When Betty had her final ultrasound before she gave birth, Jughead had been in awe as he stared at the monitor.
"It's so much bigger." He said, turning to Betty with wide eyes. "How does it fit inside you?"
The nurse had laughed at him, and while Betty had wanted to roll her eyes at Jughead, she couldn't hold back her smile as she reached out for his hand.
Later that night, as Betty drifted off into sleep, she felt Jughead's hand drifting lower on her abdomen.
"I can't wait to meet you." He whispered, and Betty smiled without opening her eyes…
…now, as Betty lay in her hospital bed, completely exhausted in ways she hadn't even known were possible, she took comfort in the feel of Jughead's hand clasped in her own as she held her newborn daughter to her chest.
"She looks just like you." Betty said quietly, tearing her eyes away from the baby to look up at Jughead.
He was already sitting by her side in his hospital chair, but he managed to scoot even closer to her. "I think she looks like you." He responded. His head dropped down to lean against Betty's shoulder. She smiled as she leaned her cheek against his hair.
Their baby had the silkiest black hair Betty had ever felt. She let her fingertips linger along the tiny tresses as she ran her thumb along the baby's temple. The baby had fallen asleep almost immediately after she ceased screaming, but she was still unbelievably noisy - she made gurgling squeaks, and light snores, and wheezy whimpers; all unconsciously, Betty assumed, but all so adorable that Betty couldn't help being in awe.
The Midwife sent Twyla into their room to teach Betty how to breastfeed, and the young student made a considerable effort not to blush as she asked Betty a myriad of deeply personal questions. Luckily (perhaps?) Betty was too exhausted to be embarrassed.
Throughout the day, Jughead stayed rigidly by Betty's side, despite the obvious bags forming under his eyes.
("I can't sleep even if I try, Betts.")
But Betty did convince him to retrieve the little yellow beanie she knitted over the Summer from her Louis Vuitton baby bag. Jughead grinned as Betty helped him slide it onto the baby's head.
("Now I see the paternal resemblance." Jughead teased.)
Three hours after the baby officially existed, a nurse came by the room to document her name.
But they didn't have one.
"I'm sorry," Betty said, panic rising in her voice, "we thought we'd have longer to decide…"
The nurse waved her hand. "It's fine, just… try to think of one before you leave, otherwise you'll need to register the birth yourselves." She clipped, and spun on her heel towards the door.
Jughead frowned as he watched the nurse leave. "I don't think she likes us." He noted.
Betty peered up at him. "Or, she doesn't think teen parents could possibly handle the responsibility of registering their baby's birth themselves."
Jughead sighed and leaned his head back on Betty's shoulder. "We haven't even left the hospital yet and we're already getting judged." He grumbled.
But Betty merely shrugged. "I don't care what one trashy nurse thinks of us, Juggie. We'll come up with a good name for her - even if we have to do it back at our dorm rooms." Her eyes widened, and for the first time since giving birth, she went rigid. "I mean… from our Combi. But, speaking of… are FP and my Mom far away? If I get discharged before they get here…" she stared into Jughead's eyes nervously.
He knew what she was thinking: they couldn't take the baby back to the dorm rooms (Betty had even double checked with the campus counsellor). But FP hadn't arrived in the Combi yet - until he did, Betty and Jughead had nowhere to take their infant…
Jughead wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "We'll go to a hotel or something if we have to. I still have some money saved."
"So do I." Betty admitted. "But now that she's here… it isn't going to last us much longer."
"Hey, if I have to, I can make eighteen dollars last for two whole weeks. Trust the process."
Betty leaned her cheek onto his head. "I trust you Jug."
Their fears weren't necessary, because within half an hour FP called to let Jughead know that he had started the drive from Riverdale. Alice and Jellybean were driving up separately, and had packed all of the remaining baby things they'd collected and received as gifts into the Combi for them.
Betty visibly relaxed with the news that her mother would be arriving in T-Minus three hours.
Jughead held their daughter for ten minutes almost an hour after she was born, during which time Betty was being tended to by the Midwife. Since then, Betty had her cradled to her chest, stroking her soft cheeks and smiling between the baby and Jughead. Only now did Betty's exhaustion finally catch up to her, and Jughead noted she was struggling to keep her eyes open.
"Do you want me to take her?" He asked, his voice filled with an eager nervousness.
Betty smiled. "Yeah… I might close my eyes for a few minutes, if that's okay with you…?"
Jughead untangled himself from Betty to receive the newborn. "You've earned an entire week's worth of sleep today, Betts. Though I'll admit, it's probably going to be the worst week of sleep in your entire life…"
Betty let out a breathy laugh as she awkwardly handed the baby to Jughead's tense arms. "Watch her head." She grimaced as the baby's neck tilted back against the crook of Jughead's arm.
The new father looked far from comfortable holding the newborn, and truthfully was more stiff and uncoordinated than a toddler doing ballet turns - but the sight of her baby in his arms filled Betty with a prideful, joyous emotion; the remaining post-birth hormones willed her to cry at the sight, but Betty swallowed back the tears.
…
By the time Betty fell asleep, Jughead was reasonably confident that he wasn't going to drop the baby.
Reasonably.
He needed to use the restroom, but when he slowly stood and walked the three steps it took to get to the baby's little hospital bed on wheels, he realised he had absolutely no idea how to set her down inside it. So he merely held her tighter and sat back down in the uncomfortable plastic chair and looked down at his newborn.
She really did look like Jughead. She had his ears, and his cheeks, and his lips - but her nose was Betty's, and the few times she opened her eyes he was sure he could see flecks of green staring back up at him.
Under her layers of hospital-issue blankets, Jughead knew she wore a hospital ID securely around her wrist that read, in black typewriter font: "Baby Cooper", her date of birth (November 18th, 2020) and Betty's name and ward number. Jughead smirked in amusement as he realised that it was, in a way, his daughter's first item of jewellery. Maybe Veronica would get a kick out of that…
He settled the baby's weight into his right arm, and with his left he reached down into the back of his jeans to pull out his cell phone. He sent a message to a few of his friends individually that said simply: You want to see something cool?
Before he could elaborate, Archie responded with a photo of the front lawn outside his house, covered white with snow. Everything is cool right now, Juggie, was Archie's follow up message, along with an emoji of a monkey covering its face.
Sweet Pea made a disturbingly similar response, sans an evidentiary image.
Fangs reacted faster, and with far more of a clue. If it's the baby I'm going to freak the fuck out.
Jughead smirked in amusement, and then Toni's message made him outright grin: Cheryl just told me! Do you have photos?!
Word certainly travelled fast in the Cooper-Blossom family.
Jughead hovered his phone above the baby's face, and tried to find a 'good' angle of her. His fingers had a death-grip on the phone, being that he was paranoid he'd drop it on her face. Still, he thought he'd managed to get a good enough picture of his daughter - still sleeping and snuggled up in his arm.
He sent the photo to his friends, and was instantly attacked with an explosion of messages. He was grateful that he had his phone on silent, lest he wake the exhausted mother of his child.
A little jolt ran through Jughead's heart. Betty wasn't just Betty any more… she was a mother. His eyes widened as he applied the same sentiment to himself - Jughead Jones, a father, he thought. We're parents. I'm holding our daughter right now.
