felt herself getting weak. She casually took Zeke’s hand and walked away from the group.
“Can you come up on the top deck with me?” she asked trying to play off her pain. “I’d really like to see the view up there.”
“Absolutely,” he said as she smashed herself against the side of his body.
He held her up on her feet until they made it to the top deck. No one was around. Seeing her poor condition, Zeke eased her down on the railing seats.
“What’s wrong, Lily?” he asked, kneeling beside her with great concern.
“I think I’m finally going to get the color of my skin back,” she said, clutching her abdomen. “It hurts so badly, Zeke.”
Her tears formed quickly and rolled down her cheeks. Zeke sat next to her and embraced her. She felt so weak and was near the edge of fainting as she clutched his shirt with her fists and buried her face in his chest. It would only be a matter of moments now. There was no stopping it. It would be a relief at last, but a horrible experience along the way.
Thankfully, she had Zeke to take care of her. This was the one thought that kept going through her mind as she felt her diaper begin to fill with diarrhea. It hurt so very much as it happened, but she knew it would end. Still, the embarrassment she felt at that moment made it no easier to handle.
She began to fear her diaper wouldn’t hold it all, but was too weak at this point to put up a fuss about it. At long last, it ended, and now she lay limp on his chest. Zeke stood up and held her to his side as he slowly walked her down off the top deck.
“Easy now. One step at a time,” he said as they started down the stairs.
Lily could feel the mess in her diaper. She kept her eyes closed and remained attached his side. Her arms wrapped around him tightly as they started down the steps. She could hear the voices of many people off in the distance as they marveled over the reef. Then a voice up close spoke to Zeke.
“Is everything okay, Sir?” said the voice.
“Yeah, I think she just got a little sick at sea,” Zeke replied. “Is there a bathroom somewhere nearby where I can take her?”
“Well, yes, but we have a medic room set aside for emergencies like this,” the voice said. “I’ll take you to it. Follow me.”
Lily’s heart sunk into her stomach at the thought of being taken care of by anyone other than Zeke, especially since she had made a mess.
“Sir, I appreciate the offer, but I think she’s going to get sick and I’m certain she will prefer to do so in private. Is there a bathroom we can use instead?” Zeke asked.
“Yes, I’m the captain of this boat and I’ll take you to my quarters,” the voice said. “You’ll have all the privacy you need there. Follow me.”
Zeke lifted Lily up into his arms as he followed the captain below to the sleeping. She rested her head on his shoulder and opened her eyes slightly. The hallway was a blur of dim light coming from sconce lights on the walls. Zeke followed the captain to the end of the hall. Unlocking the door, the captain let them in, turning on the lights to the room.
“The bathroom is in that corner, and there is a couch and bed on this side if she needs to lie down for a while. I’ll be back in a half hour to check on you,” the Captain said. “Is there anything I can get her? Perhaps some Dramamine for motion sickness?”
“No, but thank you,” Zeke said. “She’ll be all right. I think she just needs to relax for a bit and have a toilet nearby for emergencies.”
“I’ll leave you alone then,” the Captain said to Zeke before addressing Lily. “I hope you feel better, Miss.”
The captain closed the door and Zeke set Lily to her feet as he slid the soccer shorts off her waist, down her legs, and off her feet. Her diaper had mostly contained her diarrhea and the mess it created. However, some had leaked out her legging and had soaked into her shorts. He held her diaper in place as he unfastened the tapes from either side and lowered her gently to the floor.
He placed her on her side, unwrapping the loose diaper from her waist. Lily could feel the mess and her embarrassment turned into humiliation. She was still weak, but beginning to regain her senses as Zeke slid her diaper away from her and began the daunting task of cleaning her body.
She lay there on the carpet and looked over at herself in the mirror. How she wound up in this situation was beyond her understanding. She didn’t know what she would have done if Zeke hadn’t been there to save the day for her.
He gently rolled her over onto her back. He tear-stained eyes gazed up at him with a look of helplessness and apology. Reading her thoughts, he let her pigtails down and stroked her hair while placing her pacifier in her mouth.
“It’s okay, Lily,” he said very sweetly. “Everything will be all right.”
He raised her legs and bottom into the air and fished through the diaper bag for a diaper. He unfolded it and placed it flat underneath her. She felt the coolness of powder on her bottom and the sweet scent filled the air. It was a warmly welcomed different scent from the previous. With his usual careful ease, he lowered her legs and bottom back to the carpet and drew the front of her diaper up and into place around her waist, fastening it. The feeling of a clean diaper was always a wonderful sensation. This diaper change might have given her the greatest relief of all time, for obvious reason.
