Hey! Sorry it took me so long to update. There is probably only one chapter of this story left plus the epilogue. Thanks for all the reviews! In this chapter, Jackie's in the hospital and her friends are worried. Will she be okay? Will the finale go on? Read on to find out! Disclaimer: I don't own That '70s Show, but I have been enjoying the first two seasons of the show I now own on DVD!
Tony sat on the bench outside the studio, waiting for his ride to come pick him up. Usually Mikey drove all of them home, but since they'd had to take Jackie to the hospital that morning he'd called the Vortex to get a ride. He lit a cigarette and took a long drag. For someone who'd been a jock for the majority of his life, he smoked a lot. Tony liked smoking. It gave him something to do with his hands when he was nervous, something other than fidget them nervously. One of the good things about living in the Vortex was that you could always find someone with a pack of smokes. Artists and musicians leaned towards smoking as a recreational activity. It added to their mysterious, dangerous image. Not that Tony minded of course. He loved living in the Vortex. Then again, he couldn't think of anybody he knew who didn't.
The Vortex had saved him. Really, it had saved all of them. It had saved Jackie from the neglect of parents who didn't want her or give a crap. It gave her a family, one that cared and willing to help her. It had saved Tanya from a disapproving family, one that viewed her simply as an extension of their own beliefs. It gave her a place where she was loved for her mind and opinions and even respected for them. It had saved Lizzie from foster care, from a life of being put down and pushed around. It gave her a second chance and a whole new family to love. It has saved Mikey from the prejudice of his own family and the looks and mumbles he heard from them. It gave him a place where he could be himself, a place where he could flirt with a cute guy at a party and not get shit for it. It had saved Quill for paranoid parents who'd never been real parents and a life that she didn't want. It gave her a stable place and set of people she could count it. Tony knew it had saved him to. It had saved him from getting beat to death at the hand of his own father and given him a place where people didn't want to hurt him. It gave him a place where he was safe.
Tony was snapped out of his thoughts by the honking of a car. He looked up to see one of the new musicians from the Vortex waving at him. This guy was part of a punk band that was crashing at the Vortex while passing through Wisconsin on their way to New York City. Tony got in the car, and the guy started to drive. The band's album was blasting from the radio, causing people on the sidewalk to eye them suspiciously. Tony didn't care. It was a good album. He hoped that the band actually made it to New York.
Finally, they were back at the Vortex. Tony got out of the car, thanked the guy who he thought played bass, and ran into the old house. He took out his key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. Since it was still relatively early in the day, there weren't many people there. Belinda and Wren were making out on the couch and didn't even notice Tony walk in. A guy was strumming his guitar in the corner while someone was painting a landscape by looking out the window. He found Lizzie doing homework at the kitchen table. Her eyes got wide when she spotted Tony.
"What happened?" she asked nervously, springing up from her seat. Lizzie knew that Tony was supposed to be at the studio with Mikey, Quill, and Jackie. She didn't see Mikey either, which meant that Tony had gotten a ride home from someone else. Which meant…
"Lia fainted. She's unconscious and…" he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. He was so fed up with hospitals.
"Mikey and Quill sent you to make sure we all found out," Lizzie finished. She closed her books and looked at Tony. "I'm going to go walk up Tanya, and then you two can go to the hospital. I'll tell Lia's other friends."
Tony nodded, glad someone else had taken charge. "Thank you," he mumbled. Lizzie nodded and went to wake up Tanya. Not even five minutes later, the drowsy redhead and the blonde met Tony at the door. Having only been woken up a few minutes prior, Tanya was highly alert though very oddly dressed. She was wearing a pink tank top with a grey-hoodie over it and yellow-striped pajama pants. Purple flip-flops were on her feet, and her usually well-kept hair was thrown up in a sloppy bun. Tony would've laughed at the sight if it hadn't been an emergency.
They dropped Lizzie off first. The tiny blonde waved and walked towards the basement door, taking a deep breath. She opened the door and stepped inside only to find no one inside. Confused, she walked upstairs to the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Forman were snuggled up on the couch watching a movie. Mr. Forman immediately noticed her and sighed. "The dumbasses went to a movie," he informed Lizzie. "Hopefully they'll never come back."
"Red!" Mrs. Forman reprimanded, smacking her husband on the arm before turning to the little blonde girl Jackie had been bringing around the basement lately. The girl definitely needed some fattening up, she decided. Then again, so did Jackie. "What's wrong, sweetie?"
Lizzie felt her voice crack. "Jackie's in the hospital," she explained to the bewildered couple. "She collapsed during rehearsal today. I was supposed to come and tell you guys."
Suprisingly, it was Red who stood up first. "I'll go warm up the car. No dilly-dadaling!" he shouted. Kitty gave Lizzie a tight smile.
"Jackie's his favorite," she explained. Lizzie nodded in understanding. It was nice knowing Jackie had adults, people who could actually help her, looking out for her. Maybe they could save her... Maybe they could help her… Maybe… Lizzie let these thoughts roll around in her head as they drove to the hospital, completing forgetting the task she'd been given: make sure the basement gang knows. She didn't know it, but all hell would break loose in a few hours when the gang got back.