Eric Foreman sat in front of Old Maine; their old School. Everyone was pretty much still the same. Eric still went out with Donna, Fez was dating Jackie, Kelso had gotten back together with Brooke, and Hyde was still alone. But that was three years ago. A lot was different now. The couples where still together, but they where having issues. Although on this day they all put their problems aside to remember a friend.
On this day, April 5th, 1999 at Old Maine Steven Hyde took his own life.
'None of this should have happened.' Eric thought. 'we should have realized something was wrong.'
~FLASHBACK!~
The gang was hanging out at their usual bar. They were drinking and talking about old times. They where finishing their last round of beer and getting ready to leave when they walked in.
Bud and Edna Hyde.
"Well, look who it is. Our useless son!" Bud said.
"Oh, hello, Steven. Still being a burden to Red and Kitty?" Edna asked.
"No, they care about me. Still being a drunken asshole, Edna?" Hyde sneered.
"Watch your mouth boy!" Bud yelled. Hyde could smell the alcohol on his fathers breath; they where already drunk.
"How can I watch my mouth if I don't have a mirror?"
"Your so worthless. I'm surprised you haven't off'd yourself yet."
"Shut up! Hyde is not useless or worthless! You two are and he is not a burden to my parents!" Eric yelled.
"You dare talk to me that way, Foreman!" Bud yelled raising his fist; Eric closed his eyes and waited for the impact.
It never came.
Eric opened his eyes to see Bud and Hyde wrestling on the floor. "Hyde! Stop!" Donna yelled, but Hyde was to lost in his rage to hear her.
"Stop it you piece of shit! Let him go!" yelled Edna and pulled Hyde off of Bud and sent him flying into a table behind them.
"You need a whore to take care of me? That's really lame, Bud."
Bud, not one to be insulted, pulled a gun out of the waist band of his jeans. He pointed the gun at Hyde's head and said, We are going to walk out of here and you are going to kill yourself."
"No."
"I should have drown you the minute we got home!" Edna yelled.
"Obviously you where to drunk to remember to kill me." Hyde said calmly.
"Shoot 'em, Bud! No one will miss him!"
Steven tackled his "father" to the ground and wrestled the gun away. A few minutes later the cops where called. Hyde managed to pick up and hide the gun while the police where taking statements.
No one noticed.
By the time everything was taken care of the gang was on the road again looking for something to do.
"Hey, Hyde, are you okay?" Jackie asked.
"Yeah, Bud didn't hurt me." Hyde said.
"Why would he want you to 'off' yourself? Sounds dirty." Fez asked.
"Its nothing, Fez." Hyde muttered. "How about we go check out Old Maine?" Everyone agreed to Hyde's suggestion.
Maybe if they said no Hyde would still be alive.
They arrived at the burnt down school minutes later. "This place is still the same." Kelso said.
"Why don't they tare it down?" asked Eric.
"I'm not sure, but lets go inside." Hyde snapped.
"Steven, why did you want to come here?" asked Jackie.
"Shut up!" Hyde yelled causing the others to jump and stare at him wide eyed.
"Hey you be nice to my lady!" Fez snapped back.
"NO WAY AM I GOING TO BE NICE TO A SPOILED LITTLE BRAT LIKE HER! I SAID SHUT UP!"
"Hyde, what is wrong with you?" asked Donna.
"What's wrong with me? Why do you care all of a sudden?"
"We've always cared about you." Eric said.
"DO NOT LIE TO ME, FOREMAN!" Hyde pulled the gun out of the waist band of his jeans and held it to his head.
"Wow, Hyde, where did you get the gun?" Donna asked.
"You should remember this gun! it's the one Bud held to my head!" Hyde yelled.
"Hyde, man give me the gun." Eric demanded.
"NO!"
"Kelso your going to be a cop! Do something!" Jackie screamed.
"I-I don't know what to do!"
"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" Hyde repeated.
"Hyde, please just give me the gun!"
"No, no, no, NO! Just shut up! Why do you care all of a sudden!"
"Steven, we've always cared about you!"
