Pamela first had to explain that she was okay before dealing with the creature. “I’m a little woozy, Honey, but I’m not hurt. I’ll be fine in a minute or two and get up then.
“Does it hurt? You shouted.” Adeline reached unconsciously to her left bare breast, as if in sympathy. She pinched herself but just a little bit. She felt a little milk drip out and released herself.
“It bit me.” Pamela admitted, always trying to be truthful. She trusted the homeless scientist would have warned her if sectoid bites were dangerous.
“No, no, Buggy-Bug!” Adeline shook a finger at it. Then she bent down and reached for the creature. Of course, it immediately took flight. Buzzing loudly, it headed right for the naked, adult child’s chest!
Unlike her mother, Adeline didn’t jump back. Amazingly, when it struck her breast bone, she was quick to capture it with her hands. “You’ve been naughty.” She scolded the sectoid.
“Adeline!” Pamela managed to not shout at her only child, but her concern was clear. ”
“I got it, Momma. Do you want it?” She held out the insect, its limbs waving wildly.
The request would have stunned most mothers back to confusion, but Pamela had dealt with her daughter’s simple view of the world many times. She sometimes wondered how she might escape into her daughter’s world when real life’s troubles piled up.
Pamela repressed understandable revulsion at seeing her precious daughter handling the nightmarish creature. Although worried that her motor senses hadn’t recovered sufficiently to take greater action, the mother didn’t know how to answer. She just had to proceed at her daughter’s pace.
“N-no, thank you.” She couldn’t ask her naked daughter to take it outside. It was also clear that Adeline LIKED the creature. Asking her to hold the thing while her mother sprayed it to death might traumatize the young woman. “Do you think you could put it safely in a box or jar?”
The adult child’s lower lip trembled. “That sounds mean. Can I keep it?”
Pamela sighed. “No, Honey. It can’t live in our house. It’s not clean.”
“I can wash it.” Adeline almost begged.
“Bugs crawl in dirty places, places not easily cleaned. It would just get dirty again.”
“Oh.” Her daughter considered the information, intensely serious all of a sudden.
“Please put it in a box or jar – for Momma?”
Adeline didn’t answer right away. She was still thinking.
The fallen mother’s light-headed dissipated somewhat. She managed to sit up, while her daughter contemplated the request. She reached for the spray can.
She stopped her hand. A better thought occurred. “Honey, I know. Let’s put it in the lowest drawer next to the stove. I’ll take care of it later.” The drawer she mentioned was mostly empty except for some tools.
“Huh.” Adeline’s frown straightened. “Okay.” She turned around and went to the kitchen.
Pamela tried to stand. She was mostly successful, holding on to the sink and then using successive supports until she reached the kitchen. She found her daughter crouching down, the drawer open before her, but she was still holding the bug. “You were not nice to Momma, but maybe she’ll forgive you.” Recognizing her mother’s presence, she placed the large insect in the drawer and quickly shut it. Looking up, “I hope the drawer didn’t pinch it.”
“You did just right, Honey. Come here.” Pamela smiled gratefully. A hand on the wall kept her balance, but she was quickly feeling in full control. She opened her arms and hugged her daughter. She had adjusted her robe upon gaining her feet, and it prevented older and younger boobs from actually touching.