Authors note: I wanted to give major thanks to "weatherbug02", everything from her has been sooooo kind and supportive, and if you're not following her, you should get on that along with you should check out her stories, shes written some very fantastic ones about The 3 musketeers :PPPPPP and sorry if this seems like filler, im doing my best to maintain grades and stories and blurg its not going that greatest lol.
Chapter Five
Over the next few weeks and her crew got me looking and feeling as normal as could be done.
My solo breathing abilities were going to take some time and some hard work, but I was neck brace and 85% machine free..
I only needed the machines to keep me breathing when I slept, which with being in a hospital, really wasn't all that much.
I also still had to keep a few sets of stitches where my hair part was but overall I looked and felt a thousand times better.
Barbie, and her pals(who I will say honestly were very sweet) would drop by from time to time, bringing me various treats like flowers,chocolate, or just little things that reminded one that they were cared about.
Once in a while Barbie would require I allow a camera crew in my room, or that Id come with her for a brief time so she could act out loving and devoted sister for whoever needed to see in order to sign her back onto her contracts.
And hospital life compared to what I was doing before, wasn't too bad. Everything from brushing my teeth to sleeping was clock worked into my life cycle and during my times of trying to remember, it was nice having something constant going on.
The hospital even provided tutors to keep me on track for school. So I really wasn't missing much and in my residence section, they even held recreational activities so I met plenty of new faces.
Plus with Courtney(one of my bffs from school that took me a long while to recall )volunteering as a candy stripe nurse, I always made off like a bandit when I won or even lost games of bingo.
Which in the YA dormitory, was like having gold. If you had anything chocolate you could build an empire with it.
When it came to memory building and memory sessions, Ken would tag along for the drive to the lab across town.
Knowing that Barbie would never make it, nor would she be allowed in since she just couldn't give the non stressful and cool vibe, even if she sat in a pool of ice water.
Since my sisters, though more than happy to be camping at the hospital, still had those daily things like school, brownie scouts, and sports practices..plus Barbie needed someone to watch over Blissa(our fat white cat) and Taffy(our lovable lab who thought Barbie's shoes closet was a god sent puppy candy store).
Some of these sessions were playing on a small electronic device that would blink various patterns in which I was to recreate. Others would be putting series of events in order. The final hours would then be about my past.
was impressed on how much I actually remembered due to the damages the rock had made in collision with my skull.
The things that were clouded, and I agreed weren't all that important.
For example at one time I could of told you every tiny detail about my very first day of preschool down to the details of the paint chips, but now all I could tell you was I wore an Little Mermaid jumped dress, I thought our teacher smelt like a marker and that Todd and I successfully got our macaroni globbed under our class room table. With hopes that the classroom pet Tortuga the turtle, would come close enough so we could have slipped him into our nap time bag.
So I didn't fully lose memories, it was more like scratched record who still worked most of the way but just didn't seem quite sure of what tune to play next.
What was extraordinary beyond regaining comfort to the faces that always wanted to see me, was someone special showed up for my lab time...
Someone I hadn't thought about in a really, really, long time!
TODD!
I'll admit I cried more than I spoke that first session.
I couldn't believe that my Aunt and Uncle drove him all the way to Malibu just for me.
I had brought him up the very first time we had a session about family, and my doctors at first thought I had split my persona and gave it a new life form.
Boy oh boy were they all surprised when they did their homework!
Almost immediately. they worked to bring him in, Dr. Handler deciding it would be a good idea if we had someone to either elaborate on or solidate the fuzzy pieces that were my earliest memories and learning experiences.
After our sessions, Ken always treated the Aunt and Uncle (that I didn't know well enough to bother with names) my sisters, and Todd and I for frozen yogurt.
Stacie and Kelly, didn't really remember the formal attire, clean cut, young male that was our brother, but they did their best to make him feel welcomed.
Seeing the similarities that shone between the two of us.
"So do I get to meet that gorgeous guardian of yours?" Todd asked as he scoped into his key lime pie flavored treat as he and I sat by ourselves facing the busy street that was Malibu Avenue.
I laughed instantly, I couldn't believe my brother was so obsessed with a woman like double his age or that he even thought he had a shoot wooing her.
All those years working must of built some determination.
It also made me sad that Todd was so naive to believe what the world wanted him to. Just like my aunt and uncle he asked nothing of our upbringing, our behind the doors lives with the fashion idol, or why when Chelsea scraped her knee she didn't cry out for Barbie, instead she called out "mommy" and came crying at my knees.
I suppose hiding things in plain sight must be a real working thing in this world.
"Well uhhh i'm not sure, she's launching a perfume line in Milan right now and then she's suppose to be doing The Parade of Shoes for Vogue in Connecticut…. So it might be a while." I lied with a smile that my brother due to our long separation was unable to notice.
I honestly didn't want Barbie to meet him. I didn't want her to like him, or try to use him like she did my sisters.
I was fine with lying in order to protect myself, and Todd from having his dreams crushed.
My Aunt and Uncle, of course were like him, giving me that "we never knew you would be so famous, if we would have, we would have treated you better" type of feel that urked me because they wanted to exploit their only nieces just so Barbara Millicent Roberts would promote their organic farm.
They had some nerve...
For first contact with the people who stole my brother from me, I was upset that they acted like they couldn't of tried to reach me or my sisters sooner, until now, the prime time we were being idolized and followed like the mini Barbies we were trained to be…
It was sickening to me, and I was glad that Todd still treated us like normal family.
He invited us to go wake-boarding and see the festival his small town hosted, which came off a thousand times better than our other invite to the Marchin Farm.