As he contemplated sending the image of said daughter to his family, he decided to instead let them be surprised by how awesome she was after they arrived and saw her in person. Besides, Betty probably wanted to send any info to Polly and her own friends. He could make decisions like that now, he supposed, since he was the baby's father and all.
Although, it became apparent as the hours started to go by, that merely knowing he was the baby's father was apparently not always enough for several of the hospital staff to let him make medical decisions.
A new nurse came into the room with a distracted look on her face. Jughead was still seated on the chair beside Betty's bed, clutching the baby close.
"Mom's asleep, is she?" The nurse asked. She picked up the clipboard at the end of Betty's bed and read over her notes.
"Sure is." Jughead mused. "I'd say like a baby, but I don't think I've ever met anyone who sleeps as noisily as this thing." He lifted his daughter slightly higher.
The nurse chuckled. "I'll come back later then."
Jughead tilted his head to the side. "What is it? Maybe I have the answer."
The nurse merely shook her head. "Oh, no, sorry, only Mom can give consent, I'm afraid."
Something akin to annoyance settled into Jughead's chest. "Consent for what? Is something wrong with her?" He failed to keep the worry out of his voice.
"Oh, no, nothing to worry about. Just an injection, if she wishes." The nurse assured him.
Jughead felt his shoulders ease. "Oh, well that's easy, she wants her to have all the injections. Any vaccination you have, feel free to give it to her."
The nurse's eyes were still warm, but her lips tightened. "Yes, well… once Mom wakes up we can talk about it then."
The nurse left quickly after that, and Jughead caught himself frowning at the interaction. He put it out of his mind and spent some time answering messages. Toni wanted to know the baby's name, and he sheepishly responded that they hadn't yet decided. A second nurse came by half an hour later, and made the same note that Betty was still asleep so she'd have to return at a later time.
Jughead stood with the baby before the nurse turned completely around. "Wait! If you need to give her an injection or something, I'm happy for you to do it now."
The nurse pursed her lips. "Well, I guess we can wake Mom up and see what she thinks."
"That's okay, leave her." Jughead said in a rush as the nurse stepped towards Betty's bed. "I'd rather not wake Betty up right now… I'm sure you guys want us out of your hair as soon as possible, so if getting all the baby-related medical things out of the way helps ease things along, then that's fine by me."
But the nurse continued on her mission. "It's all good, I'll just see if I can wake her." She placed a gentle hand on Betty's shoulder. "Elizabeth?" She asked softly.
Betty groaned and opened her eyes. "Yeah?" She said sleepily, then abruptly jolted and sat up straighter. "Oh, hi… I almost forgot where I was." She said sheepishly.
The nurse smiled politely. "Sorry to disturb you, but I just came by to check if you wanted the baby to receive the Vitamin K injection."
Betty blinked and rubbed her eyes with her fist. Her own hospital bracelet caught Jughead's eye. "Yes, please. Thank you."
"I'll sort that out for you now." She said kindly. "How are you feeling? Do you need any pain relief?"
Betty shook her head. "I'm fine. The contractions have stopped, I think." Betty said calmly.
That was another fun fact about childbirth Jughead was unprepared for; women still had contractions after the baby was born, so that the uterus could retract back into its usual size.
The nurse nodded and straightened her vest. "I'll be right back."
Before she completely left the door, Jughead called out to her. "Nurse. Um, I'm sorry, but… why did you need to wake her up for that? You could have just asked me. My answer would have been the same."
The nurse's eyes flashed with panic for a moment before she composed herself. "Oh, sorry… it's just, legally we need the parent's consent before we can give any kind of medication to the baby."
"Yeah, I figured that, but… I'm her Dad. What's the issue with me deciding these things for her?" Jughead was trying not to make his frown so obvious - but it had been a long two days, and subtlety wasn't tired-Jughead's strong suit.
The nurse let out a long breath. "Well, you haven't signed the birth certificate yet… and you're not married, so paternity can't be assumed…"
Jughead could feel an irrationally seething anger building up inside him. "Right." He said curtly.
The nurse gave him an apologetic look. "Nothing against you… sir. That's just our policy."
"Nothing you can do." Jughead muttered, and as the nurse left, he turned around back to face Betty. She was biting her lip, amusement in her eyes. "What?" Jughead said, tilting his head curiously.
She let out a laugh. "The poor nurses don't stand a chance against Father Jones."
Jughead sighed and walked back towards the bed. "It's just annoying. They did not have to wake you up for that." He muttered. Betty reached her arms out for the baby, and Jughead handed her over with slightly more ease than he'd taken her. "What does Vitamin K even do?"
"Helps with blood clotting." Betty said simply. She smiled down at the baby. "There's a rare bleeding disorder babies can get if they're deficient in Vitamin K, which they don't get enough of during pregnancy. Considering how many anti-nausea medications I took the last few months, and the fact that the Ghoulies drugged me… I'd rather not tempt fate with her."
Jughead nodded. "Fair enough." He said quietly. It was mildly stressful to note how fragile the infant was - she was completely dependent on Betty, and him, to make sure she was looked after. To make sure she had the right amount of vitamins, and was fed properly, and kept warm… it was cold outside in New Haven, Jughead knew that much. Winter was fast approaching, and for the first time he voiced a new fear: "Betts, what if it's too cold in the Combi? It was Summer the last time we slept in it… maybe we should have considered the weather more…"
Betty smiled up at him. "Calm down there, Daddy… we have everything we need, okay? She's not going to freeze to death."
Jughead swallowed, and hoped she knew what she was talking about.
Who am I kidding? He thought. Of course she knows what she's talking about.
Betty's very presence was calming, as was her general demeanour. For all the stress and anxiety she'd radiated in the lead up to giving birth, actually holding the baby in her arms seemed to have melted away all of the fears and the worries. Betty was singularly focused on her newborn, and had been smiling for most of the day; she seemed, in a cheesy manner of speaking, to be born for this. Surely it wasn't only sixteen hours earlier that she'd been hunched over on the floor and gazing fearfully at Jughead while she declared: "I'm not ready…"
Jughead had to admit it: Betty looked ready now.
He was a different story - his stomach was still doing flips, and he had approximately six hundred and twelve questions running through his mind all at once - but they had each other, and he knew without a doubt that they'd figure it all out together.
…
"Together" was a facet Jughead was heavily relying on. He needed Betty to get through this chapter of their book of life. There was no way he could handle raising a baby without her.
And yet, as the hours trickled past, Jughead allowed himself to relax. Nothing bad had happened - no one had stormed in and stolen their baby, nobody had died, or gotten shot. His mind very slowly acclimatised to the fact that Betty was okay, the baby was okay, and everything would remain okay.
Maybe it was because they were no longer in Riverdale that he let himself get a little too confident…
Betty's childbirth had gone as smoothly as could have been expected. The baby was healthy despite coming slightly early, and wouldn't need to spend time in the NICU. Betty didn't "tear" - a fact she was immeasurably grateful for. Within a few hours, her nausea dissipated, and the overwhelming relief of finally not feeling the need to vomit was visible in Betty's eyes.
