Two days later at the hospital in Malibu
"I'm sorry for having you bring Maddison here but I'm her uncle and I've long thought she was dead so when I heard she was alive I needed to see for myself" says Doctor Richard Bayen
"my parents dumped me nine years ago when they found out about the brain damage, the memory problems, they wanted a daughter who could help their business not a liability, I was as good as dead for many years, I was told you'd become an alternative medication doctor" says Maddison Bayen
"my brother has always been an idiot" says Doctor Bayen
"says the guy who sold weed my entire childhood" says Maddison
"Hey I never claimed to be a genius but your father sees anyone who doesn't benefit him as dead weight, hence why he's an idiot, now what kind of medicinal weed were you thinking Cat" says Doctor Bayen
"I think it's called Blueberry gold, the one for memory loss recovery, she needs a medicinal weed card for it, the doctor at the other hospital said she qualified but he wouldn't give her one because he's not a specialist" says Cat
"it's going to take two days for me to qualify her for the card because of state regulations but she will at least get to try it while she's here, the dose is based on weight, do we have a current weight" says Doctor Bayen
"ninety-two pounds, she was weighed yesterday before we were transferred here" says Cat
"that's a little low to be using blueberry gold, ninety-five is the recommended minimum weight because it tends to mess with weight" says Doctor Bayen
"her memory issues cause problems with eating, drinking and hygiene, she can tend to go two days without eating if it's not obvious if she's already eaten or not and for two months she was showering at least four times a day, sometimes five, her water bill was four grand each for those two months, she had to get security cameras installed so things like eating, drinking and hygiene could be properly monitored, that's why she needs the blueberry gold, its been shown to help reduce memory loss events" says Cat
"there are rules with it, she won't be able to live alone while she's on it and because she's under the recommended weight she's shouldn't sleep more than six hours a day" says Doctor Bayen
"why" asks Maddison
"it's a risk that because you're under weight that it could be too strong and make it hard for you to wake up, we're talking very deep sleeps, that's why they put the minimum weight in" says Doctor Bayen
"is there any way to avoid the sleep issue" asks Cat
"not without cutting back the memory retention benefits" says Doctor Bayen
"I'm ok with not getting the full benefits right away, I'll be living with someone I like so I will be monitored, it will mean I'll gain weight for the first time in many years" says Maddison
"have you had trouble gaining weight" asks Doctor Bayen
"let's just say I'm not this skinny because I want to be" says Maddison as her memory begins to blank
"Uhh she doesn't look good Valentine, is she ok" says Doctor Bayen
"her memory window is about four to five hours at a time, it's been six, the only reason it's lasted this long is because she's been talking and accessing old memories, at the other hospital she had me do the talking, I had to stay with her over night because she'd wake up and have a panic attack because she's not in her apartment, the memory issues terrified the doctors and nurses there, they were afraid to do anything because they were afraid they'd be sued for doing things she asked them to do" says Cat
"with such a short window it is hard to get tests and results back and have her remember asking for the tests" says Doctor Bayen
"some information sticks some doesn't, can you give her a gummy to test or not" says Cat
"legally she has to ask for it" says Doctor Bayen as Cat produces a legal document
"the other hospital had us sign a document saying that I could be her voice if her memory became a problem for tests, she signed it too" says Cat as Doctor Bayen reviews the document
"that's definitely her signature, it hasn't changed much, based on this document, I can give her one to test now but I can't continue giving her any more until the legal department checks it over" says Doctor Bayen
"ugh my head hurts again what happened" says Maddison
"does this happen often" asks Doctor Bayen
"she's physically reliving the crash, where she feels the pain is where her head hit the car door in the crash ten or so years ago, which the other doctor said is cyclical brain inflammation, whatever that means" says Cat
"if it's brain inflammation causing it then she'll need two different strains to keep it under control" says Doctor Bayen
"wait are you saying she could live a normal life with two different gummy strains" asks Cat
"as normal as can be, her memory window would likely rise to double digits, she'll never have normal memory recall again thanks to the accident but these two strains should help bridge the gap a little" says Doctor Bayen
"your last name sounds familiar but I can't place it" says Cat
"it's generally accepted as an ancient origin Scottish last name but there is little Scottish left in the family's DNA, Maddison has the most Scottish DNA in several generations, we're talking levels around the end of the second world war, she should rest after taking the gummy, it does its best work when someone is inactive, especially for a first dose situation" says Doctor Bayen cutting a slice of medicated cookie for Maddison to eat
