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Switched

Chapter 49

In the niche of a large bay window that overlooked a starlit garden, Kathryn switched on a lamp and then sat in an armchair to look through a pile of letters she'd brought home with her from Starfleet HQ. Some were junk mail, and those Kathryn put aside for recycling, but most were fan mail. As there were far too many for her to read all at once, she picked out the ones that were written in a child's hand and began with those.

After she'd been reading for a while, Chakotay returned from taking Goldy for a walk and sat down opposite her with a glass of apple juice.

"Reading your fan mail, I see," he smiled.

"Yes," Kathryn replied. "And as always the ones from children first. This one's from a little boy in Australia. He says he's so glad that Voyager didn't get crushed by monster aliens or eaten by nebulas with teeth."

Chakotay laughed softly and then picked up the bundle of opened letters. "May I?"

"Be my guest. You'll love the orange one from a little boy in England. He thinks The Caretaker was his school janitor and that all we had to do to find his wife was to call the school."

Chakotay laughed again and then began to look through the letters. As he did so, Kathryn moved on to the next letter. It was from a little girl in Switzerland who had sent her a picture she had painted of Voyager and the senior crew. Everything was painted in bold colors, but the paper was so creased from having been folded up and the picture itself so childish that it was difficult to make out what was what.

"I'm not sure whether this blob is B'Elanna or Harry," Kathryn said, showing Chakotay the picture, "but the blob in the middle has to be me and the one next to it with a black squiggle on his head has to be you."

"And this black blob with triangles for ears must be Tuvok," Chakotay smiled.

"Aw," Kathryn said, seeing the child's age in the corner of the picture. "She's only four. But isn't it good for four? We'll have to frame it and put it up in the nursery."

They studied the picture for a while longer and then returned to reading the letters. The next envelope in Kathryn's pile was a bright yellow one with big wobbly writing on the front reading: To Captain Janeway, Starfleet Headquarters, San Francisco. Kathryn opened the envelope, pulled out the letter, and was overjoyed by the identity of the sender.

"This one's from Gertie," she said, "the little blind girl we met on the children's ward. I told her to write to me all about her new family and I'm so glad that she has."

Kathryn began to read the letter, which was written in the same wobbly handwriting, and Chakotay put down the one he was reading to hear the child's news. But as Kathryn read the letter, the joy in her eyes faded.

"What is it?" Chakotay asked. "Is she ok?"

"Yes," Kathryn answered. "She's ok. But she hasn't been adopted. The family changed their minds."

"I see," Chakotay said sadly.

"She's now going to be sent to a boarding school for children with special needs and..." she held out the letter to him. "Well, read it for yourself."

Chakotay took the letter and began to read it:

Dear Captain Janeway,

Thank you so much for coming to visit me and other hurt children on the children's ward. It was wonderful to meet you and Commander Chakotay and The Doctor. When you came you asked me to write to you all about my new family, but the reason I haven't written is not because I've forgotten or because writing is hard now that I can't see, but because the family who were going to adopt me don't want me anymore. Nurse Maya said it's because I'm eleven and they want a very little girl, but I think she only said that to not hurt my feelings. I think they don't want me because I'm blind now. When they came to visit, I heard Jess tell Ned that she didn't know I was blind. But I didn't like them much anyway so am glad I'm not going to live with them. Ned had a silly laugh and Johnny, their little boy, kept pinching me.

I live now in Travers Hospital, which is a brand new hospital in Portland, Oregon. I was moved here a couple of weeks ago because I'm American and from Portland. Soon I'm going to be living in a boarding school for children with special needs. It's in New York City and I'm told is very nice. I'm not going to have a new family now and will live there until I'm eighteen. Nurse Kassy says they can't wait anymore for someone to adopt me as I'm well enough to go to school now. I'll be going there in June and will be having summer classes until school starts proper in August. I'm sure I'll like it there. Daddy took me to New York City when I was little and I had a great time.

I will write again when I am there and tell you all about it. Nurse Kassy is helping me to write this letter, but I'm sure a teacher will help me when I get there. Thank you again for coming to visit me. God bless you and your family.

Love and kisses,
Gertie Vinten

"Heartbreaking, isn't it?" Kathryn said.

"Yes," Chakotay replied. "She's such a brave, talkative, little thing and deserves to be part of a family."

"She does, as does every child, but while we can't help every child, we can help her." She paused. "How would you feel about us adopting her? I can't bear the thought of her going to that school, Chakotay, I just can't."

"Neither can I. But to even consider adopting her we'd have to be absolutely sure we could meet her needs in every way. It wouldn't be easy caring for a disabled child and looking after a new born baby."

