Daddy nods.
The doctor removes his gloves and eases my legs from the stirrups. He leaves me naked on the table with a hand on my thigh, patting me while he continues to talk to Daddy. “You’re on a strictly formula diet for now, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good. And you’ve got everything you need for a few weeks, I assume? The bottles were labeled and in the fridge when you arrived?”
Daddy nods. “Yes. I think we’re set.”
“Excellent. As long as you stick to the feeding schedule and don’t have any issues, I won’t need to see her again for two weeks. For now, make sure she’s emptying every bottle. Four a day. You can adjust the times to suit your preferences. The morning and afternoon bottles are the same. The noon bottles will help her nap. The nighttime ones will get her through about ten hours. Did she sleep through the night last night?”
“Yes. No problems.”
Dr. Morgan nods and glances at me with a smile. “Perfect. We can adjust the formula a bit if she has trouble sleeping all night or if she wakes up groggy.”
“Should I expect her to wet herself in her sleep?” Daddy asks. He has released his tight grip on my wrists, but his hand remains there, patting me, so I don’t lower my arms.
“That’s entirely up to you. Probably not with the current formula, assuming you don’t let her drink juice all evening before bedtime. Most Littles become very agitated and disturbed if they wake up wet. It’s perfectly fine for her to consciously wet herself after she awakes. If incontinence is something you want to explore later, we can discuss it.”
“And what about solid food?” Daddy asks.
“That’s up to you. I generally recommend you stay with formula only for at least a few days. You can gradually introduce soft foods first and then finger foods. But if she’s fussy about accepting the formula, don’t introduce other foods at all. She needs to learn to accept that first and understand you’re in charge, not her.”
Daddy nods and extends a hand, thanking the doctor.
Dr. Morgan pats me on the thigh again. “I’ll see you in two weeks, sweetie. Be a good girl.”
“Yes, Sir,” I breathe.
When he’s gone, Daddy leans over and kisses me on the forehead. “Let’s get you dressed and head for the zoo, shall we?”
I force a smile, not quite feeling it yet. I don’t fully relax until Daddy has my fresh diaper on and my shirt. He lifts my foot and puts my sandals on last. Finally, after he settles me in my stroller and buckles me tight, I blow out a breath.
Chapter Seven
The zoo is amazing. I haven’t been to a zoo in years. Maybe twenty years. Why don’t adults continue to do fun things after they grow up? They are missing out.
Daddy lets me choose which animals to see first, and I pick the primate house. In no time, I’m laughing and having fun. Daddy is too. Some of the exhibits are too high for me to see, so Daddy eventually lets me out of my stroller.
At first, I’m nervous about walking around. It makes me feel exposed to get out of my stroller, but soon I relax. Every other Little looks just like me, and no one is paying attention to me.
I shuffle from window to window as we see every type of primate they have. When we finish with the monkeys, we move on to the bears. They’re outside and take up more space. The polar bears are my favorite. I watch them for a while as they come in and out of the water.
When I notice a crowd gathering to my right, I waddle in that direction to see what all the fuss is about. It’s the black bear exhibit, and two cubs are playing. Apparently they sleep a lot so it’s rare to catch them so rambunctious.
I squeeze between several Daddies to get closer and giggle as the cubs continue roughhousing. When one of them lands on hisback, I turn around to point him out to Daddy, but I can’t see him.
I spin around. He’s not near me. I’m only five feet tall, so I can’t see over the heads of anyone around me. I start to panic. I shouldn’t. Logically, I’m a grown adult. There is no reason for me to freak out simply because I can’t find the man who is technically my boyfriend. It’s not like someone is going to kidnap me. I’m twenty-five. Everyone around me is a grown adult.
Nevertheless, I don’t like that I can’t find Daddy, and I’m not an adult. Not here. Not in his zoo or on this island. I’m very young, and the toddler in me is in a full panic now.
I shove back through the throng of people in the direction I think I came, but Daddy isn’t there. I’m alone. I’m wearing a tight T-shirt that reaches only past my boobs, a diaper, and sandals. I feel exposed, and I’m breathing heavily now. I don’t want to cry, and there is no reason to. I’ll find him. Or he’ll find me.
Just as I start to lose the battle warring inside me, a tear sliding down my cheek, I hear my name. “Melody.”
I spin around and find Daddy rushing toward me. Relief floods through my body, but I’m also nervous. He might be mad. Heshouldbe mad. I wasn’t paying attention, and I wandered off.
Instead, he looks relieved, and when he reaches me, he hauls me into his arms and hugs me tight. He rocks me back and forth for a few moments and tips my head back. “You scared me, baby girl.”