So maybe what happened hours later was a complete fluke - medical abnormalities just happened sometimes, and there wasn't anything they could have done to prevent it - or maybe the Midwife was so overwhelmed with the seven labouring mothers she was sharing her attention with… but Jughead quickly became aware that 'okay' was wishful thinking. Maybe 'okay' wasn't enough of a guarantee…
Betty sat up in the bed, and slid her legs around the side of the mattress while still holding the baby. She moved slowly, and cautiously, and Jughead noted that she winced in pain as her feet met the floor. She opened her mouth to say something to Jughead, but in a sudden rush the color completely drained from her face. She swayed on her feet, her arms - still gripping the infant - shaking with the sort of buzz one gets from too many cups of coffee.
Jughead stood in an instant and placed his hands on either side of her arms. "Hey… you all good?"
Betty swallowed and closed her eyes for a moment, when she opened them again, she appeared to have regained some of her calm. "I think I stood up too fast." She admitted.
Jughead gave her a concerned look. "Do you want me to get the nurse?"
"No, no, I'm okay, just a bit dizzy." She assured him. But she was frowning as she moved her arms out towards him. "Do you mind…?"
"Of course, hold on." Jughead tentatively reached out for the baby, and his heart raced faster as Betty awkwardly placed her in his arms. "We're going to have to practise that." He joked.
She let out a small laugh. "Yeah. I don't think either of us are naturals." She admitted. Even so, she gazed down at the baby in Jughead's arms, and reached her hand up to run her thumb across the baby's cheek. "She's so… beautiful."
"She is." Jughead agreed, unable to contain his smile. "Must get it from her Mom."
Betty's lips twitched as she looked back up at him. She lifted up on her toes, and Jughead leaned his head down to meet her lips. He didn't try to deepen their kiss - but it felt deeper now; more meaningful, and full of a deeper, more intense love that was somehow lighter and weightier at the same time. Jughead felt like his chest was tightening, and at the same time opening up wider as though to reach out and embrace Betty itself.
It was an odd mental image, but one that resonated with him as he watched Betty walk into the bathroom.
The baby made a whimpering noise, and Jughead felt panic rising inside him as he rocked her and silently begged her not to cry. She opened her eyes and blinked up at him, her face squinting and grimacing back at him.
"Sshhh, it's okay, Mom's coming back soon…" He whispered - and his heart leapt into his throat as he watched her eyes flutter closed again. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard…
When Betty re-emerged, her complexion had gotten paler, if that was even possible. Perhaps his tired brain was overdramatising the sight before him. She walked closer, shakily, and there was genuine fear in her eyes as she sat on the end of the hospital bed.
"You alright, Betts?" Jughead asked, and as his eyes slid over her, his concern for her rose.
She shook her head. "I'm not feeling too great, Jug… though to be fair, I did just have a baby." The ghost of a smile came across her face, and a small twinkle of amusement was present in her eyes.
Jughead didn't get the chance to respond to her before Twyla Twyst entered Betty's room. "How are we doing in here?" She asked chirpily, and Jughead felt a twinge of relief - at least this member of the medical staff wasn't insanely judgemental.
Jughead answered. "She's sick."
Betty rolled her eyes. "I'm just tired… and kind of dizzy? I don't think I'm sick per se…"
Twyla smiled as she approached the bed. "Maria sent me in to check up on you. She's really sorry she hasn't been by yet - she's delivering triplets at the moment because the mother is insisting on a vaginal birth, but we have the doctor on standby just in case; honestly, it's been crazy in the birthing suites." She kept speaking calmly as she checked Betty's temperature. "Maria's the only available Midwife this morning - but we have managed to call someone in. I still can't deliver babies without supervision, unfortunately, which is a shame considering how many we've had today." She chuckled as she wrote down notes in Betty's chart. "Is there something in the water? I swear, we haven't had this many births at once since I started my training."
Betty smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're here."
"Aww, aren't you sweet." She said kindly. "So, you said you were feeling dizzy…?"
Twyla procured an instrument to check Betty's blood pressure and continued chatting calmly to both the new parents. "How's Trula doing at Yale, Jughead? I must say, I get nervous with her being in the dorms… my own freshman life was less than ideal." She chuckled as she kept her eyes on the instrument strapped to Betty's arm. "Call it me being an overprotective sister, but…"
Jughead stood by the bed nervously, still holding his daughter in his arms. "She doesn't let anything bother her, I'll say that. And she isn't afraid to express her opinions in class. She actually had this hilarious idea last week about Shakespeare that made our professor blush."
Twyla sighed. "Oh God, that sounds about right…" She trailed off as she read the monitor beside Betty. A little jolt of fear ran down Jughead's spine as the smile slid off Twyla's face and a frown replaced it. "Can I get you to lay back down again? I just need to check how much you're bleeding…"
Jughead's brain went into red-alert mode, but Betty seemed relatively unconcerned as she lay back down against her pillows and raised her knees. Twyla pulled a curtain closed around Betty's bed, and Jughead cringed as images of Betty giving birth flashed across his memory…
He focused more on the baby to give Betty some semblance of privacy, and within five minutes the mostly calm (if a little stressed) mood of the hospital room turned to one of urgency.
"I don't want either of you to panic." Twyla said calmly, though her wide eyes betrayed her fear. "But some loud alarms are going to go off in the ward." She pulled a black electronic device out of the pocket of her coat.
Betty raised up on her elbows. "Why, what's happening?" Her voice was strained with stress, and Jughead noted that the paleness of her complexion was becoming more pronounced by the minute. "Are you calling the Midwife?"
Twyla activated something on her electronic device, and indeed, a loud and rather ear-piercing sound echoed throughout the ward. The baby in Jughead's arms startled, and she started to cry with her eyes still screwed shut.
Jughead struggled to hear over the combined audio intrusions of the alarm and the baby, but Twyla calmly explained: "Your blood pressure is very low, and you're losing a lot of blood… that alarm is what's called a Code Blue - any second now we're going to be visited by a doctor and a few more nurses."
"Doesn't Code Blue mean someone is…" Dying? Jughead stopped himself completing the sentence.
Twyla shook her head. "No, no, don't panic. It just means we have an emergency…"
"Emergency?" Betty croaked out. A sliver of genuine fear was etching itself on her features.
Twyla's mouth opened to respond, but she was cut off as another woman walked through the door. This woman was clearly the doctor - she didn't have the same uniform as Twyla or all the nurses, and she exuded a powerful confidence that seemed to intimidate not only Twyla, but the three other nurses that entered the room behind her.
The doctor was in charge, that much became instantly true. She asked Twyla questions and directed her and the other nurses to perform checks and gather information - she instructed Twyla to start pushing on Betty's abdomen - Uterine Massage, was apparently what the forceful motion was called, which the doctor indicated was necessary to make sure the uterus had contracted enough. Betty groaned in pain and grit her teeth, and Jughead stood by helplessly and tried to stay out of the doctor's way.
One thing he'd learned from his baby books was that it was the Nurses and Midwives that looked after pregnant people. Doctors rarely showed up unless there was a problem.
And, it seemed… Betty had a problem.
It truly was phenomenal, the amount of pain and awkward exposure of their bodies new mothers had to go through. Being poked and prodded was one thing, but all the gynaecological horrors of childbirth was something else entirely - Jughead didn't know how Betty could stay so calm throughout the process.
