Thanks for all the reviews and likes for this story! As a thank-you, I've decided to include some bonus side stories for your reading pleasure. In this side story, I wanted to explore how the seven year old Gamora would handle dealing with Groot becoming "Baby Groot". Now, I have no clue how long it takes Groot to mature once he becomes a sapling again (tried to research on it, but no luck), so I'm pretty much winging it time-wise. Feel free to leave suggestions for any future stories in your reviews or PM me!
From what she could gather about the men, the seven year old Gamora knew that Peter, Drax, Rocket and Groot where special. After all, with a name like the Guardians of the Galaxy, you immediately saw that they would act on behalf of those who were weak and helpless against their enemies. The little girl wondered why her father Thanos had assigned this rag-tag group to watch over her (their actions would have surely angered him!). But Gamora soon began to enjoy the daring tales the group told her of their various missions and scraps they would get themselves into.
More often than not, the missions the men went on ranged from simple drop-offs of goods to fights with all sorts of foes. When the group would go, one of them would stay behind to look after Gamora as the rest of his team mates completed the task at hand. She knew it was dangerous and would often worry for their safety. Never less, it brought her much relief when the men would come back safe and sound. Sure, they would be banged up with bruises, cuts and scrapes on occasion, but still in one piece.
The little girl wanted to be a part of the Guardians adventures and quickly learned basic first-aid. Whenever Peter, Drax or Rocket came back to the Milano with a wound, Gamora would provide care and comfort to them.
"Who needs a doctor or nurse when we have Gamora here?" Peter commented one day after he sustained some minor injuries from a scuffle. The child was busy tending to the Terran's wounds, applying healing ointment and bandages on his forearms and cheek.
"There you go, good as new!" Gamora beamed and held up the mirror for Peter to see his dressings.
"Perfect!" Peter proclaimed, happily grinning at his reflection. "I already feel much better, Gamora."
The seven year old smiled back, delighted from the praise she was receiving. "Your turn, Mr. Drax." She held up her first-aid kit to the brute, who nodded.
"Surely you will make an excellent caretaker when you are older, little one."
"I sure will!"
It was a sweet gesture the now juvenile warrior provided to the men. By acting like a nurse to Peter, Drax and Rocket, Gamora appreciated their willingness to let her learn something new. Groot, meanwhile, didn't really need any medical attention. One of the tree man's abilities was to regrow any part of his body that was damaged. He would humor Gamora by letting her "tend" to his "wounds", though the girl already knew of Groot's regenerative powers. Still, the seven year old liked to improve her budding skills in first-aid and Groot was more than happy to act as a training dummy for her as Gamora covered the tree in bandages and home-made slings.
In exchange for his good behavior while she treated him, Gamora gave Groot a small lollipop from her case for being an excellent patient.
"Hey, where's my lollipop?" Peter teased to her after the tree accepted the candy from the little girl.
"Sorry, I have none left. Besides, you don't get one since you keep moving every time I was trying to put on your bandage." Gamora pouted at the Terran.
"She's right. You where fidgeting so much, I could've swore you had something in your pants trying to bit your, you know…" Rocket said, smirking.
"I…I just don't like needles, that's all." Peter stammered, though this was far from the truth. Gamora had to re-apply the sticky bandages due to her still unsteady hands that it made the former thief jump whenever the child had to rip the Band-Aid off his skin.
"But I didn't use any needles on you, Peter." The little girl said.
"You didn't? Oh, guess my memory's starting to fade." He replied, chuckling slightly from embarrassment. Peter didn't want to upset Gamora over her sloppy job, but this didn't stop Rocket from laughing at Peter.
A few days later, the Guardians received another assignment. It was Peter's turn to stay behind and look after Gamora as Drax, Rocket and Groot left to complete their mission. Waiting was the hardest part of any given job, but the man and the little girl had plenty to do to keep themselves occupied. As the hours ticked by, Peter began to grow concerned. It was very late in the evening and his team mates where still not back. Even Gamora shared his concerns over the rest of the team.
"When will Rocket, Mr. Drax and Mr. Groot be back? They've been gone for a long time now." The girl said looking up from her puzzle she was working on at the kitchen table in the galley.
"I don't know. It's not like them to be this late." Peter told her while washing the sink full of dirty dishes from supper.
Just then, Drax and Rocket entered the room. Their tired, somber expressions let Peter know that something wasn't right.
"Guys…is everything OK?"
"Pete. Can we have a minute with you alone?" Rocket said in a concerned, monotone voice.
The Terran nodded and followed Drax and the raccoon into the adjacent room.
"What's up? Where's Groot?"
"Peter, our tree friend has been in an accident." Drax stated.
"What kind of accident?" Peter nervously asked.