She lay there on the carpet as he rolled up the other diaper and did his best to wash out her shorts in the sink. He was managing to get them somewhat clean, but the scent remained. And now the soccer shorts were wet.
“Well,” he started. “There’s no way you can put these shorts back on. I think we’ll have to go to the back-up outfit. Do you remember what you packed?”
Lily’s eyes became as big as hard-boiled eggs as she realized she hadn’t packed any clothing. She tried to sit up, but became dizzy. Zeke guided her back down to the carpet.
“Okay, there’s bound to be some way to do this,” he said as he lifted her up off the floor and placed her on the couch.
She lay there and watched him pace back and forth for several minutes, trying to figure out a solution. There was no other clothing for her. They were out at sea. There were no gift shops aboard that sold clothing. He couldn’t take something from the captain’s closet. There would be no way of keeping it a secret if he asked the crew to wash her soccer shorts. He was running out of ideas. She was wearing a bikini top and her diaper. That was it.
She sat up on the couch, and looked over at him with a sad face. At last, the light bulb turned on in his head. He snapped his fingers.
“I sometimes overlook the obvious, don’t I?” he said as he crossed to her and helped her to her feet.
He took off his button down shirt and placed it on her. He buttoned up the front and stepped back to look at her. The shirt was made of such a thin material that he could see right through it. And it wasn’t long enough to cover her diaper. He stood there and contemplated the situation for a moment.
He came up with another idea. Unbuttoning and removing the shirt from her body, he knelt in front of her and wrapped it around her waist. He tied the arms of the shirt together at her front and allowed the remainder of the arms to dangle down over the front of her diaper. He stepped back to look at her.
“What do you think?” he asked as walked up behind her and faced her towards the mirror.
She looked at herself. It wasn’t obvious she was wearing a diaper and the chance of someone taking time to study her outfit that closely wasn’t very likely at all. She turned to him and hugged him.
“Just don’t do a lot of jumping up and down,” he said sharing a much needed laugh with her. “You should be okay. But let’s take the rest of this boat trip easy.”
Zeke gathered their belongings and they exited the captain’s quarters, following the dimly lit hallways back to the stairs and up to the main deck. Discreetly, Zeke filed her dirty diaper away in the trash can at the top of the stairs. Lily removed the pacifier from her lips at the last second and dropped it into the diaper bag. Seeing them resurface from down below, the captain approached them.
“Is everything okay? Are you feeling better, Miss?” the Captain asked.
“Much better,” she said as she wrapped her arm around Zeke’s back and placed her head on his chest.
“Maybe you would like a drink. Please go over to the bar and have one. It will be my treat,” the Captain.
“Thank you,” Zeke said as they crossed to the bar.
“I’ll take a Coke,” Zeke said to the bartender.
“And I’ll have a ginger ale and a glass of water,” Lily followed up with.
They sat at the bar and decided to wait out the rest of the trip there.
“You did get some of your skin color back,” Zeke said, brushing the hair out of her eyes.
“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she said with a smile as she sip her ginger ale through a straw. “I guess I’d better let you pack the bag from now on, huh?”
“Why don’t we both pack the bag from now on? We’ll be able to double check that way,” he said, smiling back at her.
The boat docked back at the marina. Zeke and Lily followed everyone down the ramp. A little self-conscience, Lily tightened the button down shirt around her waist and held the back of it down with her hand for fear that a stiff breeze would pass by and reveal her secret to everyone behind her.
They made it to the cab without incident and headed back to the hotel.
“Now what?” she asked.
“Now what? I think you need to take a nap. That’s what,” he said as the cab pulled up in front of their hotel.
“Well, what if I were to lay out by the pool?” she asked as they entered the hotel and made their way to the elevator. “I could close my eyes and sleep.”
“Why would you want to do that now?” he asked as they entered the elevator and pushed the button for their floor.
“You yourself said that getting a little sun is a good thing,” she pointed out as they exited the elevator and made their way down to hall to their room.
“And you promise you’ll sleep?” he said, unlocking the door and letting her in.
“I promise,” she said, walking into the room.
“I think you’re going to have some serious tan lines because of this,” he said as he closed the door.
