13
After all the excitement had passed, after the burst of
adrenaline had subsided, Tanner felt exhausted. He hardly remembered leaving
McDonald’s and walking back to the van. As Daddy adjusted the seats, Tanner
only saw the tops of his Elmo shoes.
“Come
on, buddy. Climb into the van and lie down. Daddy’ll take care of that stinky
diaper for you.”
Tanner
did as instructed. His mind wasn’t all there anyway, so it didn’t matter that
the sliding door had been left open. It’s not like everyone in the restaurant
didn’t know. What does it matter that those same people could see Daddy
changing his baby’s diaper?
Without
saying another word, Daddy grabbed Teddy and pulled his baby’s pacifier from
out of his short’s pocket. Daddy guided the bear into Tanner’s arms, and he
eased the pacifier into Tanner’s mouth. The boy looked almost traumatized from
his experience. Professor Lopez almost felt sorry for him. But this is what the
boy wanted. At least, that’s what he said he wanted.
As Daddy looked
down on his baby boy, he couldn’t help but see how much of a baby he really
was. The boy did want this, even if he fought it. And he had tried very hard
back in the restaurant. Tanner did want to be a baby again. Daddy knew it would
just take some time to make the transformation stick. Right now, his baby boy
needed a daddy, and Lopez was happy to be right there to help his baby boy.
Daddy lifted up Tanner’s
shirt a little and unbuttoned the boy’s shorts. By placing a hand on his baby’s
hips, Daddy coaxed Tanner to lift up. Daddy pulled the shorts down to Tanner’s
ankles, revealing the heavily soiled diaper underneath.
Tanner closed his
eyes in embarrassment, but didn’t offer up any resistance as Daddy pulled on
tapes and started to work.
The mess was
unbelievable. However, Tanner hardly noticed anything. Too many thoughts were
swirling around his mind. Yes, he’d enjoyed the experienced he’d just had, but he
was also terrified. Was this what he really wanted? What about his adult life?
Was he willing to give that up? How much of a baby did Professor Lopez want?
And where did Tanner’s potential as a lover come into play?
So many questions
clogged Tanner’s mind that he saw everything through a haze, like those trippy
moments when he was drifting between waking and sleeping, when shadows transformed
into horrors.
Obviously, from
the state of his come-soaked diaper, Tanner loved being humiliated like that.
He loved losing control like that, but all of this scared him, and he was
looking for some time alone to do some thinking.
Daddy finished
cleaning his baby boy and put him into another diaper. The shorts were pulled
back up, and he helped Tanner back into his car seat. Nothing was said. Daddy
wanted to leave Tanner alone with his thoughts. The boy looked so tired he’d probably be asleep five minutes down the
road, Lopez thought.
And he was right.
Tanner dozed off a few minutes away from McDonald’s. The bear was still
clutched in a firm grip, and Baby’s mouth held an equally tight grip on the
pacifier. Neither was going anywhere any time soon, even as Tanner drifted
deeper and deeper into sleep.
The fifteen-minute drive didn’t feel as long
going back to his house, but Daddy did use the time to think of what to do
next. Tanner looked exhausted; and since this was his first experience with a
potential Daddy/Baby relationship, it’s expected that the boy should be feeling
conflicted about his new role. In fact, Daddy was quite sure once Tanner woke
from his nap that the boy would want to go home and think things over. Having
the boy stay for the entire weekend would be a dream, but Daddy knew better
than to press the matter. In order for
Professor Lopez to realize his own fantasy, he’d have to be very careful with
Tanner. Sometimes, like with real
babies, people need space to figure things out for themselves. Baby needed the little side and the adult side to align so that both sides would get what they wanted and
what they needed.
The van quietly
pulled into the garage. Tanner didn’t wake, even when Daddy removed the straps
of the car seat. There was some grumbling and a little shifting, but Tanner
continued to sleep on as Daddy picked him up and carried his baby back into the
house. The trek up the stairs and into the nursery was difficult, but Daddy
managed it quite well. Thankfully, his baby was not that big. Daddy did,
however, have to lay Baby in the rocking chair so he could lower the side rail
of the crib. And even with this slight movement, Tanner slept on.