"No! you ignore me, make fun of me, you don't care about my problems!" Hyde yelled.
"Man, please just put the gun down." Eric pleaded.
Meanwhile the police arrived at the Foreman resident to talk to Eric; they walked up to the front door and knocked. Red Foreman answered the door with his wife Kitty behind him.
"Yes?" asked Red.
"We are looking for your son, Eric and Steven Hyde." the first officer said.
"Why? Are they okay?" asked Kitty.
"They where involved an incident that took place earlier this evening." the second officer said.
"What happened?" Red demanded.
"They where sitting in a bar when Bud and Edna Hyde walked in." Red and Kitty exchanged worried looks. "They started arguing with Steven Hyde and he argued back. Your son, Eric, defended Steven; Bud was going to punch him, but Steven stopped him. Then the kids say Bud pulled oyt a gun and pointed it at Steven's head."
"Oh my God! Is he okay?" Kitty asked.
"Yes, but we did not find the gun at the scene."
"Eric and Steven aren't here. I'm not sure where they are." Red said.
"They might be at Old Maine." Kitty said.
"Okay, thanks. Lets go."
"Where going with you!" Kitty said.
"No, it will be to dangerous." said the officer.
"I don't care my babies are in trouble!" Kitty cried making her way towards their car with Red behind her. They pulled out of the driveway and followed the police to Old Maine.
"Why would they go to that burnt down school?" asked Red.
"I'm not sure; Steven told me he wanted to go there one last time."
"One last time? Kitty why would he say something like that?" Red asked confused.
"I don't know. He wanted to have one last night out with the gang."
"Kitty, Steven sounds like he is going to kill himself." Red told her.
"Oh my God! Red, why would he do that? Steven has so much to live for!" Kitty cried.
They arrived at Old Maine a few minutes later. The officers drew their guns and went in; followed by Red and Kitty. As they went further into the school they heard Jackie scream, "Steven stop messing around and give me the gun!" Mrs. Foreman looked at her husband through teary eyes.
"NO! DO NOT TOUCH ME!" They heard Steven scream.
"FREEZE!" the cops yelled as they entered the room. Red and Kitty came in behind them and gasped when they saw Hyde holding the gun to his head.
"Steven, what are you doing?" Red asked shocked.
"Stay away from me!"
"No, what are you doing?" Red asked again taking a step forward.
"You have a lot to live for. Don't throw it all away like this. We love you." Mrs. Foreman said.
"Don't lie to me! I know you think I'm a burden! They said so!"
"Who? Who said so, Steven?" asked Kitty.
"Bud and Edna! You know my parents!"
"Steven, Bud is not your father. William is; Edna is not your mother as far as I'm concerned." Kitty said.
"SHE GAVE BIRTH TO ME! HOS IS EDNA NOT MY MOTHER!"
"She abandoned you, Steven! Edna left you not caring it you lived or died!" Kitty cried.
"I know she did! But she is still my mother! I would be better off-"
"Steven! Don't you dare finish that statement!" Red yelled interrupting Hyde. While all of this was going on the two officers where calling in for back up.
"Why not? You know its true!"
"Steven, we care for you! William and Angie care about you! You are the manager of a successful record store! Sure you may not be in a relationship," Kitty glared at Fez and Jackie. "but you don't need anyone yet."
"I-I-I-SHUT UP!"
"Steven , who do you want to shut up?" asked Red.
"The voices. They never shut up! Normally I can tune them out, but now its getting harder and harder!" Hyde admitted.
"What do these voices say?" asked Red.
"They say I'm-NO! I'M NOT TELLING YOU!" Hyde took a step back when he realized they where getting through to him.
"No, no, no, no, no, no! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Hyde yelled pointing the gun at one of the officers.
"Wow, kid, you don't want to do that!" shouted the officer.
"You don't know what I want! Nothing in my life has been good! Every good thing that happens to me is taken away!" Hyde paused and pointed the gun back at his head.
"Steven, look at me." Mrs. Foreman said taking a step forward.
"Kitty, be careful. You don't know what he'll do." Red whispered.