“Not if you take my diaper off and put me into bikini bottoms,” she said with a wink of her eye.
“You want me to take your diaper off, put you into bikini bottoms and let you lay out at the pool?” he asked.
“Exactly,” she said, recognizing his confusion and crossing to him. “How many times have you told me that the A will always come before the B in AB?”
“I understand what you’re saying,” he asked. “But is now the best time to be doing this? What if you wet yourself in your sleep? Or what if you have another attack of diarrhea?”
“I’ll be fine, Zeke,” she said wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest. “Please let me do this.”
“As you wish, Love,” he said as she heard him unfasten the tapes of her diaper.
He lifted her up and carried her to the bed. Setting her down, he removed her diaper and pulled the bikini bottoms out of the dresser. He knelt at her feet.
“I didn’t think you’d be wearing these on this vacation. It’s a good thing you packed them,” he said as he slipped her feet into the bottoms.
He slid them up her legs and into place at her waist. He grabbed a towel and sun tan lotion. Then he reached for the diaper bag, only to stop himself, realizing it wouldn’t be needed.
“Ready?” he asked, while grabbing a pen and his green notebook.
“Ready?” she said as they exited the room.
All the way down the hotel to the pool in the back by the beach, Lily marveled over how different it felt to not be wearing a diaper. It was easier to walk and move in general. They got to the pool side and walked over to two vacant lounging chairs side-by-side. Lily covered her chair with the beach towel and lied down on it on her tummy.
Zeke untied her bikini top and placed the strings by her side. He poured the suntan lotion in his hands and began to oil her skin, starting at the back of her neck. He made long strokes, dragging his hands down her spine to its base and then back up. The massage was an added bonus that Lily wasn’t expecting, but certainly wasn’t complaining about. He drew his hands down the back of her arms, starting at her shoulders and ending at her wrists, and then back up.
Turning his attention once again to her back, he oiled the sides, making certain to tickle her as much as possible. She jumped and fidgeted as he did this. He oiled the entire top half of her body down to the top of her bikini bottoms. Then he re-applied more lotion to his hands and continued south.
He attended to each leg separately, making certain to knead the back of her thighs and calves, down to the ankles. He wiped his hands off on his own face before sitting down in the lounge chair next to her and opening his green notebook. He hadn’t devoted any time to part four of the fairy tale. So this sun tanning session worked out nicely to allow him to do so.
Every few minutes he would glance over at Lily. She was fast asleep and not stirring at all. Afternoon naps had become a necessity for her. He took in the sight of her from head to toe. As always, she was a restful sleeper and never stirred. She was beautiful and her dreaming face told him her mind was adrift in her own castle in the sky.
He almost didn’t want to wake her, but knew that “taking in a little sun” didn’t mean spending all day in it.
“Lily,” he said softly as he tied her bikini top strings back together.
She stirred slightly.
“Turn over on your back,” he said.
She gently turned herself over, almost causing his heart to stop. Yeah, it was safe to say that Zeke loved absolutely everything about her. He applied sun tan lotion to his fingers and traced the features of her face before going down to her neck.
Her skin color was looking a lot better. She was feeling better, too. He oiled her shoulders down to her wrists again in one strong swift motion. Then he oiled her chest and tummy down to her bikini bottoms. By the time, he got down to her thighs and shins, his hands were beginning to cramp up.
Returning to his seat on the lounge chair next to her, he continued writing the fairy tale story in his green notebook, but he mind began to revisit the day he met her.
He sat in the food court at Park City Mall back in Lancaster, PA. She ran in and frantically looked around for the guy in the Kansas City Chiefs hat. It was a fairly safe way to stand out in a Lancaster County crowd. Nobody liked the Chiefs there and nobody wore a Chiefs hat.
He recalled the moment their eyes met. It was as if the entire mall around them faded away. It seemed like nothing else existed or mattered anymore. She batted her eyelashes and smiled as she gracefully walked over to him and embraced him. She was still trembling from having been late. She seemed quite nervous, but it wasn’t long before she found comfort in his company.
“I could live here,” Lily suddenly said, snapping Zeke out of his daydream. “What were you just thinking about?”
“The day we met,” he said, closing his notebook. “Do you remember the first thing you said to me?”
“Oh my…uh…I remember I was a bundle of nerves,” she said, trying to recall. “I think I apologized for being late, told you I was nervous, and complained about the traffic?”