As gently as he
could, Daddy removed Tanner’s shoes and shorts, picked him back up, and laid
his baby boy into the crib. He pulled the blanket over his baby and watched for
a minute as the boy continued to sleep. Somewhat surprisingly, the pacifier was
still in his mouth.
Daddy gave
Tanner’s head a loving pat and walked out of the room, turning off the light
before he stepped out into the hall.
***
The late afternoon sun struck the window, peered through
the blinds, and woke Tanner. For a moment, he forgot where he was. All he knew
was that he felt comfortable. It took him a full minute before he remembered
everything, including what had happened in McDonald’s.
Tanner
hugged his teddy tighter and curled up in his crib. The questions that had been
swirling around in his head before he fell asleep came back to haunt him. He
had promised to spend the weekend with Daddy; and while he didn’t want to
leave, Tanner knew he needed some time to think things over. But he’d finish
out the weekend first. He’d fulfill his promise to Daddy. That much he could
do. Though, he didn’t know how fun of a baby he’d be for the rest of the
evening.
The
afternoon heat was starting to make him uncomfortable, so he kicked off his
blanket. To Tanner’s slight surprise, his diaper was wet. Wow, he thought, I’m becoming
more like a baby the longer I stay with Daddy. Of course, the idea didn’t
scare Tanner. Becoming more like a baby was exactly what drew Daddy and Baby
together. Even at that moment, lying in his crib, cuddling his teddy, sucking
on his pacifier, and wearing a wet diaper, Tanner knew that his dreams had come
true. But was this really what he wanted?
Tanner
didn’t know just how long he lay awake, but soon Daddy came into the nursery to
check on his baby boy.
“How’s
my little guy doing? He’s awake, I see.” Daddy smiled, and Tanner felt happy
despite his reservations.
Daddy
pulled a chair next to the crib and lowered the side rail. “Just sit there for
a moment, Baby. We’ve got to talk for a minute. Okay?”
Oh no! What if Daddy knew about my
reservations? What if he didn’t want
a baby who wasn’t into this all of
the time? Suddenly, Tanner was terrified. He imagined Daddy leaving him and
sending him back to his adult life, and the thought filled him with horror.
Leaving the life he’d lived for past two days drove all the fears he’d recently
experienced away. Just the idea of living without Daddy was not a life he
wanted.
The
fear must have shown on Tanner’s face.
“Don’t
be scared. You’re not in trouble or anything. I just wanted to talk about how
you’re coping with all of this.
“I put you
through a lot today. Maybe more than you were ready for. If you want to go home
right now and end our time together now, I completely understand. We can take a
short break and meet up again during another weekend to continue this
experience. If you want, of course. We don’t have to do this all of the time.
We could just ease into this lifestyle. I’m willing to do whatever I need to so
that you’re comfortable, so that you feel safe.”
Tanner didn’t
wait until Daddy finished speaking. He lunched from the crib and wrapped his
arms around Daddy. “Thank you,” he said and hugged Daddy tighter.
A bit surprised,
but enjoying his baby’s reaction nonetheless, Professor Lopez returned the hug
and patted Tanner’s bottom. Holding his baby like that made everything so much
better. Nothing could trouble them as long as they had each other.
“Hey, sport. How
about we go down to the living room. I have some coloring books set out. You
can color and watch some cartoons while Daddy makes dinner. How’s that sound?”
“Yay!” Tanner
said through his pacifier. He reached back into his crib and grabbed Teddy.
Together, Daddy
and Baby walked hand-in-hand out of the nursery and down the stairs. Just as he
promised, Daddy had set out some coloring books on a blanket, just in front of
the television. Adventure Time had
been paused, and Daddy pressed play once he made sure his little boy had all
the colors he needed.
Daddy then
disappeared in the kitchen to prepare dinner. Of course, he’d come back into
the living room to check on his baby boy, bring him a bottle of juice, and make
sure the cartoons he wanted to watch were still playing.
Tanner,
meanwhile, was thoroughly enjoying himself. Most of the fear and anxiety he’d
experienced earlier in the day had subsided. It was still there, hiding
somewhere in the pit of his stomach, but the act of coloring and the fun
adventures of Jake and Finn pushed all that down. With Daddy, all of Tanner’s
problems seemed to just vanish, nothing could be wrong so long as Daddy was
around to make his baby boy feel safe and secure.