"The kind that gets that idiot blown apart." Rocket huffed. "The assholes we were assigned to capture threw a grenade to try and slow us down. Groot caught it before it could harm Drax and me. But it exploded and Groot was shattered into a million pieces. I managed to get a cutting before it was burnt to a crisp." He held up a small stick of wood to show Peter.
"We are used to having Groot re-sprout from such dire circumstances, but I fear the young Gamora will not take what has happened to Groot very well." Drax added.
"You're right." Peter knew that Gamora did understand that while Groot was able to recover from small injuries with ease, he wasn't sure how the seven year old was going to react to hearing that the tall tree man had been reduced to kindling. Surely she would think that Groot was unable to recover and was truly dead.
"We have to take responsibility and reassure her that Groot is not gone. He's just injured badly and needs time to heal."
The aliens agreed and went back into the galley with Peter. Gamora noticed the three walk up to her with serious looks on their faces.
"Where's Mr. Groot?" she wondered.
"Uh-" Rocket stalled, but composed himself. "Kid, this is gonna be hard to tell you, but…Groot's not here."
"Is Mr. Groot coming back real soon?" she said with hope in her voice.
"We don't know how long he'll be gone."
Gamora was confused. Peter nodded to Rocket and the former bounty hunter showed the little girl the stick. "Groot got hurt really badly and this was all that was left of him."
Gamora touched the stick gingerly. She looked up at the men, her eyes starting to weld up with tears. "Mr. Groot…is dead?" she quietly asked, not wanting to believe the harsh truth that lay before her.
"I know it seems like he is dead, little one. But Groot is a strong being and right now he needs us to care for him until he is better." Drax eased the little girl's worries. "You know how Groot can heal himself when he is hurt? Well, this is a much bigger injury than you have ever seen and it will take time before he'll be back to himself."
Gamora eyed the stick once more. A few tears escaped, to which she rubbed her eyes clear of them.
"Hey, don't cry, Gamora. It's gonna be OK." Peter wrapped her in a sympathetic hug, to which she accepted the Terran's kind gesture. The girl buried her face into his shirt and whimpered.
"But he won't remember me! Mr. Groot will forget about me!" the seven year old wailed, showcasing her deepest fear upon hearing the news about Groot.
"No he won't! Groot's got a good memory and he'll remember you just fine." Rocket told her.
"Really?"
"You bet! And I'll show you how to care for him too. Bandages and ointments won't work on trees, but with the right tools, Groot will be up and about before you know it."
Gamora sniffled and nodded. She let go of Peter and went over to the raccoon. He handed her the stick to which Gamora cradled it lovingly.
"I promise to take really good care of you, Mr. Groot." She said and held the stick close to her chest in a gentle hug. "I will make sure to give you the best care possible."
Over the next few weeks, little Gamora learned from Rocket on how to properly heal the injured tree man. Rocket showed the child how to fill Groot's pot with fresh soil and water, when to give the budding sapling the right amount of sunlight and how to dispense the proper quantity of plant food. Once she had done what was needed for the day, Gamora would sit near the potted plant and watch it for any signs of change.
"Hey kid, Groot's not gonna sprout right before your eyes anytime soon." Rocket would tell her.
"I know. But when he does, I want to be the first thing he sees when Mr. Groot wakes up."
Rocket let a small smile appear on his face. He couldn't help but be charmed by the seven year old's determination to see to Groot's care.
Finally, one night as Gamora was once again eyeing Groot's pot, the tree man had grown big enough to gain awareness of his surroundings. She had dozed off and was sleeping next to the pot when she felt something gently tug on her hair. Opening her eyes, Gamora saw that the small sapling held a strand of her hair on his small, branch-like arms trying to get her attention.
"Mr. Groot? It's me, Gamora. Do you remember me?"
The tiny plant nodded and smiled back, understanding her. The little girl's face lit up with joy and dashed out of Rocket's bunk with the pot securely in her arms. She found Peter, Drax and the raccoon in the common room and happily told them what had just happened.
"Peter! Rocket! Mr. Drax! Mr. Groot remembers me!" she cried, holding up the pot. Groot waved to the men with glee.
"That's wonderful!" The Terran and the brute cheered.
"See, what'd I tell ya! Groot's got a sharp memory." Rocket commented. The small plant grinned back at his team mates, and then looked up at Gamora. The youngster held up a finger and let Groot hold onto it, symbolizing a hug.
"I'm glad your back, Mr. Groot." She told the sapling.
"Groot still has a ways to go, but with your care Gamora, he'll be back to his old self in no time." Peter said to the child.
Gamora smiled once more. She was happy that her hard work paid off and that with her continued help, Groot would grow up big and strong…all thanks to a precocious seven year old.