Girl Meets Memory, Part 2 (4x03)

by PrinceTrexus89

A continuation of "Girl Meets Memory, Part 1", Farkle begins to despair as he fears Smackle may never recover her memory.

"Girl Meets Memory, Part 2"

Previously on Girl Meets World...
On her way to meet up with her friends, Smackle got hit by a car, suffering two broken ribs, a dislocated ankle, and a bad concussion. Farkle refused to leave her side, but when he started missing classes, Cory sat him down and had a heart to heart with him. Smackle woke up, but her mother told Farkle not to come to the hospital. Farkle, desperate to be with Smackle again, came to the hospital anyway, only to find out that Smackle did not recognize him. Mr. and Mrs. Smackle explained to Farkle that their daughter's injury to the head had caused her to lose her memory. After being told by Farkle about her accident, the confused Smackle wondered if she would ever regain her memories again...

It was Wednesday afternoon, and Smackle, still in her hospital room, was startled by a knock at her door. Farkle entered, carrying a bouquet of flowers.
"How are you feeling today?" he asked.
"I'm not sure," she replied. "I still feel confused, but I also feel happy to see you."
He smiled. "I brought a friend with me."
Riley poked her head through the door.
"Hi!"
Smackle jumped. "Um...hello."
Her tone saddened Riley. It was distant, foreign, as though Smackle had just addressed a complete stranger. Riley had to keep reminding herself that right now, to Smackle, she was a complete stranger.
"D...Do you know who I am?" Riley asked, afraid of the answer.
"No," replied Smackle, before quickly adding, "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," Riley said, her voice getting shaky. It was getting harder not to cry, as softly she said, "I'm Riley."
"R...Riley..." Smackle repeated slowly.
The struggle to keep the name was clear in Smackle's eyes. Riley could feel the tears coming in her own eyes, but she couldn't let them show. She couldn't let Smackle see her break. The more she looked at Smackle, the more she absolutely hated the stupid driver who had done this to her friend. The idiot who had taken Smackle away from her friends just because he couldn't be bothered to watch where he was going! She just wanted to find this driver, wherever they were, and...
"Are we friends?" The question startled Riley. Smackle was staring at her, a puzzled look on her face.
"Yes," her voice was barely a whisper now, as she fought with all of her might to stop the inevitable tears that were quickly rising to the surface. "Best friends."
The answer seemed to trouble Smackle. She touched her head, her eyes wincing as she felt a sharp pain pass.
"I... I can't remember anything about you," she finally said. "How can I not remember anything about someone who says they're my best friend?"
"It's not your fault," Riley said again, and the first tear finally rolled down her cheek.
"I can't even remember your name, and you just told it to me."
A tear rolled down Smackle's cheek now as well. Riley couldn't even imagine how Smackle must be feeling. So lost, so confused...
"My name is Riley," she whispered softly, the one tear becoming many as they streamed down her cheeks. "What's your name?"
"I...I..." Smackle stammered. Her eyes squinted shut, the pain spread deeper and she cringed harder, her hand pressed against her forehead. "I... I can't remember."
Riley looked away, trying to hide her face from Smackle, but it was too late. The tears flooded from her eyes now, and she found herself completely unable to make them stop.
"I'm sorry, Farkle," Riley said, her voice choking, "I can't do this!"
She ran out of the room, sobbing.
"Riley!" Farkle called after her. "Riley!" He turned to Smackle. "I'll be right back."
He bolted out the door after Riley, Smackle watching him blankly. She had to no idea what was going on, and the harder she tried to remember, the more she seemed to forget.

"I've been waiting For a day like this to come, Struck like lightning, My heart's beating like a drum, On the edge of something wonderful, Face to face with changes, What's it all about? Life is crazy, but I know I can work it out, Cause I got you to live it with me! I feel all right, I'm gonna take on the world, Light up the stars, I've got some pages to turn, I'm singing oh, oh oh, oh oh oh, oh! Take on the world, take on the world Take on the world, Take on the world, take on the world Take on the world!"