Part of a daddy’s
job is to make sure his baby’s diapers don’t leak, and Daddy didn’t fail to
check his baby’s diaper each time he emerged from the kitchen to check on him. As
expected, the diaper grew soggier from Tanner’s multiple wettings—not that he
really noticed them much. However, Daddy felt that the diaper could hold off
until after dinner. That way, he could change Baby into his night-diaper.
Once dinner was
ready, Daddy came back into the living room and pried his baby away from his
cartoons and colors. Doing so didn’t require much coaxing, but Tanner wasn’t
quite ready to leave. Dinner could wait, but Adventure Time and the beautiful art he was creating could not.
According to Tanner, important things were happening in that living room. But,
as good daddies know all too well, little boys need to be fed so that they can
continue their adventures later.
Daddy led Tanner
into the kitchen. There was a small breakfast nook on the far side of the
kitchen, and it held a small table with two chairs. However, the thing that
drew Tanner’s eye was the adult-sized high chair, and he immediately knew where
Daddy was taking him.
The high chair
was huge. As soon as Daddy helped Tanner into it and secured the straps, Tanner
felt himself shrinking again. It was hard not to feel small in so large a seat.
Tanner’s legs swung back and forth. He felt giddy sitting there like a little
boy. Indeed, he felt even smaller when Daddy attached a bib around his baby’s
neck. Like the shoes he had worn to lunch, Tanner’s bib had a Sesame Street theme. This time, however,
instead of Elmo, the bib had Cookie Monster devouring a whole pile of cookies.
Fitting, really.
Whatever Daddy
had made smelled so good. Tanner’s stomach growled in anticipation. He no
longer cared about the half-finished picture, nor the half-finished episode of Adventure Time. Daddy was right, as
usual, Baby needed to eat.
On the menu for
dinner that night was spaghetti and meatballs. Daddy liked the idea of Tanner
eating spaghetti because it was messy, and he wanted to see Tanner trying to
work his way through it. And to help make the task more difficult, Daddy
provided his baby with a larger-than-usual fork. He filled his baby’s bowl up
with pasta and a couple of large meatballs and set the bowl in front of Tanner.
Tanner picked up
the large fork awkwardly and dove into his dinner. Daddy hadn’t provided Baby
with a napkin, so Tanner’s face, bib, and shirt were soon covered in pasta
sauce and noodles. But he didn’t care. The meal was so good Tanner didn’t
realize how much of a mess he was making. Daddy ate his own meal and laughed as
he watched his little boy get messier and messier with every bite; he loved
watching those little bare legs swinging with happiness.
Dinner was a
quick affair, and the conversation was minimal. Baby was enjoying eating and
making a mess too much to be bothered with talking, and Daddy enjoyed watching
his baby. Plus, both were pretty tired from the day’s activities. They were
able to sit there and enjoy the near quiet of eating.
After both
finished dinner, Daddy set a baby bottle full of water on Tanner’s high chair.
He then took some baby wipes and cleaned his baby’s spaghetti-smeared face as
Tanner drank from the bottle. The bib was removed, along with the
spaghetti-stained shirt, which left Tanner in nothing but his wet diaper. Daddy
helped his baby off the high chair and told him to finish coloring his picture
and to finish watching his cartoons. And Tanner did just that, waddling his crinkling
butt out of the kitchen and into the living room.
After Daddy
cleaned the kitchen, he walked into the living room and found his baby boy
asleep on the floor, cuddling his teddy bear. Tanner looked so adorable. And
Daddy was proud to note that Baby had finished his bottle.
“Looks like
someone had a long and tiring day. Let’s put you to bed.” Daddy squatted down,
picked up his baby boy, and carried him up the stairs to the nursery. The boy
hardly stirred. He merely clutched his Teddy tighter and leaned into Daddy’s warm
chest.
Inside the
nursery, Daddy laid Tanner into his crib, covered him with blankets, and raised
the side rail.
Moonlight shined
through the window, bathing the entire room in a silver glow. Daddy turned on
the mobile hanging over the crib and watched his baby sleeping. So peaceful it
was, standing there, listening to the soothing lullaby and gazing down upon
Tanner. This was exactly what he’d always wanted. In that moment, nothing could
force him to give any of this up. At least, nothing he could imagine.