DISC: I DO NOT own any of the chars from BSC. They belong to Ann M. Martin. I Do however own anyone you don't recognize!
Enjoy!

A/N: This chapter deals with an issue I Think every baby-sitter should know about. It wasn't addressed in the books, so I thought I would write about it.

"Kristy's Big Decision"

CHAPTER 7

Wednesday,

Well, that was one sitting job I'll never forget. I don't think the Papadakis' will any time soon either. Also, I think it's a lesson to all baby-sitters. You should always be prepared for anything! And even if you're not prepared like me, you should be aware that what happened to me and the Papadakis girls could happen to anyone, anywhere, any time. I'm just glad everything turned out okay when it was all over.

Anya arrived at the Papadakis's around one that afternoon for her sitting job.

She was only going to be sitting for Hannie and Sari. Linny was playing with David Michael.

After Mrs. Papadakis gave Anya the usual instructions and showed her where the emergency numbers were, she kissed Hannie good-bye as did her husband and the two left for their luncheon.

As they were walking out the door, Mrs. Papadakis turned back to Anya.

"Hannie's had a headache for the last two days. If she starts complaining of more pain, you can give her Children's Tylenol after she eats some lunch. And would you mind putting the laundry in the dryer when the washer beeps?"

"No problem." Anya replied. She didn't mind doing a little housework.

"You're a dear." Mrs. Papadakis commented. "Thanks. Bye, Hannie. Have fun with Anya." With that, they were gone.

Taking a seat on the couch next to Hannie, Anya smiled at her.

"So what do you wanna do now, kiddo?" She asked.

She had sat for the Papadakis' a few times in the last month and they really liked her a lot.

Hannie shrugged.

"Can we watch a movie?" She asked.

"Sure! What do you wanna watch?" Anya asked.

Hannie thought for a minute. She chose "TLM 2: Return to the Sea" and the two settled back to enjoy the movie until Sari woke up.

Glancing up from the screen, Anya noticed Pat the Cat, walking in front of the laundry room door. She usually came to greet Anya or any baby-sitter when they came to call.

"Pat!" Anya called. "Here kitty-kitty!"

Pat gave Anya a look before going back to her task. She didn't even come over so Anya could pet her.

"That's strange." Anya commented. "She usually loves it when I pet her."

"She's been acting strange since last night." Hannie told her.

Anya nodded.

Just then, they heard Sari start to cry.

"Sari's awake. Shall I go get her and bring her down?"

Hannie nodded and giggled. She loved it when Anya took on a royal tone.

"I think that would be a good idea, You're Grace." Hannie replied.

"I'll be right back." Anya winked at Hannie, patted her shoulder and went for the stairs.

Climbing them, Anya suddenly felt a little dizzy. It passed after a minute, so she didn't let it bother her.

Entering Sari's room, Anya gave the three-year-old a smile.

"Privyet, Sari!" She greeted warmly. "Are you ready to get up and join your sister and me?"

Sari stopped crying for a minute, glanced to where Anya was standing and started right up again.

Anya was confused by the child's actions. Sari was usually such a happy little girl. She had grown fond of Anya in the last few weeks.

"Aw, shh, it's okay, it's okay…" Anya soothed. She picked Sari up and cuddled her close. "Do you miss your Mama? It's all right. She'll be back soon." She assured her. "We're gonna have fun until she gets back. Yes we are." With that, Anya changed Sari and got her ready for the afternoon. She hummed "Once Upon a December" while she worked, knowing Sari loved that song.

Sari quieted down a little, but she was still upset.

"Aw, there you go." Anya said. She started softly speaking to the little girl in Russian.

It usually worked for Sari.

But it didn't' seem to be working today.

"Shh, shh, all right, it's okay." Anya assured her. "Maybe seeing your sister will cheer you up. Do you wanna go see…" Her voice trailed off as she felt the dizzy feeling return. She actually had to grab onto the side of Sari's changing table to keep herself from falling to her knees.

She wasn't sure what was going on, but she wished it would stop. She had felt fine earlier. What was going on now?

Regaining her balance, Anya took Sari downstairs.

When they reached the living room, Hannie grinned when she saw her sister.

"Hi Sar!" She said happily.

"See?" Anya said, sitting down next to Hannie. "There's your big sister. There's Hannie."

Sari calmed down a little more, but not by much.

Anya was about to suggest they get lunch, when the washer went off.

"I'll be right back." Anya told Hannie. She set Sari in the playpen until she returned. She instructed Hannie to watch her for a minute. She knew Hannie could be trusted. She was only going across the hall to the laundry room. Besides, the door would be left open.

When Anya got to the laundry room, she found Pat guarding the door.

"You silly cat." She said playfully. "I need to get in there."

Pat wouldn't move at first. She stayed put and glared at Anya.

"Come on now." Anya coaxed. "I need to get the laundry."

Finally, Pat moved. She meowed, but Anya ignored her.

Opening the door, Anya entered the room. She took the laundry out of the dryer and set it on the table next to it.

As she was putting the laundry from the washer into the dryer, Hannie's panicked voice cried out.

"Anastasia! Sari threw up!"

Anya left the laundry half done and ran back to the living room. In her haste to get back to the kids, she had left the laundry room door wide open.

