Go and see a close female friend for advice and support.

Halley figured she had an hour or so at least before she was obliged to start with all this. After all, she had to walk back to her quarters and get set up, so calling in on a friend for a little moral support before starting her three day ordeal was hardly unacceptable. Especially since she'd only come out of the bathroom again half an hour before, so actually being in one of the diapers she now carried under her arm wasn't going to be necessary for a fair while yet. Despite the humiliation, Halley found her first impulse was to share it with someone who might at least be sympathetic.

Not that Halley exactly had a huge social circle to call upon, especially being so new. There was one girl, though, a similar age to her, who she'd been recruited with. She and Danielle had seemed to hit it off quite well during induction, and Halley had visited her quarters for a chat at least half a dozen times since then. Not that she'd really understand the trials of a working astronaut. Danielle was in the flight control and monitoring section, and had a desk in the station's command centre. She probably earned twice what Halley did, and had quarters half as big again. Yet Halley still sometimes felt able to impress her with the hardships which came with doing 'real work' outside. Perhaps this latest uncomfortable tale might even still satisfy that requirement.

Danielle finished her shift an hour earlier than Halley, too, so she was already in her quarters when Halley came knocking. It'd had only been a purposeful ten minute walk around the station's artificial gravity ring, though Halley still felt self conscious about the package she carried tucked under her arm, as if everybody knew what that was all about at a glance.

"Hey," she hid the diapers behind her back as Danielle opened the door, even though it must have been a deliberate decision to bring them with her.

"Oh, hey!" Danielle met her, always having the good charm to seem pleased to see Halley. "Halley! How's things going? Is that a present for me?"

"I wish," Halley coughed, wishing Danielle hadn't noticed quite so soon. "It's been... a bit of a bad day..."

To her surprise, she found herself already **** up, pretty much guaranteeing the sympathy she'd been seeking.

"Aw, sweetie," Danielle welcomed her inside, already wrapping arms around her. "What's been going on? Come on in, and tell me all about it!"

Half an hour later and Halley had a cup of hot tea in front of her, and the sorry tale was all out in the open. Despite the appropriate show of sympathy, Danielle was laughing now, at the end, and poking the pack of diapers which had once again become a table centrepiece between the two of them.

"So, you seriously have to wear diapers for the next three days," Danielle giggled once again, "just because..."

Halley frowned, still not really seeing the funny side of any of this.

"Three days..." she echoed, shaking her head self-piteously. "Goodness knows how I'm supposed to cope with that."

"Hey, you could always stay here with me!" Danielle suggested brightly. "I'd love to have a little baby Halley to take care of."

Halley shot her an odd look, trying to figure out if she was even joking. In the end, she couldn't even work it out from Danielle's strange expression.

"Are you serious?" she was obliged to ask, as the momentary silence threatened to lengthen.

"You bet," Danielle grinned playfully, as if the idea was nothing more than a game to her. "I'd change your diapers for you."

Halley bit her lip, still certain this had to be a joke. Regardless, she ought to have been scandalised at such a suggestion. Compared to the thought of enduring the next few days facing this alone, however, the notion seemed to have more than Halley might have thought to recommend it. Moral support for one, not to mention friendly supervision to ensure she wasn't tempted to break the rules. Just having someone there to reassure her it was all okay, and laugh it off on her behalf, even when it came to the lowest moments. Danielle kind of seemed like the right kind of person when it came to that. If only she was Halley's trainer instead of Tim, things might not ever have reached this point in the first place. Halley couldn't imagine feeling quite the kind amount of shame if it came to debasing herself in front of Danielle. Then again, debase herself she inevitably would, if they were actually to do such a thing. Surely the last thing she wanted to do was make a spectacle of her indignity in front of Danielle, when she could suffer it herself in the privacy of home. Unless Danielle was somehow wearing diapers too, to put them on an equal footing. But she'd never go for that.

Halley held Danielle's gaze another second, still uncertain what she dared suggest... or accept...