“Something like that,” he said.
“But do you remember what you said to me after that?” she said with a grin on her face as she sat up and leaned in towards him.
“As if it were yesterday, Love,” he said, sitting up and touching noses with her. “I said something about you that is still the case. I said you were beautiful and that you took my breath away the moment you walked in.”
“Did you know I was wearing a diaper on that day?” she said with a smile.
“Nope. I had no idea,” he admitted.
“Did you look to see if my butt seemed puffy?” she asked.
“Every chance I got. I’ll have to admit to it,” he said as she laughed.
They got up, gathered there things and made their way back into the hotel and into the elevator. As they doors closed, Zeke placed his hand on her bottom. She shrunk up her shoulders and hugged him.
“You didn’t wet your panties at all. Daddy is very proud of you,” he said while patting her dry bottom. “Are you becoming a big girl?”
“No way,” she said laughing. “This is all a misunderstanding. I am not a big girl at all.”
The “baby” feeling had come over her senses.
“And hopefully, you will never let that happen to me,” she said in a tiny voice.
“Never in a million years will I let that happen to you, BabyGirl,” he said as he picked her up into his arms.
“Promise?” she asked while resting her head alongside his neck.
“I promise,” he answered as the elevator doors opened and he carried her down the hallway to their room.
Unlocking the door, Zeke carried her in and set her down on the bed. He set his notebook down and began placing certain things on the bed next to her. Though in a bikini, the “baby” feeling which had begun in the elevator continued on within her heart as she saw him lay out a nightie, diaper, stuffed animals, blanket, pacifier, prepared nap time bottle and everything she would need for her forthcoming nap.
“Zeke, what would you do if I were sick?” she asked while sitting up and drawing her knees to her chin.
“I’d make you feel better,” he replied, taking quick inventory of everything he placed on the bed.
Zeke picked her up, and carried her into the bathroom. He placed her on her feet, slid her bikini bottoms down her legs and sat her on the toilet.
“What if I had a sickness that couldn’t be made better?” she asked while starting to pee.
“You mean, like a disease?” he asked, turning on the bath water.
“No, just a condition I had to live with,” she said with a nervous lump in her throat.
“You’re learning how to speak in code like me. Aren’t you?” he said with a smile.
“Yep,” she said, giggling and then getting serious again. “So, what would you do if I was sick like that?”
He removed her bikini top, picked her up and lowered her into the warm bath water. She came to rest on the tub bottom, leaning her head back and relaxing.
“I would never miss an opportunity to tell you I loved you because you would need to hear that a lot and you would need to be reminded of it for reassurance,” he said while dipping the wash cloth into the bath water. “I would take care of you. It would be my duty, my heart’s honor and desire.”
He began washing her face and the back of her neck, slowly working his way down her body. There was a lot of skin that he covered with sun tan lotion and he intended to make her clean as a whistle.
She closed her eyes as he bathed her. His hand was as gentle as always, and he made her feel so good with his touch. He always made her feel good with his touch, and the words he spoke to her when she was “little” always intensified the feeling within her. He could get her heart racing with the simplest of gestures and he could calm her down just as quickly. She was very much in his control and she wanted it no other way.
He lifted her out of the bathtub, wrapped her in a towel, sat her on the counter and began drying her.
“I will always give you the attention you crave and need,” he said. “And I’ll always take care of you, even if you get very sick.”
He carried her out and placed her on the bed, reaching over for a diaper to unfold. He lifted her legs and bottom in the air, powdered her bottom and lowered her back down onto the diaper. She closed her eyes and savored how cool the diaper felt on her skin as he powdered her front and folded the diaper up into place at her waist, fastening it.
She sat up and immediately lifted her hands to the sky as he slipped her nightie over her head and shoulders. It draped down over her body as he lifted her into his arms and carried her out onto the balcony, picking up her bottle on the way.
“What if I were dying?” she asked as he shook up her nap time bottle.
“I wouldn’t let you die,” he said, sitting on the balcony chair and placing her on his lap.
“Do you promise?” she asked while getting comfortable in his arms.
“If my love could save you, I would give all that I had,” he said, touching the nipple of the bottle to her lips.
She took the nipple in her mouth and leaned up against him while beginning to drink.
“You’ll never have to worry about getting sick,” he said. “I won’t let you get sick.”
