Always His Baby

Chapter 13
Fairy Tales

Chapter Description: Sheridan reaches a new low. But might there be a way out of this mess?

It’s only when Grandma opens the doors and several voices rise up to coo at the sight of them does Sheridan’s head start to clear. She sucks on her dummy, nervously, her chubby little hands clinging to Grandma’s cardigan as a couple of her aunts stand up to greet her.

"Hows my cutest little niece doing?" Aunt Clara coos, "Oh she looks so precious in that bonnet! I have to take a picture."

Sheridan wants to wave her hands and demand no pictures but her auntie is already getting out her phone and snapping one. She’s grateful there’s no blinding flash. The sound is enough to irk her.

Sheridan grizzles and looks around the room. They’re all looking at her now, cousin Jake is asleep in his Moses basket. She knows all these people but someone important is missing.

"Da!" one syllable is all she can manage around her dummy.

"Aw, she just wants her daddy." says Grandma.

"Daddy’s just gone out for a little while, honey." Auntie Clara says sweetly, touching her cheek; "He and Uncle Chris and Greg wanted to go watch football down the pub. He’ll be back very soon. In the meantime you get to stay with us and have lots of fun!"

She highly doubts that and doesn’t bother to hide her pout and whimper in response. She buries her face in Grandma’s shoulder. She just wants to be left alone. She can’t focus on her big girl thoughts with everyone talking to her like she’s a silly infant.

"I think the kids haven’t been the most gentle with her." Grandma admits, patting her back; "Still, they’re bored and they’re just children, they shouldn’t need to look after a helpless baby."

Sheridan would grit her teeth if she had any. Helpless?!

"Give her here, Mum! I’ll cheer her up." Uncle Jim, the only man left given his distaste of football, beckons her over. Grandma hands Sheri over to him, despite her reluctant fidgeting, Jim’s rough hands taking her sides. "There’s our Princess Poopy Pants! Wanna play bouncy bouncy?"

She doesn’t seem to have a say in it as Uncle Jim immediately starts bouncing her on his knee. Higher and higher. Sheridan closes her eyes, the motion of the room going up and down making her feel so dizzy. But it’s a strange, fun kind of dizzy. She makes a confused gurgle around her dummy. She doesn’t WANT to enjoy this! The giggles are rising in her tummy. But if she laughs then Uncle Jim will carry on with everyone clapping around them, encouraging the stupid game further.

She focuses as hard as she can, wriggling as if trying to escape from his hands, screwing her face up. She opens her mouth wider in an attempt to protest only for her dummy to tumble out of her mouth. Then she starts to cry.

"Aww, what’s wrong, Sherry Cakes? You usually love playing bouncy with me." Jim says in an over-the-top moping voice as if he were the one upset.

"I just think she might be hungry, Jimmy." Grandma chimes in; "She and Dan came after the kids had their snacks. I’ll warm up a bottle for her."

Sheridan takes a breath. A drink would help right now. Calm her down. Hopefully be left to sit quietly for a while. Concentrate.

Except Aunty Steph decides to ruin that plan.

"Or I could try feeding her? She might enjoy it." She unbuttons her shirt, revealing her large, lactating breasts; "Jake’s not been taking his feed that well. I feel like I’ve got a lot going spare here." She chuckles with the other women, Jim just blushing.

Sheri goes stiff at the thought. Oh...god no.

She’s not going to breastfeed like a real baby. That might just top wetting her pants in public as the most embarrassing part of this week.

"I’m not sure...she obviously hasn’t fed that way since Leila left. And I don’t even think she did it all that much. Leila just used to complain when she tried it. Poor Sheri." Grandma sighs.

Yes. Poor Sheri with the deadbeat mum. If that pity gives her a lifeline to avoid this humiliation then all the better.

"Surely it can’t hurt to try?" Steph shrugs, putting her arms out.

"I don’t see why not."

Jim lifts Sheridan and hands her over to the new mother. She wants to squirm and move away but Steph is holding her firm, yet somehow not squeezing the life out of her. Sheri feels so weak in these adults hands. She really is helpless. She’s unable to stop her head being guided towards the huge, soft breasts that seem bigger than her own head.

This isn’t right. She’s way too big to be doing this. Why is there a part of her that wants to? She’s never felt so thirsty.

Auntie Steph strokes the back of her head, her other hand on Sheri’s bottom, just like how Daddy holds her on his lap when he gives her her ba-ba. Wait...how can she remember that? It’s been years. She shouldn’t be able to remember that but now it feels so fresh. So familiar.

"Open wide for num-nums, sweetie." Steph says as stares, uncertain, at the nipple facing her; "It’s good for you. Go on, drink up!"

"N-" she attempts one more protest, opening her mouth. However the ’No’ is quickly muffled by the leaking nipple being placed between her lips.

