Sleepy Heads

Posted on Fri Apr 15th, 2011 @ 9:31pm by Lieutenant Chihiro Ogino MD

Mission: Kingdom Come
Location: Ogino's Quarters

Chihiro wandered into her quarters discovering it was dark and quiet. She looked around to see Hikari fast asleep on one of the chairs, a book in her hand. She had nodded off and her head now rested within its pages. Chi smiled as she trotted upto her. Suddenly Hikari jumped and woke up, throwing the book onto the floor.
"Bad dream?" Chihiro asked.
"No, just a weird one..." Hikari said.
"Ah right. So what were you reading?" Chihiro asked picking up the book and looking at its cover.
"So tell me again why you're reading of Mice and Men?" Chihiro asked.
"School Literature session" Hikari said picking up the old text back from Earth's 1940's.
"You know, I remember when you were little. You used to love books" Chihiro said with a smile.

"Here we go again" Hikari said under her breath, knowing that a backstory would be coming up..

Chihiro sat with the toddler Hikari on her knee. Barely two years old she was only learning a few words.
"Buk" she said pointing at a toddler book on the table.
"Book" Chihiro corrected her.
"Buk yes, Buk!" Hikari said with a giggle. Chihiro smiled and picked it up. Opening the first page she began to read.
"Once upon a time there were three bears..." but before she could finish Hikari was holding the page trying to turn it over.
"Porrig" she said again.
"Porridge do you mean?" Hikari asked.
"Porrig yes" Hikari said, her infant mind still in the holophrastic stage of development.
"Well, the three bears were eating their porridge when they decided it was too ho...." but once again Hikari was already turning the page. "Someone's impatient today aren't you?" she asked.
"Goliloc" she said pointing at the girl in the book.
"Yes, Goldilocks" Chihiro said.
"Goliloc, yes!" Hikari giggled.

Chihiro eventually finished the book. Trying to cope with Hikari's page turning.
"And they all lived happily ever aft..." but she stopped. Hikari had fallen asleep in her arms.
"How cute" Chihiro whispered to herself as she folded the book shut. Hikari moved in her arms, wiping her face against Chihiro's sleeve. A fresh lot of snot left behind where she had been.
"Not so cute" Chihiro said as she gently lifted her daughter off her and placed her gently on the couch, resting her head on the cushion. With her daughter now asleep she could get some work done.

Chihiro looked up at her now ten year old daughter who had once again fallen asleep in the armchair.
"Time for bed I think" Chihiro said prodding her slightly to wake her up.
"Ten more minutes...." hikari winged.
"Nah, I think now would be best" Chihiro said pulling her up slightly. Hikari followed and dopely waddled into her room. She fell head first onto the bed, and was soon sleeping away.
"Looks like someone shouldn't have been up all last night" Chihiro whispered to herself as she switched off the light and closed Hikari's bedroom door.

Posting by
Lieutenant Chihiro Ogino
Chief Medical Officer