From Textbooks to Changing Tables

Chapter 10
2 Years Later

Chapter Description: It's been 2 years. Matt's regression has stopped, but he hasn't grown either. Megan babysits for the night and narrowly avoids disaster.

It had been 2 years since his diagnosis. Matt sat in his playpen. He was alone. He was still 2 years old. Somehow, the virus wasn’t making him younger, but it wasn’t reversing either. Sam had called the doctor, who said that sometimes the virus reaches a standstill, but it wears off at the max of 5 years. Matt was horrified by the news at first, but was starting to accept his new role as the baby of the family. He stacked blocks in his playpen as he watched Megan, who was babysitting that night, as Patty was busy and Sam was on a date with his dad, was reading books with Scott. Scott was 5 now, and was really getting good at learning to read. He had stopped lisping, and was getting more coherent.

Matt still had his mind, but his tastes had changed. Adult Swim wasn’t funny to him anymore, rock music was loud; He was more content to watch Yo Gabba Gabba and sing along with the characters on screen. He was also starting to lose awareness at the need to use the potty. Sam had tried pull-ups a couple times over the years, but it never really worked. Secretly, Matt liked not having to interrupt his activities to use the can. And it was futile anyway, as his bladder and bowels never held anything anymore, they just released. Matt continued with his tower as Megan and Scott read. Megan still had confidence in her cousin, and kept asking if he had to use the potty, but Matt always refused. She missed her role model, and being home from college without someone to look up to and get advice from left her feeling lost from time to time.

Matt was about to put the last block in place when he instinctively started grunting and pushing. Sam noticed a certain look on his face every time he did it, which she called his “poop face” but Matt kept his head turned so as to hide it from Megan. He wanted to finish his tower. Soon after, however, he heard Megan stop reading to Scott. Matt felt a burning feeling in the back of his skull as Megan asked a question she hoped she was wrong to many times,

“Matty, did you go poopies in your pants?”

Matt blushed, but kept his head turned, “No, I use da potty wike a big boy!”

“Matt, I think you did!” She giggled, “Come on, let’s go change your diaper.”

“But Megan I wanna finish my towa! And besidthes, I didn’t poopy, I just fawted!”

Megan wasn’t believing him for a second, but played along, “Let me check then.” She stood him up and pulled the waistband back, to find the familiar mush in the seat of his pants, “Yup, we have a poopy little boy to change. Now come on!” She said, whisking him away from his project as he reached toward it in vain. Scott watched as his younger brother was carried upstairs. Megan went into Matt’s room, which was now completely fit for a boy his age; white walls, a changing table, a crib, bookshelves filled with childrens’ stories like goodnight moon.

She laid her cousin on his changing table as he squirmed, trying to get away, and locked him down with the stomach strap. She reached under the table for a diaper, some wipes, and powder. She wriggled his pants off, deftly opened the diaper, and got ready to wipe, when all of a sudden, the cold air circulating in the room caused Matt to uncontrollably start peeing. Luckily, Sam had informed her of this before, and used the soiled diaper to catch his spray.

“Uh-uh-uh, save that for when you still have the diaper on, okay?” She joked as she wiped him down. Megan felt alone, but caring for her cousin made her gain some confidence. Matt was a bit ashamed at his almost catastrophic incident, but it rolled off his back like his other accidents had. When he was in pull-ups for the second time, he had a major leak in the park like he had when he failed with training pants. He didn’t care, he was just happy to be changed. He was finally happy.