Author Note: Please remember that if Eric is a jerk – he's been through an accident and pain accounts for some of his …. Whatever……
Chapter 03 – You Can't Go Home Again
It would be nice to see a couple of people from the old gang. It was better than no one at all!
Eric heard a tentative knock on his door but couldn't see because the privacy curtain was drawn. "Fez is that you?" The curtain was thrown open and a big brown hug was headed his way but Eric shouted, "No! Wait!" Fez froze and looked at his bruised and bandaged friend.
He stepped forward hesitantly. "Eric you are wearing a pirate patch. Is this a new fashion I have not heard of?"
Eric tried to laugh softly so it wouldn't hurt so much. "No, buddy, I caught some windshield in my eye. It's healing though." Fez walked around the bed looking at the leg cast which had been propped on several pillow. Eric's left arm was in a blue sling and his body was covered in bruises that extended to under the hospital gown.
"Eric what happened?" Fez placed his basket of chocolate on the metal rolling tray.
Eric raised the head of the bed. "I was in the passenger seat of my friend's car and we got hit by a drunk driver and the car rolled into a ditch." Fez was shocked. "You are lucky to be alive. I could be the guy arranging your hair at the funeral home."
"Fez, that's kind of morbid, don't you think?" Eric hadn't thought about the fact that he could have died. Fez rapped his knuckles on the plaster of the cast. "Does that hurt?"
Eric shrugged, "I'm on painkillers so I can let you know later." Fez laughed and took a marker out of his pocket. He grinned. "I always wanted to write something naughty on a broken leg."
"Fez, don't – I'll catch hell if the nurse doesn't like it!" Eric could only watch as Fez drew something and put the pen back in his pocket.
There was a commotion from the hallway and Eric heard a familiar voice from the past. "Damn you Fez… why did you have to make me to park the van? I had to park a least a mile away!" The complaining voice came around the privacy curtain. "Oh my God Eric, what happened to you?"
Jackie Burkhart, the Spawn of Satan, the devil's own daughter was standing at the foot of his bed. She covered her mouth with her hand. "Fez told me you were in the hospital but I thought you were visiting someone – thought maybe one of your parents were…. Oh my, this is awful."
Eric tried to laugh, "Thanks Jackie, you look good too." Her gaze started at his poor broken up body and ended at the patch on his eye. She walked over to the sling and adjusted the strap so it wasn't so tight. Eric must have sighed in relief. "It's like a bra strap, sometimes they dig in the shoulder a bit." She explained. She touched the bandages by his eye and Eric didn't know whether to flinch or attempt to run away, but her hands were gentle. "Does this hurt you?"
Eric swallowed, "I can't see your hands but I guess no because I'm not screaming. Would you mind handing me that cup of water?"
Fez placed the cup in Eric's good hand and waited for him to drink the water. "How long are you in here for?"
Eric placed the cup on the edge of the tray. "Their supposed to release me tomorrow but I have a problem I'm hoping you can help me with." Jackie was picking glass fragments out of his hair. "Can't they even clean you up? Look, you still have blood on your neck."
She turned around and went to the restroom. Eric heard the water running and she suddenly returned with a warm washcloth. "Jackie, you don't have to wash me." He protested. He didn't want her to hurt him anymore than he already was hurting.
"Fez, what I was saying was I need a ride to my folk's house." Fez bit off a piece of the candy. "Where are Miss Kitty and Red?"
Eric closed his eyes in part because Jackie's warm washcloth felt really good and secondly he hated thinking about his dad being sick again. "My dad had a stroke so mom and my aunt moved him to Florida. There's a retirement home in case he gets worse. I'm supposed to get the house ready to sell or live in it. They don't care."
Jackie ran the cloth over Eric's hair, "They gave you their house?"
Eric nodded his head. Thank God he didn't get whiplash! Jackie ventured to ask, "Well, if you're staying there, how are you going to get around? The bedrooms are upstairs, the laundry is in the basement and the living room has steps. You're kind of screwed."
Eric forgot all about those little details and groaned. "You're right, I forgot. I don't even know if the wheelchair can go through the doorways."
Fez snapped off some more chocolate. "Well, I can give you a ride home in my mini-van but I can't stay, I have to work at the salon."
Jackie glared at Fez. "That's my van thank you very much."
"Aiiy, back off woman, you let me use it so I think that it's mine too. Jackie is so mean sometimes." Fez complained.
"Glad to know some things haven't changed." Eric replied. "So are you two married?"
Fez snorted and laughed. "Me married to her?"
Jackie snapped, "Ew and no! We run a business together. How could you possibly think that?"
Eric was sorry he said anything. "It was a rumor I heard a long time ago." Fez looked at Jackie who looked back at him. "Hyde."
Eric held up his good hand in defense, "I'm sorry. I haven't really kept in touch with everyone like a good friend should." Jackie smiled sadly, "You're not alone there. Donna moved on, Hyde took the fast plane to New York but we still hang out with Michael and Brooke." Jackie took the washcloth back to the sink.
"Hey Eric, I know you're all broken and everything, but did you hurt anything else?" Fez was dying to know.
"Like what - My kidneys or something?"
