9. Disruptions
The day after he was born, Betty and Cooper were discharged from the hospital, returning home as a family of four the very first time.
It had taken Emi a good week of reminders from her parents that her brother's name was 'Cooper' and not just 'baby'. Then, following that first week, his name had eventuated from 'baby' to 'Coopey', a nickname that all three of them had taken to after following Emi's lead.
While Emi had not been that fussed with or interested in her baby brother upon their first meeting, things changed after they brought him home from hospital. All of a sudden the two-year-old started to see her baby brother as a new toy, quickly growing besotted with him.
Emi often tried to play around him, talking to him, showing him her toys and being interested in even just watching Betty feed him, change him or settle him down.
His big sister had also given Cooper a voice, frequently telling one or both of her parents that 'Cooper wants...', which typically happened to be exactly what she wants or Emi is asking for, too, ever so coincidentally...
However, Betty has needed to keep a close eye on Emi constantly to make sure the two-year-old isn't trying to hug him to death or she isn't forcing his little fingers open to hold onto her toys or she isn't trying to pick him up without one of her parent's assistance or she isn't trying to poke her fingers in his eyes or she isn't trying to cram all of her own babies and dolls into Cooper's bouncer with him. And that's when she's not bellowing into his ear or playing around noisily while he's trying to sleep.
In fact, if Betty had a dollar for every time she'd had to say the words "gentle, Emi!" she'd never have to work another day in her life, not even counting each time her husband had said the same two words, too.
Thankfully though, as she adjusted to life with caring for two young children it had been incredibly useful for Betty that the two were often in the same room, at the same time, thanks to Emi's interest in her new toy that was her baby brother, never straying too far from him.
However, while Emi had grown to adore her baby brother, as the weeks went by, Cooper seemed to fear her, sensing whenever his big sister was near...
Almost as soon as she'd touch him or press a messy kiss to his forehead or even just as soon as she would walk into the room, the newborn would begin to cry or become upset whenever his big sister was near. It was almost as though he'd come to know and expect that Emi being near meant he knew that he was going to be disturbed by her in one way or another.
In fact, after several weeks of hearing her parents telling anyone who held Cooper and even just each other: "aw, he likes that" or "he likes you..." an offended Emi made a declaration with her arms crossed in front of her, looking annoyed.
"Coopey no like Emi."
Emi seemed to be both a little hurt and a little offended for the rest of her day despite her parents reassurances that: "of course he likes you, Emi... you just need to remember to be gentle with him". However by the next day all seemed to be forgotten and the two-year-old returned to adoring her baby brother.
#
In addition to fearing how her two-year-old would take to being a big sister, one of Betty's main concerns during her pregnancy with her second child had been the impact it would have on her husband's relationship with Emi seeing as they'd be welcoming their first biological child. While he had tried to reassure her of it during her pregnancy, Betty really had nothing to worry about...
After all, despite her concerns about the impact that Cooper's arrival would have on Jughead's bond with Emi, the father and daughter duo had only grown closer since returning home with Cooper.
While Betty was busy with Cooper who needed her especially at his age as she worked around feedings and developing a routine with him, Jughead had taken charge with looking after their eldest child predominantly and trying to maintain the routine that they had already set for her since bringing their second child home as his wife focused on the new baby.
So, as soon as she managed to settle her three-week-old son back down again after being woken up by his sister when she had called out for their mum to put a movie on for her, Betty was fearful of the loud two-year-old waking him again; as had been the case from almost the day that they brought their son home from the hospital.
Emi was still young, too, and she hadn't quite grasped the concept of 'inside voices' just yet. Most of the time she isn't deliberately loud or boisterous. However, she is just loud enough that it means that she is frequently disturbing her baby brother.
"I swear, if she wakes him again..." Betty murmurs to her husband through a yawn, carrying the baby monitor that feeds through from Cooper's bassinet in their bedroom along with her.
Jughead just gives Betty a tired, half-smile in response from where he's set up at his desk and where he had been typing away with Emi watching 'Toy Story 2' on the lounge just behind him.
They'd had an awful night last night with Cooper's late night antics, refusing to settle down as easily as he normally would. Then, when they'd finally gotten Cooper to sleep, another little visitor toddled into their room at three AM, her eyes moist after she'd woken up from her big-girl bed to a nightmare that had her unsettled. In the end, they'd been too tired to try and fight her, so Jughead and Betty ended up with Emi between them until Cooper woke up again just half an hour later and then again just before six.
"I'll take Emi out for a walk and maybe to the park for a bit so she doesn't wake him again. You should try and sleep while he is, too..."
As Jughead gets up, gathering the essentials for their outing, he shares their plans with Emi behind him: "up you get bubba... You're coming to the park with daddy."
The two-year-old didn't need to be told twice after hearing one of her favourite words in the world.
After a loving kiss of appreciation to her husband's cheek and a goodbye to her daughter, Betty too doesn't have to be told twice before she quietly enters into their bedroom where Cooper is still sleeping soundly, planning to join him in napping for just as long as he is...
