Amy and Toots/Page1

The Accident
“Any Luck?” Nurse Paulette Anderson entered with two mugs of tea, and handed them to the two brothers, one of them was again attempting to get through to their parents on his communicator.

“No.” he took the tea, “I’ve left text messages, and we’ll have to hope they get through.” “Where is it they’re working?” “Out on the south pole of Stranias four. Is there... is there any further news?” “We’re doing all we can. Doctor Stroodbank will be with you shortly, please try not to worry.” The brothers exchanged desperate glances as she walked away. “Oh God, if she doesn’t make it....” “Don’t say that.”

Mike and Arik Landis were about to go on stage for the bi annual InterLive Galaxy music show when the news came. Their beloved younger sister had been involved in a hovercar accident. So here they were looking haggard and distraught as they waited for fuller details, and desperately trying to get news to their parents who were research scientists working in one of the most remote parts of the colonies.

“If only she had listened, she knew she ought to come with us to the gig...” Arik pushed his untidy dark hair back from his brow. “When has she ever listened to us?” Mike asked. “That’s the trouble with that young lady, she’s just too wilful. She’s always been the same, and let’s face it, we’ve let her wind us round her little finger..”

He stopped speaking as the doctor hurriedly entered the room. His face was grave, and for a heartstopping moment, no one spoke then Dr.Stroodbank said quietly

“I’m so sorry, we have done all we can. Your sister has lost her arm, and the only option we have left now is rejuvination. She is very sick at the moment, and we must act quickly. Please try not to worry, all should be well.”

Mike buried his head in his hands, and neither of them noticed that the Doctor had left again. Into the silence they heard the muffled ringing of the communicator, at last they had made contact with their parents.



The door swung open again, and this time Dr. Stroodbank was smiling. “All is well.” he said as the brothers rose to their feet anxiously. “Thank God.” Arik breathed.

“Can we see her?” Mike asked, Arik was already dialling up his parents to give them the good news. “Yes, for a moment, but be aware she will be very disorientated and tired at the moment. We have rejuved her to ten, it’s the best we could do, you understand about the puberty barrier?”

“Yes, our great granddad was rejuved a few years back after a heart attack and is just now reaching his teens.” “Well, that was the best we could do, but then she was only twenty one, so it won’t be as hard on her as it can be for some of our patients. She was only just used to being an adult and making her own decisions. It’s a lot harder when your fifty or sixty believe me.”

As they talked they were hurrying accross the corridor to the small room, where looking ridiculously frail and tearful in what seemed a huge bed was their younger sister Amy. She burst into tears when she saw them, and Arik quickly gathered her into his arms.

“It’s alright honey.” he said soothingly. “I’m little again....” she sobbed. “Look at me, Doctor says I am ten again, and I can’t bear it.” “Let’s be thankful things were not an awful lot worse.” Mike ruffled her dark hair.

“She needs to rest now.” Dr. Stroodbank said. “But tomorrow she will be fine to go home. Incidentally, now the crisis is over, may I just say, how much I love your music.” “Thanks.” Arik smiled, and added ruefully. “We rather let everyone down tonight though.” “Well it can’t be helped.”

The brother's eyes were still on their sister, they recalled the last time they had seen her looking like this, so young and vulnerable. It really didn’t seem so long ago.

She was still sobbing, not quite taking in the enormity of it yet. She was ten years old, but as Arik cradled her, her crying quietened, and she asked tentatively “Doctor, can I see Toots?”

“Well at the moment she is sleeping, we put her under the delta inducer because she was quite bruised and battered, but in the morning she will be fine, the nanobots will have her as good as new. Now young lady, you really need to get some sleep now...” “Oh not now I .....” “Amy, that is quite enough from you.” Mike said firmly. “The doctor says you need sleep and that is exactly what you are going to do. Settle down now.”

She looked at him in surprise. Why he was talking to her as if she was a little girl! But she did feel drowsy and somehow safe and warm, and the thought of sleep was most attractive, she closed her eyes, and drifted away, Arik’s hand still holding hers.



“I still say we are a lot to blame.” Mike downed the last of his coffee and set the mug on the table, where the robowasher would later collect it. “We always indulged her, always gave in. We didn’t curb that wilful streak of hers enough, and neither did Mum and Dad.”

“She is such an adorable little minx that’s why.” Arik agreed. “But not this time, we have to make her toe the line.” “She simply was not spanked enough.” “Well, it looks like we’re going to get a second chance to rectify a few of our mistakes.”

It was very late, but they were waiting up for their parents to get back from their field studies to their homebase so they could talk face to face on video rather than with text messages. As Arik finished speaking, the unit rang, and the brothers crossed to the video link.

The pinched and anxious faces of their parents came into view. They hadn’t even taken off the thermal outdoor clothing so anxious were they to ring home.

“How is she?” their mother asked frantically. “She’s fine. Panic’s all over.” Mike replied. “We can bring her home tomorrow. The rejuve will obviously take some time to adjust to, but really that is the least of all our worries.”

The anxiety slid from their faces. “We must make arrangements to come home.” their father said. “My word, I will turn that little madam over my knee and no mistake. We found a strong suggestion of walve in one of the caves we were exploring yesterday, and we know there are huge deposits of tregon.

(Walve and tregon were minerals of tremendous import to the pharmaceutical industry, and were in short supply.)

