Rating: G
Category: V
Spoilers: None
Summary: Mrs. Scully is helping Dana move to D.C. and it brings back memories.

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Moving Day (1/1)
by Stacia Seaman


Moving day is always a nightmare. We had just moved into a new house in San Diego.

As usual, the Navy shippers bungled our move. Half our belongings arrived with us but 
the other half were a week away; we had mattresses but no bedframes, hangers but no 
clothes, tables but no chairs. The kids were thrilled because there was no unpacking for 
them to do. Instead, they ran around the neighborhood exploring and making new 
friends.

Dana came back after about an hour. She was holding the tiniest, scrawniest, most flea-
ridden kitten I had ever seen. She'd found it alone and abandoned in the garage. She 
begged me to let her keep the kitten, her blue eyes pleading and her jaw set stubbornly. 
Of course I gave in.

She carried the kitten into the house and set it on the floor, then went to look for 
something to feed it. When she returned, she gave a small cry of disappointment - the 
kitten had vanished. It took Dana a full day to find that kitten again. She was in one of 
the bedrooms. We'd leaned the box spring against the wall and the kitten was back in the 
corner, hiding in the darkness. No amount of coaxing could get her to come out.

My compassionate daughter couldn't bear the thought of moving the box spring. Instead, 
she crawled back into the darkness with a fistful of cat food. She sat back there for an 
hour, making soothing sounds, trying to coax the kitten into eating. Finally she put the 
food on the floor and backed out of her hiding spot, begging me not to tell anyone where 
the kitten was. She staked her claim to the room and set up small food and water bowls 
and a makeshift litterbox.

Dana crawled back into that corner every two hours for the next three days. Finally, on 
the fourth day, the kitten was waiting next to the box spring when Dana woke up. That 
kitten adored my daughter, and Dana finally had a friend that she wouldn't have to leave 
when her father took a new command. Nike grew into a sleek, beautiful calico cat, 
unrecognizable from the kitten Dana had rescued.

My daughter has always had a big heart. I was so worried when she decided to study 
medicine. Her love and compassion make her so vulnerable that I was afraid she 
wouldn't be able to handle watching the pain and suffering of her patients. I had 
underestimated her strength. My sweet baby girl has become a beautiful strong woman 
who has dedicated her life to helping others.

The teakettle whistles, bringing me back to the present. I've got just enough time for a 
cup of tea before I go to Dana's apartment. It's moving day again, but not for me. Dana
is moving to Washington D.C. today to start her new assignment at FBI headquarters. 
I'll miss my daughter, but in my heart I know that she needs to go. Somewhere out there 
is another Nike who needs her love.

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Thank you for reading this. Please let me know what you think:
stacia_seaman@hotmail.com.

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, except for Nike, who lived with us for eight years. 
The rest of 'em belong to Surfer Boy, 1013, Gillian and David.

Thanks to Mary, for wading through an insane amount of e-mail, and to the VA 
Scullython gang. You're beautiful!