"I thought only gummies were allowed" asks Maddison taking the cookie and nibbling on it
"we don't have any gummies of Blueberry gold easily available, the cookies have a lower concentration and will do a better job at your weight" says Doctor Bayen as Maddison continues to slowly nibble on the cookie
"I think she's nervous, Markus got her addicted to smoking weed, she's likely afraid that she'll get in trouble if she eats the cookie any faster" says Cat noticing how perplexed Doctor Bayen is about Maddison's behavior
"Rosie, it's a legal dose, you won't get in trouble so long as you rest after" says Doctor Bayen looking to calm Maddison down
"promise" asks Maddison
"I promise and I need you to know that if I'd known you were alive and needed help I'd have looked for you and you'd have been safe with me" says Doctor Bayen as Maddison quickly finishes the cookie
"I didn't know who to trust, I'm constantly scared that some man is going to rape me and I'd never remember, a jury would never have believed me, the cops knew where I was, they set me up with that apartment, you could have asked them" says Maddison
"I don't tend to trust many cops, Agatha, your cousin was in an accident around the same time but near San Jose, it was pretty bad, she'd survived just like you but the cops deemed it was better to put her out of her misery instead of getting an ambulance, had I not been around the corner when she pushed her emergency button they'd have killed her, unless the cop brought you right to me I wouldn't have believed them, Agatha absolutely despises cops so she wouldn't have helped me make the right decision anyway" says Doctor Bayen
"Cat is there any chance you could get a judge to give him guardianship over me, I don't need a parent watching over everything I do but I also don't want to burden you with anything if I can help it, you own the apartment building now so it would look like you're favoring me over everyone else's needs, I don't need that extra attention" says Maddison
"I can talk to a judge about it but I can't guarantee anything, that's even if your uncle wants to be your official guardian, your parents would also have to sign away their parental rights" says Cat
"you have a judge send her parents a letter and they'll be shocked she's even still alive, they'll try and claim this isn't true, that some criminal stole Rosie's identity and is trying to profit off it, they'll march into court and yell and scream that Rosie isn't Rosie, they dumped her on the streets because they saw no value left in her, they're entirely materialistic, if someone can't make them money they might as well be dead" says Doctor Bayen
"you'll likely get a letter too and if the date is mentioned in the letter to appear in court you'll have to take a day off work to appear" says Cat as Maddison takes a nap
"why does it seem like you know a judge whose likely to make this request legally" asks Doctor Bayen
"I have many friends in high places, he owes me a favor but it will be by the book, several hearings, he'll likely rule against them if they fail to show and you do show up, though you might be ordered to supplement her income, the guy that caused the crash was ordered to pay her bills but he only has so much money to spare and she still can't afford much food, she gets all her food from the food bank thanks to a helpful gay neighbor that lives in the apartment below her, she has no internet, no phone, only tv and the cheapest furniture you could possibly buy, I'm talking hard as a rock couch and bed, how she gets any sleep is beyond me" says Cat
"will the guy not pay for food or water or something" asks Doctor Bayen
"he lost both legs below the knee in that accident and one of his arms is paralyzed, the accident only happened because his childhood dog, who was a contender for the oldest dog in the USA when she died, he was emotional, he left work early and just wanted to go see her one last time, he was going a little too fast because while she hadn't died at the time yet it was only because the vet was keeping her alive so he could say goodbye, he's against keeping animals and humans alive for too long if they can't stay alive on their own, he didn't want his childhood dog to suffer any more than she absolutely had to, three years in on making payments to Rosie he lost his job and got a lower income job just to keep up with all the bills, Rosie's rent included, the judge made a ruling that as long as he pays enough to keep a roof over her head anything he could give extra to her wouldn't be a requirement unless he really had extra cash, he still hasn't been able to pay off his medical bills from the accident, however he does visit their graves quite a lot and he wishes he could give Rosie a better life financially but he can't, I've spoken to him, his daughter is one of my new models and she's made a pledge to take over payments to Rosie once she's finished paying off her student loans next year, he tried to tell her that it was his responsibility to pay Rosie but her daughter is hard headed and wants to help but she'll need the judge to ok it and without her dad's willingness to ask for help the judge is unlikely to change anything" says Cat as a nurse comes to collect the legal document
"ok now onto more pertinent questions, I hear you're doing construction on the apartment building, what kind of construction is it and will it affect Rosie's rent price" asks Doctor Bayen