"Riley!"
After what seemed like forever, Farkle finally found Riley sitting on a bench outside the hospital building. She was curled up in a ball, her face buried in her knees. From the movement in her shoulders, Farkle could tell she was still crying.
"Riley, I've been looking everywhere for you!"
Her head slowly lifted, and indeed her eyes were glistening as she quickly tried to wipe her tearstained cheeks.
"I let you down, Farkle," she said shakily. "I'm sorry."
"You didn't though, Riley," Farkle replied, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You did great. I'm proud of you."
"How do you do it, Farkle?" Riley asked. "How do you come here every day, knowing that your own girlfriend doesn't know you at all?"
His eyes gazed back at the hospital. Riley could see a slight sense of longing in them. "Because I have to hold onto the hope that one day she will. It's all I've got."
She leaned into him and put her head on his shoulder. He put his arms around her and held her tight.
"I can't go back in there," she said sadly. "I'm sorry. I really tried, Farkle."
"I know you did," he replied softly, stroking her hair. "It's okay. You did your best, I'm proud of you."
After about a minute, they pulled apart. He wiped the tears from her eyes. "Well, I'm going back in. Maybe I should start with pictures first. That might be easier on her."
"I know if anyone can do it, you can," she said. "Good luck, Farkle."
She kissed his cheek and then she was off. Taking a deep breath, Farkle headed back inside.

The next day, Farkle showed Smackle pictures on his phone, hoping anything would spark the slightest familiarity in her mind.
"This is Riley," he was saying. "You met her yesterday. Do you remember?"
"A little," she replied. "I couldn't remember her name, but I do remember I said something that must've made her sad. She started crying and ran away."
"You didn't make her sad," Farkle replied, "she just misses you, that's all. The old you, I mean."
He scrolled to the next picture. "This is you with Riley," he said. "You two went to the mall together. We all went together."
"Who's that blonde girl with us?" Smackle asked, pointing at her other best friend.
"That's Maya."
"M...Maya." When Farkle would tell Smackle a new name, she would sound it out slowly, trying to familiarize herself with it. It didn't always stick in her memory, but she always put in a concentrated effort.
"Yes," Farkle replied, "she's your other best friend."
He stood and walked over to the stack of various gifts her friends and classmates had brought her. He picked up a framed painting Maya had brought last week. The painting showed the New York skyline against the starry night sky.
"Here," Farkle said, handing her the painting. "Maya painted this for you."
"It's very beautiful," she said, admiring the painting. "Does she like to paint?"
Farkle nodded. "It's her favorite hobby in the world."
"What's my favorite hobby?" she asked.
He smiled. "You like collecting insects, reading, and spending time with your friends."
He turned back to his phone and scrolled to a picture of Zay.
"This is Zay," he said.
"Jay?"
"No, Zay," he replied. "With a 'Z'."
"Z...Z...Zay," she said slowly, having a little more difficulty with the name. She looked at the picture again and smiled. "He looks funny."
He laughed. "Yeah, I guess he is kind of funny looking, with that haircut."
"No," she said quickly, "I mean, he looks like a person who makes people laugh. Like, he's...funny."
"He is," Farkle said. "You're right."
"Smackle," she said, looking towards the window; over the past couple days, she had resorted to calling him "Smackle", because it was the only word she could remember, and because Farkle was the only constant presence she had to go off of. He decided it wasn't worth debating, so he let her call him whatever name she could think of. "Do I have a boyfriend?"
Farkle froze. Had he heard her right?
"W..What?"
"Do I have a boyfriend?" she repeated.
This was it, the deciding moment, he would have to either tell her who he was, or he would have to come up with a quick lie. On one hand, he could just deny it and deal with the guilt of lying to his girlfriend. On the other hand, he could tell her everything and risk causing another panic attack. He didn't want her to be sad, though, so he came up with a third option.
"Yes," he replied. "Yes, you do have a boyfriend."
"Why hasn't he come to see me yet?" she asked. Another difficult question. Farkle was a genius, but he was not very good at improvising.
"He...uh...he has," he finally managed. "But y-you were asleep."
"Maybe I should see him-"
"NO!" He shouted quickly. "Uhh...I, uh... I...I mean, you can't. He's, uh... he's out of town this week."
"That's a shame," she replied. "Do you have a picture of him, at least?"
"No," he said. The story was becoming easier to keep. He just had to keep himself and her boyfriend as two separate people. "He and I don't really hang out very much."
"What's he like?"
"He's really smart," he said. "You and he used to compete in science fairs, insect conventions, all sorts of academic contests. You two were arch-nemeses. Eventually, you fell in love and transferred schools to be with him and your friends."
"That's sweet," she said. "Did I really do that?"
He nodded. "You love him very much."
"And does he love me?"
The question made his heart hurt. He looked into her eyes, trying to hide his longing for her. "More than anything."
He wanted it to stop. He wanted her to stop asking about her boyfriend. He wanted to be her boyfriend! He wanted her back so badly! He decided to change the subject, so he pulled out his phone again.
"How about more pictures?" he said quickly. He scrolled and froze for a moment; He'd stopped on a picture of Smackle kissing him by the fountain at the mall. It had been their first real kiss. He remembered it so clearly, he only wished she could. They had been walking with Riley, Maya, and Lucas in the mall that day. They stopped at the large fountain in the middle of the mall. She pulled a quarter out of her pocket.
"Close your eyes and make a wish," she had said. He closed his eyes, she threw the quarter into the fountain, then she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into a deep kiss. Riley, being the hopeless romantic that she was, quickly pulled out her phone and took a photo. When they finally pulled away, Smackle had asked, breathlessly, "So did your wish come true?"
"Well, I had asked for a chemistry set," he joked, "but I like this better"
And they kissed again.
It was one of Farkle's favorite memories, and he was overjoyed when Riley had texted the picture to both him and Smackle.
Now here he was, almost a lifetime later, and Smackle couldn't remember any of it.
"Smackle?"
Farkle snapped out of his memory and continued to scroll until he found a picture of himself next to Lucas on the couch at Topanga's Bakery.
"This is Lucas," he said, showing her the phone. A big, dreamy smile crossed her face.
"I like him," she said, a goofy giggle escaping her lips. "Are you sure he's not my boyfriend?"
Farkle laughed. "No, he's Riley's boyfriend. You like to flirt with him sometimes as a joke to make your boyfriend jealous."
She giggled, which turned into a laugh. He laughed too. They sat together in the hospital room just laughing away together. They had to stop when her side began to hurt; Farkle had to remind himself that she did have two broken ribs, after all.

