Disclaimer: I don't own That 70's Show, or Sophie Kinsella stories.
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Today has been a horribly average day.
So far, I have gotten up, gotten ready, and gone to Forman's house to see Steven... no, nothing new at all.
And whenever I'm at the Forman's, all anybody ever does is sit in the basement, watch TV, and occasionally, light up.
As Steven and I were making out on the couch, Eric walked downstairs.
"God, Jackie, be easy on him," he jokes, "he's not gonna have a face anymore if you keep doing that."
"Shut up, Eric," I say as I turn around. "When are you finally gonna leave for Africa?"
"Soon enough." He sits down on the other side of the couch as Steven stands up and goes over to his chair.
"So, Jackie," Eric says, "I heard about your dad's second trial. That's great."
I nod as Steven starts to talk.
"Jackie, your dad's being re-tried? Why didn't I know about this?" he asks.
I shrug in a zen-like manner. "I didn't think it was that important."
To be honest, I really don't talk to Steven about my father too much. I already know that he's not great with words, and I'm worried that if he says something stupid again, it could be the end for us, again.
"Anyway, they're thinking that he may be able to get out of jail this time. I have to go to the court with everybody, though, in place of my mom. She's in Cancun, or something." I frown slightly.
"Your mom's out of town /again/?" Eric asks in disbelief. "Wow, no offense Jackie, but Pam's a horrible mom."
Michael bursts in the back door. "Who said somethin' about Pam?"
"Nice to see you, too, Kelso," Eric says nonchalantly.
"God, you guys, it's freezing out there!" Michael shouts, "I almost fell on the ice, like a zillion times!"
"Well, you're always the guy who's got his feet planted firmly in the ground," Steven says sarcastically.
"Literally," Eric agrees. "Remember that one time when he found some quicksand and decided to stand in it?"
"Oh, yeah!" Michael grins, "And I would have disappeared if it weren't for Hyde. He told me to lay on my back, and at first I thought he was just trying to see if I was stupid enough to do it, but then I realized that it worked!
"Yeah, thank God for that." Steven laughs, and suddenly Kitty walks downstairs.
"Jackie, phone's for you!" she calls, and then puts two hands around her mouth and whispers loudly, "It's the court for your dad!"
"Oh!" I jump up and pick up the receiver next to the couch.
A few minutes later, I'm grabbing my coat and hat and putting my boots back on.
"Jackie, what's wrong?" Steven asks me.
"My dad needs to talk to me... so I have to go to the prison! Oh, God... I hope it's not dirty." I shudder at the thought of what it may be like.
"I can go with you," he offers, "there can be some real creeps down there."
I consider the thought, but then shake my head. Not only will Steven pick a fight if something should happen, but I really don't feel like getting emotional in front of him if what my dad has to say is that important. "No thanks," I say, "I think that I should do this on my own."
I walk over to him and he kisses me goodbye. "Bye," I wave to him, Michael, and Eric, and then shut the door.
Michael wasn't kidding. It really is cold out here. And icy, too. Probably not the best idea to wear heeled boots with this weather.
Even so, I start to rush over to my car, and suddenly my heel slips and I'm falling down slowly... slowly... slowly.
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God, my head hurts. In fact, it's like a combination of the worst hangover of my life mixed with somebody continually dropping a fifty pound weight on my head.
I try to open my eyes, but the lights coming from the window are too bright.
Wait... window? Why am I in bed? Did I ever see my dad?
I just lean my head back further on my pillow and decide to not worry about it.
A few minutes later, I decide that I can't fall asleep, because my pillow is pretty uncomfortable.
I open my eyes, and once I get used to the light, am shocked.
This isn't my room. This isn't Donna's room. And this definitely isn't Steven's room. I'm in an all white room, with nice looking furniture in it.
There's a white couch in front of the window, and a black table with a tray on it next to the bed I'm on. A television set is sitting on a black shelf, so it can be seen in perfect view from the bedside.