Zeke spoke honestly from his heart, but had no idea how sick Lily actually was all ready. She didn’t have the courage to tell him at that moment, but she was beginning to believe that he wouldn’t leave her. For the moment, she found comfort in that.
It didn’t take long before she fell asleep in his arms.
She awoke and found herself in a hospital bed. She thought this to be a strange place to have a dream in. She sat up, seeing she was wearing one of those typically revealing hospital gowns. She looked around. No one was in the room, and no one was passing by in the hallway. Everything was very quiet. She got out of bed, hearing the crinkling of her diaper, and tiptoed her bare feet to the door.
She looked out into the hallway. The hospital was abandoned, but she could now here a baby crying. She went up and down the hallway, looking but not finding this baby. From one end to the other, she searched every room to no avail. She closed her eyes and stood still a moment as she listened for the baby’s crying. She followed the sound and soon found herself walking back into her own hospital room where she found the baby sitting on her bed, crying hysterically.
Maternal instinct took over and she walked over to the baby, scooping her up, and trying to calm her down. Lily looked at the baby and froze stiff as she realized she was looking at herself. This baby was a girl and looked exactly as Lily did when she was an infant, complete with the curly light brown hair she had as a newborn. The poor darling was quite upset, and Lily carried her out into the hallway, looking for someone to help, but there was no one.
She began walking down the hallway and passed through several doors until she came upon the entrance to the pediatric wing. She was bobbing the baby up and down gently in her arms, but the crying hadn’t stopped. Lily walked to the nurses’ station, but there was no one there, either. She looked around the pediatric wing, and saw a nursery.
Entering the room, Lily gasped as she looked around the room. This nursery was set up exactly the same as the dream nursery in her mind. Her heart was beating very fast and this crying baby was only making her more nervous. She began to shed tears of her own as she kept bobbing the baby up and down in her arms. She walked back out into the hallway, now desperately searching for another human being to help.
Lily didn’t know why she was in this hospital herself. She didn’t know why the hospital was deserted, and this baby was beginning to upset her. She walked back into the nursery and when she did, golden rays of sunlight began beaming through the window next to the changing table. She walked over to the window, while rocking the baby in her arms.
Standing in the sunlight, she was overtaken with a feeling of tranquility. Suddenly, she felt the control of her senses and emotions return to her. Panic left her mind and she was able to focus on comforting the baby. She gently placed the baby on her back on the changing table, keeping one hand behind the baby’s head and the other behind her back, just as Zeke did for her when he placed her down. Unfastening the baby’s diaper, Lily soon realized the little girl’s plight.
Lily reached for wipes on the shelves beneath the table. She gently wipe the little girl’s skin clean, while making silly faces and kissing her tiny toes, all in an effort to make the baby laugh. It worked. The baby stopped crying and began giggling. This was such a pride building moment for Lily. She now understood what Zeke meant when he said that his reward as a Daddy was to see that she was happy, and to know that he was the one who made her smile.
She lifted the baby’s legs and bottom in the air, just as Zeke did with her and slid a new diaper underneath her. Lowering her back onto the diaper, Lily found herself on the other end of the sweet scent of powder as she dusted the baby’s bottom with it.
She fastened her diaper into place and wiggled her nose up against the baby’s nose. The little angel broke out into cackling laughter. Lily smiled broadly and lifted the baby into her arms. The sunlight began beaming through another window, cascading down onto a rocking chair next to it.
Lily walked over and sat in the chair. A baby bottle of milk appeared next to the rocking chair. Lily picked it up and cradled the baby in her arms while placing the nipple of the bottle in the baby’s mouth. She watched the baby drinking and she began to pat the little girl’s behind…just as Zeke did to her.
She closed her eyes and both she and the baby fell asleep in that position.
Lily awoke to the sound of her diaper tapes being unfastened. She opened her eyes and found herself lying on the bed. She looked up at Zeke who gave her a wink as he began to clean her bottom. Apparently, she had pooped again in her sleep and it didn’t come out as diarrhea this time. Thankfully, she really wasn’t all that awake yet because she didn’t enjoy her poopy diaper changes. She simply lied there and relaxed herself until he was finished.
He sat her up and kissed her on the forehead.
“That was one heck of a long nap, Kiddo. It’s almost 7 p.m. You must have been tired,” he said. “Did you dream at all?”
She nodded her head as she rubbed her eyes.
“What did you dream about?” he asked as he lifted her nightie off her body.
“I don’t really know what it means,” she said, removing the pacifier.