"Rosie's rent won't be changing and until the construction is completed for the entire building I've paused any requirements to make rent payments for all tenants it's helped most of the tenants breathe a little easier, I'm expanding the apartments back to what they were originally, Markus shrunk them by nearly six feet so the hallways could accommodate furniture easier, Rosie's hallway in her apartment is barely wide enough for her, she wouldn't even be able to lift her arms so her elbows touch the wall, she has six inches of wiggle room on each side of her body when she walks through and her bedroom door she has two inches of wiggle room, I'm fixing all that" says Cat
"how wide are those hallways exactly" asks Doctor Bayen, suddenly very curious
"nearly twenty feet wide, to accommodate the smaller hallways I'm changing the balcony situation so that it can be modified to drop so furniture can be moved in and out of the apartments, they will also be getting a wide balcony and hallway door, four of the tenants on the top floor are in wheelchairs and have to have someone carry them into the apartment, they can't even use their wheelchair in the apartment, they literally live in their living room, the bedrooms for those four tenants are completely unused because they can't access it on their own" says Cat
"how was the building not shut down, I heard Markus dealt drugs" asks Doctor Bayen
"ironically next month it was going to be shut down for rodent issues in several apartments but when I talked to his former backers about Markus's crimes they offered me a buyout deal if I agreed to take care of everything the judge was going to rule on, which is exactly what I did, the judge complained about the lack of easy access to most of the apartments, Markus's apartment literally being the only easily accessible one, normal size doors, normal size hallway, he used pictures of his apartment to get people into the apartments, even showing judges how accessible the apartments were by using his pictures, by the time people found out the truth they were already locked into a lease that cost them double rent to break, few people had the money to break the lease, for all his criminal activities, including getting Rosie addicted to weed at least his rent was affordable to low income people, I don't condone the way in which he approached the whole affordable rent thing but at least he wasn't trying to fund his entire drug dealing with his rental income but that's all he had going for him, anyway I have to make a call, please stay by Rosie's side while I make the call" says Cat
"as if I'd leave her side now, Agatha's going to be so excited when I tell her tonight that Rosie is alive, she's the only reason I held hope that Rosie might be alive" says Doctor Bayen as Cat walks to an empty room to call Judge Hamilton Jasper
"is it favor call time Valentine, my daughter's been asking if you'd call in the favor for years" says Judge Jasper
"yes, Maddison Rose Bayen, she was abandoned by her parents nine and a half years ago, six months after her friend and her family died in a car Maddison was in they were headed to Disneyland at the time of the crash, they don't believe she had any benefits for them left so they dropped her off at a homeless shelter nine and a half years ago, seven years ago a judge ordered the driver of the vehicle that caused so much damage, including the death of Maddison's friend and her friends family, he was ordered to pay Maddison's rent so she could have a roof over her head…" says Cat as Judge Jasper cuts her off
"always with the long stories Catarina, cut to the chase please" says Judge
"I now own the apartment building she lives in, I'm upgrading it so the apartments are as big as they're supposed to be, as it stands people have to squeeze through their hallway to get to their bedroom or bathroom, Markus did this so the hallways could accommodate furniture, a judge ordered today that I'm her temporary guardian for medical purposes but she wants her uncle, who she was reunited with today to be her full time legal guardian, she doesn't want it to look like I'm pulling favorites when it comes to tenant requests or if they need assistance, she's always looked for conflicts of interest, she's hoping to get rid of mine, I'm not looking for an immediate approval, I know there are rules and procedures, I just want her to feel that I won't play favorites" says Cat
"your parents should be proud Cat, have you spoken to them lately" says Judge Jasper
"after graduation I told them how I felt about Tori and they cut off all contact with me, all that talk about doing what's right for ones self and that they'd be there for me no matter what, it was all crap, when I needed their support the most they tossed me out, my brother's the only one that still talks to me and I'm afraid to tell him about Tori and I, he's the only link I have left to my family, Maddison's uncle is Richard Bayen, he's the alternative medicine doctor at Malibu general, please contact him about a hearing for guardianship" says Cat ending the call, unable to continue the conversation and heads back to Maddison's room
"did it go well" asks Doctor Bayen
"I think so, he'll be in contact soon but he's a busy man, it could be a week before he has time for hearings" says Cat as Maddison gets upset