Because she did stay calm, all things considered. She grit her teeth and nodded along to the doctor's questions, and didn't even flinch when the doctor injected her with a hormone - pitocin; Jughead filed the name away. Betty held herself together while her baby screamed in Jughead's arms. Jughead felt the color draining from his face as he clutched the tiny girl and became hyper aware of the doctor's words.
A nurse wheeled in an ultrasound machine, and the doctor set to work on investigating Betty's now-empty uterus. "If the bleeding doesn't slow down within the next fifteen minutes," the doctor explained calmly, but with a stern voice that suggested she wouldn't be argued with, "then we're going to have to stop it surgically."
"Surgically?" Betty asked, her voice shaking, and Jughead took a step closer to her.
"Yes. Most likely we'll do Uterine Fibroid Embolization." The doctor nodded as she explained, not taking her eyes off the screen. "You'll need a blood transfusion as well. This is a serious condition, but postpartum haemorrhage is relatively common. We'll put you under general anaesthetic, and make a very small incision to access the uterine fibroids and use an agent to shrink them. It will take approximately ninety minutes, and you won't have any visible stitches."
"Are you going to do this… surgery?" Jughead asked. He tried to keep his voice even, but it was difficult as the baby was still vocalising the shared distress they both felt.
The doctor shook her head. "I'll be assisting, but there's another physician who'll take over for me - this isn't my area of specialty." She turned her head and looked down at Betty kindly. "I can assure you, Miss Cooper, Dr Herman has performed this procedure hundreds of times. You're in the best possible care here."
Betty nodded and looked up at Jughead. Jughead moved to sit beside her, and felt guilty that in the time it had taken the doctors to diagnose and attempt two separate treatment methods on Betty, he still hadn't managed to settle the baby down.
Another nurse noticed. "How about we put this little one in the nursery for a while?" she suggested gently.
"No!"
The word came from Betty's mouth. Jughead jumped a little in shock and looked at her. Betty's face had morphed into one of panic, and the nurse took an apologetic step back from Jughead.
"I want her to stay with her Dad." Betty said, in a voice almost as firm as her doctor's. "Please… I don't want her left in the nursery." She turned her wide eyes to Jughead now. "Juggie. Don't let her out of your sight, okay?"
Jughead nodded. "Of course, Betts."
Betty relaxed, but only slightly.
In any case, it didn't last long - because the doctor was already ordering the nurses around to prepare Betty for surgery…
…
I really hate hospitals.
Even the birth of my daughter isn't enough to convince me that hospitals are a happy place.
Not a single hospital event has been any less than that: an event. A long, drawn out occasion that can never just be simple, can never just end with the patient happily leaving the hospital without enduring some extreme threat to their life.
While I was happy that the nurses let me keep the baby with me at Betty's behest, concentrating on the newborn was a struggle when I had no idea what could be happening to her mother…
…
Jughead sat, alone, in the hospital's reception waiting room. Cross-legged, on the cold floor and leaning against the wall.
Well, technically, he wasn't actually alone. Though the sleeping newborn's presence in his arms was doing nothing to curb his anxiety. She stayed widely and shrilly awake as Jughead carried her out into the waiting room - still crying; she hadn't stopped since Twyla called the Code Blue. Loud, ear piercing wails that lasted no less than half an hour. Jughead rocked her, and shushed her, and tried holding her against his chest in the way a fellow distraught father was doing - but until the baby finally fell asleep in his arms, her crying didn't let up.
Honestly, Jughead felt like crying with her.
He had the vague knowledge that Betty was "still in surgery", but the receptionist was woefully unhelpful. He tried, desperately, to keep calm as he asked passing nurses for information, but he was usually met with a curt "I'll see if I can find out for you" or an "I'm not entirely sure" which was doing nothing to help his anxiety.
Coming from a small town where everyone knows everyone gave him the apparently unrealistic expectation that the doctors would keep him informed about Betty's condition. But this hospital took confidentiality serious to a degree Jughead hadn't been prepared for; he wasn't Betty's next of kin, he had no legal ties to either her or the baby… and so until Betty was wide awake and ready for visitors, it seemed they weren't going to tell Jughead anything.
He tried not to spiral, really he did, but he found himself looking up at the face of every nurse or doctor or receptionist who walked past and trying to gauge whether the worried looks were because something bad had happened to his girlfriend. He hoped Twyla Twyst would walk past - maybe he could at least convince her to tell him something…
It was in this depressing state of worry that his family found him. Their vague excitement turned to grim worry as they noted Jughead's distress.
Jughead was completely out of his element - never in his life had he felt more unsure of himself. He didn't know what he was supposed to be doing with the baby; none of his baby books had prepared him for the idea that he'd be alone with the infant on her first day of life. And he was torturously worried about Betty.
Betty, who was bleeding so badly after giving birth that she needed a blood transfusion and surgery…
Jughead felt his whole body going numb as he struggled to explain Betty's condition to FP, Alice and Jellybean. He forced out words like "hemorrhaging" and "pitocin" and "embolization" without truly knowing if he was making any sense. His mind was far, far away from the waiting room, probably somewhere in a sterile operating theater…
"Well, is she still in surgery? Is it going well?" Alice asked in a clipped tone. Jughead couldn't blame her for it - she was almost as stressed as Jughead himself.
"No idea." Jughead replied stonily. "They won't give me any details because I'm not Betty's husband."
FP reached down and squeezed Jughead's shoulder. "I'm sure she's okay, Jug."
Alice frowned. "This is ridiculous." She said frostily, and made her way to the reception desk. Maybe, as Betty's mother, she'd have better luck. FP followed her cautiously, a small frown settling into his own face.
Jellybean bit her lip and crouched in front of Jughead - when she released it, a little dent in her thick black lipstick remained. "Hey, what did you guys name her?" She asked quietly, her eyes turning down to the infant.
Jughead leaned his head back against the wall. "We haven't picked a name yet." The doctor has said Betty's condition was serious… serious enough that something could go wrong? He should have asked more questions before Betty was wheeled away from him…
"Ahhh, so she's a nameless meat suit for the time being." Jellybean said calmly. She nodded to herself. "Efficient."
In spite of his worry, Jughead cracked a smile. "We picked her middle name." He admitted, and Jellybean's eyes widened in anticipation. "It's Alice."
"Aww, really?" Jellybean asked, and nodded to her step-mother; the namesake seemed to be grilling the receptionist for information. "I think she'll like that." Jellybean noted and tilted her head to the side. "She's so tiny." She noted in awe. "I'm sure Betty appreciated that when she was pushing her out."
Jughead huffed a laugh. "Just a tip - don't ask her if she thought the baby's size made labour easier. I already know the answer to that, and I'd like to see you leave the hospital in one piece."
Jellybean laughed.
Alice came back to the pair with a dignified acceptance on her face. "Betty's in recovery. Everything went well. We can go and wait in her room now - if you'd prefer that, Jughead?"
He did.
…
Jughead let Alice and FP take turns fawning over the baby while he collected his thoughts. Betty's room in the maternity ward felt empty without the bed and cold without Betty in it. He regretted the loss of the baby's warmth in his arms, but was truthfully grateful to have three more people to hold her while he tried not to fall apart.
"Have you and Betty picked a name yet, boy?" FP asked the dreaded question.
Jughead shook his head.