#
A little under an hour after Jughead and Emi left for the park and after Betty went back to bed, the young mum is woken up again by loud knocks at the door that wake both her and Cooper this time.
Instantly picking Cooper up out of his bassinet as she tries to settle and hush him on her way to the front door, Betty curses her husband for leaving his keys behind until she opens the door, only to find two completely different people than her husband and their daughter waiting on the other side.
"Mr. and Mrs. Clayton... Hi... How are you?" Betty greets, looking between the couple as she bounces her son in her arms drowsily trying to settle him even more frantically now.
Betty hadn't seen the Clayton's -her daughter's biological paternal grandparents- since a few weeks after Chuck's funeral when they'd moved out of town for a fresh start and a new beginning after burying their son.
"We're well, thank you, Betty" Chuck's mother replies with a warm smile, looking to the baby in the young mum's arms, clearly more than a little perplexed.
While trying to wrap her head around her surprise visitors, Betty notes the look on the other woman's face, realising that she's clearly not holding the child that they were here to see.
"Sorry, Jughead's actually taken Emi out to the park... This is her little brother, Cooper" Betty explains, bouncing the upset baby in her arms.
The look on Chuck's mothers face is a little warmer than the look on the face of the man beside her, while Betty continues to bounce her son in her arms, calming him down.
"Oh, he's wonderful... Congratulations."
With a small smile flickering over her face at the comment as she tries to soothe Cooper, Betty just utters a distracted: "thanks..."
Betty really does appreciate the comment, knowing that the two don't have the same vested interest in her son as they do her daughter, prompting her to elaborate on that very point.
"... But, you're not really here for Cooper, are you?"
The couple standing on her doorstep exchange a sheepish glance before answering her.
"You're right... We were hoping we'd be able to see Emi. Although you mentioned it around the time of the funeral, we thought we'd wait a little while to allow things to die down a bit. We thought that us trying to spend time with her might have been a bit of an inconvenience for you while she was still so little. Then with our move... But, if it still stands, we would be ever so grateful to take you up on your offer to spend some time with Emi."
Betty stands there, rocking Cooper in her arms a little distantly before she finally speaks up, despite the fact that she's just now heard the words that she'd been expecting to hear from her visitor since the minute that she saw who was standing on the other side of her front door.
"Oh, wow, okay, um..."
Deep down, Betty stands by the offer that she'd put out there almost two years ago, knowing that it is the right thing to do. After all, Chuck's parents and his little sister are just as blameless as Betty herself is for what happened, resulting in the existence of little Emi.
However, despite her best intentions to do the right thing by everyone, Betty doesn't know how or when or where she's going to be able to. Not to mention, there's a selfish part of Betty that wants her daughter to have nothing to do with anything or anyone remotely linked to Clayton name and while she doesn't blame them at all, Betty doesn't exactly love to spend time with her rapist's parents... Added to that, she knows how churned up Jughead gets whenever he is with the Clayton's or even simply whenever their name is raised, feeling insecure from the company of his daughter's blood relatives, knowing that technically he is not one of them.
Then, with a deep breath that she exhales slowly, Betty looks between the couple who would be about the same age as her own parents,
"I'll have to talk to my husband about it first but then I'll get back to you, possibly about meeting tomorrow? But, just know that like I've said in the past, Jughead is Emi's father. I know you are related to Emi, too, but if you want to spend time with my daughter, you have to respect that Chuck is not and will not ever be recognised as her father."
While the Clayton's had been accepting and warm before that point, Betty's warning did quite clearly make them grow a little more uncomfortable. However, it was important and it had to be said if they wanted the young parents to even consider them being permitted to spend time with their two-year-old.
#
When Jughead and Emi returned home only half an hour or so after the Clayton's left, Betty didn't hear the pep talk Jughead was giving their two-year-old on the other side of the door, reminding her that she needed to be "really, really, really quiet" because "noise makes Cooper wake up and that makes mummy grumpy".
Emi had nodded through her father's words and again when he doubled check that she understood.
However, what Betty did hear was the words that Emi bellowed out excitedly as soon as Jughead opened the door, as though she'd completely forgotten every word her dad had just said...
"MUMMY! ME HERE DADDY!"
Her daughter's jumble of words and her semi-sentence brings a smile to face. But, Betty can't help but wish that the father-daughter duo had been the knock at the door that she'd heard about an hour ago when she'd felt furious with her husband for thinking he'd left his key at home at the time, only to open the door to a whole other can of worms...
Hearing Jughead and Emi walk through the home where he's telling her off for talking loudly despite the multiple pep talks he'd given her while they were out, the father-daughter duo walk through to the lounge where Betty's feeding Cooper.
"Obedience. Emilie Jones's strong point..." Jughead states sarcastically, upon entering the room and spotting his wife on the lounge.
However as soon as he sees her, Jughead can tell that something's wrong or something has happened within three seconds flat, simply from the look on her face.
