A Tortured Soul

Chapter 14
Chapter 14

When Jim opened the door to Eddy’s room, he didn’t recognize it. All of the furniture had been moved. Eddy’s bed had been under a set of shelves with one side against the wall. It now sat in the middle of the room with clearance on both sides. All of the video game stuff was gone. The knick knacks that had sat on his dresser were now on the top shelves along the wall. In looking at where the bed was, Jim understood that Eddy couldn’t reach the top shelf even if he stood on his bed. That, he assumed, was why Laura moved the bed.

When he went to c lose the door behind him, he felt the plastic cover spin on the doorknob. As he approached the bed, the sight of Eddy brought back memories of little Amy.

She was only three when she passed. The leukemia had made it impossible for her to move forward like most toddlers do. With the illnesses, the chemotherapy, and all of the stress, they had never even considered potty training, or taking any of her comfort items away.

Jim saw the rails, and couldn’t help but get the impression of a crib. Looking closer, he found the mechanism to fold the one side down, and smiled as he looked at his son. He was laying there on his tummy, clinging to his bear, a pacifier in his mouth. An empty baby bottle lay right next to him on the bed.

His nose told him that Eddy needed to be changed. While he never liked doing it, he had never pushed it off on anyone else either. Reaching to the top dresser drawer, he opened it, and was surprised to find nothing but diapers and socks in the drawer. After hearing about how Eddy’s day went, Jim guessed it made sense. He noticed the baby monitor sitting next to the wipes as he grabbed them and the Desitin. Laura had said he had diarrhea all day, so it was better to take steps to protect his skin.

A couple of seconds later, Jim shifted Eddy’s covers, and sat down. Eddy nuzzled his bear and began nursing his pacifier in his sleep. Jim reached out and pulled the paci from his son’s mouth, and offered the bottle. Eddy began suckling on the nipple immediately. Trying not to wake him up, Jim laid the bottle on the pillow to one side, pulled the covers down to the bottom of the bed, and gently turned Eddy over.

Thankful that Laura had left him in just a t-shirt and a diaper, he began changing Eddy. It didn’t take long to get his bottom clean, a liberal coating of the diaper rash cream in place, and a dry diaper on him. Being gentle, Jim covered him back up. He turned the boy on his side, and used his bear to prop the bottle so Eddy could continue to drink it. When he got the rail back in place, he leaned down and gave a gentle kiss to Eddy’s forehead, before turning to leave.

He saw Laura smiling at him from the doorway. She walked to the bed and gave Eddy a quick kiss before they both left the room.

************

Eddy didn’t know what time it was when he felt a hand press over his mouth, but opened his eyes immediately. Katie stood next to his bed holding her finger to her lips. Leaning right next to his ear, she barely whispered, “Don’t make a sound Baby.”

He was frightened. When she let go of his mouth, he began nursing on his paci. As he lay still, she reached under the covers, pulled the Velcro open on first one and then the other side of his dipey, and then pulled the covers back without a sound.

Moving very slow, she lifted his legs up by the ankles and pushed them toward his tummy until his bottom was fully exposed. He didn’t know why she was making him keep quiet while she changed his diaper, but didn’t want her to get mad so he didn’t make a sound.

It didn’t make any sense when Katie wiped his bottom clean, making sure to wipe all the thick cream away as well, and then set his bottom right back on the messy diaper. When she taped it closed, he was dumfounded.

A moment later when she put her hand on his bottom and mouthed the word ’poopy’, he understood. Pushing a little, Eddy felt fresh mess join what was already in the dipey, and shifted slightly because it irritated his skin. When Katie smiled at his discomfort, he knew what his punishment was going to be. She was going to make him sit in poopy dipeys until his bottom hurt.

Tears streamed down his face as she pulled the covers back in place. She leaned down again and whispered, “That’s right Baby, you’re going to have a big boo boo on your bottom. Maybe next time you’ll be a good boy and not ignore me. You don’t say anything in the morning about your bottom hurting, or your punishment will be a lot worse.”

A moment later, Katie offered him a ba-ba. Eddy spit his paci out and began drinking it right away. Heavier tears flowed when he tasted the apple juice. His bottom was going to hurt bad, he was certain.

After the bottle was empty, Katie put his paci back in place. She leaned down, kissed his cheek and whispered, “You stay in that bed Baby. I don’t want to hear a sound from you until I come to get you up. If I open that door, I better see you looking like your sleeping. And don’t even think of touching your dipey, got it?”