"What names do you have written down?" Alice asked as she rocked the baby back and forth and smiled widely at her.
Jellybean smirked as Jughead looked up at Alice. "Honestly? We have so many different options… but right now, there's only one name I want to use."
Betty was returned not long after that. She was exhausted, but still reached out to take Jughead's hand once the nurses were satisfied she was comfortable in her bed. She even smiled up at him, before her eyes were searching for her infant - now in Jellybean's arms. Alice flittered about the bed and asked Betty approximately eighty seven questions before she was happy to leave her side.
"How are you doing?" Jughead whispered as Alice made her way back to the baby.
Betty's eyes fluttered shut, but she let out a laugh. "You've asked me that so many times."
Jughead smirked. "They've got you on the good stuff." He noted.
Betty nodded, then opened her eyes. "I didn't want drugs." She said solemnly.
Jughead pushed a strand of her hair away from her eyes. "Hey, the baby's already here. No reason you can't reap the benefits. Believe me, I remember how awesome morphine is."
She giggled and closed her eyes. "Can you look after her tonight? I'm so… I'm too tired."
"Assuming I can pry her away from our parents? No issue." Jughead chuckled lightly, then watched as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
…
Betty - and the baby - were set to be discharged on Friday afternoon after being given the all-clear by the formidable doctor.
Their visiting family stayed in their hotel room in order to give them alone time with the baby. It was equal parts nice (Betty and Jughead could give her their full attention) and terrifying (any time she cried they were at a complete loss as to what was wrong).
A vivacious but well-meaning nurse returned to their room to ask, again, for the baby's name - and again, Betty informed her they still hadn't decided.
The nurse chewed on her lip. "I see… well, we can give you all the necessary paperwork…" The nurse said calmly, though she struggled to keep the frown off her face.
"Actually…" Jughead interjected, and the nurse looked at him hopefully. "I do have one idea…" He looked down at Betty, who was eyeing him curiously.
The nurse replied with: "Great!" and rushed back out the door - presumably to obtain said paperwork.
Betty sat up straighter and faced Jughead. "What are you thinking?" She asked.
Jughead swallowed. He peaked over his shoulder to look at the baby - swaddled up in blankets and sleeping in her see-through hospital crib. "I'm thinking," he began, then turned back to face Betty, "that I kind of want to name her after my favourite person in the world."
Confusion made Betty's eyebrows furrow. "What do you… wait." Realisation hit. "Juggie… no."
"Hear me out." He said quickly, and reached out for her hand. "We don't have to actually call her that. She'll have a nickname."
"Yeah, but Jug… it's so… old fashioned." She let out a slight laugh, and her eyes widened. "You actually want that to be her name? Won't it get confusing?"
Jughead shrugged. "It's… sentimental? And I think it's a beautiful name… fit for a beautiful, intelligent, amazing little person, who is going to grow up being a strong-willed fighter, just like her Mom."
Betty's face seemed to melt with emotion, and she was still staring at Jughead when the nurse returned. "Okay!" The nurse said, unable to contain her own excitement. "What name are we writing down?"
Betty eyed Jughead for only a moment longer until she turned to face the nurse, a small smile on her face as she said: "Elizabeth Alice Jones."
…
Jellybean clearly thought Betty was crazy for agreeing to the name, but Alice was so emotional she shed an actual tear.
True to Jughead's prediction, however, the baby had no less than five nicknames - Elle, Lizzie, Ellie, Bethy, Liz - by the end of the third day of her life. Elle was Jughead's favourite, and it was the name that Betty herself seemed to use the most - aside from 'the baby'.
"Jug, can you hold the baby?", "Do you think the baby is too warm?", "I think the baby's hungry, Juggie," and "Juggie, are you okay watching the baby for a second?" - were all sentences that flowed from Betty's lips that Jughead had become familiar with.
There were other things he became familiar with - the sound of Betty softly singing to the baby at night, the feel of baby Elle's tiny fingers curling around his own, the sight of Betty anxiously typing on her phone to ask her mother the twice-daily 'is this normal?' question. That last one only happened when Alice wasn't already inside their Combi, of course, and helping Betty figure out how to care for Elle.
Jughead appreciated both their parents for staying in New Haven for the weekend. Jellybean, too, provided comedic relief that stopped everyone from taking it all so serious.
Parenthood was surreal and unbelievable. Betty was exhausted, Jughead was exhausted, and even little Elizabeth was exhausted… but they were happy.
All three of them.
When Monday came, Jughead was forced to leave the happy bubble he'd been living in with Betty and Elle to return to school. His mind was at ease knowing that Betty had their family around to help her with the baby, but he realised fairly quickly as he walked between classes that he was missing them. It was a stronger emotion than just vaguely missing his family as a whole - there was a lingering distaste for all things that interrupted his obsessive thinking about his newborn, and he yearned to return to the Combi the second his class was over.
Trula asked him several questions about Elle in her typically pragmatic manner, and even Jay extended his congratulations. Adam Chisholm approached him and offered his "sincerest well wishes", and Jughead returned to his family with his heart warm and cheerful.
On Tuesday, the last day of classes before the Thanksgiving break, Jughead's lecturers had apparently heard about the birth and were particularly interested to find out Jughead's plans for the remainder of the year.
"My girlfriend has our schedules sorted to a degree of organisation that would put any receptionist to shame." He joked to his Poetry professor.
The professor in question laughed. "Whatever would we do without women, huh? I tell you, when my wife had our first…"
His other professor of the day was equally supportive, and assured Jughead he could bring the baby to class any time he needed.
"I do not want to see you dropping out of school, Jones. You're too good of a writer for me to let you go without a fight." She said firmly. "Are you taking my Writing Fundamentals class next semester?… oh good. Now, I don't mind if you bring the little one with you to our lectures. If she gets too noisy during the workshops, though, I'm sure the other students would appreciate it if you stepped outside just to settle her down…"
Jughead was glad he seemed to have most of his teachers on his side. Betty's lecturers, on the other hand, still seemed… less than supportive of her parental endeavours.
They spent thanksgiving in FP and Alice's hotel room. It was entirely unusual, but also entirely amazing to have the time together. Jughead knew exactly what he was thankful for that year…
But the peaceful enjoyment of being new parents without needing to worry about college could only last for so long before the veil of joy was lifted and reality set in. Their family had to return home before the second weekend was completely over; Betty and Alice shared a tearful goodbye reminiscent of the one they'd shared only months earlier.
"I can't believe you made me an Aunt at fourteen." Jellybean mused as she playfully pushed Jughead's arm.
Jughead smirked. "Don't go making me an uncle any time soon, okay?"
Jellybean snorted. "Please. This family has seen enough teen pregnancies to last several generations."
"I'll say." FP chuckled. He clapped Jughead on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you, son. You and Betty."
Jughead smiled at FP, then grinned as Jellybean made gagging motions behind his back.
….
Betty and Jughead were both awake early on their first day of officially being parents in their Freshman Year of college.
It was only partially thanks to their newborn refusing to go to sleep. The other part was entirely because Betty was restless and Jughead was overthinking.
Betty double checked their timetable as she fed Elle. The color-coded paper was now taped to the wall beside their bed, and Betty nodded her head at the sight, seemingly satisfied, and tilted her head down to smile at her baby.