Taking this all in, I give a little, but still loud, scream.
It's enough to make all of my head pain come back, but it's also enough for somebody to come rushing through the door.
"Miss Jackie," the woman says, looking alarmed, "what's wrong?"
I look at her. She's a short blonde woman in a nurse's uniform.
Suddenly, I get it. I'm in the hospital.
"Oh, nothing. I just wasn't sure where I was at first. But now I remember," I smile confidently through the pain.
"You do?" A look of shock comes over her face.
"Of course!" I say, and attempt to sit up straighter. "I was leaving my boyfriend's house, but then the court called and told me that my dad wanted to talk to me before the court case, and so I left and it was really icy and then I... I slid and fell on the ice. I just didn't think that the fall would be so bad to put me in the hospital!"
Confusion clouds over the nurse's face, and then a look of relief takes over. "Miss Jackie, you don't remember your accident?" she asks me.
"Accident...?" I wonder out loud.
"Hold on," she says, and exits my room. A few minutes later, she returns with a man at her side, and then leaves again.
"Hello," the man says, stepping closer to me. "We met a few hours ago. I'm Dr. Plier."
I narrow my eyes at him. Why would I remember meeting him? His face doesn't even look remotely familiar to me.
"I'm sorry, you must have the wrong person," I say casually, "I've never met you before in my life."
"Ah, that's what I was afraid of," Dr. Plier says as he walks over to my bed and looks over the clipboard in his hands. "You see, Mrs. Ralwine-"
I stop him. "Yes, definitely the wrong person... I'm Jackie Burkhart." Ralwine? As in the famous movie star Alexander Ralwine? He has to be joking.
"Uh..." His face contorts with thought, and then he looks back at me. "Do you have any recollection of being in a car accident?"
"Me? Are you kidding? No way. I've never been in a car accident." What is this crazy man talking about?
"Actually..." He looks around and spots a newspaper, which he picks up. "Can you tell me what year it is?"
What a silly question to ask, I think.
"Of course! It's 1978! I'm not stupid."
Dr. Plier hesitates, and hands me the newspaper. "Look at the date," he instructs.
Hmm... May 19th... 1980?!
This isn't possible. It has to be some sort of gag newspaper.
"1980?" I say in disbelief, and then change my tone to a sarcastic one. "You're funny."
"Mrs. Ralwine, I insist, it's 1980. You're suffering from memory loss from your accident," he says in a sympathetic tone.
"I already told you, I've never been in a car accident. And my last name isn't Ralwine! You have the wrong person!" I yell.
"No, Jackie, I don't." He looks up at me with his eyebrows raised.
Okay, so I have the same first name as this Ralwine person. No big deal, just a coincidence is all.
I give him my best unimpressed expression. "Jackie is a pretty common name," I say coolly.
He opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted by a soft knock on the door.
"Excuse me," he says, and walks to answer the door.
I hear Dr. Plier and another man talking quietly, but I can't make out what they're saying.
A few moments later, the door shuts, and Dr. Plier walks back over to my bed.
"You have a visitor," he informs me, "and it's up to you whether or not you want to see him. But I'm warning you, you may be in for a shock."
"Let him in..." I say in a careful tone.
Dr. Plier goes over to the door and opens it.
The man walks over to me, and my jaw instantly drops.
It's Alexander Ralwine. The movie star. In my hospital room. Wanting to see /me/.
"Baby," he says as he walks closer to me, "are you alright?"
I try to speak, but instead I just stare in disbelief.
"A-Alexander? Ralwine?" I manage to stutter.
He gives me a quizzical look. "The doctor warned me about you not remembering some things... but you forgot me?"
"No, I... I didn't /forget/ you. I know who you are. I just don't know why you're here seeing /me/!" I exclaim, but then bring down my tone, as my headache is slowly approaching again.
"Jackie, baby," he puts a hand over mine, "we're married... remember?" He lifts up my left hand to show me a large diamond ring on my finger.
