Room 417, Sunday morning

[fates_jaye]

Jaye wakes up- on the floor with a blanket and the floppy bunny toy because the bed is too high- to a ringing phone. And sticky hands because Angela says you can't take baths which is okay because baths are bad. And glitter still all over her. And a growling tummy. She had a lollipop and candy from Rory for dinner. It might seem like real food to a brand-new-four-year-old, but it's not.

She finds the phone on the desk, and she has to climb up onto the chair to get it. "HI!" she says to the other person.



"Sweetheart?" Darrin asks. "Everything okay?"

"Hi, Daddy, hiiiiiiii!" says Jaye. "I have a Band-Aid! And Rory got hurted so she thought she needed an op'ration but she didn't and we all went to the clinic and the man there's nice."

There's a pause. "Are you hurt?" he asks.

"Yes! I needed a Band-Aid! Two!"

"How did you hurt yourself?"

"...I needed a Band-Aid!" she says. "And! And! And! I was on the radio! With John and Cam and 'Bossa and Rory and Angela and Chloe who gave me glitter and Anakin and Aeryn and Sean who I hugged and Vladdie and Angel and Xander and Bridgey and Marty and Sammie and 'Ronica and they're all my friends. Well, not Aeryn 'cuz she hits."

Darrin pauses. "Jaye, I need you to listen to me very carefully," he says. "Did you hit your head any time in the last couple of days."

Jaye giggles. "You're funny. Why don't boys have babies?"

The pause is longer this time, and there's a muffled voice saying to another muffled voice, probably Karen, saying something like, "This is what happens when we let them pick stuff up on the streets!"

"Should we come get you?" asks Darrin.

"NO!" Jaye says. "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! I don't hafta take baths!"

"Oh my god," Darrin says slowly. "They turned you into a hippie, didn't they?"

"I'm bored now," Jaye tells him. "BYE, DADDY!"


And throws the phone on the floor to hang it up.