Childhood Memories

Posted on 09 Aug 2016 @ 1:16am by Lieutenant JG Catherine Cooper
Edited on on 09 Aug 2016 @ 1:17am

1,072 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: History
Location: Earth, Ural Mountains.
Timeline: 2367

Catherine looked around the small, private hospital in wonder. She wanted to run amok but her mother had a tight grip on the 6 year olds hand, knowing full well what her daughter wanted to be doing. Catherine was busily asking questions, “What’s what? What species is that? What is she doing? Is that guy going to be ok? What’s that device?...” And on it went. Her parents patiently answering questions then her father dug in his pocket for a puzzle cube and handed it to her. There was blessed silence as Catherine worked on the puzzle, her mother moving from holding her hand to the back of her little denim jacket to help guide her since she wouldn’t be paying any attention to the outside world now.

They both wore civilian clothes as well though her mother was a Starfleet Intelligence Officer, her father a teacher. Gemma and Douglas Cooper were both devoted to their little family. This was not related to Starfleet but a private matter, hence why now they were entered an old family friend’s small practice in the Ural Mountains. They entered a small office where a bearded, smiling man was standing behind a desk. He wore a long blue coat and smiled at the family, Catherine realized finally they were in the office and looked up from the puzzle cube, “Uncle D!” She squeed and jumped at the large man who swung her around, “Wonderful to see you little one!” He said in his booming voice. Dimitri Rostov had known her parents since they were all children themselves.

She immediately started telling him about her day, “We saw a Llama but momma wouldn’t let me ride him…Llama mamma that rhymed.” Then she laughed amusing herself and kept on with her innocent child babble. Finally Dimitri could get a word in edgewise and asked if she wanted to go the play room before she got distracted by the random things in his office. There was a large glass window that looked out into a play room with many toys where several children were being watched over by kindly looking staff in blue coats. She immediately squirmed to get loose and started to head for the door when he put her down but remembered and glanced back at her parents who nodded. She ran and hugged them both, handed her mother the puzzle cube, then took off into the room almost trying to tear the door off the hinges.

With a chuckle Dimitri closed the door, “Does she ever slow down?” he asked and her father replied with a fondness in his voice, “I think when she’s asleep.” Dimitri laughed again, something one got the impression he did easily, and gestured to the chairs that sat opposite his dark oak desk, “Well I suppose you want to get right to it.” Her parents nodded, “Well from our scans and working with her it appears Cat’s mind, most especially the parts dealing with external stimuli has her neurons operating in such a way that her mind is telling her that there is more to pay attention to than the normal amount, this is why she’s so easily distracted. Simply put too many things are getting through and it is all labeled as important by the judgement centers in the brain.”
It wasn’t the normal distraction it made it hard for her to do her school work, to make friends, to clean her room. She could start one project then get distracted playing with her dolls. Some other kids had trouble keeping up and so it was just easier to not deal with her. And her parents, both firm believers in anything being solved with enough information, had done research. Which explained why they were in their old friend’s office, a renowned neurologist.

“How should we deal with this.” Her mother asked her green eyes concerned as she watched her daughter chase some boy with a foam sword and in turn being chased by one of the room’s adult monitors…
“Good news, since the last set of examinations I believe the plan we worked out for helping her determine um informational priorities is working. We can see…” He pulled out a PADD with a picture of a brain scan on it and pointed it out to her parents, “That new neural pathways have appeared since then, with the treatments and if we stick to the plan I think Cat will be able to interact more normally with the outside world.” They were limited in what they could do considering the ban on generic manipulation but that didn’t mean the field of neuroscience was useless when trying to help.

They wanted their daughter happy and it would have been one thing if she’d just been having some trouble but they saw the look of sad confusion on her face when kid told her she was ‘weird’ or that her parents were puzzled that a one hour attempt to clean something simple turned into a 4 hour project. They wanted her happy above all else. Dimtri had quietly and gently suggested ‘other options’, they were his closest friends after all, that would involve a secret trip out of Federation space but Catherine’s parents firmly refused. Their daughter was perfect and just needed a little help. They both breathed a sigh of relief as Dimitri continued, “Maybe you’ll want to look into a martial art, something with a mental discipline. I think that Buddhist thing you guys are into now will really help…”

They talked for a bit longer then they noticed that Catherine had somehow managed to avoid one of the room monitor persons and was half way up a wall, the small foam sword in her little belt. With long practice her parents did ‘rock, paper, scissors’ and having won her father got up to go help them corral his child as Dimitri just laughed, “You sure she will be ok?” Gemma asked after her husband had left, and Dimtri nodded, his face grew serious. “Yes though It will never be easy for her, she will make mistakes but she is strong and that is life no?”

Gemma watched her beloved husband whirl their daughter around and smiled, a little sadly since she wouldn’t be able to protect her daughter from everything, “Yes I suppose it is.”

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