"I wanted it done NOW, I'm tired of people thinking I'm faking and pulling favors with people in power, first after Markus decided to get me addicted to weed, then with mayors daughter who tended to visit me so she could learn about memory loss and how it affects people as she's studying to become a psychologist, people thought I sought the mayors daughter out, when in fact I was picked at random and I was the only late teen on the list, most were kids with childhood dementia, the rest were elderly people with Alzheimer's or dementia, now people at the apartment building think I'm sleeping with you, Anne included, I almost don't want to go back, I'd rather die than have people think I'm sleeping with you" says Maddison, quite visibly terrified
"don't let that bother you, it's not your concern" says Cat
"Anne thinks I'm sleeping with you, I know that much, how can I live with her if she thinks I don't love her, I've already lost Franny, I can't lose Anne too" says Maddison
"I'll deal with it Maddy, I'm only helping you this much because it's what Franny wanted" says Cat
"wait she wanted you to help me get better" asks Maddison, her tone becoming softer
"Franny and I were very close, more like sisters than cousins, we'd tell each other everything, she'd had skin cancer twice, her body simply wasn't doing as well as yours that day, the whole Disneyland trip was a pseudo date thing because she didn't think she'd make it to an age where really dating someone was a thing, had she been healthier she'd have absolutely survived but her body simply wasn't healthy enough, even if you guys had made it to Disneyland, most of the rides would have made her faint, she didn't care, she just wanted to spend time with you while she could, I knew Anne's older sister, we didn't really get along but she did tell me that Anne has always liked girls and she's terrible at lying, she's not the kind of person to believe rumors so trust me she definitely doesn't believe that you're sleeping with me, likely Brian made a joke and someone else at the apartment building took it seriously, there are quite a few autistic people in that building so it's not entirely impossible" says Cat
"you really think that Anne doesn't believe it, why start that rumor anyway" says Maddison
"I know Anne doesn't believe it, I had to take you to a judge to override your parents parental rights, to some people that might look like I'm looking for a legal document saying its ok to date you, something I'd never do anyway because it takes how you feel out of the equation and I don't date anyone younger than me anyway" says Cat
"so you're saying Maddison isn't hot" asks Doctor Bayen
"ok that's going to count against you, you shouldn't think about Maddison that way" says Cat
"you'd be surprised to know just how many patients come through here looking for a weed card only to realize that nobody they've ever dated or met complimented them, I don't see Maddison as an object, I can objectively say she's hot and that Anne should be happy with her, from me it's a compliment not a romantic thing, besides my late wife I don't see anyone sexually attractive anymore, I have no need to call anyone hot unless I feel they need a confidence boost, a confidence boost alone won't help Maddison but it will help, besides I've never been into younger women, I always preferred older, I'm not a risk to Maddison just because I say certain things, don't forget that you don't personally know me Miss Valentine" says Doctor Bayen
"the judge would take it exactly the same way if he heard it, he's a very strict and literal judge" says Cat
"ahh so it's judge Jasper, how on earth does a federal judge owe you a favor" asks Doctor Bayen
"I've saved his daughters life a few times, just like how we had a trafficking situation here in America where teens were trafficked to America from a few different countries, prominent figures teens are valued in some countries as property to put leverage on said prominent figures here in America, Belle was trafficked several times to Sicily, I'd intercept them and send her on a plane back to San Jose, he appreciates that I cared enough to keep her from becoming property, also Belle has pretty strong feelings for Agatha but she can't find her" says Cat
"that would be quite the hard sell for Aggie, for one she's agoraphobic, it's so bad she won't even open her bedroom window for fresh air, she has a medical weed card now but before it was legal here in California she used illegally to help lessen her agoraphobia symptoms, she knows of Belle but won't agree to any meeting of the minds type deal because she knows that federal judges take quite harshly to people who have used illegally in the past, unless Jasper gives the green light it will never happen" says Doctor Bayen
"Belle lives alone, she rents an apartment not far from here, her dad has no say in how she conducts her life and he was never the type to care about illegal weed possession, dealing is one thing but buying and using to treat a genuine medical condition he would never care about, so long as she only uses to treat her agoraphobia symptoms he will never care or interfere with Belle's relationships" says Cat
"you're absolutely certain he won't care that she bought Illegally before it was legal" asks Doctor Bayen
"Belle uses as well, always has, she's been arrested three times for buying illegally but because she was treating a medical condition the charges were always dropped" says Cat
"may I ask what condition she was treating" asks Doctor Bayen
"it's not relevant and it's medical information, I'd rather she not sue me" says Cat
