Some sisterly fluff for you on this final day of November! The holidays are quickly approaching which I think is what got me into this plaything mood.
A Flower for Elizabeth
Nothing made Michelle Ketchum more nervous than whenever her little sister eyed her precious baby doll.
Michelle was nearly nine years old and didn't really play with the doll, which she had affectionately named Baby, as much as she had when she was younger. But the doll was still very special to her; her grandmother had gifted it to her when she was just a toddler. And for someone who was such a dainty little girl, Elizabeth was not at all careful with her own toys and tended to play pretty rough with them.
That was why Michelle refused to let Elizabeth play with Baby. She really had no problems with sharing, but her beloved doll was the exception to the rule. Michelle had waking nightmares of what might happen if she handed Baby over and just couldn't trust her little sister with the doll.
And despite Michelle's constant explanations to Elizabeth about exactly why she couldn't play with the doll, the toddler simply didn't understand. After all, she didn't think she was too rough with toys. In fact, Elizabeth knew for a fact that all her toys loved her! So, she was sure that Baby would love her too. But Michelle wouldn't budge, and still wouldn't share her doll, despite Elizabeth's best pleading.
Delia, who happened to be paying a visit to the family's home, just so happened to be present for one of the sisters' arguments over the toy, and quietly observed the exchange from a distance.
"Shewwy, pwease?"
"No, Lizzie!"
"Why?"
"You know why; it's because you're too rough with toys."
"-m not!"
"Yes, you are!"
Elizabeth whined and stomped her foot, but Michelle didn't seem affected. The toddler didn't get the hint and continued stomping…and Michelle continued ignoring her. Sensing that things could escalate sooner rather than later, Delia decided to step in, approaching her granddaughters with a bright smile on her face.
"You really want to play with Michelle's doll, don't you, Lizzie?"
The toddler glanced up and nodded rapidly. "She's so coot!"
Michelle scowled. "Grammy, I can't trust Elizabeth with Baby! She's my special doll that you got for me, and I don't want anything happening to her."
Delia nodded understandingly. "And that's completely fair! I know how much you love your doll, Michelle. So, maybe it's time that your little sister got a doll of her own!"
Elizabeth fully spun around, her eyes twinkling like fairy lights. "Mine?"
With a sweet smile, Delia nodded. "I got your big sister her doll when she was just about your age, so now it's your turn!"
She walked over to the side of the couch, Elizabeth following closely behind. Somehow, the little girl had failed to notice that her grandmother had entered the house with a large bag, which was quite frankly shocking for the toddler. Even more shocking was that Michelle hadn't noticed it either. She was extremely observant and was always the first to notice when something gift shaped came into the house. This time, however, Delia had managed to slip it right past her.
Her jaw dropping, Michelle exclaimed, "how did I not see that?!"
"I've learned how to be quite sneaky when it comes to you kids," Delia giggled, winking at her flustered granddaughter. "It's always been so difficult to get anything past you three…I'm glad to see I'm making some progress!"
Delia pulled a box out of the bag, one that was instantly recognizable to Michelle. She had been pretty young when her grandmother gave her Baby, but Michelle remembered it well enough. For some reason, that pale purple box was engrained at the forefront of that memory.
Elizabeth, however, had never seen that box; she wasn't born when her older sister had received her doll. The color was so pretty and really caught her attention, but it was once she saw what was inside the box that she became truly transfixed.
It was the exact same doll that Baby was: light skin, painted red hair, and green eyes that opened and closed. But this doll was brand new and in pristine condition, free of the scratches and scuff marks that Michelle's had from years of play.
"Baby!" Elizabeth cheered, giggling excitedly as she continued to examine the doll through the box's plastic window.
Blinking, Michelle turned away from her sister and asked, "how'd you know Elizabeth kept wanting to play with my doll?"
Delia smirked and tapped her temple. "Grandmother's intuition!"
Michelle raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
With a snicker, Delia conceded, "no, your mom told me."
"I wanna pway wif Baby!"
Looking back down at her sister, Michelle asked, "hey, Lizzie, why don't you give your doll a different name? She's yours, so you should give her a name that you like!"
"Ooh, ya!" Elizabeth chirped before closely studying the doll. She wanted to give her a name that was pretty and delicate and girly…just like her. "-izbeth!"
Michelle blinked. "…you want to give your doll the same name as you?"
