Before Linda could even begin to toddle around the daycare looking for Laura, Jessica came back and scooped her up.
“It’s nap time!” Jessica cooed. She brought Linda over to a row of cribs. Linda’s eyes widened. Laura was already in one of the cribs, fast asleep, sucking on a pacifier. Jessica deposited Linda in the crib next to Laura. “Here, honey.” Jessica popped a pacifier into Linda’s mouth. “Go to sleep, sweetie.”
Linda sat down, instinctively suckling on the pacifier as she watched Jessica put the other toddlers and babies in cribs. Jessica turned off the light and left the room. The second the door closed, Laura sat up in her crib. Linda got to her feet, using the bars of the crib to support her.
“Lowa,” Linda whispered around her pacifier. Laura got to her feet as well and looked over. “You dithe tuwn me wittew too.”
“Oh. Thowwy,” Laura mumbled around her pacifier.
“It okay. How we get out?”
“I wath going to leave now, but I tired.” Laura yawned. “Aftew nap, we make pwan.”
“But-” Linda started. Laura laid back down and curled up into a ball. This time, she wasn’t pretending to be asleep. Linda sat down in her crib.