"We both have class at nine, so I'll take her with me to my biology lecture, then I'll meet you at the library and you can take her while I'm in Psych. Then I'll meet you at the cafe near your old dorm to take her off you again before your Poetry lecture." Betty repeated the plan, half to herself and half to Jughead. She looked up at him with a determined expression. "And then…"
"And then we'll go find somewhere semi-warm to try and catch up on everything we missed the last two weeks?" Jughead added.
Betty sighed. "Basically."
Jughead got up off the bench seat and walked the remaining steps it would take to sit beside Betty on their bed. "Hey, it's only a few more weeks… then we're on Winter break and we can turn our brains off for a couple of weeks."
Betty breathed a laugh. "Yeah. I mean… worst case, we've already gotten high enough grades that we can afford to flunk a few assignments…"
"Hey, none of that self doubt is allowed in the Mystery Machine. You're not going to fail at anything." Jughead assured her. "We've got this, alright? You're the master of planning, and I'm the master of going along with your plans."
Betty snickered. "Thanks." She smiled down at Elle. "You know… I think this kid could give you a run for your money - she's barely stopped eating since we left the hospital."
Jughead smirked and tapped Elle's shoulder. She was unconcerned, and continued drinking with her eyes closed. "I get it, Elle." He said, then lowered his voice to a whisper. "Mommy's boobs are pretty great."
"Jug!"
Returning to school was a learning curve, but one that only took them a few days to adjust. Their system wasn't perfect - more than once they were late to their respective classes because the baby got hungry, or needed changing; Jughead spent one Creative Writing class almost entirely in the corridor because Elle preferred screaming to sleeping.
Trula took pity on him and gave him her notes.
Betty's lecturers appeared to be much more… stern than Jughead's. Perhaps there was a difference in the educational attitudes of the Humanities and the Science Departments, but where Jughead's English teachers were supportive, Betty's were disapproving.
Her Bio lecturer had grit her teeth in annoyance when Elle became fussy during a seminar. Betty had the baby outside of the room before the infant really cried. But even when the baby was settled and sleeping, the lecturer still seemed frustrated when Betty walked back to her seat.
At least she had Adam in her classes to tell her what she missed. Betty didn't even bother trying to take Elle to her Psychology class - that professor had made it entirely clear Elle wouldn't be welcomed.
Despite the hiccups in their educational adventures, Betty's meticulous scheduling was working. By the time their second week post-birth was complete, Jughead was reasonably confident they'd make it to the end of the semester without any major setbacks.
…
They were frugal with money, and both were near-professionals with budgeting. But as the weeks went by Jughead started seriously looking for work. He made time to go to interviews and search job websites - but by the end of semester he still hadn't secured one. He thought about doing UberEats again, but driving around town in the Combi would mean moving their entire home.
A logistical nightmare, Betty had called it.
During their final week of classes, Elle was three weeks old, and marginally more alert. Her crying could get tiring, and emotional, but she hadn't driven her parents insane yet. There was one particularly stressful day when Betty had been up all night with Elle; Jughead offered to take her to class with him and let Betty sleep, but she was determined not to interrupt Jughead's studies.
When Jughead got home for the day, tired after the long walk back to Combi, he could already hear Elle crying from almost ten yards away.
When he opened the door, Betty looked up at him. A woeful, tear-filled expression was in her eyes, her hair haphazardly thrown into a messy bun, one of Jughead's old T-shirts hanging low, and her grey sweat pants stained with a mysterious substance.
She stood, holding Elle to her chest and bouncing her lightly while she patted her back. "She's been crying," Betty sniffled, "all day."
Jughead hurried to place his backpack down on the bench seat and moved closer to Betty. "Do you want me to take her?"
Betty shook her head furiously. "I just want her to stop crying. I tried everything! She's not hungry, she's not wet - she's apparently not tired; I don't know what's wrong!" Betty groaned. "Why can't I calm her down?"
Jughead put his hands on Betty's shoulders. "Hey… babies cry, right?" He swallowed, and gave Betty a tiny smile. "I know you probably don't feel this way right now… but you're doing an amazing job, Betts."
"I'm so tired." Betty let out a single sob, but swallowed back her emotions. "And my baby is just crying and crying and crying…"
Jughead wrapped his arms around them both. Betty leaned her head into his shoulder. "It's okay… she can't possibly cry forever." He mused.
Betty sniffled a laugh. "It'd be just our luck if she did."
Jughead rubbed circles into her back. It took another ten minutes, but eventually Elle's ear-piercing wails slowed into quiet gurgles, and then… into softer, steadier snores.
Betty lifted her head up. "Oh my God, she's asleep." She gasped as relief flooded her face.
Jughead kissed her cheek. "Good job, Mommy…"
Betty leaned into Jughead's embrace for another moment, before she slowly pulled back and sighed. "Now the fun part - putting her in her bassinet without waking her up…"
…
Overall, saying that college with a newborn was stressful would be an understatement so grand it could fill a ballroom - or maybe even all the libraries at Yale.
But, despite the challenges of new parenthood, Betty felt as though she and Jughead were coping…
Betty had more exams than Jughead, so he won the lucky prize of staying up with Elle during finals week to try and let her mother sleep. He was half successful - but more often than not Betty ended up waking up to feed the baby anyway.
Still, Betty was grateful for the hours of sleep she did get when she was sitting in the exam halls and trying to remember what, exactly, Pavlov did with his dogs…
As she flew through her Psych final, Betty recalled a time that Jughead was in an afternoon seminar when Elle was only two weeks old: She had adjusted her ponytail and placed her baby in her stroller, stroked her cheek, smiled as she repositioned Elle's snake-patterned blanket (a gift from Fangs), triple checked her baby bag for all essential items, and set off on a mission to clear out her dorm room. She enjoyed the remaining sunlight as she pushed the stroller towards the building, and felt a little more human being out of the Combi and in the public eye.
Betty was happy in her new home, but it was small, and getting out and about proved beneficial for her own sanity. Elle stayed quiet as she blinked upwards. Betty wondered what the baby was seeing - was it all a grey blur to her? Could she yet make out the differing colours of the sky and the clouds? Or was she searching her surroundings for her mother - for her, Betty.
She made a whimpering noise as Betty reached the front doors; Betty paused to place a pacifier in her mouth, and leaned forward to whisper nonsensical comforts to the little girl. Elle blinked again, and her eyelids fluttered closed. Betty couldn't help but let out a giggle as she watched Elle's lips pushing the pacifier in and out…
The dorm's common room had been busy, and all eyes were on Betty as she pushed the stroller towards the elevator. Nobody bothered her, but Betty was beyond caring what her classmates thought about her, and so it was of little concern to her that none actively approached her on her walk from the now-ascended elevator to her old dorm room.
It was strange to be in there now - the last time she was here, she wasn't a mother. Elle had still been growing inside her, and the prospect of meeting the baby was a constant background noise in her head. But being pregnant and having a baby were two separate, life changing states that Betty had to get comfortable with, and fast.
There were two important textbooks in her dorm that Betty immediately placed in the tray below her stroller. Once they were secured, she searched for the rest of her belongings while Elle slept.
It was peaceful in the dorm until the RA showed up.
"Betty!" The older girl said nervously.
Betty turned to the open door and forced a smile on her face. "Hey, Tina."