When Eddy nodded, she motioned for him to turn over. He felt her hand give his messy bottom three firm pats, and them she left. He laid there, crying soundlessly as he stared at the railing on his bed. It looked like a baby’s crib, not a bed now, and that made him want to scream.

All of his video games were put away now. He had really tried hard to make Mister Gary believe he wanted to be a baby, and by doing so, he had made Mommy believe he wanted baby toys. Eddy had watched Amy play many times, and he only needed to imitate her when it was time to leave. Mister Gary had finally let him take two of the Leggos with him.

Somehow, Katie always managed to make it so he made Mommy think he couldn’t be a big boy anymore. She had moved all of his favorite things out of his reach now. She also made him sit in a stupid baby seat at the table when he ate. All because Katie had told him he couldn’t use anything but his fingers to eat anymore. He didn’t have to pretend to cry when he had reached into the macaroni and cheese, it burned his fingers bad. Mommy made it better though, like she makes everything better now.

It was hard not to blush when Mommy fed him his lunch and dinner. Every time he turned around, he was being forced to do more and more baby things. Eddy shifted in the bed, trying to alleviate the itchy feeling in his dipey. He didn’t dare touch it though, somehow Katie would find out.

***********

Laura was rushing to get dressed for work the next morning when Katie knocked on her door. “Good morning,” she said when she opened the door.

“Good morning,” Katie replied with a smile. “Eddy’s still asleep. I’ll get him changed and fed when he wakes up.”

“Thank you. You have no idea how much help you’re being kiddo,” Laura told her with a kiss to her cheek.

“Oh, it’s no problem. I like taking care of him.”

“Well I certainly appreciate it.”

“All right, I’ll let you finish getting ready, I just wanted to let you know he was still sleeping.”

“Thanks, I check in on him before I go,” Laura told her and then headed back to the bathroom to finish putting on her makeup.

Ten minutes later, Laura walked into Eddy’s room and saw him sleeping peacefully. She gave him a gentle kiss, thought about changing his fragrant diaper, but decided with the Desitin on his bottom it wouldn’t hurt to let him sleep.

When she left the room and entered the kitchen, Katie was filling several bottles with Pedialite. Laura smiled and said, “You’re a great babysitter.”

“Thanks!” Katie responded. A second later she asked, “Aunt Laura, what do I do if Eddy wants to go outside and play? Should I take him out there?”

“Not unless he really cries. I really don’t want the whole neighborhood seeing him drinking a bottle or nursing a pacifier, not to mention wearing a diaper. If you have to take him out, make sure you put shorts on him that completely cover his diapers. There’s no way to keep the bottle or pacifier from being seen though.”

“I could just wait to give him a bottle until we come back inside.”

“No, he’s to drink a bottle every hour no matter where he is, understand? If he doesn’t, he could get really sick.”

“Okay, I’ll make sure he drinks it then.”

“Good. Now I need to go or I’m going to be late. I’ll see you both at five thirty or so,” Laura replied and headed toward the front door.

*************

Eddy sat crying at the table. The booster seat forced him to sit square on his irritated bottom. He nursed the ba-ba of juice Katie had given him, glad it wasn’t apple juice. She had fed him oatmeal. He didn’t mind oatmeal, except she had given him two full bowls of it and now his tummy hurt. He had whimpered when she brought the second bowl over, but opened wide when she told him, “You’re going to eat you nummies all up, aren’t you Baby?”

It was getting hard to swallow the juice because his tummy was so full.

“Awww...what’s the matter Baby?” she asked mockingly.

Not caring that she was making fun of him, he cried, “Boo boo...dipey.”

“Awww...does the baby have dipey rash? Hmmm?”

Eddy nodded his head, hoping if he played along, she would change his dipey.

“Well Baby, you better get used to it. You’re not getting a clean bottom until nap time, and that’s three and a half hours away,” she explained. “Now come on, we’ve got to change your dipey,” as she unbuckled him from the booster seat.

Eddy didn’t understand. First she said she wasn’t going to change him, and then she said she was. When she led him into his room, laid him down and took the messy dipey off, and slid a clean one under him, taping it shut without wiping his bottom clean, he understood. The clean dipey didn’t do anything for the boo boo on his bottom.

“Make lots of poopy Sweety,” she said when she stood him up and placed her hand on his bottom.

Eddy cried when the soupy mess made contact with his skin. It really hurt now.

“I tell you what, are you going to be a good baby for the rest of the day?” she asked.

Eddy searched her face and saw only sincerity there. He nodded as he answered, “I pwomithe!”