'I know what I'm doing!" she shot back. She turned back to Hyde and saw he was looking at her through teary wide eyes. "Sweetheart, we are still here for you. We can help you through this. Please, don't do this."
"NO! You're going to leave me like they all do!" Hyde yelled.
"Sweetheart, we are not going to leave you." Kitty said softly.
"YES! EVERYONE LEAVES BECAUSE OF ME!"
"No! They leave because they are afraid they will hurt you." someone said. "Steven, I'm Dr. Kyrian. I am here to help you."
"So you're a shrink? I DO NOT NEED A SHRINK!"
"Steven, look, you did nothing wrong."
"SHUT UP! Just go away!"
"Steven, are these voices your father or are they Hyde?"
"What? He is Hyde.' Eric said.
"I will explain when this is all over." Dr. Kyrian said.
"Both. Bud keeps telling me I'm a loser, that I'll never amount to anything, I'm worthless and useless. Hyde keeps telling me I am weak and showing emotions is stupid and idiotic." Steven explained.
"Could you lower the gun so we could talk safely?" Steven did as he was asked. "Good. Now you know everything Hyde, Bud, and Edna say are not true, right?" Steven nodded. 'Then why do you say they are right?"
"Because when you hear something for most of your life you begin to think it is true. I'm unloved like Edna and Bud say I am.' Hyde admitted lowering the gun to his side.
"Oh, Steven, that's not true; we love you very much!" Kitty cried and running up to hug him.
"KITTY! NO!" Red yelled trying to stop his wife.
"DO NOT TOUCH HIM!" The doctor yelled.
As Mrs. Foreman neared him Hyde put the gun back up to his head.
"IF YOU TOUCH ME I WILL DO IT!" Kitty stopped dead in her tracks.
"Steven, please, know me, Eric, Red and the rest of the kids care about you." Kitty said.
"I know you do. I-I-SHUT UP!
"Hyde, man, listen-"
"I'M NOT HYDE! DO NOT CALL ME THAT! I'M NOT THAT UNCARING MONSTER!"
"Okay, Steven," Eric said slowly not use to using Hyde's first name. "we are not going to let you go through this alone. We are all here for you."
"You don't know what its like! You all have families that care about you! I've never had that! I never will!" Steven yelled pulling the trigger back.
"What about W.B and Angie! They're your family!" Donna yelled.
"So are Kitty, Eric, and me!" Red yelled trying to stop his son's curly haired friend.
"So are Fez, Kelso, and I!" Jackie yelled with tears in her eyes.
"So are Brooke and Betsy; you know in a weird way!" Kelso said.
"This is not how I pictured you. I look up to you! Even when you hurt Jackie; yes, I lost a lot of respect for you, but you gained it back. Hyde, you are the one who gave me my first beer! Remember all the good times we had together. You taught me so many things! You are the coolest person I have ever met and I still think that!" Fez said.
The room was silent as Hyde took Fez's speech in. 'They are messing with you. They don't care for Steven. He only cares about Hyde!' Bud's voice echoed in his head.
~Do it. Come on, Steven. You're not man enough to do it!~ Hyde yelled in his head.
"I AM NOT HYDE! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Steven yelled as he took his finger off of the trigger.
"NO!" Everyone yelled as a shot rang through the old school and Steven Hyde fell to the ground; dead.
"Steven! Why would you do this!" Kitty cried as she hugged Hyde's body.
Red looked over at his son and saw him hugging Donna; sobbing. Jackie was clinging onto Fez for dear life. Kelso had collapsed to his knees sobbing. Kitty was hugging Steven's body running her fingers through his hair. Red had tears in his eyes as well. How could he have not noticed Steven was hurting? How could he have missed how badly this boy need someone to tell him they loved him? How could anyone not see how badly this boy was hurting? Red walked over to his wife and knelt down next to her.
"Kitty, come on. Let go." Kitty shook her head violently.
"No! I'm not going to let him go! I promised I would never abandon him!"
"You never did. You where always there for him. Even in his final moments. Kitty you kept your promise to him and I'm sure he will never forget that."
