After a while, Laura feels a pressure in her stomach. She drops the toy she’s playing with, wondering what the feeling is. It’s uncomfortable but familiar, so she feels like she should know what it means. She gets to her feet and squats. The pressure grows stronger, so she begins to push, grunting with effort. After a few moments, Laura sits back down, still not sure what she just did, not noticing the mush filling her diaper nor the smell emanating from her.
“Wow, it smells like someone made a big stinky!” a voice says. Laura looks up. A strange woman stands over her. “Where’s your mommy?”
“No mommy,” Laura says.
“Your daddy?”
“No daddy.”
“No…” The woman stares at Laura. “Well, you might be remembering wrong, so let’s ask around, shall we?” The woman picks Laura up and rests her on her hip. Laura sucks on her pacifier, still unaware of why she was picked up by this stranger. The woman brings her around the play area, asking every single adult if they are Laura’s parent or know who is in charge of her. As Laura is carried around, she spots Kaitlin, playing tag with some children.
“Kait!” Laura shouts. Or rather, she tries to shout, but it is muffled by her pacifier. The woman, having exhausted her options, brings Laura to her items. There, she lays Laura down on a changing mat and changes her diaper. Laura is startled to see that she messed herself without noticing.
“Sweetie, can you tell me your name?” the woman asks.
“Lowa.”
“Laura. What a pretty name!” The woman pulls a short dress over Laura’s head. “Let’s go talk to the nice people in charge, okay?” The woman picks Laura up and carries her away from the play area. Laura can see Kaitlin still playing, completely unaware of what is happening.
They arrive at the main office of the mall, where the woman hands Laura over and tells them to announce that an abandoned toddler named Laura was found in the play area, wearing only a diaper.
“If her guardians don’t show up, call me.” The woman hands over her phone number. “I’ll be more than happy to have the little girl stay with me until the authorities track down her family.” The woman then leaves. Laura sits on the lap of a mall security guard and watches an employee make the announcement over the speakers.
All she can do is hope that Kaitlin hears and comes to rescue her.