Elizabeth grinned and nodded her head. It made total sense to her! She thought her name was so pretty, and she also thought her doll was so pretty…it was a perfect match.
While Michelle was seemingly too stunned to speak, Delia stepped in with an amused smile and her loving, grandmotherly voice. "Your name certainly is beautiful, sweetheart! But it might be a good idea to give your doll a name that's all her own. After all, it could get confusing if both you and your doll are being called by the same name! You won't know who anyone is talking to."
Elizabeth's eyes widened. She hadn't thought about that! It would get confusing if there were two different Elizabeths. And she was the first one, so she didn't really want to give her name up for a doll she had just met. So, that was out. But she still wanted a pretty name! Looking around the room, Elizabeth observed her surroundings: a couch, its pillows, her toys, a vase with…
"F-owew!"
Michelle and Delia were both startled by Elizabeth's sudden cry, visibly jumping when the toddler shrieked.
"Wh-what?" Michelle stammered.
"F-owew," Elizabeth repeated, holding the doll's box up as high as she could with her little arms. "Dis F-owew!"
"Oh, is that your baby's name?" Delia asked kindly. "Flower?"
Elizabeth beamed and nodded. "F-owew is baby! She's so coot!"
"She is!" Delia agreed. "And that is a very beautiful name! Would you like me to take Flower out of her box?"
The little girl nodded again and offered the box to her grandmother. Delia had the doll freed in a matter of minutes and was pleased when Elizabeth instantly took her back and began to snuggle her.
"Aw, that's so cute!" Michelle giggled. "I always hugged Baby like that! It's nice that Elizabeth has her own baby doll to love and play with. Now she won't ask to borrow mine!"
"That's always a plus," Delia snickered. Her older granddaughter was sweet as could be, and an exceptional big sister, but she could get pretty protective over her personal belongings. Delia had grown up an only child, as had her son, so she couldn't totally relate, but she did understand.
Speaking of her son, when Ash and Pikachu walked through the door just moments later, Elizabeth wasted no time in scrambling to her feet and running over to her newly arrived father with her special gift.
"Dada!" Elizabeth babbled, thrusting the doll out towards him. "-ook!"
As soon as Ash saw the baby doll, his entire body went static and for the briefest of moments, Delia could swear she saw the faintest hint of horror cross his face. "Oh…another one!"
Michelle furrowed her brow. "What's that mean?"
"Nothing bad," Ash chuckled, a tinge of nervousness infiltrating his response. "I just remember when you were a little girl, and you had the exact same baby doll. You always wanted me to hold it and feed it and act like it was a real baby! Hmm…what did you used to call it again?"
"…Baby," Michelle lamely replied.
Pikachu snickered as Ash's face lit up with the reminder. "Right! So cute. What did you name your doll, Lizzie?"
"F-owew," Elizabeth replied, turning the doll around so she could gently poke at its nose.
"Flower?" Ash repeated, to which Elizabeth nodded. "Oh, how pretty! That's a perfect name for such a pretty doll!"
"-ank!" Elizabeth giggled.
Pikachu smiled and reached down, attempting to paw at the doll. Her giggles continuing, Elizabeth held her new toy up so Pikachu could see it.
"You have to take good care of your Flower, kay?" Ash asked his daughter. "Just like Mommy and I take good care of you and your big brother and sister!"
"Ya," Elizabeth chirped, "you he-p!"
Ash blinked and pointed at himself. "Me?"
Elizabeth grinned and nodded her head, holding the doll out closer to her father. "Hewe! You watch; I get food fow F-owew."
"Wait, what?!" Ash shrieked.
The toddler had already scurried away, however, and was not about to turn around to respond to her father's cries. Instead, he was left behind fully bewildered, Michelle and Delia watching him in amusement.
"Man, why am I always put in charge of these guys?" Ash groaned, holding the doll up and staring into its shiny plastic eyes.
"Because you're the best daddy in the world!" Michelle giggled. "That's why I always left Baby with you, anyway."
Ash blushed a bit, Delia ultimately laughing herself. "How sweet! You can't possibly be upset knowing that's why, dear!"
"Yeah, guess not," Ash sighed before breaking out into a smirk. "Okay then, Flower! Let's play together til Lizzie comes back!"
Ash always wants to be a good dad, even if it's to a baby doll ;)