Anya found Sari crying up a storm while Hannie stayed as faraway from the mess as possible.

"Sari, shh, it's okay. Let's get you cleaned up, huh?" With that, she picked Sari up and carried her upstairs for a quick bath.

As she was washing her, Anya started feeling a little queasy herself. She shook it off and concentrated on taking care of Sari.

Just then, Hannie came upstairs looking miserable. She walked into the bathroom where Anya was getting Sari changed.

"Anastasia!" She said pitifully.

Anya knew something was wrong by the tone in Hannie's voice.

"Hannie, what's wrong?" Anya asked in concern. She turned around while holding Sari in her arms.

"I feel sick!" Hannie cried.

"Is your head hurting again?" Anya asked. She knelt down to Hannie's level while still holding Sari.

"Yes." Hannie replied.

Anya thought for a minute.

"Maybe eating something will help you. Come on, I'll make us some lunch." Anya suggested. "Then after you eat, I can give you some medicine."

Hannie nodded, even though she wasn't' feeling hungry.

Getting back downstairs, Anya set Sari in her playpen with some toys and her bear before making some pb and j sandwiches for herself and Hannie.

They ate in silence and Anya noticed Hannie was taking small bites of her food.

"You don't have to eat it all. " Anya assured her. "It's okay."

Hannie nodded. She drank some of her milk and put her half eaten sandwich down.

While Anya was doing the dishes, Hannie said she had to go to the bathroom.

As Anya turned the water off, she went into the living room to check on Sari.

The little girl wasn't crying anymore, but she looked a little pale.

Anya thought maybe she was coming down with something.

When Sari saw Anya, she lifted her arms up as though she wanted to be picked up.

Anya smiled at this.

"Now that's the Sari I know." She said with a grin. She was about to pick the three-year-old up when she heard a small thud from upstairs. IT was quickly followed by Hannie yelling for Anya.

"Anastasia!" Her voice sounded tearful and desperate.

"I'm coming, Hannie!" Anya called back. She took the stairs two at a time, much like she had done the night Karen had her nightmare.

Getting to the bathroom, Anya found Hannie doubled over in pain, tears streaming down her face.

Anya raced to her side and helped her to sit up.

"Hannie, what happened?" She asked. She was trying to remain calm on the outside, while inside her heart was racing.

"Anastasia, it hurts!" Hannie cried. "I feel like I'm gonna…" Her voice trailed off as she threw up right there on the floor.

"Oh Hannie!" Anya said sympathetically. "You're gonna be okay. Come on. Let's get you back to-" She was interrupted as an even bigger wave of dizziness swept over her. She soon felt queasy again.

It was then that she realized she had to get the kids out of the house. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew they couldn't stay there. IT wasn't safe.

Taking a deep breath, Anya took charge of the situation. She helped hannie up and took her hand firmly in hers.

"Anastasia, I can't!" Hannie cried. "It hurts too much!"

Thinking quickly, Anya picked Hannie up and held her with one arm while holding onto Sari with the other.

Moving quickly while being careful not to let either child fall, Anya rushed back downstairs and out of the house.

Once outside, Anya took in a big gulp of air. She found she felt a little better.

Sari seemed to calm down once they were outside as well.

Knowing her sister was home, Anya raced for her house.

"Where are we going?" Hannie asked. She sounded tired and Anya could tell.

"We're going somewhere safe." She assured her. "I'm taking you guys to my house."

Hannie didn't' argue. She was still feeling pretty bad.

Getting there, Anya raced inside when she realized the door was unlocked on the bottom.

"Sara!" She cried out. "I need your help!"

Sara rushed into the room just as Anya placed Hannie down on the couch.

"Anya, what is it?" Sara asked. "I thought you were sitting for the…" Her voice trailed off when she got a good look at her sister and Hannie. "Anya, what happened? Are you okay?"

"We will be now." Anya replied. She thrust Sari into Sara's arms as she felt her own knees give out.

Sara hugged Sari tightly while kneeling down in front of her sister.

"Anya, what happened?" She asked again.

Anya was starting to feel really sick and she didn't know why. They were out of the house now. If they were out of immediate danger, why did she suddenly feel like she was going to either throw up or faint any minute?

Anya tried her best to explain to Sara what had happened.

"I was baby-sitting and the kids felt sick. Hannie had a headache and Sari threw up. Then Hannie got sick and…I felt dizzy and queasy…I didn't know….know what was going on, but I knew I had to…had to get them out…Sara, I don't feel so…" Anya's voice trailed off as the dizziness returned.

She heard Sara yell her name before everything went black.

Sara took charge immediately. She got the rest of the story from Hannie as she dialed 911. She also called me to see if I could watch Alex for a little while longer.

I had a million questions running through my head as I raced the girls and two boys over to the Springers'. But I kept them to myself. Something told me now wasn't' the time to ask them.

Unfortunately, Alex saw the commotion and became hysterical when she realized her Mama might be hurt.

I was able to calm her down once the ambulance left.

I brought all three girls in the house, along with the boys and tried to distract them while we played the waiting game.

As we waited, I couldn't help but worry. What had happened over at the Papadakis' that afternoon?

Linny was worried for his sisters, but I assured him they would be okay.

I just prayed I was telling him the truth…