After Emi races over, giving her mother's knee a quick hug and stopping to watch her baby brother for a few moments, Emi is quick to become distracted with her toys in the corner, leaving Jughead to sit beside Betty and Cooper, touching his wife's arm with his hand as she feeds their son.
"Betts? What's wrong?"
Tearing her eyes away from Emi who she has followed from the moment she entered the room, Betty exhales a heavy sigh before turning to look at her husband.
"The Clayton's visited while you were out... They want to see Emi."
#
Jughead hated the idea. She knew he would.
They talked, they argued, they discussed what was fair for the Clayton's and most importantly they'd weighed up what was best for Emi. Then, in the end, they had decided to make plans to meet at Pop's tomorrow for lunch with the idea of trying to allow the Clayton's to have a little bit of time with Emi while they were just a few tables over, keeping her in their sight.
Emi had clutched onto the security of her father, clinging onto Jughead's neck as he held her in his arms when the three complete strangers to the two-year-old hurried over and began fussing over her from the moment that the Jones family entered the small town diner.
"It's okay, bubba..." he'd reassured his daughter, pressing a kiss into her hair as she clung to him, nestling her head against his shoulder for safety.
Jughead and Betty had done a swap, he putting Emi down on the ground with another reassuring kiss to her locks before Betty handed him their sleeping son's capsule. Then, Betty had taken Emi's hand and walked her over to the Clayton's table. They'd backed off upon sensing her fear walking in, with Betty then setting her daughter in her lap as Emi slowly warmed up to the Clayton's with the comfort of her mother being there.
Then, after about twenty minutes, Betty pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead, setting her down to sit in the booth alongside her aunt Chloe who was only about ten years older than her, telling Emi to play with them for a few minutes and reassuring her that mummy and daddy are still right here.
Betty could see the scowl on her husband's face from across the room when she stood up from the Clayton's table with a deep breath, struggling to get up and walk away from her daughter like that as she returned to Jughead and Cooper where her boys sat nearby.
Jughead hated the emotion on Chuck's mothers face as she talked to and played with the child that was half of her late son. Jughead hated the fact that the smaller age gap between the two of them made it easier for Emi to play with Chloe than with her other two aunts. Really, Jughead just hated that his daughter had anything to do with her other family; her family that had nothing to do with him.
Emi lasted with the Clayton's for almost an hour before she'd started demanding her parents again. Then, with a trip via the playground on the way home at the Clayton's request, the outing was over and the family of four were back to just four.
After all, seeing how much their daughter had enjoyed it -being spoiled by her grandparents and spending time with her aunt Chloe who she adored especially who knew all the tricks to entertain her- had hurt both Jughead and Betty a bit.
But, at the end of the day, Betty felt at peace with the fact that she'd done the right thing by the people who were just as blameless in their son's actions as she was.
#
However, despite her sense of peace at feeling as though she'd made the right decision and the best choice for everyone involved, a few hours after falling asleep Betty was jolted awake.
And, surprisingly, it wasn't Cooper's cries that were the culprit this time.
Rather it was the same fear and nightmare that felt all too real, all too familiar and all too horrific to handle that woke her up, leaving her panting through her short, raspy breaths and with moist, clammy, sweating skin.
Jughead woke up within moments of her, immediately knowing what was happening as she tried to keep her breathing quiet as she simultaneously tried to calm herself down, reassuring herself that it was just a nightmare, she was okay and she was safe and sound in the comfort of their room and their bed with her husband by her side and their son sleeping in the bassinet in their room.
Despite the fact that the most horrific night of her life was almost three years ago now, it still felt so vivid and so real to Betty, especially in the nightmares that continued to disturb her through the night.
It wasn't as bad as it was after the attack initially but her nightmares were still frequent enough, waking her perhaps every one to two months. Or, every now and then there'd be a streak when it was particularly bad, leaving her waking up in the same way two or three times within just a week.
After all, her nightmares are recurring scars of what still haunts her both when prompted by reminders of the event and even when not.
"Hey, hey, hey... You're okay... It's okay... It was just a nightmare... You're okay, Betts... I'm right here... Everything's okay... You're safe, Betty... I won't let anything happen to you...You're okay."
Jughead brought his wife and her smaller body into his arms, holding her securely against him, while stroking her hair, trying to calm her. It's what he'd found to be the most soothing and reassuring to her when she wakes from her nightmares.
Betty's breathing seems to calm from hearing her husband's heart beat from where her head is pressed against his chest, knowing how she needs to be held, the words she needs to hear and the way he can comfort her after much trial and error over the last three years since the traumatic event that continues to haunt her deep down.
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to drop a review and let me know what you think. There'll be a bit of a jump in time with the next one but you'll find that with a few of the ones that follow seeing as this is just a collection of moments from their lives rather than a chapter-by-chapter story.
Next chapter: A funeral, an anniversary and a milestone in Cooper's life.