That evening, Mr. Smackle entered the hospital room and found his daughter asleep, Farkle sleeping in the chair next to her. It was rare to see Isadora without Farkle next to her these days. He came up to Farkle and lightly nudged his shoulder.
"Farkle... Farkle, wake up."
Farkle sat up groggily and opened his eyes, letting out a yawn.
"Hey, Mr. Smackle."
"I need to talk to you."
His face was like stone. It was always difficult for Farkle to read Mr. Smackle's expression. "Is everything okay?"
"Well," he began. "No. No, it's not... not really."
"What's wrong?" asked Farkle. He was getting really worried now. Mr. Smackle was not smiling. His expression was stern, making him look a lot older than he was. It was only now that Farkle realized how exhausted and worn down he looked. Farkle felt guilty; he had been so focused on his own pain that he had failed to think about how this was all affecting Smackle's parents. They had to be suffering even more than he was.
"Farkle, I don't know if it's a good idea for you to come here anymore," Mr. Smackle said, looking at the floor.
"What!?" Farkle exclaimed. "Why?"
"I just don't want-"
"Look," Farkle said with a sudden sense of assertiveness. "Whatever it is you're trying to 'protect' me from, just say it. I'm not leaving Isadora!"
Mr. Smackle let out a deep sigh. "I see there's no hiding from you, so I'll just be honest with you."
Another deep breath.
"What is going on?" Farkle asked again.
"The doctors took another scan of Isadora's head this morning. The swelling has not gone down at all. Her brain is not responding to the treatment."
"But, how is that possible?" asked Farkle. "She should at least be getting a little better, shouldn't she?"
"Yes," replied Mr. Smackle, "which is what scares me. The swelling in her brain should've significantly reduced by now, and it hasn't."
"What are they going to do now?"
"I'm not sure," Mr. Smackle said, his voice full of defeat. "But if the swelling doesn't go down soon, they fear the damage may be permanent."
"You can't mean-"
"I'm sorry Farkle," Mr. Smackle said sadly. "But it's looking more and more likely that Isadora will never regain her memory."
"NO!" Farkle screamed. He jumped to his feet and darted out of the room.
"Farkle!" Mr. Smackle called out to him but it was too late. Farkle was gone.