"No, but as we're both going to be working reduced hours until Minessa goes to school, we're going to have the time on our hands to devote to Gertie. And by the time Minessa goes to school, Gertie will be sixteen. She doesn't need us for long, Chakotay, but she does need us. She needs a home, not a loveless boarding school like Cayla had, and I'd like us to give her one."

"So would I, very much. But are you absolutely sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Then let's do it," Chakotay smiled. "Let's adopt her."

Kathryn's eyes sparkled with joy and she got to her feet, embraced Chakotay where he sat, and then put on her shoes.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Not me," she said. "Us. We're going to Travers Hospital."

"Now?"

"No time like the present."

"But it's almost 10:30 pm."

"Not in Oregon. It's only 7:30 there. Which means it's still visiting time, and visiting time means the resident social worker will be around." She picked Chakotay's jacket up from the couch and threw it at him. "First one to the shuttle gets to drive."

In a small office at Travers Hospital, Kathryn and Chakotay waited anxiously while the resident social worker checked by computer their eligibility to adopt.

"Normally approval can take several weeks after eligibility has been confirmed," the dark-haired woman told them, "but as I'm very eager to settle Gertie's future, I'll approve you immediately if you are both eligible to adopt. Then I can appoint you her guardians and the official adoption process can begin. As I'm sure you are aware, it will take some months to complete because of her age and needs."

"How long are we looking at?" Chakotay asked.

"About six months," she replied. "Before the adoption can be finalized, two key stages will have to be successfully completed. The first is a six week period of getting to know the child. In the old days children would be shipped off to a home as soon as a couple wanted them, but these days we like to give the child a say in the matter. Over a period of six weeks, you'll be able to get to know Gertie by taking her on outings two or three times a week. At the end of the six weeks we'll ask her if she would like to go and live with you. If she does, and I haven't yet had a child who doesn't, then we'll move on to stage two. This is basically fostering, which means that Gertie will be released into your care full-time. If after a period of about five months we are satisfied that you are coping with all Gertie's needs and that she is happy, the adoption will be finalized. These stages are crucial because sometimes children and prospective parents don't hit it off or the prospective parents underestimate how much work is involved in caring for a special needs child."

"Not us," Kathryn said. "We're in this for the long-haul and will do whatever it takes to make sure Gertie has what she needs."

"I'm sure you will," the woman smiled. "And I greatly admire what you're doing. Gertie is a delightful child and I've worked my fingers off trying to find her a home, but very few people want an older child and even less want an older child with special needs."

The monitor bleeped and the woman smiled as she read the incoming message.

"You meet all the criteria," she said. "We can go ahead with the adoption."

After Kathryn and Chakotay had signed all the necessary forms to make them Gertie's provisional guardians, the social worker took them to see the child.

"We've put her in a room of her own," she said as they walked down a long corridor. "We didn't think it was fair for her to be with all the other children when they have family coming to visit and she has no one. Both her parents were only children of only children and the only relative we've managed to trace for her is a great great aunt who lives in a nursing home in Nevada. Obviously she's in no condition to care for the child."

The woman stopped outside silver double doors and peeped through a small circular window. "This is her," she said. "And as always she has her headphones on. She brought them with her from Ireland and is very attached to them. I think she finds it comforting to listen to stories or music, especially as she spends so much time alone."

"I can understand that," Kathryn said. "I was temporarily blinded in an accident when I was a cadet and prolonged silence was really disconcerting. It must be more so for a child."

"Yes. And you must share that experience with her. Understanding and empathy are crucial to building a successful relationship. Children get on better with their new guardians if they feel understood, and guardians bond better with the children if they see something of themselves in the children. In biological parenthood that tends to happen naturally because parents see their own physical characteristics in their children, but with adopted or fostered children there needs to be a different kind of affinity."

"I do see something of myself in Gertie," Kathryn admitted. "Maybe that's why she's touched me so much. I once lost two people dear to me in a shuttle accident, and while I was so much older, I could so easily have been her age as my parents took me and my sister on rides all the time. I also had red hair and freckles like her as a child and I depended a lot on my imagination for companions."

"Then I take it you know about Bunny? That's good. It can be unsettling for people to see a child talk to someone who isn't there. Hopefully when she's feeling more secure she'll say goodbye to Bunny, but as her imaginary friend has already moved with her from Ireland, and was going to move with her to New York City, she might be around for a while."

The woman swiped a chip in the security pad and the doors instantly opened. She then stepped into the room and Kathryn and Chakotay followed. It was a nice room, bright and airy, and Gertie was sitting in a green bed listening avidly to whatever was coming through her ear-phones. The social worker went over to the bed, tapped the child's shoulder, and Gertie immediately took off her ear-phones.