Tina took a step inside the dorm. "You've got your baby in here." She stated.
Betty focused on her search for her favourite lipgloss. "Oh, that's where I left her." She joked. Jughead would be proud of that one, she internally mused.
Tina looked down at Elle for a moment before she faced Betty again. "Um, it's great to see you again. You look… well."
"I am well, thank you."
"Good! Good." Tina said casually. She shifted her feet from side to side. "Um… I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but-"
Betty cut her off. "Before you even say it, I'm just here to pick up some belongings. Me and the baby aren't staying."
"Oh! Oh, all good. That's awesome." Tina said in a rush. "Well, not awesome. I just, well, you know. We can't really have babies here and I wouldn't want you to feel awkward or anything…"
"I'm good." Betty said calmly. "We're both good." Betty could do without the dramatics of having a newborn in college. She was often on the receiving end of a lot of shocked looks, and overheard her classmates discussing some very much unsolicited advice.
On the plus side, as nobody actually gave her this advice, she was free to ignore the people who did this. Nobody said to her face that she should just drop out. That she was an idiotic slut who should have kept her legs closed. Nobody walked up to her and asked her why she didn't get an abortion. Nobody ever stood over Elle and explained that abortions were free for students at Yale.
It was a small comfort.
"Do you have somewhere safe to stay?" Tina asked. Betty looked up, surprised by her sincerity. "I can probably look the other way for a few days… maybe play ignorance with the residency board…"
Betty's eyebrows raised. "I appreciate it, Tina. But I've sorted out alternate accommodation."
Tina nodded, an earnest relief in her eyes. "I'm really sorry you can't stay here. Genuinely." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Some of the other girls were concerned about the potential noise… but, you know, they aren't the ones who just gave birth, so what do they know, right?" She let out a humorless laugh, then cleared her throat. "Even though you're no longer living here, you're still a Pearsonite for life, okay?"
Betty smiled. "Thanks." She said. Confusion and a heartwarming feeling of appreciation overcame her. "I do appreciate that, honestly."
Tina nodded. "No problem. I know you're probably gonna cop a lot of shit from clueless idiots, but don't let them feel like you can't reach out to different services if you need help…"
Tina was surprisingly supportive. Betty had expected the judgement from her other dorm-mates, but she had been entirely unprepared for the lack of it coming from her RA. Perhaps there was still hope for her social life… maybe not everyone would treat her like a failure or a curse for having a baby in college…
Betty had waited outside Jughead's classroom after ensuring she had all her dorm-essentials. Jughead was laughing at Trula as he walked out, and the vibrant woman was grinning in amusement.
Jughead noticed Betty standing near the doorway, her eyes looking down at the stroller before her. Jughead smiled and moved over to her, then wrapped his arm around her as she looked up at him.
"Hey, you." She said quietly, and raised on her tiptoes to peck him on the lips. "How was Shakespearean Poetry?"
"Awesome." Jughead said, and a smirk came over his face as he looked down at Elle. "How was my unmuzzled, milk-livered giglet?"
Betty pulled away and stared up at him in horror. "I'm sorry, what did you just call our baby?"
Jughead was still laughing as Trula made her way towards him. "Sorry, Betty, what Jughead meant to call her was a disassembling, unchin-snouted pigeon-egg."
Jughead snorted, and his shoulders shook as he high-fived Trula. Betty moved her gaze between them. "What the hell are they teaching you in that class?"
Jughead wound his arm back around Betty. "Shakespearean insults! I have a print-out we can go over later."
"I'm good." Betty responded, bemused.
Trula was still smirking. "As unproductive as that lesson was, I really did enjoy it. What are your thoughts, you paunchy, hedge-born minnow?"
Jughead nodded. "My sentiments are indeed the same, you mewling, beef-witted fustilarian."
"Ooo, that was a good one!"
"Thank you, thank you."
"I think I'll add 'fustilarian' to my 'to use' word bank. I can't wait for someone to piss me off, honestly." Trula shrugged. "I'm so ready with these Shakespearean-themed comebacks. It'll bamboozle the shit out of them."
Elle made her presence known by letting out a single, gurgling cry. Betty's head immediately whipped around to face her. Before she could reach down and take the baby in her embrace, however, Jughead removed his arm from around Betty's waist and put his hands under Elle's back.
"Aw, don't cry my little malt-worm." He said in a very un-Jugead-like tone. His voice went up several octaves as he settled Elle into the crook of his elbow. "I know; we're carrying on with a load of nonsense. So villainous of us."
Betty's heart squeezed in her chest as Jughead leaned his face down and kissed Elle on the forehead. The baby's cries ceased as she blinked up at Jughead - the permanent scowl of confusion softened as she stared up at her father.
"You're way too cute, little miss Elizabeth." He whispered. Betty leaned against his shoulder…
Betty shook the memory away as she stared back down at her exam paper. She was almost finished with her multiple choice answers. She'd left them until last - it was much more practical to complete the short answer section first. If she got desperate, and was short for time, she had a greater chance of filling in the right bubbles than she did at speed-writing actual words.
Id, ego and superego were the names given by Freud to refer to which element of the personality?
Betty re-read the question, then proceeded to color in the bubble labelled "ethical/moral" with her pencil. This exam was one of the easiest she'd completed; once it was over, she would have three whole weeks to spend with her family.
She blocked out all her irrelevant thoughts and focused on the exam.
…
There were plenty of end-of-semester parties that Betty and Jughead could have attended. Every fraternity was throwing a party, the people in Betty's biology class were planning to go to karaoke, and Jughead's literature classmates all joined forces with the theatre students to create an event that greatly resembled a rave.
However, sleep was the only thing on either Jughead or Betty's mind as they both packed away the things in the Combi that could roll around while they drove. They weren't leaving New Haven that day - both of them were too exhausted to drive. Betty sent a silent prayer out to the universe that Elle would join her parents' end-of-semester sleeping party. After a long month of existence, surely Elle needed as much sleep as her parents.
Betty tucked Elle into her bassinet while Jughead locked the Combi's doors before he slid all the fabric curtains shut. He checked that their stove was turned off (he almost laughed at how domestic the action felt) and then practically threw himself onto the bed beside Betty.
She smiled as she shuffled closer to him. "We did it."
Jughead opened one eye and nodded at her. "We survived college with a baby."
Betty closed her eyes. "Well, we survived four weeks of college with a baby."
"It was a good test run." Jughead said quietly. "I am very happy that we don't have to think about classes for a solid three weeks, though."
"Mmm…" Betty said in response.
The next time she had a comprehensive thought, it was when Elle woke her up for a feeding. As had become routine by this point of her baby's life, Betty untangled herself from Jughead blearily and sat up in the bed. She reached her arms over the bassinet to retrieve Elle, and cradled her in her arms.
As was recommended by Alice, Betty kept a meticulous record of Elle's feedings. Betty rocked Elle briefly as she pulled her phone off the shelf beside her bed to take notes, and realised it was Three-Am.
"Seven hours. Great job, baby girl." Betty said quietly as she noted the time in her app. She placed the phone back down and set to work at feeding the infant before she really started crying…
…
The drive back to Riverdale felt longer than Jughead remembered. He was relatively well-rested; Betty had settled the baby down before she woke him up, and he subsequently had the longest sleep he'd had since Elle was born.