“Well, I’d like to hear about it when you figure it out,” he said. “You kept saying the words ‘That’s a Good Girl’ over and over.”
Lily smiled as he handed her a bra, signifying he was admitting defeat in trying to figure out how to put it on her. She put the bra on and raised her hands to the sky as he slipped a white baby-t over her head and shoulders, situating it on her body. She stood up on the bed and placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself as she stepped into a pink skirt made of the same free flowing material as the rest of her wardrobe for this vacation.
He wrapped his arms around her, buried his face in her belly and blew raspberries. He lifted her off the bed and she laughed as she tried to kick her way free of his grasp, but had no success. She laughed until he finally set her down and released her. He picked up a second outfit and showed it to her before he placed it in her diaper bag.
She gave him two thumbs up and a wink as she took the bag, placing the straps over her shoulder before stepping into her sandals and heading for the door.
They breezed across the lobby of the hotel holding each other’s “stupid” hands, as she called them. Lily was right-handed and Zeke was left-handed. So they always held each other’s non-dominant hands, the ones which had no other good use.
“So….” she said as they exited the hotel and began walking up the sidewalk. “Where are we going now?”
“I thought we’d get some dinner, but nothing too heavy,” he said. “You’re looking better and feeling better, but I don’t think we should push it by putting a complex meal in your belly.”
“So where are we eating a light meal at?” she asked.
“At the corner of this block,” he said, pointing to a store ahead of them. “Jimmie’s Sub Shop by the Beach.”
“I see, and where are we headed after that?” she asked, playfully.
“What makes you think we’re headed somewhere else?” he asked back, just as playfully.
“Because you would not have packed a diaper bag with a second outfit, nor would you have dolled me up without a destination in mind,” she said with a grin.
“Am I getting that predictable?” he said, opening the front door of the sub shop for her to enter.
“No. I’m just getting that observant,” she said, kissing him on the cheek and entering.
They stepped to the front counter. Zeke ordered a roast beef sub and Lily ordered a vegetarian sub. They took their drinks to the back of the sub shop. There they saw an open porch that looked out over a sand pit volleyball court. Taking a seat at a table near the court, they relaxed for a moment.
“So what was this Good Girl dream about?” he asked her.
“I have no idea. I was a patient in an abandoned hospital,” she explained.
“Abandoned? Nobody was there?” he asked.
“No one. I walked around the hospital and there was no one there,” she explained.
“What did you do?” he asked.
“Nothing. I just walked around the hospital until you woke me up,” she lied, not wanting to reveal that she saw herself as a real life baby.
“Hmm. That’s interesting,” he said. “I have no idea what it could mean.”
Their subs were brought to them and she took no time in digging in to hers. They ate while watching the sand volleyball game that was being played. Several minutes passed before Zeke spoke up again.
“I just thought of something,” Zeke said. “You had a dream about being a patient in a hospital, right?”
“Right,” she said, not knowing where the conversation was headed.
“Why were you in the hospital?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said after a brief pause. “My reason for being there wasn’t clear. Why?”
“Well,” he said, thinking for a moment. “Earlier you were asking me if I would take care of you should you ever get sick. Now you’re dreaming about being sick. Is there a connection perhaps?”
“I doubt it,” she said, lying again. “I was probably still chasing the bug out of me from earlier today and I dreamt about it.”
They finished their subs and headed straight out the back of the sub shop, passed the volleyball game towards the beach. Lily saw a beach party under way. There was a limbo line, a bonfire, and a collection of locals playing instruments. They were all silhouetted in the beginning light of sunset.
“How do you know when these events happen?” she asked, amazed.
“There’s a brochure in the room that lists all of them,” he answered.
“Really? And you choose what we’re going to do from that brochure?” she asked.
“Pretty much,” he responded.
“I’d like to see it,” she said. “For once, I would know what we’re going to do and you wouldn’t.”
She shared a smile and a laugh with him as they walked up into the beach party.
“Absolutely,” he said as they approached the limbo line. “I’ll tell you what. Tomorrow you can pick what we go and do. Okay?”
“I’d like to do that,” she said, smiling. “But right now, I’d like to win the limbo contest.”
She ran over to the line and joined in. She waited impatiently for her turn, jumping up and down in line. At last, her turn arrived. She walked up to the limbo pole and curled her body backwards, arching her back as much as she could. She passed under the pole with no trouble.