I gasp in amazement. This isn't happening. How did I meet Alexander Ralwine? And /marry/ him?
He frowns at my expression and turns to Dr. Plier. "She really doesn't remember, does she?" he asks.
Dr. Plier shakes his head. "She thought that it was 1978 when she woke up."
"When can she leave the hospital?" Alexander asks.
"By tomorrow, hopefully," Dr. Plier replies, "Just as long as we get the bandages off and everything seems proper."
Alexander nods, as Dr. Plier says, "I think I'll give you two some time to discuss things." He then adds quietly, "It may trigger some of her memory." He exits my room.
"You're a celebrity," I say quietly. "What are you doing in Point Place?"
His nose wrinkles in thought. "Point Place?" Then it hits him. "Oh, the place you grew up in? Baby, don't you remember? You moved to Los Angeles two years ago!" He takes my hand gently. "That's how we met."
I gasp slowly, and check my wrists to make sure I'm not hooked to any IV's or anything. When I see that I'm free, I get out of the bed, and although I'm a little wobbly, I run to the window. Sure enough, there are gigantic buildings outside, a few sandy beaches, and green mountains. In the distance, I see 'Hollywood' spelled out in giant letters on Mount Lee.
"Oh my God," I say slowly, and then I remember what he just said. "How exactly did we meet?"
"You had just moved here," he says, "and you were going to talent agencies everywhere, trying to get a job in the business just like everybody else. You finally got a tiny role in a movie, one that I was starring in. And when you saw me, you freaked out and started telling me how big of a fan you were." He laughs at the memory. "I couldn't resist your cuteness, your charm. Before we knew it, we had gone on a few dates, and in no time we got engaged."
I gave a small smile. "That's a nice story," I say.
"Yeah," he says. "A simple one... but a nice one, too." Alexander walks behind me and inspects the bandages on my head.
"Wow," he comments, "you really got banged up in that accident, huh?"
"I don't remember," I say, "The last thing I remember is leaving to see my dad in prison, and slipping on some ice and falling."
"Really?" He asks in alarm. "That's so cool!"
"No, not at all," I say. "It's confusing and horrible. I've missed out on two years of my life! I don't know anybody now. I don't know if I have a job... where I live..." I pause as a thought hits me. "We don't have any kids, do we?"
Alexander laughs and shakes his head. "No, we don't."
I breath a sigh of relief, and then I think of another thing. "How's Donna doing?" I ask. "Did she and Eric ever get married?"
"Donna?" Alexander thinks for a moment. "I can't say you've ever mentioned a friend named Donna. Or Eric."
"Really?" I ask. That seems so... unlike me. "What about Betsy? I've had to have mentioned her... she's my goddaughter!"
"Nope," Alexander shakes his head, "doesn't ring a bell. Unless you're talking about Betsy Haven... she co-starred with me in my last movie." He grins.
"No." I shake my head as a knock on the door sounds.
"Can I come in?" a female voice asks.
"Sure!" I call.
She comes in, and it's the same nurse that was in my room before.
"I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over," she smiles apologetically at Alexander, "but it was great meeting you, Mr. Ralwine. I'm such a big fan!"
He gives her a smile and turns back to me. "I'm gonna go, but I'll be back tomorrow," he says, and lightly strokes my hand and leans in for a kiss, but I vaguely back away. He gives me a weird look, and I realize what I have just done.
"Oh, no!" I say to him, "Don't take it personally! I just... it's like kissing a stranger, you know?"
He nods. "I can see how that could be weird." He affectionally pats my shoulder and turns around and leaves.
"Bye!" I call out.
Wow, this is weird. I'm married.
I casually glance down at the rock on my finger, and then something hits me.
Steven. We must have broken up... but when? And how?
I have to know. I have to know about my old friends in Point Place. I only saw them yesterday... well, it seems like I did.
I yawn and lean my head back into the pillow. I guess I'll just have to worry about that tomorrow.