I was still groggy and sleepy when mom woke me up the next morning. I rubbed my eyes as I walked to the changing pad on the floor. I knew it was dangerous to lay down once again considering how tired I was.

I was in and out until mom started rubbing the insides of my legs with a wipe. A sharp pain caused me to jump when the wipe and pressure of her hand touched my skin.

"Lyla, it's just me."

She did it again and this time, I pushed myself back against the wall and away from her.

She sighed. "Honey, you need to let me clean you up."

"It hurts."

Her forehead crinkled. "Let me look. You might have a rash."

I shook my head.

"I won't touch it. Just let me look."

I sighed but slid back down. It was so uncomfortable having her staring in that area. I hated it enough when she was changing my diaper but just having her look there... ugh.

She pursed her lips and worry started settling in. "Just what I thought. Let me see if we have anything to help with the pain." She left the room and went to the bathroom to check the first aid kit.

I mentally groaned at just the thought of having to deal with a diaper rash. It was embarrassing already. Having to deal with the pain and discomfort was annoying.

I pushed my shirt down as much as I could so I wasn't laying there with my bare skin exposed.

Mom came back into the room with a small tube of antiseptic cream. "I'm just going to put a little bit on to help it heal up."

"Will it stop hurting?" I asked, wincing as she lightly dabbed the cream over the hot spots. I could smell the strong mint smell and scrunched my nose up.

"I'll get you some Tylenol for the pain."

Mom taped the diaper up and put the cream tube in the diaper bag for me to take to school.

I sat up and groaned when the diaper rubbed against the insides of my legs. I tugged on the soft material, trying to alleviate some of the pain.

Mom pulled my hand away, her thumb rubbing the back of my hand. "Honey, don't mess with it or the cream won't work."

"But it hurts." I whined.

"I know it does. Let's get you dressed and I can get you some pain medicine."

---

Mom handed me a sippy cup of water then went to one of the cabinets above the fridge. I knew her and dad put any medicine, alcohol, and cleaning products in places I couldn't get to. The cabinet under the sink was locked and required a key. It was a bit much but at least I didn't have to help with chores anymore.

She walked over with a bottle of Tylenol in her hand. She opened the top and dropped one pill into her hand.

"Can't I take two?" One pill wasn't going to last me very long and I had no way of getting any more. I had a feeling I wasn't going to get any at school, either.

"One will work just fine. Open."

I rolled my eyes at her request but opened my mouth. She put the pill on my tongue then nodded for me to drink from the sippy cup to swallow the pill down. It was easier than using a regular cup but it was more demeaning this way. I hated anything that made me feel more like a baby.

She put the pill bottle back and locked the cabinet before getting her purse and car keys from the counter. "Let's go. We don't want to be late."