Fez lowered his voice, "No, your man parts. I heard that in tragic accidents they hide in your body."
Eric started laughing the first good laugh in a long time. It was painful but felt good at the same time. "Buddy, I think everything is working just fine. What you heard applies to really cold weather – like being naked in Alaska in December."
"Oh. Well I guess I won't travel there now. Is that still a part of America?" Eric started to laugh again. Jackie came back with the wash cloth and started wiping the dried blood off his collarbone. "This is a hospital. They should have dunked you in a bathtub and rinsed you off." She held up the rust colored cloth. "Look at this blood. Ew and ew! Where's that nurse?"
"Jackie wait! Don't call her. She's not the nicest one on staff. Please, I don't mind the blood." She looked at him like he hit his head too. "Well, if you want me to say something, just say the word."
Fez had already eaten half of Eric's chocolate. "Eric, I know how to solve your problem. Have Jackie stay with you and I'll come help on the weekends, unless I got a client."
Jackie's head popped up. "What?" Eric's eyes got big. "Are you crazy?" Fez smiled at their reactions. "Jackie, you're done with the TV tours and I got the salon and you said you wanted some downtime."
"Well downtime and being a nurse are two different things!"
Eric agreed. "Fez, if you leave me alone with her, she'll kill me. You know how she is!"
Jackie put her hands on her hips. "Oh and how am I Eric Forman?" He had that deer in the headlights look. 'You know, the evil midget woman. You hurt people."
"Forman, I'm 32 years old not a teenager. Big difference - I thought you grew up when you went to Africa. Fez, would I kill anyone?"
Fez laughed, "No, but you can maim and make people cry real good!"
"Yes I can, but I wouldn't kill you. God, now it sounds like I want to do this. I guess I can work on that new product we talked about. Yeah… the Forman basement can be my laboratory!"
Fez was glad to get Jackie out of the salon. She was putting a cramp in his dating skills. "What do you think Eric? Me and Jackie will help you get better."
Eric really had no one else to help him. Resolutely he faked a smile, "Yeah team Burkhart and Fez…yay."
*
Jackie was at the nurse's station by nine that Wednesday morning. She was given a stack of orthopedic pamphlets and written prescriptions. Dr. Bradley came out to meet her and gave her a quick overview of what to expect while Eric's body was healing. "If you notice that he's getting depressed, we can prescribe something for that. Or, if you have questions, please call me. I just learned about Red Forman's stroke and I'm afraid Eric may be concerned about his dad – keep that in mind while he recovers."
Jackie's brain felt like it was filled to maximum capacity – all this hospital talk was too much! An orderly wheeled Eric to the nurse's station for his signature on some forms. She stuffed all the forms in her bag and walked over to the wheelchair. He looked so forlorn.
"So do I have to do anything special to get you in my van?"
"Jackie, I honestly don't know what happens next. I never planned on being in a car accident." Jackie walked along side the wheelchair as he was pushed towards the exit. She looked at the orderly. "I parked by the door." The orderly smiled and the electric doors slid open.
Jackie unlocked the passenger door and watched as the orderly stuck the crutches under Eric's arm and helped him balance against the open door. The wheelchair folded up and was slid into the side van door. Eric stepped on the door frame with his good leg and pushed off the ground with his crutches. When he got on the seat, he carefully swiveled around bringing his casted foot into the van.
Eric fell back against the headrest. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead. He didn't realize just how exerting that little exercise really was. Jackie came around and buckled him in not noticing the grimace on his face with the belt touched his previous bruises. He was going home but it wasn't really his home.
Jackie ran around and jumped in starting the engine and turning on the air conditioner. "I hope you don't mind, but it's getting pretty hot out here." Eric didn't reply so she turned on her radio and headed for the exit. Eric closed his eyes feeling the cool air on his face and the nonsensical music playing from the speakers. He would have made small talk but after last night he realized he didn't really know a whole lot about the devil and got most of his facts from old Kelso comments and complaints from Hyde.
"Eric, before I take you home, I need to stop by my apartment and pick up some stuff. Hope you don't mind."
Eric still had his eyes closed. "I'm pretty much strapped in here as your hostage so take me wherever. Just leave the A/C turned on okay?"
He must have dozed off because it seemed like minutes later the car was stopping in front of a pretty garden apartment complex. Jackie left the car key in the ignition. He opened his eyes. "Hey, lock the doors behind me with that button on your right door pad. I don't want to get carjacked with you strapped in the seat. I'll be back fast."
Eric watched as she ran around the front of the van and unlocked the door to apartment number 3. Three – he always liked that number. Red, Kitty and Eric – that made three. Three years in college and he was a professor. Fez, Jackie and Eric – that was a new three he wasn't so sure about.
She came back out the door with a duffel bag and an overnight case. She locked the apartment and came around to the passenger side of the van. Eric touched the button and the door unlocked and she slid the side door open to drop in her bags.
"If I'm sleeping over, I need some clothes and Jackie things." She explained even if he wasn't listening. Mariah Carey was singing I'll Be There on the radio and Jackie hummed along as she slammed the van door closed and ran around to the driver's side. It looked like this was going to be one long day!
*