Part 3 added on 31 May 2001
Disclaimers are in part 1.
Rating: PG
Annika awoke to pains all over her body. She began screaming and writhing. Suddenly, Naomi was there and she felt angry. Naomi was the reason she hurt, her mind decided. She kicked her adoptive sister in the nose.
"Ow! Annika, calm down! I've got an anti-grav stretcher. Hold still and I'll have you in Sickbay soon." Naomi blocked the violent kicks and arranged the little girl on the stretcher, despite her thrashing about. She pushed the stretcher ahead of her, Annika's feet pointed safely away, down the Jeffries tube. Annika grabbed Naomi's hair and pulled.
"Nomee bad! Nomee make Nika owee! Nika want Lala!"
"I didn't hurt you, stupid," Naomi growled angrily. "You hurt yourself. And if you're growing, so is B'Elanna. She'll probably be in Sickbay." Naomi was glad when she could stand away from Annika's attacks. She ran to the nearest turbolift, pushing the stretcher with a screaming little Annika Hansen on board.
Kathryn paced nervously as the Doctor monitored B'Elanna's progress. The little girl was roughly four and still growing. The EMH had sedated the child to spare her the suffering of rapid aging.
The doors to Sickbay hissed open and Naomi came running in with Annika. The Doctor immediately ran over to the blonde child and examined her left arm, which appeared to have been put on backwards.
"Her arm is ruined," he muttered after scanning it. He set the growing little girl on a biobed and sedated her. "What happened?" he demanded.
"She fell," Naomi answered.
"Where?" the Doctor asked loudly.
"Innajeffriestube." Naomi muttered quickly.
"What?! What was she doing in a Jeffries tube?" The Doctor yelled.
"Hiding." Naomi said, looking irritated and nervous.
"Because the growth spurt happened with her bones so badly misaligned, they've grown together like that. I'm going to have to re-break her arm in two places." The doctor looked angrily at Naomi, who started crying.
"I tried to catch her! She just stole my stuff and ran for it, how was I supposed to know she'd go in a Jeffries tube while I was picking up after her? I was never that dumb!" Naomi sobbed helplessly. Kathryn immediately tried to comfort her.
"I'm sorry, Naomi, I shouldn't have yelled," the doctor quickly apologized. Naomi sniffled and nodded.
"I'm a kid, too, you know." Naomi said, still pouting over being yelled at. The doctor nodded and resumed monitoring the two little patients.
Kathryn sat with B'Elanna in the recovery area while the five year-old girl was waking up. B'Elanna opened her eyes groggily and rubbed them with her little fists.
"Cappa?" B'Elanna queried.
"It's alright, B'Elanna," Kathryn said, brushing back the long hair from the half-Klingon's forehead. "It's all over now." B'Elanna closed her eyes.
"It hurt." Kathryn was amazed at how the children's minds were aged just as quickly as their bodies. She'd been having a hell of a time teaching the child Klingonese, when she herself didn't speak it. After a few days, she had turned over that task to Neelix, who was excited to do it. B'Elanna picked up on the other language as fast as she did Standard.
"I'm sorry, Lanna. But it'll be a while until it happens again."
"Promise?" B'Elanna looked up at Kathryn with her bright, dark eyes. Kathryn nodded, hoping that she was right. Sam Wildman came hurrying into Sickbay, worry etched into her features. Her hair had been cut short and styled to hide the hair that she had lost, that was only now beginning to grow back.
"Where is Annika? Is she alright?"
"She's right here." The Doctor's voice brought Sam's head around. She looked at Annika, who stood there quietly, one arm slightly shorter than the other.
"What happened?" Sam asked as she knelt in front of Annika, hugging the little girl, who threw her arms around Sam's neck.
"She broke her arm in two places, then went into a growth spurt. I repaired the damage as best I could, but I'm afraid that she lost several centimeters in the process."
"It won't affect her drastically, though, will it?" Sam asked, picking Annika up, seemingly out of habit. Annika hung on happily, apparently oblivious to the conversation. She looked over Sam's shoulder at B'Elanna and waved. B'Elanna smiled and waved back.