"I am sorry for your loss." Dr. Kyrian said. "I thought I was getting through to him."
"It's okay. I thought we were to, but I guess we weren't." Red said.
"Why would Hyde do this?" asked Donna, her voice shaking as she fought back tears.
"That wasn't Hyde." Dr. Kyrian said.
"Yes, it was!" Kelso yelled.
"No. That was Steven." Everyone looked at the doctor confused. "Hyde is the man you saw everyday. The man who had no emotions and didn't care about anything. The Zen like man who stayed calm no matter what." Kyrian sighed; it was never easy explaining these things. "That, what you just saw, was Steven. He was the one who was easily hurt and betrayed. You may have seen him before or you might not have. He probably only let Steven show when he was alone. Hyde is a personality he came up with to protect himself. He probably created him at a young age."
"So, th-this was, Steven?" Kyrian nodded. "Why did he not show us sooner! Maybe we could have helped him! This is all Bud and Edna's fault! If they never abandoned him or abused him none of this would have happened!" Jackie yelled.
"It could have been other things that happened in his life not just his parents. You guys could have hurt him in a way you never meant to and you would never have known."
"Someone has to-to call Will-William and Angie." Kitty said lying Steven's body down on the floor.
"I'll do it. Donna you should let your parents know as well." Red said.
The group stayed at the scene for as long as they could. Talking to the police, watching them take Steven's body away, dodging news reports who only cared about a story not that they where mourning the lost of a friend. Red had called William and Angie the minute they returned home.
William, who was with his daughter, in a meeting was not able to answer the call. His assistant had taken a message and came to give it to him. William read the note and broke down in the middle of the meeting. Angie rushed over to see what had caused her father to sob uncontrollably. When she had read that her only brother had taken his own life she to collapsed to her knees and sobbed. When they had regained as much control as they could they raced over to the Foreman's.
Donna returned home to tell her parents that Hyde, no Steven, had just killed himself. Her mother was the first person she encountered when she entered the house. Her mother envopled her in a hug. Bob and Midge knew what happened because they had watched the news when they said Steven had killed himself. They two went straight over to the Foreman house.
They could not figure out whether to tell Edna her son had killed himself. She did show signs that she cared for him, but she could not pull herself away from alcohol long enough to prove it. Then there was Bud, the man who Steven thought was his father for some many years. He cared about Hyde as well, but just like Edna could not pull himself away from the alcohol long enough to prove it.
They had decided to tell them that there son had committed suicide. They both sobbed uncontrollably. They where both going to be put on trial for abandoning their son and for abusing him. Not like it mattered now. But everyone wanted to make sure they where punished for causing Hyde so much pain.
Steven Hyde was buried in Point Place Cemetery on April 10th 1999. He was 40 years old. Every year on the anniversary for Steven's death the gang would go to Old Maine and place flowers by the memorial. Like they where doing today.
~END FLASHBACK!~
When the last of the gang should up they had placed the flowers by Hyde's picture and had a moment of silence. "I know we haven't come to visit very often, but I miss ya man. I'm sorry I couldn't help you in anyway, but I will always remember you." Eric said.
"I'm sorry to Hyde. I wish I realized how bad you where hurting. Maybe I could have helped you in some way or maybe we should have defended you against your parents that night." Donna said.
"I still think you are the coolest person I ever met. I will always remember all the good times we had together." Fez said.
"I'm sorry for all the times I hurt you, Steven. I still love and will never forget our time together." Jackie said.
"Hey, man, I will never forget the time you fell off the water tower and we laughed the next day because we thought it was awesome. Or the time we painted the pot leaf on the water tower and you said it looked like it was giving us the finger. And I fell off trying to fix it. You where right; it did look like it was giving us the finger! I will never forget you, bro!" Kelso said.
After what felt like hours the gang had to go back to their normal lives. They each said goodbye until Eric was left alone at the memorial. He placed a picture of him and Hyde smiling. They had to be about ten in the picture, but Eric would never forget that day. It was the day he met Steven Hyde.
"I'm going to miss you buddy." Eric said leaving the memorial and headed for his car.