One-Time Thing

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Eric didn't seem to know about my bedwetting. At least, he never said anything to me when he got home from work. He only really asked me about school and how my day was. I hoped it would stay a secret as long as possible so I wouldn't have to do anything about it and no one would make a big deal out of it. I wasn't up for that.

I thought my bedwetting would just be a one-time thing but when I woke up a few days later and felt wet blankets under me, I knew the bedwetting wasn't going away so easily.

I knew telling Theo and Eric would help me get to the bottom of it and hopefully resolve the issue but there was no way I was telling them. Wetting the bed was so embarrassing and gross. I didn't want to admit to anyone that I was doing it.

After changing my clothes, I scooped up the wet blankets and carried them out of my room. I headed down the steps and ran straight into Theo.

"Easy there." Theo stuck his hand out to stop me.

"Sorry, I'm just... I wanted to do some laundry."

"You know you don't have to do your own laundry. I'm more than happy to do it for you."

"No, it's okay. I got it." Shit. Was he on to me?

"Jake, why are these blankets wet?"

I squeezed my eyes shut. Shit, shit, shit. "I... I spilled something on them."

"Jacob-" I could feel the ridicule coming and I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want him to make me feel more embarrassed than I already was. I couldn't deal with it.

I pushed past him and kept going toward the basement stairs. "I can handle this on my own. Just give me some space."

I ran down the steps and leaned against the washing machine to catch my breath and collect my thoughts. I hated being mean but I really needed some time to figure out what was going on. I wasn't ready for them to be involved. I was still just hoping the bedwetting would go away on its own and I could forget all about it.

I kept to myself for the rest of the day. I didn't want to have to explain myself to Theo or apologize for being rude. I didn't want to be rude but I wasn't ready for any conversation. I needed time to figure out what was going on.

I looked up bedwetting on Google and found an article on bedwetting as an adult. The article said it happens more often than discussed. It could be related to a medical problem but I knew there was nothing medically wrong with me aside from the stupid mutation I was stuck with. So I continued with the article and saw a set of suggestions that could potentially help me. Stop drinking liquids after dinner, go to the bathroom before bed, and try protective materials on the bed. I knew the last option was more so for people who wet the bed consistently. Two times within the same week wasn't consistent, was it?

There was a thread of people discussing bedwetting who claimed to have the mutation I did. The first post asked if it was normal and would stop after a while. Every comment underneath said it was normal, given our circumstances, but that it wouldn't stop. There was no reversing it once it started. It would only get worse.

It felt like my heart was pounding so hard that it wanted to bust out of my chest. There was no way this was going to get worse. No way was I going to need diapers for the rest of my life. I couldn't do that.

I tried my best to not let my thoughts spiral out of control. It was easy for me to just focus on the bad that was happening or could happen. I knew it wasn't healthy to focus on so much of that negativity all at once. I needed to take things one day, one situation at a time. I knew I could get through it.

It just sucked.

I went to the hall closet and grabbed a towel. I spread it out on my bed and then pulled the freshly washed blanket over top. I didn't want Theo or Eric to happen to see it if they walked by.

I needed more of a long-term solution but it would do for now. I needed it to work.

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