Chapter 11
"Brianna, I have to talk to you." Heather said tiredly the next morning. She had gotten hardly any sleep, thinking about how the next morning she would have to tell Brianna that her mother was dead.
Brianna sat propped up by several pillows, swinging her small legs over the side of the side of the bed. Her blue eyes sparkled. Her power wheelchair stood in a corner of the room, charging its battery.
"Oh, what is it, Heather?" she asked excitedly. "Is my mommy here for me? Am I going home?" Heather sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought.
"Brianna..." she started. "Your mother is...dead." she finished, looking down at the floor.
"Noooooooooooo!" Brianna let loose a piercing howl. Heather glanced up just in time to see Brianna slide purposely off the bed, landing on her hands and knees. She crawled towards her wheelchair and hoisted herself into it. This took a few minutes, and Heather watched silently, blinded by tears. Finally Brianna was settled, and Heather watched as Brianna pushed the chair's joystick hard, and sailed out of the room without a backward glance.
Oh, good Lord, Heather thought. What have I done?
CRASH! A loud commotion emanating from the next deck up drew Heather's attention several minutes later.
"What the...?" Heather said aloud, as she pushed herself off the bed. Eager to see what the fuss was about, she ran out of her quarters, leaving her crutch behind.
Heather followed the direction of the sound until she arrived at sickbay, where a small crowd had gathered. She pushed her way through the crowd just in time to hear Dr. Bashir's voice.
"Brianna, are you okay?" Heather fought her way through the last layer of people to see Brianna, in her chair, against the Infirmary doors.
"What happened?" Heather asked in concern. Dr. Bashir looked up and glared at her.
"Brianna here crashed her chair into the Infirmary doors, disturbing my patients!" Heather moved closer and saw a large dent in the Infirmary doors.
"Brianna, are you sure you're okay?" Dr. Bashir asked again. Brianna looked annoyed.
"Yes! I'm fine!" she said irritably, using her hands for emphasis. The people standing around did not look convinced.
"Go! Shoo! There's nothing to see here! Go!" Heather said to the crowd. The crowd slowly began to dissipate. Heather looked at Dr. Bashir.
"Doctor, I'm sorry Brianna caused a commotion." The doctor's look softened.
"All right. As long as she's here, she might as well come in for her physical." Brianna pushed on the joystick, but the chair wouldn't move.
"Small problem. I think the impact broke my chair." Heather looked at the slightly beat-up wheelchair.
"We'll have Chief O'Brien look at it later." Heather promised softly. "In the meantime..." She hoisted the girl out of the wheelchair. Luckily, Brianna was small for her age, and was still tiny enough to be semi-carried. Dr. Bashir led the way into the Infirmary.
"Heart rate, blood pressure, weight..." The doctor muttered to himself as he examined the small girl. Then a strange look came over his face. He went back and double-checked the readings. They were the same.
"Lt. Martinez, can I see you for a moment?" Dr. Bashir took her aside. He studied Heather's puzzled face for a moment before he began.
"Lieutenant, are you sure that Brianna has CP?" Struck by the odd question, Heather nodded.
"Well, I don't have an official diagnosis or anything, but I'm pretty sure she has CP. As you might guess, I know a lot about the condition." The doctor nodded shortly.
"Then you know that the condition is not genetic. And it is very rare for two members of the same family to have cerebral palsy."
"What are you getting at?" Heather asked, confused. Dr. Bashir took a deep breath.
"Brianna doesn't have CP." he said.
A/N: Haha, cliffhanger! Definitely not what you expected, huh? As always, review!