"No, she'll be fine." Sam nodded, relieved.
"Hi, B'Elanna!" Annika called loudly.
"Hi, Annika!" B'Elanna said back, much quieter than the boisterous blonde.
"Can you play?" Annika asked, wriggling down. B'Elanna looked up at Kathryn.
"Cappa?" B'Elanna asked.
"Sam?" Kathryn asked.
"I have to get back, I'm still on duty. Can you take them? They're probably old enough for Flotter, now." Kathryn smiled and nodded. The kids cheered happily. "I thought Naomi was here, too," Samantha added.
"She went back to her quarters," Kathryn answered. Sam frowned.
"I better check on her before I go back. Thanks, Captain." Sam smiled briefly before leaving. Kathryn looked down at her two little charges, looking back at her, expectantly.
Naomi was much relieved now that Annika was older. Although she never stopped asking why about everything, at least she didn't snatch Naomi's stuff any more. Naomi even found that playing games with her was becoming fun, since she was developing a sense of the rules. Plus, Naomi almost always won.
"Kadis Kot," Naomi declared. Annika looked at the bored, as though she was amazed at losing again.
"How come you always win?" she asked, taking a bite of her tuna sandwich. Naomi looked at her own lunch and smiled. Neelix had brought them Naomi's favorite sandwiches. The door chime sounded. "Who is it?" Annika called.
"It's me!" came the obvious reply.
"Come in," Naomi said. B'Elanna hadn't been over in a while. The two had been restricted from visiting each other ever since they somehow managed to get into the transporter room and were caught about to try to transport Annika onto the bridge. Luckily, their inept attempts at operating the complex device alerted Tuvok, who sent a security team to investigate.
B'Elanna came in, carrying a small stack of padds and Annika ran into her room to get hers.
"Where's Neelix?" B'Elanna asked in her quiet voice. Naomi was always surprised at how different the two children were from their adult selves. Except when playing sports, B'Elanna was quiet and thoughtful, while Annika was loud and rambunctious except when she was plotting something.
Naomi didn't like it when Annika grew quiet.
Some things were the same, though. B'Elanna lost her temper easily and got carried away occasionally while Annika demanded exactness from people and didn't tolerate inconsistencies.
Now they were carefully laying out their padds in front of them. B'Elanna was farther ahead in Math and Literature, Annika's strengths being Science and History. Both of them were learning faster than Naomi. She felt jealous sometimes, that their minds were developing so fast that they were on the same lessons with her, while being four years younger than she was physically.
She stood and retrieved her own padds, looking over her homework carefully. The doors hissed open finally and Neelix walked in, smiling.
"Why, hello, girls! How are you doing today?"
"My arm hurts," Seven said, which was a common complaint for her. Her left arm often had aches in it, which made Naomi feel terrible.
"I'm fine," B'Elanna said.
"Well, it's good to have you back in the group, B'Elanna. I trust that you won't be breaking any more rules in the future?"
"I doubt that you should delude yourself like that," Annika said. B'Elanna stuck her tongue out.
"Now, Annika, that's not very nice," Neelix said.
"The truth rarely is."
"Be that as it may, perhaps I should teach you something about tact."
"Mrs. Wildman has already attempted to do that. I find it irrelevant."
"Why?" Neelix asked, amused at hearing something that reminded him of Seven.
"Because..." she seemed at a loss to explain. "It just is."
Neelix smiled patiently at the frustrated girl.
"Can we play a game?" B'Elanna asked.
"Jeopardy!" Annika cried, having learned the game from Naomi. Neelix smiled, it was one of his favorites, too.
"I don't feel good, B'Elanna said, suddenly. True to her word, she was becoming quite pale. Without further preamble, she fainted. Neelix immediately rushed to her and felt her forehead.
"She's burning up," he mumbled. "I better get her to Sickbay. Naomi, you watch Annika." With that, he scooped B'Elanna up in his arms and ran from the room.
To be continued....