“You know what?” Lonnie says to Laura as he wipes her down. “I don’t get paid enough to care about little girls dressed as little boys. For minimum wage, that’s not my problem.” Laura lets out a sigh of relief. Lonnie tapes on the clean diaper and dresses her in her onesie again.
“And back into baby jail you go,” he says, plopping her into the playpen. Laura’s avoided being caught by the police and being discovered as a girl, but she’s still in a tight situation. She looks over at the security camera. Earlier, it had a blinking red light. But it doesn’t anymore. Laura’s heart soars. Maybe this means the camera is off.
She has to act fast to get away before Jeremy arrives. Laura gets to her feet unsteadily and pushes the sides of the playpen, successfully knocking it over. She toddles out of the capsized playpen, opens the door, and slips into the main area of the store. Holding her breath, she listens for the employees to discover she’s left the staffroom. There’s no noise. Her hunch about the camera dying was right.
Laura toddles for the front door, hiding behind racks and stacks of clothing to avoid being spotted by the employees. She waits for the employee manning the cashier to turn away, then sprints for the door.
Once outside, Laura runs. She doesn’t have a specific destination in mind, she just wants to get away from Jeremy and Lonnie and the other employee whose name she doesn’t know. Her speed is reduced due to the diaper she is wearing, which feels thicker than her first, but she manages to get a few blocks away quickly.
Satisfied to have escaped, Laura looks around, trying to decide her next step.