"Hi Gertie," the social worker said. "It's Miss Sanders. How are you today?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Miss Sanders," Gertie replied. "I'm listening to a story called Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. The L. M. stands for Lucy Maud. It's about a little orphan girl, like me, called Anne who lived 500 years ago. Isn't that an awful long time ago, Miss Sanders? They didn't have starships then so they all had to get about on a horse and cart. Don't you think it would be fun to ride in a horse and cart? I do. Mr Cuthbert, who has adopted Anne with his real grouchy sister called Marilla, took Anne in a horse and cart through an avenue of white flowers called The White Way of Delight. Can you imagine that, Miss Sanders? An avenue of flowers? I can and it's so beautiful. In my mind I was sitting with Anne as they rode because in my mind I'm Anne's imaginary bosom friend. No one can see me but her and I go everywhere she does. And we have great times together, Miss Sanders. We have picnics by the Lake of Shining Waters and we pick flowers in the woods. Nurse Nellie says I shouldn't imagine such things but I can't help it. I've been imagining such things since I was a baby. Of course, I can't remember imagining them as a baby, but as a baby must imagine things, I must have been imagining them then. Nurse Nellie says I should spend more time learning French than listening to stories, but while I'm sure learning French would do me good, I think listening to stories does me more good because aswell as being in Starfleet I want to be a writer. I have so many stories in my head, Miss Sanders. So many stories that sometimes I can't sleep because they're so exciting. Do you get that, Miss Sanders? Do you get stories in your head?"

"I can't say I do," she replied. "But I do have many things in my head and one of those things is news for you."

"For me?" Gertie asked. "You have news for me?"

"I do. Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay are here to see you."

"They are? They're here?"

"We certainly are," Kathryn smiled. "Hello, Gertie."

"And hello from me," Chakotay added.

Gertie clapped her hands together. "Oh hello, hello! I'm so glad you're both here. I'm really truly glad. Ecstatically glad! I was thinking only this morning how great it would be if you both came to visit again and now you're here! I never expected you would come again. Did you get my letter, Captain? I wrote to you about twenty days ago. I wasn't sure whether I should write to you because you wanted me to write about my new family and I don't have one, but Nurse Kassy said she was sure you'd like to hear from me anyway. I love Nurse Kassy. Nurse Nellie always tells me to hold my tongue and listen to hers instead but Nurse Kassy plays with me and helps me pick stories to listen too. She chose out the one I'm listening to now which is Anne of Green Gables and I love it. I'm up to the part where Anne is supposed to be going to a picnic but because Marilla thinks she stole her amethyst brooch, though she didn't, she can't go. Isn't that awful, Captain? For someone to blame you for something you didn't do? I do hope Marilla changes her mind and lets Anne go. I'll feel so bad for Anne otherwise because she's never had ice-cream and they're having ice-cream at the picnic."

"How would you like to go on an outing yourself?" Miss Sanders asked. "It's the Captain's birthday tomorrow and she would like it very much if you would come to her garden party."

Gertie's face lit up with immeasurable joy. "Really? You would, Captain? You'd like me to come?"

"Very much indeed," Kathryn said, sitting on the edge of her bed. "You'll be our guest of honor."

"So what do you say?" the social worker asked. "Do you want to go?"

"Oh yes, yes, yes," Gertie cried. "But please tell me, Miss Sanders, whether this is really happening or whether I am just dreaming. Because sometimes I get so lost in daydreams that I think they're really happening. And this is just like a daydream I would have. Oh, please tell me I'm not daydreaming, Miss Sanders. Please tell me the Captain and Commander are really here."

"They are," she replied. "For once you're not dreaming."

"And please," Kathryn said. "Call us Kathryn and Chakotay."

"Oh yes, I'd love to. And love to with my whole heart. Because we're friends now, aren't we? Or maybe I should say kindred spirits. That's what Anne would say. Oh, I can't believe you're here and I'm going to your party!"

"Then you'll never believe what I'm going to tell you next," Miss Sanders smiled. "Because I have more good news for you. Kathryn and Chakotay would like to adopt you."

Gertie's mouth fell open in astonishment. "Really, Kathryn? Really, Chakotay? To be your little girl?"

Kathryn smiled, her eyes moist. "To be our little girl."

At this Gertie broke into laughter and tears all at once and held out her thin little arms. Tenderly, Kathryn wrapped her arms around the child and Gertie joyfully clung close.

END OF CHAPTER 49