Topanga's Bakery was closed for the night. All was quiet, the back patio was completely deserted. Farkle appeared at the top of the stairs. He had run the entire way there. The pain seared through his heart as he flew down the stairs, grabbed one of the outside chairs and let out a bloodcurdling scream as he threw it against the nearby brick wall. The tears flooded down his face harder than they ever had before. He threw out his foot and kicked a table over on its side as hard as he could. Another chair, another table. He grabbed a vase of flowers sitting on the nearby wall and smashed it to the ground, but no matter how many things he threw, kicked, and destroyed, the pain wouldn't go away. He didn't even hear the voice behind him.
"Farkle, stop! Farkle! FARKLE!"
Topanga grabbed Farkle by the shoulders as he finished launching another chair.
"Farkle, honey, look at me! Look at me, Farkle!" Topanga pleaded. She took Farkle by the face and turned his head, forcing his eyes to look into hers. He froze, his eyes in shock, before he let go of the tension and began sobbing into Topanga's shoulder. She held him tightly in her arms.
"Honey, you have to calm down," she said, rocking him back and forth, stroking his hair. "Tell me what happened."
"She's...gone..." his voice was muffled in her shoulder. She pulled him up straight to where he faced her. "The doctors are saying she most likely will never remember anything about us, about her parents, about me!"
He broke down again, and she held him, stroking his hair.
"Shhhh," she whispered softly. "It's okay, sweetie. It's okay."
Riley appeared at the doorway of the bakery. She saw Farkle sobbing into her mother's arms.
"How bad is it?" she asked.
"Bad," replied Topanga, continuing to comfort Farkle. Riley nodded and began to pick up the chairs. She set them up and flipped the table back right side up. She then headed inside, grabbed a broom, and swept up the dirt, ruined flowers, and broken vase shards on the ground.
"It's over, Riley," Farkle said, pulling away from Topanga. "She's gone. She can't remember anything and she never will."
"Don't give up, Far-"
"It's OVER, Riley!" he shouted, tears continuing to stream down his face. "The doctors told Mr. Smackle there's next to no chance she'll ever remember us again!"
"Then we make new memories!" Riley yelled back, before taking a deep breath and continuing. "We give her new memories, and we find a way for her to fall in love with you all over again."
"It's not the same."
"IT'S ALL WE HAVE LEFT, FARKLE!" she screamed, the tears coming back to her eyes as well. "If Smackle can't have her old life back, then as her friends, it's our job to help her start a new one! We give her new memories, we help her rebuild the life she's lost! Spend time with her, Farkle! Give her the chance to fall in love with you again! You're right, it's not the same, but it's all we have! So instead of being here, destroying my mom's bakery, you should be back there, with her! Be with the girl you love, Farkle!"
He wiped his eyes and nodded. If Smackle truly was gone, then his only option was to love this new Smackle, and help her to love him back.

