Laura and Kaitlin successfully crawl out of the window without being seen. Kaitlin lets out a sigh of relief as they toddle away from the daycare. After walking for about a block, Laura falls onto her butt. Kaitlin looks at her.
“What wrong?” she asks.
“Ga boo ga,” Laura babbles at her. Her eyes widen in horror as she and Kaitlin realize she’s regressed beyond speech. Laura sucks even more urgently on her pacifier, tears beginning to fall. Kaitlin swallows nervously.
“Act out,” she suggests. Laura points at her legs and feet, then mimics falling asleep. “Oh! You tired?” Laura nods. “Yeah, babies can’t walk much.” Kaitlin sighs. “I too widdle to carry.” Laura nods again. “Hmm.” Kaitlin looks around. She spots a little red wagon in a nearby yard. “Stay here.”
Kaitlin toddles over to the yard and grabs the wagon’s handle, then drags it to Laura.
“Climb in,” Kaitlin instructs her. Laura does as she’s told. Kaitlin puts the backpack in the wagon with Laura and proceeds to pull the wagon along. It’s more difficult than she expected, but better than walking only a block before needing to rest again.
“We go mall,” Kaitlin says to Laura. “Get dithe.”
“Ga,” Laura chirps from the wagon. Despite having a plan for where she’s headed, Kaitlin has no clue how to get there, so she chooses a random direction. Hopefully, they’ll find something that they recognize.
Laura sits in the wagon, not happy to be this regressed, but secretly enjoying that she doesn’t have to walk. At one point, Kaitlin stops abruptly, squats, and then resumes pulling the wagon. Laura’s not sure whether Kaitlin intended to wet herself, or even whether Kaitlin realized what she did. But Kaitlin’s diaper is now visibly yellow.
As Laura thinks about how Kaitlin will need a change, she suddenly smells something. She shifts slightly in her seat to confirm her suspicions. She’s messed herself.
Kaitlin smells Laura’s accident. She stops pulling the wagon and goes over to Laura to inspect her diaper.
“Thinky,” Kaitlin says to her. Laura nods. “Need change.” Laura nods again. She points at Kaitlin. “What?” Laura pulls up Kaitlin’s dress, revealing her yellowed diaper. “Oh.” Kaitlin blushes. She hadn’t realized she was wet. “I need change, too.” Laura nods again. “No want change outhide.” Laura nods yet again.
Kaitlin looks around for a place where she can change both her diaper and Laura’s diaper.