Brittney's Story (Chapter 2)

A New Home

3 months later
Brittney walked to the lunch table children were talking all around her Talking in their little groups not paying any attention to her as she slipped through the lunch line. A couple kids waved for her to come and sit by them as she left the line and walked past them.
It had been hard getting used to her new life here in Springfield Illinois. Kara and Chris Baker had been great she couldn’t have asked for better people to take her in. They had never pushed her in fact Mrs. Baker had made it very clear that the last thing she wanted was to replace her parents and had insisted instead that she call them Grandma Kara and Grandpa Chris instead of mom and dad. The couple had spoiled her rotten and she didn’t worry about her brother anymore when she was away from him knowing that Kara took good care of him.
She made her way to the far corner of the lunch room and sat down at an empty table. She took a sip of her juice and watched two girls at another table as they talked and laughed and she remembered Amanda and how they had done that once not too long ago. She sighed and turned back to her plate then deciding that she wasn’t hungry she reached into her bag and opened up the latest letter she had gotten from Amanda and began to read it instead.

Dear Brittney,

How are you doing? Sorry if you can not reed this. My mom is not helpin me this time. I wantd to show you a little of what I have been learnin in skhool. The writing still is hard. But I am gettin better. So how is Josef? Have you made any new frends yet? Plese write back soon. Miss you.

Yor best frend,
Amanda

Brittney scanned the page again before pulling out paper and a pen and writing her reply.


Dear Amanda

I am doing fine. Joseph is not doing to good. He cries all the time. Gramma Kara has been working really hard to take care of him. I hope he gets better soon cause I am having a hard time sleepin. I have not made any new frends yet. But that is ok I like it better when I am alone. How is Oficer Hugo? Tell him hi for me.

Best frends forever,
Brittney

As she folded the letter the bell rang and she shoved it into her backpack as she shoveled down a couple more bites of food and ran out of the room on her way to the next class.

Kara closed the door softly. Joseph had finally fallen to sleep and she was ready for some much needed relaxation. Brittney was a school and would be for a couple more hours and so the house was quiet.
She tiptoed down the stairs and flipped on the baby monitor by the TV then flipped on the TV and plopped down into her chair. But her mind wasn’t on the show. Instead it was on her son. She and Chris had quickly decided not to tell Brittney and Joseph about their older son. As long as they didn’t know about him there would be no questions about when they would get to meet him. They had also decided not to tell them about Imaginess. Earth was their home now and they had no reasons to go to Imaginess.
Kara hadn’t used her arms in over 10 years and there were only so many things you could build and repair in a small house on earth. She was human at heart if not in body and there was no possible way she or her husband could survive on Imaginess now and now there were the children to think about.
She stood and went to the kitchen to grab a glass of ice water. As she stood by the sink and filled her glass a blue jay landed on the rail of the porch and she paused and looked at it for a moment. She remembered a time about a year ago when Matthew had stood at this exact spot and told her about Linda for the first time. That of course was before she knew that Linda was an alien so she had tried to discourage the relationship not that there had been much to discourage he hadn’t seen her in 3 years. So much had changed since then and now Matthew was gone.
A small cry cut through her thoughts and she paused to listen. Joseph’s whine caught in the monitor and she caught her breath then the baby quieted and she let it out. She grabbed her glass and went back to the TV where she sat unmoving until Brittney got home.

Chris was worried about his wife. She wasn’t as young as she had once been and now she had two young children to raise again. She had been so tired lately. Joey had been sick and had barely given her a moments rest in the last week or so and he was afraid that Brittney was tiring her out mentally. It wasn’t that the girl was such a big hand full but Kara had spent so much time worrying over her that he was afraid she was going to kill herself.
He had finally made up his mind Kara needed a vacation. He didn’t care what she said he’s already made the arrangements. He had called his son early that morning and a pod would be sent for her tomorrow afternoon. She would spend a couple days on Imaginess visit with their son and daughter-in-law and then come home rested enough to take care of Joseph and Brittney again. He had even taken a couple days off work so that he could be with the kids.
He walked in the door and immediately knew that he was right about sending his wife away for awhile. Joseph was crying smoke was coming from the kitchen and Brittney had turned up the TV in order to hear over her brothers screaming.
He walked into the living room and picked up the screaming toddler from the playpen. He had talked to Linda that morning as well and she had told him that it was possible that the baby was teething. “I have 3 younger human siblings who all went through that at that age” she had told him then paused. “Listen, I know your wife had a thing against doctors which is understandable after raising Matthew but…these kids are human and Kara probably doesn’t know the first thing about human sicknesses.” Chris had agreed and told Linda that he would talk to her. Now as he picked up Joseph and stuck his finger gently in his mouth the baby calmed down and began gnawing contently on his finger.
He reached over then and turned down the TV slightly grabbed a toy out of the playpen and stuck it in the babies mouth. He placed Joseph back in the playpen and went into the kitchen.
Smoke filled the entire room and Kara was struggling with something on the stove. “Kara, what’s going on?”
At the sound of his voice Kara plopped down into a chair and began to cry. “I can’t do this anymore Christilone.”
Chris leaned down beside her and wiped the tears from her face. “Don’t say that Ki, yes you can. But I need you to stop crying long enough for me to tell you how.” Kara wiped the tears from her face and looked up at her husband. “We’re going to go order pizza while we wait for the pizza I’m going to clean up this mess and you are going to go upstairs and pack. Then when the pizza gets here we’re all going to sit down and eat dinner as a family -”
“Wait what am I packing for?”
Chris just ignored her and continued “Then tomorrow you’re going to get up and get ready and at 11:30 I’ll take the kids to the park for a picnic lunch and at noon Matthew is coming to pick you up -”
“What?”
“And you’ll spend a week with him a Linda get refreshed and then come back here. Linda said she’d give you advice for taking care of Joey since she has some human siblings so when you came back you should be ready to go.”
Kara smiled weakly “Any other time I’d protest but after today I think I need a vacation. What about you?”
“I took a couple days off so I could be there for them.”
Kara leapt up and hugged her husband. “Thank you so much Chris.”
Chris hugged her back. “Anything for you my love.”

