Nurse Ratched

My niece has become deeply, intensely concerned about everyone's wellbeing. She is forever asking us if we're okay – although it comes out more like, "You 'kay?" A couple of weeks ago, in the middle of a family dinner, she insisted on being taken out of her high chair. She then demanded that we pass her from one person to another, all the way around the table. She'd ask each person, "You 'kay?" and when they said, "Yes," she'd smile, pat them on the head three times, and give them a big hug, and then point to the next person she wanted to be handed to.

When she got to me, I told her, "No." 'Cuz I didn't feel 'kay, and because I'm evil to tiny children. She frowned at me severely, and then began repeating over and over, "You 'kay? You 'kay? You 'kay?" It became less like a question and more like a command. I finally told her I was, indeed, 'kay, and then I got my pat on the head.