If it hadn't been for the Marchin family in the first place, I wouldn't of been here in Malibu, with a wicked witch and flying monkeys known as the paparazzi, and I wouldn't of ended up in the hospital as I did for what i'm just assuming isn't the last time….
Granted my parents weren't ideal, I was still happy in that tiny apartment, I would of never had my head bashed in, I would of never been starved for the purpose of appearances, and I would of never experienced the emotional and psychological damage living with Barbie provided.
I could of done just fine trying to keep "them" as in them being my parents, well content enough that they would pay for food and to keep the lights on.
My life wouldn't be pretty as a cake but it would have held more value than this lie I have to act out every day.
When Todd etched down his number and some dates that weren't his busy days, I told him we would be happy to come see him, and with that concluded our family visit.
I really hope I didn't offend my Aunt and Uncle, I mean I could care less about their feelings, but having Todd leave me again, it just reminded me why I needed to pretend this happy Barbie mini life out.
Getting into Ken's 4 door truck, I noticed we weren't heading back for the hospital.
The more interstate signs that passed us by, the more worried of how responsive our drive was.
"Where are we going? You missed the exit, actually no you missed like all 6 of em... and check in is at eight!" I roared seriously worried about not being readmitted and then having to call Barbie at this time of night so we could straighten things out.
I then heard Stacie and Kelly, I mean Chelsea, snicker.
Seeing Ken's lips twitch into a smile as well, I smirked at them. "You guys are up to something!"
Nodding, Ken said nothing as miles of distance grew between us and the city.
Dozing off, I woke up to the sounds of birds chirping, and Chelsea and Stacie playing with Taffy, as they ball ever so often would clang against the truck.
Groggy, I rubbed my eyes and slipped out of the toaster over tempted truck.
"Morning" I called out, shielding my eyes from the sun, hoping Ken would explain why I the girl who lived on electronics was being dragged to the great outdoors as a treat.
Seeing nothing but woods and a family sized camper, I pondered how long had I been asleep.
"Where's Ken?" I questioned noticing my little sisters both spotted new attires and hairdos that looked extremely well done for someone Stacie's age or of ken's capability.
"You'll never guess!" Chelsea told me bouncing up and down, her ringlets of gold tangling with the lacy ribbons holding them up.
"This is a bad dream, and when I wake up we're going to be on our way to somewhere cool like London?" I suggested kneeling down to pet Taffy.
"Why would you want to go to a place with done in its name? They should change their name to Lon-do!" she suggested, reminding me that my smallest sister's concept of the world was still rather small itself.
Cracking up just the same, I shook my head.
"What about you Stac?Do you have an answer for me?" I asked watching as she carefully did her best to not get her light blue jumper messy, as she used a stick to draw in the dirt.
Pushing her reading glasses up she smiled innocently at me. "Do you want to be surprised, or do you wanna really know now?"
Before my lips could twitch an answer, I was most certainly surprised.
Attached to Ken's arm was a woman somewhere near Barbie's age, but didn't look it at all.
Her eyes shone like soft chocolate against the green and pink floral print jumpsuit that screamed late 70s.
Her dirty blonde near brown hair .fell perfectly straight to the brown woven belt that rested right above her hips, and she had the most sweetest down to earth feel to her that it made me wonder where Ken found someone like her in this day and age.
"Skipper Roberts...meet Francie Fairchild" announced Ken as the woman extended her hand cheerfully my way.
I knew the name, and I recalled Barbie having said something in a drunk rambling about a Francie Fairchild that had been a chum she had made in England during her teen years.
There was also something about Barbie getting jealous of Francie's success and causing their agency to fire her over some grand plot Barbie threw together.
Thinking of Barbie, made me wonder just how much did she know about this?
It was obvious Ken was in some sort of relationship with this woman, and it was serious enough he thought we should meet her…..oh boy Im letting Ken take the heat on this one.
"I don't bite" she teased, her laugh as cute as kittens mewing for the first time.
Extending my hand shyly, I retrieved as soon as I could.
"I'm sorry if this is too much, I told Kenny after he told me all about that nasty accident of yours that we should postpone this, but he thought you would be ready….I met your sisters a couple weeks ago, but was told that Barbara had you doing a press conference or something or rather" Francie stated, resting her hand gently on my shoulder, telling me she knew about Barbie, and that she was truly uncomfortable with trying to force me into my a-okay mold.
"No...im fine...really! If kenny-" I began emphasizing his pet name as loud as I could listening as she giggled again. "-wanted us to meet then I trust his only got me into trouble a few times" I teased."...by the way nice boots" I commented as she exchanged a word of thanks before announcing what fun camping activities she had planned for us to do.
So sure I don't enjoy camping, but I had a feeling this time would be different.
It wasn't before long, Francie was showing me her vintage record collection, doing my hair up in rollers, showing me how to fish, teaching me things about nature that I failed to ever hear in science class...and at the end of the day we even shared the same beliefs on pretty much everything their was to talk about.
Only difference was Francie was more of a radical about taking action than I was.
Francie was almost like the long lost triplet I never knew I had.
I found out that Francie after she quit modeling in the states, moved back to England, and then completed schooling in both political science and environmental studies, explaining that after that she went back and got what she needed to defend the green world on the justice scale.
She and Ken, Francie explained had spent all their summers as children at the same summer camp, and just never lost touch, even after he,Barbie, and Francie were all working out the scandal that Barbie had created.
It was nice knowing that Ken and I weren't the only lives Barbie kept an active role in destroying.
Between the memories I lost and the memories I gained in the process of recovery, Francie turned all the pain and numbness I had been feeling into something so joyous that I never wanted to forget.