Sheridan wants to cry inside at what is happening right now. She’s far too weak to dislodge the nipple from her mouth. The hungry baby part of her doesn’t want to. Somehow her body’s reflexes know just what to do, how to suckle properly, her little fingers touching the underside of Auntie’s breasts to get the sweet milk flowing onto her tongue and down her throat.

This is delicious. This is twisted.

The adults around her are pleasantly surprised at the result and praise Auntie Steph. Why? What did she do that’s so amazing? If Steph knew she was really breastfeeding her fifteen year old niece trapped in a baby’s body she probably wouldn’t be so pleased with herself.

"See? Breast is always best!" Steph smiles, continuing to stroke Sheridan’s hair and letting her drink to her heart’s content.

Aunt Sandy nods; "It’s true. It does make me feel sorry for Dan though. He can’t give her this all the time."

"It’s not like he’s letting her go hungry though, is it?" Jim tuts, trying not to stare at Steph out of respect.

Sheridan can’t believe they’re all just talking over her. As if she isn’t listening, as if she doesn’t understand a word. She can’t speak for herself, especially with a nipple in her mouth, her tongue automatically intent on slurping at what pours forth. She’s just a hungry little brat to them. Barely ten months separating her and Jacob at least.

She twitches, ashamed, as she begins to relax despite herself in Steph’s arms. It’s all too soothing, the milk filling her tummy and the fingers stroking her hair, the hands holding her so securely, the scent of her almost intoxicating. But there’s something not right. Very not right and it’s stopping her from settling completely.

"Breastfeeding is wonderful for a baby’s development." Grandma agrees; "But Dan does the best he can. I think there is too much pressure on having to breastfeed these days. In my day so long as a baby got to be fed that’s what mattered. So long as Sheri gets her milk, a cuddle - and, most important, love - she’s not missing out on anything."

"Yeah. No one can deny how much that man adores his little girl. He’d get her the moon if she asked him." Steph smiles, running her thumb along Sheri’s forehead.

Sheridan is starting to zone out, letting her mouth work on its own. She just catches a few of the words of the grown ups conversation. Dan...Da...Daddy?

Where is Daddy? Why isn’t Daddy feeding her? She could sleep if Daddy was the one cuddling her and giving her baba right now - even if Auntie’s boobies are nice to drink from.

They’re talking about Daddy. About how much he loves his little girl...That’s her!

Yes. Daddy loves her...just not enough to let her be a big girl.

The cold reminder stops her from falling asleep in Steph’s arms. She finally stops suckling and closes her lips. She prays Aunty Clara didn’t take another picture or video on her phone.

"All better now, cutie?" Steph smiles and brings Sheri in a sitting up position, wiping some milk off her chin.

Sheri wishes he could spill the beans about what is going on. Make Steph feel as humiliated as she just did. Except her tongue no longer obeys her. It has a mind of its own that just wants to drink and babble nonsense.

Grandma takes Sheridan and Steph buttons up her shirt again. Sheridan wants to tell Grandma how full her belly feels now. How it might be best to bring the potty in so Sheri can quickly go when she needs it. It’s a lost cause though and she knows they expect her to use the thick nappy that she’s been dressed in. Is the potty even there anymore with reality having shifted again?

Sheridan is taken to the corner and placed in a rocker; a pink baby seat that tilts back so that once Sheridan is placed in the plush material, it rocks at all times. She frowns, hating the experience already. But there’s not going to be a chance of escape as she’s strapped in around the waist. Her silly fingers won’t be able to push the catch. A mobile of plastic, colorful shapes above her head is the only source of entertainment other than the rocking motion.

She looks up at her grandmother for salvation; "Ga...ga!"

But Grandma just smiles and pops her dummy back between her lips before patting her on the nose.

"You be a good baby and get some rest while us grown ups talk. Your daddy will be home before you know it!" She beams before returning back to the sofa.

That’s it? She’s just supposed to sit in this chair now? This is worse than being left with the bigger kids to watch a sub-bar Disney film. This is. The epitome of tedium. She waves her little hands above her head clumsily, wishing they would obey her so she could undo the catch and get out. The rocking motion makes her feel the liquid in her belly slosh around. The nappy is so thick that it forces her legs apart, stopping her from squeezing her thighs together in an attempt to help control her bladder.

She whimpers and looks up at the swaying shapes, trying to remember their names. The pointy one has a name. She knows that. T...Tree, something? It makes her wriggle with frustration that the name escapes her. The more she thinks the sleepier she feels. She doesn’t want to be a sleepy baby. She knows she’ll wet herself if she falls asleep.

What colour is the round shape? B’oo?, she says in her head. Is that right? The shapes all have smiley faces on them. It makes her want to smile too! They’re all happy to see her. Her friends are shapes, what a silly idea.

The minutes tick by ever so slowly. If Sheridan even tries to resist giving into her infantile thoughts than she’s tortured by the ever-present boredom. A catch 22 situation if there ever was one.