“Mum didn’t you hear Mike?” Arik said impatiently. “The panic’s over. There’s absolutely no need for you to hurry back. Your work there is far too important to leave at the moment. I think Mike and I can deal with looking after our little sister. Not much will change really, accept that now she’ll be a lot easier to handle.”

They talked for a long time, and it was finally agreed that the brothers would take on guardianship of Amy. Then they dealt with all the phone calls and queries from their many friends and relatives. They were exhausted when they finally fell into bed much later that night.

The morning brought fresh tasks. Just a short thirty six hours before, their sister had left their home, as a twenty one year old, fun loving youngster. She would be returning as a ten year old, and in order to lessen the trauma she must endure, they wanted to get the environment right for her.

Out went the dressing table and cosmetics, and the wardrobe of the latest fancy designs. In came the “unsuitable viewing code”.

(Most of all history’s recorded dramas, documentaries, music and other archive material were available for listening or viewing pleasure from a central computer, but age limit codes were available to restrict the viewing of unsuitable material by minors.)

The decor was changed to a wallpaper design of fairies and butterflies, and the bed coverings and curtains were changed for "Cedric the Warthog" designs.

(Cedric the Warthog was a recent craze amongst the youngest of the populace)

This all took longer than they expected. So it was that when they reached the hospital, after pausing briefly to buy suitable clothing they found a very cross little girl waiting for them.

“You’ve been simply ages!” she said folding her arms. “And the nurse here, seems to think that I had to wait until you arrived. It’s really not on!”

“I’ll tell you what’s not on young lady.” Arik sat on the bed beside her. “And that’s your attitude. You drop it right now, or you’ll find yourself over my knee!”

She gaped in surprise and stared into the handsome face of her eldest brother, but she could see that he meant what he said. Tears filled her eyes. This had always worked in the past, but this time, he briskly lifted her out of the bed, and said

“Right, now let’s get you dressed.” “I can dress myself!” she said indignantly. “Well maybe you can, but you’re still a bit wobbly after the rejuve, and so therefore I will dress you. And if you want to sit down on the journey home, you had better co-operate.”

She meekly complied. Part of her welcomed the way her brothers were taking charge. She felt safe, and loved, and knew that she would be fine, even with all that happened in the last few days, as long as she had them to care for her.

He helped her don the white knickers and she found she needed to hold onto him to keep her balance. She gazed ruefully at her flat chest as he slipped the childish pink vest over her head, and she thought of her wonderful bosom, now not due to appear again for several years. Toots was always jealous of her bust...

Toots! With the muzziness of her rejuve it was hard to hold onto thoughts, and for a while she had forgotten that Toots was in the room next door.

“Toots!” she cried. “Is Toots OK? I must see her.” “Toots is fine.” Mike replied soothingly. “All she got was a few bruises. Actually I’ll go and see if she’s been discharged. Her folks are still working off planet, and she maybe would like a lift home.”

Leaving Arik dressing Amy, he went in search of his sister’s friend. The two of them had been friends for years, and had got up to endless childish pranks together. The brothers did not always wholly approve of Toots. But there was no denying her charm, and lately, Mike had looked more than once in her direction.

She was slowly gathering together her few possessions.

“Mike!” she fell into his arms. “How is Amy, oh Mike I’ve been told I can’t see her.” she was weeping now, and he smoothed her long red hair, and queried

“Can’t see her, why not?” “It’s my fault Mike, I wasn’t paying attention. We were driving along and I saw some guys we knew, and was larking with them. The next thing I knew I was waking up here, and they told me Amy has had to be rejuved, and I’m going to be prosecuted. I know I deserve it, and I am so sorry for what I did to your sister. Can you forgive me?” “Of course I can sweetie, don’t worry about it.”

He knew that if she was to be held responsible for the accident she would have enough to worry about. If she was rejuved as a penitanas, it would be several years before he could resume the interest that had recently awakened in him for her.

“They won’t let me see her until the trial, and then it will be too late to tell her how sorry I am. please tell her, won’t you Mike?” He promised he would and comforted her the best he could.

“You two have always got yourselves into far too many scrapes.” he said when she had calmed a little. “I’m not so sure it wouldn’t solve some of your problems to get a Penitata’s sentence. Many’s the time I’ve felt you could do with a good spanking, but in recent years, I suppose you were just a bit too old, and like Amy, you always think “doe eyes” will get you off.”

“I don’t want to get off, I know I deserve to be punished. All because of me poor Amy was so hurt.” “Well she’s doing fine now, and is concerned for you. I had best get back to her, she’s got some hard adjustments to make. I guess the weeks ahead won’t be easy for either of you.”

Arik had Amy dressed by the time he got back to her. “How is Toots?” she asked. “I’m going to see her. Oh gosh, it’s so awful to be like this, will it be the same, will we still be friends?”

“I’m afraid you can’t see her at the moment.” “Why not? She is alright?” “She is fine, but at the moment you can’t see her.”

“I jolly well will...” as she went to march from the room she found herself lifted up and firmly turned over Mike’s knee. He administered one firm slap upon her knicker seat and she yelped in surprise. He said. “And believe me, if you weren’t still wobbly from the rejuve, you would get a lot more than that.”

He allowed her to wriggle around, and she gazed at him tearfully. It was beginning to really dawn on her. She was a child, and would be treated as one. And her malleable, benevolent brothers suddenly seemed very harsh and strict. “Let’s get home” Mike said.