“Okay, then if you want to go out into the back yard and play for two hours, I’ll change your dipey and clean your bottom this time. Is that what you want to do?” she asked with a smile.

Eddy cried harder then. If he didn’t agree to go play outside where everyone would see him with a paci and a ba-ba, he would have to stay in poopy dipeys and it would hurt more and more. He nodded his head before she got angry and decided to make him go outside without changing his dipey.

Grumbling could be heard from Eddy’s tummy as Katie laid him back down and preceded to change his dipey, wiping his bottom clean this time. The wipes burned when she rubbed them against his butt, and he couldn’t help but cry, it stung so bad.

When the stinging stopped, and she pulled the clean dipey up between his legs, Eddy was grateful. He watched as she went to his dresser, looked through the shorts and t-shirts he had there, found a set she liked, and brought them over to the bed.

Katie told him, “No Baby, you lie still. You don’t help, you let grownups do it, understand?”

She wasn’t even going to let him put his hands in the sleeves, and that made Eddy mad. He didn’t dare say anything though, and just nodded as he relaxed on the bed. If he didn’t, she would have him sitting in poopy dipeys until Mommy got home.

Katie got his socks and sneakers on, and stood him in front of the mirror on the closet door. The sight that greeted him made him start to cry again.

The shorts she pulled up over his dipey were small. They covered the dipey, but they were sweat shorts, and the material was stretched tight, showing off the outline of his dipey clearly. His t-shirt just barely came to the top of his shorts and offered no cover at all. When she turned him around, he saw a clear outline of the dipey on his bottom.

“Awww...don’t cry Baby, you’re a cute baby boy. See, there’s your dipey right there,” she mocked, as she ran her finger up either side of his bottom, “and right here,” she added as she gave the front of his shorts a pat. “All right, no more tears Sweety, it’s time to play outside.”

Eddy got control of himself, nursing furiously on his paci to do so. When Katie led him to the fridge, got a ba-ba out, and then picked up a bag containing the Leggos Mommy bought yesterday, she brought him to the back door.

“I want you to understand Baby, if you want your dipey changed, you’re going to lay still while I change you out there, understand?”

“Yeth,” he managed, barely keeping his tears in check. It was either a burning bottom, or let everyone see him get his messy dipey changed.

“If someone comes over, you ask them to play, you hear me?” she asked with a glare.

Eddy didn’t think things could get any worse. That is, until he started going pee pee and the hot liquid made it’s way down to his bottom. There was no way to keep the tears from coming, and he danced from one foot to another as his bottom felt like it was on fire. “Boo boo! Boo boo!” he cried hard.

“I just changed you little boy, now stop this nonsense and come play on the blanket when I lay it down,” she growled. “Or would you like me to spank your bottom?”

“No!” he answered right away. He forced himself to stand still, and slowly the burning lessened.

“Then you toddle your little butt out there and sit down and play with your toys, got it?” she barked.

“Yeth, I be good!” he exclaimed, terrified she would spank his sore bottom. Eddy waddled terribly as she led him out to the middle of the yard. He was trying to keep the dipey from rubbing against his irritated skin.

“You look so sweet, walking like a little baby,” Katie cooed. When she spread the blanket out, he swallowed hard, and sat down. She immediately handed him a ba-ba, and smiled when he began nursing it. “That’s a good boy, nurse your ba-ba all gone, Baby.”

Eddy sat there drinking, scared that he would have to go poopy or pee pee. He didn’t want to make her mad, so he picked up a Leggo and began putting them together after she dumped the bag on the blanket. Looking down, he saw the bulge of his dipey was clear with his legs spread wide apart, and he would have brought them together, but just knew Katie would get mad.

“I’ll be right back Baby, I need to go get your dipey bag, unless you want to stay in that dipey until nap time.”

“No.” he said softly.

“All right, then you play on the blanket. Keep drinking your ba-ba and don’t move, understand?”

When Eddy nodded, she got up and went into the house. A minute later, Eddy heard the sound he had been dreading since this all started. He turned, and saw Larry Gelt standing with his sister at the single tree in the back yard, doubled over in laughter. They lived two doors down. The ten year old boy was a jerk sometimes, but he and Eddy had gotten along most of the time. His eight year old sister Tracey was a pain, and always wanted to tag along, getting the two boys in trouble more than once.

As if being caught dressed as he was, drinking a ba-ba, wasn’t enough to make him cry, the fear at being discovered caused hot pee pee to saturate his diaper making his bottom burn like fire. Because he couldn’t move, there was no way to get the hot pee pee off his skin, and he began crying hard, trying not to squirm.