The grown ups only notice her again when Aunty Sandy comes to spoon-feed her some mushy banana, once again merely cooing and making noises at her, almost ignoring what little sounds she is able to make between the mouthfulls of food she intakes.

"Who’s a little porker, hmm? Such a cute little greedy guts." Sandy laughs as she wipes the inevitable mess off Sheridan’s mouth.

And then the company is gone and she’s left to rock again. Her stomach now tight as a drum, it’s impossible not to give into the soothing motions of her comfy chair that lull her into a restful sleep, her mouth suckling her dummy as she snoozes, wishing she had her lion to cuddle up to.

She doesn’t dream. Or if she does, her brain is too small to make sense of what she dreamed of when she wakes.

She can hear other high-pitched voices now. Sheridan opens her eyes to see that her cousins have returned to the room. They all continue to ignore the tired baby getting her rest in the corner and instead come to gather around Grandma who is reading a story, mostly for the sake of the third youngest child. Tommy is only six and happy to sit on Grandma’s lap. The others are too bored to do anything else other than join in listening to the story.

Sheridan doesn’t like feeling left out. Is Daddy not here yet? Daddy wouldn’t let her be ignored like this. Made to feel invisible.

No one puts Baby in the corner.

She can hear him quoting that in her head, though can’t remember the reference.

She makes a fussing sound, only then noticing that her nappy is wet. Well. That was too be expected, she guesses. It’s almost at the point now, after everything that’s happened, she’s passed worrying about it so much. After being conscious of suckling your aunt’s boob in public, there’s not much else you can be ashamed of.

Thankfully someone notices she’s awake and she’s picked up. Uncle Jim, who’s a bit more gentle this time, takes her over to the sofa and sits her on his lap. Grandma smiles at her and continues her story.

Sheridan quickly realizes she’s joined half-way in.

"And the man’s wish was granted. He went from being a poor stable-worker to the richest man in town!" Grandma tells, excitedly, to her grandchildren; "However, he soon began to regret his wish. The money didn’t make him happy. It just made everyone jealous of him. And he lost all his friends from his town. They weren’t allowed to be seen with the rich, after all. The man became very sad. None of his money could bring back what he’d lost."

"That’s a depressing story, Grandma." One of the older kids comments, dryly

"Good job it has a happy ending then, ey clever clogs?" She smirks; "See the man wanted things to go back to the way they were. But he’d used up his wish, the genie couldn’t just turn things back on her own. The magic needed to be broken. And we all know there’s only one way to break a spell or curse, don’t we?"

The kids all frown and stare at each other. Clearly they don’t know.

Grandma tuts; "What do they teach you all in school these days? A kiss of true love, of course! So the man went back to his home town and found the woman he’d been in love with forever. And they shared that special kiss. The spell broke and he went back to being a simple peasant. But, when he married his beloved, he felt like the richest man in the world! The end."

Sheridan blinks. There can’t be any coincidence of Grandma’s story involving the same creature that cursed her. She wants to ask more questions, to dissect this simple fairy tale, but all she can do is suck her dummy while her cynical cousins have their own forum going.

Why couldn’t they keep the money? Why didn’t he wish for the girl and the money? Why didn’t the genie get set free? Stupid, pointless questions.

The factor that Sheridan is more interested in is what Grandma said about breaking magic. All spells can be broken by a kiss of true love? Is that right? How much about magic does her grandmother really know that she has never told anyone?

Is this her chance? Either that or suffer more baby hell for less than a day. And even then, will the genie keep her part of the deal? The man in the story couldn’t have the genie turn the spell back on her own. She doesn’t know what to believe anymore and her head is hurting.

Also her bottom is feeling ever so tight...Oh no.

Not here. Not now.

"Did little Sheri like the story?" Uncle Jim has started his bouncing again. The attention is turned back to her.

Sheridan whimpers around the dummy. It can’t be stopped. Her bowels open and the mushy banana from earlier begins to exit her bum as a warm, brown mess that squishes against her nappy with every up and down motion of Uncle Jim’s bounces. Her bladder gives way too and she soaks the front, the urine feeling so warm around her crotch.

One of the kids sniffs and then pinches her nose.

"Eww, Baby Sheri is making poopies!" Jessie teases, making the other kids chortle.

Uncle Jim laughs, "Now you know why she’s Princess Poopy-pants!"

Yet he continues bouncing her as if it were nothing. Even though he’s aware of the fact she’s messing herself right now. The kids move closer to tickle her, prodding and poking her chubby sides, making her giggle and squirm on Uncle Jim’s lap, incapable of showing how miserable she is. She’s too distracted by everything around her to show how she really feels. They know what they’re doing. They laugh as they know she’s filling her nappy to the brim with every touch and tickle they administer.

She hates her life.