Chapter 10

"Wow." was all Brianna could say as she stepped aboard DS9. Heather had asked Nate if she could bring Brianna back to the station with her and her friends. She thought it might be easier to break the news about her mother aboard the station. Heather's mind wandered as she thought back to her earlier conversation with Nate. She had left Brianna in the care of a trusted friend on the moon, and taken him aside.

"I didn't know Kathleen had a daughter!" she said accusingly. Nate had met Kathleen several times, and knew who she was. He held up his hands to stop her accusatory tone.

"Look. The only thing I know about her husband is that she had recently divorced him before she left Brianna with us. I don't know his name, nothing." Heather pondered this for awhile before she remembered a letter Kathleen had written to her while they were both still on Earth. Kathleen had been living in Manhattan, while Heather was living in a small town about an hour from the city. Because of their tendency to tighten up in an emergency situation, neither girl drove, and it was too expensive to take the bus too often. As a result, the girls wrote, emailed, and talked on the phone a lot.

Dear Heather, Kathleen had written. My dream has come true. I have met an able-bodied man who truly "gets it". Remember how we used to dream on the phone, thinking "What able bodied man would ever want me?"? Well, I've found the able bodied man who wants me. And I want him. We've been dating for a few months. His name is Michael. Now for the exciting part: Last night, Michael proposed! And I said yes! The wedding will be in a few months. I want you to be a bridesmaid...

Heather smiled as she remembered how she had gotten spaghetti sauce on her pale blue bridesmaid's outfit right before the wedding, and how she had cleverly covered it up by tying her sash around her waist. Her smile faded as she remembered the letter Kathleen had sent her only a few months afterward.

Dear Heather, the letter had said. I'm going to divorce Michael. I guess he doesn't "get it" as well as I thought he did. He refuses to help me, and he calls me a lazy bum! Last month, he insisted we fire the housekeeper who helps me on the toilet and getting dressed, even though I need her. He said she was getting too expensive to keep. I guess that means that if she's gotten too expensive to keep, I've gotten too expensive to keep. I only hope that I will be able to raise my newborn daughter. But then again, how can I? I need too much help, and I want to be able to do space travel. Oh, did I tell you that a government official called me? He wants me to be the captain of an all-disabled starship, called the Ability. He said if I knew anybody to be the first officer that would be great. I said I knew the perfect woman: you! We are going to have so much fun together, exploring the galaxy...

"Actually, I did know Kat had a daughter..." Heather said slowly. "Can I bring her back to DS9? It might be easier to break the news about her mother that way."

"Sure." Nate had said seriously. Heather had filled her friends in on the situation, and here they were.

Heather shook her head to clear it of the thoughts and focused on Brianna.

"Look." she said, sensing that Brianna was eager to explore the station. "I'm leaving you with Maureen and Bridget while I go talk to Captain Sisko. You be a good girl now!"

"Oh, I'll be a very good girl, Heather." the girl promised with an angelic smile. Heather grinned.

"Good." And with that, she set off for Captain Sisko's office. Along the way, her good mood slowly dissipated as she thought what the captain might say when she told him about Brianna.

The door chime sounded and Captain Sisko looked up from the mess of papers on his desk. "Come in." Heather came in.

"Ah, Lt. Martinez. Back so soon?" Heather nodded wordlessly. Sensing that Heather wanted to talk to him about something, Captain Sisko motioned to the chair in front of his desk.

"Come in. Take a seat." Heather slid into the chair, propping her crutch up beside her.

"Captain..." she began, and then the whole story poured out. Heather told him everything, including the part with Kathleen's letters. Afterwards, the captain sat back in his chair and stroked his short beard thoughtfully.

"Well I don't see why she can't stay on the station for a little while." he mused. "But she'll have to have a checkup with Dr. Bashir as soon as possible." Heather got up, her face flushed with pleasure.

"Thank you, Captain." she said gladly. Then she stepped out and tracked Maureen, Bridget, and Brianna down. They were exploring the station, but stopped when Heather came up to them.

"So what did Captain Sisko say?" Maureen asked. Heather smiled.

"He said it was fine for Bri to stay on the station for awhile, as long as she gets examined by Dr. Bashir first."

"All right!" Maureen cried, and the three friends exchanged high-fives. The conversation was then cut short by Brianna very nearly setting an extra phase pistol that was stored in the storage bay off. While her friends were busy with Brianna, Heather went back to her quarters and went to bed, vowing she'd tell Brianna about her mother in the morning.

A/N: That was a pretty long chapter. At least now I have ONE review. Thank you, marinawings. Next chapter should be up soon.