Hyde came up the stairs to the kitchen. His buzz was quickly leaving him. Oh well, he thought…I'll fix that with some film later. He found Eric & Donna in the kitchen, making some cookies. And looking too damn cute. It was always too easy for them. Not like him & his doll…

"Hey Hyde, want some of these" Eric looked at his friend thinking, man, how am I going to even bring Jackie up. It wasn't exactly his favorite topic of conversation and now he was going to do something nice. For the devil.

"Sure" Hyde grabbed three cookies and went over to the fridge to grab a beer. They were out of beer. He must have drank that earlier. Whoops. Have to remember to replenish the supply before Red had a fit. He grabbed a pop instead.

"What's going with you two tonight? Staying in to see if you can turn Forman into the Pillsbury Dough Boy?" The sarcasm would never leave him as he took his regular seat at the kitchen table. But he came up here for something else. "Oh, Donna. Jackie called before. She, um, was looking for you. It sounded important. Something about her hot rollers and your record collection…" That should do it. Not let on that he's concerned but get her over there just the same.

"She'd do it too. Oh God, what if I'm too late…..Eric, I'll see you later. Bye Hyde" Donna grabbed her coat and ran out the side door, but not before looking at Eric with a gentle nudge to use this natural opening to start things with Hyde. He nodded in response.

Eric sat down at the table across from Hyde. "So, you talked to Jackie?"

"Forman, don't."

"Why not. When I left, you were going to propose. Now, you guys barely speak."

"I wasn't going to propose. I was going to tell her we were going to get married"

"What's the difference?"

"Proposing is immediate. Getting married is more vague. Gives you more time"

"Not really"

"Maybe not. but it would have given me more control of the situation"

"Is this what this is about. Control? Hyde, part of loving someone is giving yourself over to someone. Not just acting for yourself."

"I know. And look where that got me. Chicago, Sam, losing Jackie."

"You still love her, don't you?"

"I never told you that."

"You don't have to. If you really wanted her gone, no matter what you've said, you would have left town. You never left. You tried to drive her away, treated her like crap, married a stripper, slept with everything with a heartbeat, drank yourself silly all in an attempt to either driver her away or make her go away. But you wanted her to fight for you two. And the only thing that's happened is that you both are miserable."

"I'm not miserable; just more pissed off"

"Remember who you're talking to. You're a good guy Hyde. You hate it when people remind you of this, but you are. You got a job to help my family after they took you in, you dried Jackie's tears & took her to the prom, stood up for Fez when he was getting beat up by the football team, you pulled the fire alarm all night to keep Donna from sleeping with Casey, You stood up to Kelso when he wasn't doing right by Brooke. And you would have done anything, including shaving the beard, for Jackie."

"you make me sound like a boy scout. And I'm not a boy scout."

"no matter what delinquent crime you've pulled, it never really hurt anyone. You're incapable of hurting someone. Unless you're trying to protect them. Or yourself. That's what you've been doing. You don't think you can get her back, so you keep pushing her away."

"Thanks for the news flash, Phyllis Donohue." Hyde paused. "Thanks"

"well, someone has to help get your head out of your ass. I'm amazed Grooves is still open as far as you've had that shoved up there"

"Watch it, or you're going down afterschool special boy"

"Make me orphan boy"

The boys begin to play fight in the kitchen. Kitty & Red come in after hearing all the commotion from things hitting the floor.

"Glad to see things are starting to get back to normal around here"

"Do I need to find an eye patch? No, that would be if Michael is here"

The phone rings and Kitty goes over to answer it. "Donna, sweetie, what's wrong? Do you want to talk to Eric…..um"

Kitty goes completely white. Eric & Hyde stopped fighting and walk towards the phone upon hearing Kitty trying to comfort Donna. Red places his hand on Kitty's shoulder.

"Calm down sweetie. We'll meet you there. You did the right thing. Just wait now for the ambulance" Kitty slowly hangs up the phone and turns to look at the men in her life.

"Red get the car. We're going to the hospital." She looks at Red and then at Hyde. Red seems to understand and goes to get his keys from the living room and goes to the car.

"Mom, what's wrong? Is Donna okay"

"She's upset honey. She just found Jackie"

Hyde looks confused. "Jackie…what does this have to do with Jackie"

Kitty looks at Hyde, knowing that her next sentence will change his already troubled life. "Steven, Jackie tried to kill herself. Donna found her. The ambulance is on it's way and we're meeting them at the hospital."

"Wha…how…I just talked to her"

"I don't know honey, we just have to get there. We'll know more then."

Hyde runs out the side door after Red.

"Oh my god, mom"

"I know honey…I know" Kitty pats Eric on the shoulder grabs her purse and they take off out the door after Red & Hyde.

Point Place Hospital Emergency Room – 2 hours later

Donna had been crying for hours. She kept thinking back to how she was worried about her records and stormed into Jackie's apartment. Such a petty, little, unimportant thing. And how she couldn't find Jackie. And then how she opened the door. Seeing the midget all laid out there, with her stuffed animals, like a scared little girl. How she tried to shake her to get her to come out of it. How Jackie mumbled Hyde's name and was so limp. And then she saw the note. She was so upset, she could barely dial the phone for the ambulance.

Donna looked at Hyde. "She never said anything about my records did she"

Hyde didn't say anything. He hadn't said a word since they got there and were told to sit and wait for an update on Jackie's condition.

"How did you know she was in trouble? Did she say something?"

"Whatever"

"God, now is not the time for Zen, Hyde"

"Whatever, that's what I said to her. The last thing I said…"

"Hyde you can't think you did this to her"
"Oh, I think I can"

"Hyde, Jackie has been through a lot in her life. She'll get through this"

"Spare me the lecture Forman, you covered that earlier"

"Hyde, Jackie wrote a note before…she…I found a note. I think you should read it"

"Donna, now might not be the time for Hyde to read this"

Hyde took the letter from Donna's hand; it was crumpled, but it was pink. Like how her cheeks were during the winter. Pink. Her color.

Hyde walked to the corner of the waiting room and tucked the note into his coat pocket. He couldn't read that now. He needed to know she was okay first. That his little doll was okay. Those lashes framing those mismatched eyes that were so full of life. So full of love for him. Hyde shut his eyes at the painful memory and wondered if he'd ever see that look again. She had to make it through, she had to. He couldn't imagine life without her. Ever.

Just then, a doctor entered the waiting room "Is someone here for Jacqueline Burkhardt?"