One by one, the contestants began falling and dropping out. Soon, there were only two people left…Lily and a 7-foot-tall local guy who was unbelievably flexible. It didn’t seem physically possible that he could pass under the pole. Yet every turn, he did just that. He was the local guy who always won the limbo contest. But now, he faced a pretty tough challenger. Lily was little girl with a lot of determination. She had set her mind on winning this contest, and that was exactly what she was going to do.
The limbo pole kept getting lowered and both of them kept passing under it. The pole was now about 12 inches off the sand and the local champion geared himself up and began arching his back as he passed under it. He only got about half way before he lost his balance and footing. He fell to the sand and Lily was declared the winner. She jumped up and down with excitement. She ran over to Zeke and jumped into his arms. He congratulated her with a hug and a kiss.
Then Lily noticed someone sitting on the dune of sand at the edge of the beach party. It was Jimbo, the storekeeper who gave her the dream catcher.
“Zeke, that’s Jimbo from the dream store,” she said.
“Why don’t you go talk to him?” he asked.
“About what?” she asked back.
“About your dream,” Zeke replied. “Maybe he can interpret it.”
Lily ran up the dune to Jimbo.
“Hi Jimbo,” she said, approaching him. “Do you remember me?”
“Of course Jimbo remembers you,” he said. “You are LilyGirl, de girl who give Mr. Woody his name.”
“I can’t believe he didn’t have a name,” she said.
“You hav a burning question in dose eyes, LilyGirl,” Jimbo said. “Come sit an tell me your question.”
“You own a store that sells dream catchers and such,” she said, sitting next to him. “But do you know if dreams have real meaning?”
“Dey certainly do, Girl,” he answered. “Dreems tell us dings dat we long to know.”
“If I were to tell you a dream I had, could you interpret it?” she asked with hope in her eyes.
“Dat I can, but first tell me why you want to know da meenin of your dreems?” he asked.
“Because I think my last dream was trying to tell me to do something,” she replied.
“Den you jus answer your own question,” Jimbo stated.
“But I don’t understand it,” she said.
“Den tell me what you dreamed ‘bout,” he instructed.
“I was a patient in an abandoned hospital, and I found a baby that looked exactly like me when I was a newborn. I picked her up and took care of her…and then Zeke woke me up.”
“Hmm. An abandon hospital patient an a baby dat look like you,” he said, scratching his head. “Abandon meens fear. Hospital meens healing an a baby dat look like you is just dat. De baby represents you.”
“So what does it mean?” she asked.
“You are trying to conquer a fear, are you not? Eef you do thees, you will heal yourself. Until den, you will feel lost an helpless like a baby,” he clarified. “So what are you trying to conquer, LilyGirl? What other troubling question weighs on your heart?”
Lily faced towards him.
“Do you remember when you told me to tell Mr. Woody that you still had the key? What did that mean?”
“Eet ment I steel hav de key,” Jimbo said, matter-of-factly. “You weel find dat key on de other side of de moon.”
“The other side of the moon?” she asked, confused.
“Tomorrow,” he replied.
“I’m going to find the key tomorrow?” she asked, perplexed as he nodded. “What’s the key?”
“You weel know eet when you find eet,” Jimbo said. “But you must tell him you’re ill first.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because you are troubled by eet. You mus hav ah cleer mind and ah heart dat ees open. No more delay. Look Jimbo in de eyes,” Jimbo said as she raised her chin and looked at him. “Listen to Jimbo, LilyGirl. Time ees running out for you to tell him. Everyting will be all right…after you tell him. Jimbo ees your friend. Mr. Woody told you to tell him. Jimbo told you to tell him, and now your dreams tell you to tell him.”
“Okay,” she said, trembling. “I’ll tell him tomorrow.”
“Dat ah Girl, Lily,” he said with a smile. “Now I tink you bess be headin off wit him. Tomorrow is a big day in your life.”
“Thank you, Jimbo,” she said, hugging him.
She got up and began running down to Zeke
“LilyGirl!” Jimbo called to her. “You remember I told you you would owe me a favor for de dream catcher?”
She nodded.
“Thees is the favor. Tell him,” Jimbo said. “T’will be all right. Follow your heart. Eet will never lead you astray.”
Lily ran down to him, and they began walking up the beach towards their hotel.
“So what did he say?” Zeke asked.
“He said they dream meant I needed to conquer my fears,” she answered.