"it's just that Aggie might consider inviting Belle over if they have common or similar experiences, as it stands Belle has called the house twice a week for the last two years, as soon as Aggie hears its Belle she deletes the messages before even hearing what she has to say, I want Aggie to have a good life but she won't consider anything unless they have common experiences" says Doctor Bayen
"I'm sorry I can't disclose that information, she's a good friend and I have no intention of breaking promises, however she'll likely be at the hearings whenever judge Jasper has them, she's never far away so you can ask her yourself" says Cat
"that screams paranoia" says Doctor Bayen
"it may well be but I'm still nor disclosing anything, it could just as well be she can't be left alone for fear of being kidnapped, it is a real issue, judge Jasper isn't exactly a run of the mill judge, he's had his fair share of quite controversial rulings that many companies abroad would like to change, kidnapping Belle would be the best way to sway him, Belle is his ONLY daughter, if something happened to her, like say if she got seriously hurt or was nearly killed, he'd do ANYTHING to keep her safe, even if it meant having a ruling of his overturned" says Cat
"huh I never thought about it that way, you should know that Aggie is a big hypnosis fan" says Doctor Bayen
"why is that a problem or something" asks Cat confused
"nah she's just convinced she hypnotized everyone to hate her, in reality since Maddison disappeared nobody wanted to be around her, Maddison was the friend magnet" says Doctor Bayen
"that's not exactly a good thing" says Maddison
"I know but Aggie isn't much fun to be around anyway, the agoraphobia is genetic and I couldn't keep anything secret from her mother, date nights had to be explicitly planned and we HAD to have a private room, she was a tad paranoid herself and Aggie is a tad paranoid which makes her agoraphobia worse, however I might be able to convince her to come with me to the guardianship hearings, she misses you so much Rosie" says Doctor Bayen
"yeah no, if she's there at the hearings I definitely won't be, her hypnosis obsession always creeped me out" says Maddison her childhood memories flooding back
"but you two were basically inseparable" says Doctor Bayen
"because her 'friends' weren't her friends genius, they only wanted to talk to and creep me out, they followed me basically everywhere and I wasn't about to trust them one on one, I needed her around so I could stay safe" says Maddison
"so you really don't like her then" asks Doctor Bayen
"so long as she's obsessed with hypnosis and telling me her girlfriend will be 'hypnotized' to love her forever yeah I want nothing to do with that, I don't care if she can't actually do it, talking about it as if she could is creepy as hell, I liked spending time with the old Aggie, the girl who liked gaming as much as me, not the hypnosis crazy nut she became" says Maddison
"since Adella her mother passed away she's been different, mostly wanting to hypnotize herself as opposed to others" says Doctor Bayen
"why, she's never been interested in hypnosis for herself, it's always been about hypnotizing others" asks Maddison
"Adella died of cancer, Aggie spent so much time playing video games and researching about hypnosis for her hypnosis degree for her at the time upcoming therapy hypnotist job that she never spent a second with her mother, she was so sure that Adella would pull through, it's been four years and all Aggie has done since is close up, she was doing so well on the medical weed, she was going out to restaurants with her now former only friend, after Adella died that all went out the window, she even ripped up her legal weed card and has as of yesterday begun buying illegally again only to never touch it, she sold it all this morning and shredded her bank card, she needs someone like Belle in her life but she absolutely won't take that step, not in a million years" says Doctor Bayen
"I can talk to her about a neutral meeting place but she won't enter your home uninvited by Aggie, it doesn't matter if you invite her for Aggie, Aggie has to be the one asking" says Cat
"then it won't happen, she won't ask someone like Belle out, trust me I've tried to get her to call Belle back, she simply refuses, if I were a therapist I'd say she's terrified of talking to her oldest friend, I mean they were inseparable as babies then someday Belle stopped talking to her" says Doctor Bayen
"I think I know" says Maddison
"you remember something" asks Cat shocked
"it's foggy but yeah, she said something about not being able to not think about Aggie in a romantic way, she said something about not wanting to be that creepy friend, that's why she walked away, not because she didn't care about Aggie, quite the opposite, anyway I'm tired again, I'm going to nap again" says Maddison as she falls asleep
"is this normal for this strain" asks Cat
"yeah, she'll be sleeping more and eating more, out of her control until she gains six or so pounds, it's extremely effective because she's underweight" says Doctor Bayen
"ok I can keep an eye on her, I'll make she's up for mealtimes, I'm sure you have other patients who need your attention more" says Cat
"unfortunately it's a slow day so I will be checking up on her often, I'm sure you could use a nap too, I can bring another bed in if it would be more comfortable than the chairs" says Doctor Bayen
"I don't sleep well in hospitals, comfy hospital bed or otherwise, though I'll definitely be taking naps" says Cat making sure he leaves