Farkle knocked on the door. Smackle sat up and motioned for him to come in.
"Hey, I'm sorry I left," he said, taking his usual seat.
"I watched you leave," she said simply. "I also heard what that man said to you. I'm never going to remember my old life, am I?"
"I don't want to give up on you!" Farkle said, but Smackle shook her head.
"It's okay," she said with a warm smile. "I've accepted it. I'm sure my life was something special, with how much my friends seem to care about me, especially you."
A stray tear ran down his face and she wiped it away, the first time she had touched him since the accident. He looked up at her in shock, she smiled at him.
"It's you, isn't it?"
"What's me?" he asked.
"My boyfriend," she replied simply. "It's you. You're my boyfriend, aren't you?"
His heart raced, his breath was shaky. Reluctantly, he nodded. "How did you know?"
"Out of all my friends, you're the one who's always here," she said. "When the man told you about my memory, you reacted so strongly, as though you lost a great love, a part of yourself."
He laughed as more tears came down. "Even without your memory, you're still a genius!"
"Who knows?" Smackle continued. "Maybe this will be a good thing."
"How?" Farkle asked.
"You said I'm your girlfriend, right?"
He nodded.
"This could be a new chance," she smiled warmly as she spoke. "A chance for us to fall in love all over again."
He took her hand and this time, she did not pull it away. Instead she intertwined her fingers with his.
"I love you so much!" he choked out through his tears as he kissed her hand.
"Smackle..." she said, her voice barely a whisper, "...I'm kind of sleepy."
"I'll let you sleep," he said. "I'll be here when you wake up."
She smiled and lay back into her pillow, closing her eyes. He removed her glasses and kissed her forehead.
"I love you, with all my heart," he whispered softly to her. "I'm sorry I never told you when I had the chance."
And he left, his eyes lingering on her as long as possible.

The next morning, Farkle arrived at the hospital the second the doors were open for visiting hours. Smackle was still sleeping peacefully. He sat in the chair next to her and took her hand, running his finger along the top. Her eyes opened slightly, and she sat up, still very groggy. She looked around the room. She saw a pile of presents sitting in the corner, Farkle was sitting in a chair next to her. She took in a deep breath but cringed; she felt a lot of pain in her side. She looked at her hands; they were scratched up and a little sore but mostly unharmed.
"W...where am I?"
"You're in the hospital," Farkle said.
"Farkle... what's going on?" she asked with an expectant look.
"I-" he started but froze. "Y...You just called me Farkle!"
"Well, yeah," Smackle replied. "that is your name after all."

"I found a love for me, Darling, just dive right in, And follow my lead."

Farkle's eyes widened. "Y...You know who I am!?"
"Of course I do! You're my boyfriend, Farkle Minkus!" She said, putting on her glasses. "Farkle, what's going on? The last thing I remember, I was leaving school to meet you up at the Bakery."

"I found a girl, beautiful and sweet.
I never knew you were the someone Waiting for me..."

"Smackle... that was over two weeks ago."
"What!?" she gasped. "No... it was just yesterday... I think. Today is the second, right?"
"No," he replied. "Today is the seventeenth."
"But... it can't... i mean... how!?"
"When you were crossing the street, you were hit by a car. You lost your memory and couldn't remember anybody or even your own name."
"I don't understand," she said.
"Neither do I," he said, "but the important thing is you're back! Your memory is back!"

"We were just kids when we fell in love, Not knowing what it was, I will not give you up this time."

Tears flowed down his face again; Farkle had probably cried more in the past two weeks than he ever had in his life.
"Why are you crying?" she asked, stroking his face and wiping away the tears.
"I just missed you so much!" he said. "I was afraid we'd never get you back."
"How could I ever forget the one person I love more than anything?" she said, cupping his cheek with her hand.
He kissed her fingers and said, "You...you love me?"
"More than anything," Smackle replied. "I'm sorry I never said it out loud before."

"Darling, just kiss me slow, Your heart is all I own, And in your eyes, you're holding mine."

"I love you too," he replied, smiling through his tears.
"I love you so much, Farkle," she said and she gently pulled him into a deep kiss. Time stopped, the world stopped, and in that moment, nothing in the universe mattered but the two of them. Their lips moved together, parting and coming together, over and over. They stayed there, kissing each other again and again with every ounce of love they had.

"Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, With you between my arms, Barefoot on the grass, Listening to our favorite song, I have faith in what I see, Now I know I have met an angel in person, And she looks perfect, I don't deserve this, You look perfect tonight."