“Fears of what?” Zeke asked.
“He didn’t say,” she answered. “But he said I would find out tomorrow.”
They made their way back to their hotel room through the back entrance by the pull.
“Watch this?” she said as they entered the elevator.
Lily took off his button down shirt, handed it to him, drew both of her arms inside her baby-t, twisted both of her arms behind her back and then pulled her arms back of the sleeves of her baby-t. In her right hand was the bra she was wearing just a moment ago.
Zeke’s eyes bugged out of his head. She laughed at his reaction as she tucked her bra and his button down shirt away in her diaper bag.
“It’s the 9 o’clock rule,” she said. “It comes off at 9 o’clock every night.”
“That was some scary contortion you just did there,” he said, causing her to break out into hysterical laughter.
The elevator doors opened and they breezed down the hallway to their room. They entered and Lily stepped out of her sandals and skirt at the door. She ran into the room, jumped up into the air, and landed on the bed, squealing with happiness.
“I think it’s time you start settling yourself down,” Zeke said while picking up her sandals and shoes.
His words settled her down instantly. She sat quietly on the bed as he closed the door, walked in and set her diaper bag down on the dresser. He began preparing her night time bottle.
“Are you going to tell me part four of the fairy tale?” she asked.
“That I will,” he said while walking over to her, placing her pacifier between her lips and easing her down on the bed.
She stared up at the ceiling and dream catcher for a moment as she heard the tapes of her diaper being unfastened. Her tummy became filled with butterflies as he had brought about the “baby” feeling within her. As he lifted her legs and bottom into the air, she remembered the day they met and how those same butterflies fluttered in her tummy on that day. She closed her eyes and sniffed the sweet scent of powder as he lowered her legs and bottom back down onto the bed and onto a new diaper. She parted her legs as he folded the front of the diaper up and into place at her waist.
He fastened the tapes and lifted her up into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. He walked over to the dresser, picked up her teddy bear and handed it to her. She took it in to her grasp and hugged it tightly. He covered her with her baby blanket, picked up her night time bottle and headed for the balcony.
The sun had set and the moon was beginning to shine brightly onto the balcony as Zeke sat on the balcony chair and cradled her swaddled body in his lap. He removed the pacifier and touched the nipple of the bottle to her lips.
“Zeke,” she said softly, gazing up at him. “There’s something I need to tell you tomorrow.”
“And there’s something I need to ask you tomorrow as well,” he replied. “Let’s take the night to rest so we both can find the right words to say. Open.”
She took the bottle in her mouth and nestled herself close to his chest while looking up at him.
“That’s a good girl,” he said. “So Princess Lily had learned that she would have to marry Prince Mortimer of Humdrum. She ran out of her nursery and out of the castle all the way to the horse stable where she told Malcolm what had happened. He was so upset that he saddled up Paddington, Lily’s favorite horse and the two of them rode to a secret hiding place. Is that where I left off in story?”
She smiled and nodded yes as she began to drink from her bottle.
“Malcolm arrived at the secret hiding place deep in the woods and he helped Princess Lily off the horse. He tied the horse to a tree and embraced Lily who was crying uncontrollably. He rocked her back and forth and patted her diapered bottom until she calmed down,” Zeke continued the story with as he rocked Lily gently and patted her diapered bottom the same way he was describing it in the story.
“The day was half over all ready and Malcolm wasted no time in cheering up Princess Lily. He played hide and go seek with her, and then played peek-a-boo while tickling her sides. Princess Lily began to smile and found a way to forget her troubles. He collected berries and other fruits from the forest, making a dinner for her. Knowing the forest well, he led her to the edge of a natural spring where together they took up handfuls of water and drank. Lily then playfully splashed him in the face with some of the water, laughed and took off running. Malcolm chased after her, laughing all the way,” Zeke continued as Lily’s eyes began to grow heavy.
“He finally caught her and they both collapsed to the ground in laughter. Princess Lily had found someone who made her truly happy. She curled up next to him and closed her eyes. If they remained in the woods, then she would never have to marry Prince Mortimer. This is where she wanted to be and, curled up next to each other, they drifted off to sleep for the night,” Zeke said as Lily began drifting off to sleep herself. “To be continued…”
Zeke removed the bottle from her lips, wipe the milk dribble away and returned her pacifier.
Her eyes began to twitch and Lily began to dream.
Aww, Zeke is always so nice to Lily!!