“Ha ha ha ha....what’s the matter BABY, do you miss your mommy? Ha ha ha ha...” Larry taunted.

Katie came out of the house then, running over to Eddy. “What’s wrong Sweety?” she asked, sounding like a concerned babysitter.

“Maybe he needs his didee changed!” Larry teased.

“Leave him alone!” Katie barked.

Eddie didn’t understand that at all. Katie had put him where Larry could see him dressed like a baby, made him drink a ba-ba, and carry Mister Bear, so why would she all of a sudden get mad when Larry teased him?

When Larry said, “No! What you gonna do about it?” Eddy tried to warn Larry by shaking his head slightly. He saw the fierce anger consume Katie’s expression, and was frightened.

“I wonder what your mommy would say if I told her you were teasing a sick little boy?” she barked.

Eddy saw Larry and his sister blanch at that.

“Maybe I should march you right home and explain it to her.”

“No!” Tracey pleaded.

“Shutup!” Larry told Tracey, and smacked her hard on the shoulder. “She’s not going to tell mom stupid.”

Katie closed the distance between the blanket and the fence before anyone could react. She had Larry’s shirt scrunched up tight in her hand, preventing him from backing away. “Don’t you EVER lay a hand on a girl, do you hear me?”

“Why? She’s just my sister,” Larry answered, trying to get away.

Eddy saw Katie take a deep breath before telling Larry, “I’ll tell you what, we’re going to play a game.” When Larry looked like he would object, she added, “If you don’t play, then I WILL go talk with your mother, understand?”

“Fine!” Larry growled, clearly unhappy.

Katie let him go, and watched Tracey rubbing her shoulder where Larry had hit her, with tears threatening. Turning back to Larry, she announced, “We’re going to play hide and seek. You three are going to hide, and I’ll try to find you. If you don’t come back here before you leave to go home, I’ll go have a talk with your mom,” she instructed, looking right at Larry. “All right, I’m going to count to one hundred, and you go hide now.” She turned to Eddy and said, “You have to hide around here Sweety, your Mommy would get mad if I let you leave the yard.”

Larry laughed again, saying, “Yeah, the poor baby might fall down.”

“Don’t be such a jerk!” Tracey yelled.

Eddy saw Larry raise his hand, but drop it a second later. When he looked at Katie, he saw the dangerous glare in her eye.

“Okay,” Katie said, as she turned her face toward the tree, and closed her eyes. “One...Two...Three...” she began counting.

Eddy watched as both Larry and Tracey bolted in two different directions. Tracey went around the far side of the house away from the tree, so Eddy couldn’t see her anymore. Larry took off in the opposite direction, and stepped into the neighbors shed.

Eddy got up and toddled over to the hedge at the near side of the house, hiding between it and the house. He really didn’t want to play this game, but knew Katie would get mad if he didn’t. When he felt cramps a moment later, he trembled in fear of what was coming.

“Ready or not, here I come!” he heard Katie say. He heard her walking around the back yard, and then heard her move away. A couple of minutes later, he hear a thumping sound. It started out rapid, but slowed down for a bit, before getting fast again. After five or six cycles of this, it slowed way down, and finally stopped.

Two minutes later, Eddy’s stomach cramped again, and he couldn’t avoid filling his dipey. Loud cries erupted from him despite his attempts to stop them, and Katie was at his side in an instant. “What’s the matter Baby?”

“Boo boooooo!” Eddy cried. His bottom hurt terribly now.

“All right, lets get your dipey changed Sweety,” she said and called out, “I’ll be right back to look for you two,” as she picked Eddy up and carried him into the house.

Katie never said a word as she changed his dipey, not even when he cried really hard as she wiped him clean, making his bottom burn worse. When he was changed, she carried him back out and sat him down on the blanket, handing him another ba-ba. Eddy didn’t know why she took him inside to change him, but was glad to have that dipey off his bottom!

He nursed his ba-ba as he watched Katie move around toward Tracey. A couple of seconds later, he heard, “AH HA!” and a squeal from Tracey, followed by giggling. The two walked around the corner into the back yard, and Katie said, “Why don’t you help me look for your brother.”

“Okay,” Tracey replied, heading across the yard.

When he went pee pee again, Eddy cried for Katie. She came back to the blanket and asked, “What is it Sweety?”

“Boo boo.” he whimpered.

Pulling the back of his shorts out, she said, “You’re just wet Baby, I don’t want to hear fussing for a wet dipey,” and headed away again to look for Larry.

