It struck Vanessa that things had become routine almost as soon as the shock had worn off.

In just under two weeks, they’d learned that magic existed, and had a cruel sense of humor. They’d seen Nicole devolve from a fully capable woman to a person with the memories of an adult but the physical faculties of a particularly stunted toddler.

And, already, she was…used to it.

Not unconcerned, of course. Vanessa still spent her time scouring the internet for solutions, looking for cures or counterspells or witches who could fix everything, but it had lost its sense of shock. Even the doodle for the day–showing baby blocks scattered and an utterly broken, jagged speech bubble, didn’t carry much shock, just an indication of what new problems to expect for the day.

Now, she just worried for Nicole in a way that could only be described with one word, but it was a word Vanessa refused to say out loud; one that began with an ‘M’ and rhymed with ‘Blaternal’.

“Buh!” Nicole called. “Vee-vee!”

Vanessa hurried into the nursery. “What is it, Nic? You need a change?”

“Hungie,” Nicole said. “Pwea?”

(Her speech is getting worse,) Vanessa thought. (And she’s not even forming adult thoughts, at least not any that she’s communicating to me.) “I’ll make something.”

She had to sit Nicole down, giving her juice in her Pee Happy bottle so she had something to drink while breakfast got made. Once food was finished, Vanessa fed Nic macaroni one spoonful at a time, working her way through the bowl. At least it was the weekend–trying to juggle baby care and work a full time job already left her exhausted, and she’d only been doing it for a couple days.

As she set aside breakfast, she sniffed. “Nicky, you stink.”

“Nuh-nuh, no poopies,” Nicole mumbled, shaking her head. Then, uncertain, she reached back and prodded at her diaper with a hand. Confident again, she said, “Nuh!”

“Not what I mean,” Vanessa said. “You need a bath, silly–it’s been too long already.”

She almost suggested Nicole do it herself, but given how clumsy she’d been, Vanessa worried she’d end up hurting herself. So, she helped Nic down from the kitchen table and walked her friend to the bathroom.

“Eeep!” Nicole winced, alarmed. As quickly as she could on all fours, she crawled behind Vanessa’s legs, cowering.

“Wha–oh,” Vanessa said, looking between Nic and the toilet, remembering how her friend had described an irrational fear of the porcelain seat. Unfolding a couple towels, she draped them over the toilet, hiding it away for now–enough that Nicole no longer hid from it.

While Nic sat on the floor, suckling her thumb, Vanessa got the tub going, testing the water with her hands–not too hot, not too cold. On impulse, she added a bit of shampoo to the mix, filling the tub with sudsy bubbles.

“Time to get clean,” she coaxed, holding out a hand to her friend. It was getting easier to just think of her as a baby–Nicole may still have some of her adult traits left, but not many, and the potty training chart had taken so much that she may as well have been just a large infant.

Nicole was able to stand for just long enough to get into the tub before her legs stopped supporting her weight again, dropping her into the bubbly water with a splash. She giggled, and Vanessa tried not to be too annoyed about the water splattered on her shirt.

“How’s the water?” she asked, rubbing a washcloth down with soap and starting the scrubbing process.

Nicole just nodded and smiled. That was all the words she’d be giving on that topic, apparently.

Arms, back, butt, down to her legs, and then up again to get her chest–Vanessa cleaned her friend up from bottom to top, ending with her face, careful not to get any soap in her eyes or mouth.

“And behind the ears,” she said aloud, narrating as she washed–Nicole seemed more interested in the bubbles than in the cleaning itself.

Once Nicole’s body was clean, it came time for her hair. Shampoo, scrubbed in and then rinsed out, followed by conditioner, and then a little time to soak.

“How are you feeling, Nic?” Vanessa asked, filling time while they sat in the bathroom.

“Wadda’s ni,” Nicole replied.

“Sure, but I mean…there’s only one day left,” Vanessa said. “And then I honestly don’t know what could happen after that.”

Nicole paused, thinking about it. Her expression soured, a little, but then her eyes came to rest on Vanessa and she smiled again. “You stiww be hewe?”

Her tone was half a question, half a request for reassurance. She wanted a promise.

Vanessa smiled and nodded. “Of course, Nic–I’m not going anywhere. Not ever.”

“Den it’ll be o-tay.” Nicole raised her arms and gave Vanessa a sudsy, wet hug. Vanessa squeezed back, not caring at all that her clothes were soaked.

The rest of the day went by. Vanessa had to be on babysitting duty the whole time, but Nicole was able to self direct for a lot of it, and her nursery was stocked with learning primers and baby-level puzzle books that kept her engaged. Food, diaper changes, and occasional attention during playtime were all that was needed.

As they wound down for bed, though, Nicole’s confidence wavered. As Vanessa got her changed into a nighttime diaper, she asked, “V?”

“What’s up, Nic?” Vanessa asked.

“Not goin’ any-way?” It took Vanessa a second to realize she meant, ‘Anywhere’, not ‘Anyway’.

“Of course not,” Vanessa assured her, taping down the double-thick diaper. “You ready for bed?”

Nicole nodded, then paused. “V?”

V tilted her head, helping her friend sit up. “Yeah?”

“Can you sweep obah toni’?”

Vanessa’s expression melted and she nodded. “Of course, sweetie. Just let me get ready for bed too, okay?”

“O-tay.”

After her own nightly ritual–toilet, toothbrushing, getting her phone on charge–she put Nicole down in her crib, then got in after her, curling up next to her friend.

The gate shut on its own, but Vanessa checked and ensured she could open them without issue. Confident they wouldn’t be trapped, she got cozy under the covers. With the bars penning them in, she had to be right next to Nicole, spooning against her, arms wrapped over her friend’s waist.

Nicole snuggled a little closer, yawned happily, and they both fell asleep together.