It was Sunday afternoon, Smackle had just been released from the hospital, with a followup appointment due soon after. She had a boot on her hurt ankle, and at the moment, a blindfold over her eyes.
"Where are we going?" she asked Farkle for about the thousandth time.
"Still not telling you," he replied. "It's a surprise!"
When they finally reached their destination, Farkle opened the door and said, "Okay, now!"
Smackle took the blindfold off her eyes and was met with...
"SURPRISE!"
They were at Topanga's Bakery, only it looked different. There were balloons and party decorations everywhere. A giant sheet cake sat on the sales counter, nearly the entire junior class was there, and a large banner hung from the ceiling and read, "WELCOME HOME, SMACKLE!"
Cory and Topanga stood smiling by the sales counter. Riley and Lucas were the first ones to greet them.
"I'm so glad you're back!" Riley said. "Miracles really do happen!"
"We missed you, Smackle," said Lucas. Smackle quickly covered Farkle's ears with her hands and said, "Lucas, he's right here!"
His eyes went wide before she let out a small laugh and said, "Gotcha!"
Maya ran over and pulled Smackle into a big hug, a big hug that hurt. A lot!
"Ouch! Maya!" Smackle groaned. "Too hard! Broken ribs!"
Maya quickly let go. "I'm sorry, we just missed you so much!"
Smackle gave her a warm smile.
"Speech!" yelled Zay from across the room. "Speech! Speech! Speech!"
Soon nearly everyone was joining Zay. Lucas handed Smackle a nearby microphone.
"Um... hey, guys," she said nervously. "These past few weeks have been crazy, and I can't remember anything about them. But I do know that even through this accident, my friends stayed with me, and I love you all for that. Riley, Maya, Zay... Lucas."
She made a telephone motion with her hand and mouthed "Call me!" at him.
"Smackle!" Farkle exclaimed.
Smackle chuckled. "But my biggest debt of gratitude goes to the one guy who stood by me through it all, the one person I love more than anyone else in this world..."
She turned to Farkle. "My parents told me what you did, Farkle. How you stayed by my side day and night, every day, how you tried everything to help me remember. I will always be eternally grateful for that. I love you so much, Farkle."
They kissed, and the girls in the crowd all said "Awwwww!" in unison, led, of course, by Riley.
Smackle turned back to the crowd. "I don't know if I ever would've found my way back without my boyfriend, my best friend, my one true love, Farkle Minkus. The doctors said it was nearly impossible, but somehow, thanks to him, I did it."
"We love you, Smackle!" Riley called out.
Smackle smiled at her, then said, "I'm so grateful for this party, and just to see that there's so many people who care about me. I love you all so much!" She wiped a tear from her eye as she handed the microphone back to Lucas.
The party was a huge success. More people hugged Smackle than she would've liked, but due to the circumstances, she allowed it. She cut the cake, Maya sang a song, Riley gave Smackle her own awards show, hosted by her alter-ego, British Riley. There was music and fun and dancing. Towards the end of the party, Farkle pulled Smackle outside to the patio. He sat in a chair and she reluctantly sat in his lap. He put his arms around her and they cuddled together quietly for a moment. He kissed the side of her head and they nuzzled against each other.
"I love you so much," he said softly.
"I love you too," she replied. "Thank you, for everything you did."
She kissed him and when he tried to pull away, she would not let him go. They sat there, kissing for about a minute before finally she pulled back and laid her head on his shoulder. "Can we just stay like this?"
He kissed her forehead. "As long as you want."
He was so grateful to have her back, he was ready to stay like that forever if she wanted. He held her close, ready to never let go again.

The End

*Notes: The song that plays during Farkle and Smackle's scene is "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran. Also, when I imagine the actor who plays Smackle's father, I see Keong Sim playing him. Hope u guys enjoyed this. I am writing an entire season's worth of stories this is technically episode 2 and 3. I will try to release episode 1, "Girl Meets Study Date" very soon. All these stories are part of a series, so they will be connected.