It was an hour and a half later that Katie told Tracey, “He didn’t come back, so I’m going to go see your mom later.” When Tracey looked worried, Katie assured her, “I’ll tell your mom that Larry was the one that was mean to Eddy, but that you were nice to him, I promise.”

By then, Eddy was trying hard to keep his dipey clean. With all of the oatmeal he ate, and the apple juice she made him drink, the cramps were getting terrible.

“All right Baby, lets get you some lunch and then get you down for your nap,” Katie said as she picked him up in her arms. Looking to Tracey, she said, “Make sure you tell Larry he’s going to be in big trouble.”

With a smile, Tracey replied, “I will, I promise.”

“All right, go home now. It’s time for Eddy’s nap.”

“Bye.”

Katie looked at Eddy and said, “Tell her bye bye Sweety.”

Eddy looked at Tracey, trying not to blush, smiled and said, “Bye bye,” sounding like a toddler.

“Bye bye Eddy.”

A minute later, Eddy was sitting in his booster chair, desperately trying not to go poopy. He managed to just finish eating before he couldn’t hold it anymore and poopy started to fill his dipey. “Boo booooo! Boo booooo!” he cried, repeating it over and over until he didn’t have any breath left, his mouth still moving.

Katie unbuckled him, carried him into his room, and told him, “Okay, now you get your punishment little boy.”

Eddy looked at her with frightened, streaming eyes.

She laid him on the bed and said, “Do exactly what I tell you Baby, or I’ll get the wipey box.”

“I be goooood!” he cried.

“Good, now turn on your tummy.”

Eddy rolled over, sobbing hard now, he just knew she was going to spank him.

“You don’t move from that spot. If you want to cry, cry into your bear Baby, but I don’t want you making a lot of noise. Understand?”

“Yeth,” he sobbed. A second later, when he felt Katie grab the back of his dipey and begin rubbing it hard against his bottom in a fast rhythm, Eddy buried his face in Mister Bear’s tummy, filling his mouth with the fur as he screamed. It went on for a full thirty seconds, with Eddy drumming his feet on the mattress.

“Are you going to be a good baby now?” she asked, emphasizing her words with harder pressure against his bottom.

Eddy nodded his head as he screamed yes again, and again, into his bear.

“I hope so Baby, because it’ll be a lot worse next time, I promise,” Katie growled, rubbing harder and faster still.

Eddy had never felt such pain in his life. When Katie let go of his dipey, it didn’t matter, his bottom still burned like someone was holding a flame to it.

“Do you want to take a nap in that dipey?”

Eddy shook his head no vigorously as he continued to cry into his bear.

“Then you keep that bear where it is until I’m done changing you, got it?”

Eddy nodded and kept Mister Bear in his mouth as she turned him over. When she began wiping him clean, he started screaming again, trying hard not to kick his legs. It seemed like forever before the burning stopped, and he felt cool cream being spread over his bottom. He had hated when Katie had put the thick paste on him before, but was so glad to feel it now, he sobbed hard.

Katie taped his dipey closed, and picked him up. She sat down on the bed and held him close until his crying slowed down. He felt her pull his bear down away from his face, and she asked, “Are you going to be good now, and listen to me like a good baby?”

“Uh huh...I thowwyyyy!” he sobbed.

With a kiss to his forehead, she laid him down in his bed and told him, “I be right back with your ba-ba.”

Eddy laid there hugging Mister Bear tight, nursing his paci. He would never ignore Katie again, that was certain! When she offered him the nipple, he took it and began nursing instantly.

“That’s a good boy,” she praised. “Turn over and go night night now Baby.” With another kiss, she said, “Night night.”

“Nigh’ nigh’,” Eddy answered and closed his eyes. After all the screaming, he was exhausted and was sound asleep ten minutes later.

************

It was seven-thirty when the door bell rang. Laura opened the door, surprised to see a police officer there. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, Mrs. Deitz?”

“Yes?”

“May I come in please?” the officer asked.

“What is this about?” Laura asked with concern.

“I need to speak with the children.”

Laura didn’t understand why a police officer wanted to talk with the kids, and stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind her, before asking, “Why, what’s going on?” She didn’t want Eddy who was playing with his toys on the livingroom floor to overhear this.

“Mrs. Deitz, it seems that your two children were playing hide and seek with the Gelt children earlier today. One of the Gelt children didn’t come home afterward. I’m sorry to report, he was found about forty minutes ago in a refrigerator located inside your neighbor’s shed. It appears he hid in the refrigerator, and a gardening utensil toppled over, lodging the door shut, trapping the boy inside.”