Things went just as planned and the next morning Kara arrived at the palace in the city of Zora, Imaginess. She was escorted to a sitting room where she made herself comfortable until he son came to greet her. At the sight of Matthew she jumped up and ran to greet him. “Matthew oh it’s so good to see you. How are you?”
Matthew ran to embrace his mother wrapping 3 sets of arms firmly around her. “I’m fine mom. Come let’s sit down and we can talk.” He didn’t want to tell her that she didn’t look so good and that he was worried about her so he just indicated a chair and helped her into it before sitting down himself. He could see now why his father had been so worried and he suddenly feared for his mother’s health. I don’t care what she says he thought my mother is going to see a doctor before she leaves.

Brittney wasn’t one much to play at the park. Not anymore. It just wasn’t the same without Amanda. But Grandpa Chris had insisted they go out for a picnic lunch while Grandma Kara finished her packing and walked to the bus stop.
Brittney didn’t mind so much it was nice outside and she had remembered to grab a pen and pencil and sat down to write she didn’t get very far before Chris came up beside her and asked what she was writing. Brittney quickly turned the paper over so he couldn’t read it. “It’s just a letter to Amanda.”
“Ahhhh” he sat down beside her in the grass laying Joseph down on a blanket and gave him a toy to suck on. “You two were very close weren’t you?”
“She was my best friend.”
Chris nodded. “What kinds of things did you do together back in Georgia?”
Brittney stopped to think for a minute. “She used to come over all the time and we’d play dolls and things.”
Chris pretended to be surprised for a minute before looking around and then whispering. “I have a confession to make.”
“What?”
“I’ve never played dolls before.”
Brittney smiled for the first time in the three months she’d been with them and Chris immediately decided he liked it. “Of course not you’re a boy.”
Chris crossed his arms and pursed his lips in mock disappointment “What does that have to do with it?”
“Well boys can’t play dolls.”
“Oh they can’t? Well I bet I could be a better mommy then you.”
Brittney stood up hands on hips but she couldn’t help but smile at this ridiculous claim. “No way I’ve had way more practice then you.”
Chris raised himself to his knees so he was looking Brittney in the eyes. “Alright little lady your on the first mom who’s baby cries is the loser.”
“Deal” then Brittney turned and picked up Sally and cradled her in her arms as Chris turned and picked up Joseph who dropped his toy and immediately started crying. “Ha I win you can’t even keep Joey quiet for a couple minutes.” Chris smiled too as he picked up the toy off the blanket and gave it back to Joseph.
“Your right you win.” Then they headed off in the direction of home laughing all the way.

“I’m worried about her Linda. She’s not as strong as she used to be. She’s getting old but she refuses to see the doctor. She can’t even remember how to use her arms anymore. She’s like a child learning Imaginese things all over again.”
Linda looked at her husband as he paced across the room in front of her she had learned to read the emotion in his white eyes and could see the absolute worry even though the pupils in his eyes were nearly invisible.
“I’ll talk to her” she said as she stood and grabbed his hand and pulled herself in front of him. “I told her I would give her some tips on taking care of Joseph and I’ll insist she sees a doctor. Maybe I’ll convince her to see one just since it’s been so long.” Matthew smiled at his wife. She was tall and he was one of the few men who could look down on her. She looked up into his frosty eyes and smiled then put her arms around him and pulled him down for a kiss. The world seemed to stop and then come spinning back into focus a moment later. “I should go find your mother.” Linda stated smiling and a little breathless. She reached up and kissed him again quickly “I Love you Mattim” She said using his Imaginess name as she headed toward the door.
“I love you too Leena” She winked at him then as she slipped out the door in search of her mother-in-law.
She found her in South courtyard the monkey Tidwit was sitting on her lap eating flower-nuts and she was stroking his fur. “Kirita!” She exclaimed coming to sit beside her. Kara looked up slightly taken aback.
“No ones called me that in over 10 years even my husband doesn’t call me that anymore.”
Leena smiled. “Well you’re on Imaginess it’s only right we use your Imaginese name.” Kirita smiled but didn’t say anything. “Your son is worried about you Kiri.”
“Matthew is always worried about something.”
“Mattim is worried about your health. You haven’t seen a doctor in 21 years don’t you think you should at least get a check-up while you’re here?”
“I don’t trust doctors.”
“You don’t trust a human doctor which is understandable since they wouldn’t understand your anatomy but Dr. Utopia is an amazing doctor. And I highly recommend him. Please just go in for a check-up just so you can put your husbands and sons minds at rest.”
Kirita hesitated then nodded. “Ok I’ll do it.”

The call came two days later. The kids had just gone to bed and Chris was sitting down with a pen, paper and a notepad to organize some notes he had put together from an interview that was to run in the paper the next week. Suddenly his universal phone rang. It was someone he didn’t know with a message from his son. It told him that they had convinced Kirita to go see a doctor and the doctor had discovered some very questionable things and he requested to see him immediately. He was afraid she had received a very mild case of Quaple that had been slowly killing her over the last 10 years or so. If it had been treated sooner he might have been able to save her but now he wasn’t so sure.
Chris felt as if his heart had been crushed his wife was dying, he had sent her away to relax only to find out that she was deathly ill. He had to go see her immediately. There was no way he could let his wife die alone. He had to go see her. The only question was how to tell Brittney?