But he supposed the length of the drive came partially from the need to pull over several times when Elle started crying. Her baby seat was securely attached to the bench seat behind the driver's seat; it seemed that Elle was determined to have at least one parent in her line of sight as long as she was conscious. If not, she was comfortable expressing her displeasure at the loudest volume possible.
The best part about being in Riverdale again was seeing their family again. Polly cried when she hugged Betty and carried Elle around the Cooper-Jones-Smith house with a confidence that stunned Jughead. The twins admired the baby from afar with an innocent curiosity - it reminded Jughead, oddly, of Dagwood's initial reaction to his feeding tube. A very amusing sense of: yes, I'm interested in what I see, but don't let it touch me.
Between their parents and siblings, Betty and Jughead barely had five minutes holding their daughter over the first day back in Riverdale…
After a month of living in the Combi, the bed in the basement felt more luxurious than one they'd find in a penthouse at the Five Seasons. Jughead groaned as he sank into the mattress and felt his muscles unwinding against the fabric of their comforter.
"You look comfortable there." Betty joked from the other side of the room.
Jughead forced his head to turn to face her. She was pulling soft toys out of the baby's crib and placing them gently in the basket beside it. "This is like heaven. You need to get in on this." He said sincerely.
"Soon." Betty said distractedly. She slowly placed the baby in the crib, but made no move to walk away. "Do you think it's too cold for her in here?"
Jughead considered his own temperature before responding. "Seems okay to me."
Betty nodded, but it was another few long moments before she sighed and walked towards the bed. "I can put a beanie on her if it gets too chilly in here."
Jughead propped himself up on his elbows as Betty lowered herself onto the bed. "Elle's fine, I think. It'll be like a holiday for her here."
Betty nodded. "I'm so tired, Jug. Are you tired?"
"Tired is my new permanent state of being, I think."
Betty breathed a laugh, then leaned back against the headboard. "So, I was thinking I might start pumping milk so that while we're here I can try her on a bottle."
Jughead raised his eyebrows. "Okay…"
Betty sighed. "I was going through our schedules for next semester, and it doesn't seem practical to keep her exclusively on the breast." She explained, a gloomy look befalling her face. "I have Dr Mann again, so you'll have to take her for those time slots. She isn't going to sleep as many hours during the day by the time we go back, so I'm probably going to miss too many classes if I have to keep running off to find abandoned corners of the campus to feed her in. Not to mention how much class you'll miss if she gets hungry when you have her - imagine trying to find me across campus with a screaming baby - it's just not practical."
Jughead nodded, an empathic smile on his face. "Hey, whatever you want to do, I support it."
Betty let out a long breath of relief. "Thanks. Hopefully Elle takes a bottle well… I don't know what we're going to do if she doesn't…"
"We'll figure it out." Jughead said kindly, then placed his hand on her cheek. "If I have to start wearing one of those man-boob things from Meet the Fockers to class, I'll do it." He said in mock-seriousness.
Betty giggled. "Jug! Oh my God."
"Hey, if it's good enough for Robert DeNiro…"
…
Experimenting with feedings during Winter break turned out to be a wise idea - because when Betty first tried to switch her baby to bottles during the daytime hours, Elle was having none of it.
"You're so lucky you're cute…" Betty grumbled as she carried the baby down into the basement a week after trying to implement bottle feedings into her routine. Elle could use a bottle, but would shake her head away and head-butt Betty's chest within a few minutes of trying. Jughead had absolutely no hope with bottles. Try as he might, Jughead always ended up giving the screaming, hungry infant back to Betty when it seemed she was going to use auditory torture techniques on the household unless her parents gave in to her wordless demands.
Still, Betty felt like a milk-making machine by the time Christmas Eve came around. The icebox in their mini fridge was stock-piled full of frozen breast milk, the likes of which Elle seemed on the path to never drink. Betty gave Jughead a comprehensive explanation on the longevity and shelf-life of frozen versus thawed milk, and Jughead often sat staring at the mini fridge in complete fascination that this had become his life.
For several days in the lead up to Christmas, Betty was up and down all hours of the night with Elle - fussy and determined to make it on Santa's Naughty List. It meant Betty was beyond exhausted, and more than once had dozed off mid-conversation at the dinner table.
Betty groaned as she pulled herself out of bed for the third time on Christmas Eve, and even though Jughead offered to get the baby for her, Betty merely grumbled mournfully: "You're not the one with the boobs, Juggie."
Indeed he was not. Truthfully, he rather missed being in the presence of Betty's breasts when they weren't being used to exclusively feed a baby. Although, that was usually as far as vague thoughts like that got - having a six week old baby took sex so far out of either of their minds it would be a miracle if they even remembered how they procreated in the first place. Certainly, Elle was doing a great job of making sure her parents never gave her a sibling…
Of course, Betty and Jughead (mostly due to Jughead's post-birth stress ramblings) had agreed they weren't going to have any more children for a long time. Especially not until they were married - that had been Jughead's biggest request. Not being able to get medical information on Betty, and having his parenting methods questioned because he wasn't Betty's husband was a terrifying experience he didn't want repeated.
Jughead woke up to the sound of Elle whimpering in her crib. His eyes shot open immediately, and he turned to Betty to see her still asleep. The alarm clock on the nightstand glowed red in the dark and proclaimed it was almost four in the morning. Jughead gently eased himself off the bed and hurried to retrieve the baby.
Upon being picked up by her father, Elle's cries quietened slightly, though Jughead knew if he wasn't quick then she'd start shrieking so loud that letting Betty sleep would be an impossibility.
Elle was warm and toasty in Jughead's left arm - like a human hot water bottle. Her face was screwed up in annoyance, but she hadn't started crying yet. Jughead made quick work of pulling a thawed-out plastic packet of milk from the fridge, and hurried upstairs with Elle.
Their bottle warmer sat in the corner of the kitchen, right beside the coffee pot. Jughead contemplated starting both devices, but if he somehow got the baby to sleep again, he didn't want coffee keeping him awake. "Shhhh…" He whispered to Elle as he maneuvered the milk into a bottle and then placed it in the warmer. "That was the smoothest I've ever done that." He told Elle. "You'd better actually drink it this time."
Elle merely blinked up at him.
Despite the blank and confused expression on her face, Jughead still smiled as he looked down at her. Smiling seemed to come easy for him since Elle came into his life. She was just so… awesome. Holding her in his arms left him in awe of her - her beautiful eyes were changing colour every day, and every day they resembled Betty's even more. Her hair was still as dark as his own, but it didn't make her any less gorgeous.
It was easy to be enamoured with the baby. Even when she was screaming the house down and disrupting everyone's sleep.
The bottle warmer beeped, and Jughead lifted it up and held it in his grasp. Was it too hot? Betty would have known. She showed Jughead how to check it by letting droplets of the milk drop onto his forearm - but he could never really tell what kind of heat he was supposed to be looking for…
Elle let out a noise of frustration, which effectively ended Jughead's pondering.
She took the bottle instantly - but she'd tricked him before. She often did this; pretend like she was going to drink from the bottle and then start crying again. Jughead's eyebrows rose when, even after five whole minutes, she kept gulping and swallowing.
"Hey, you're doing it." He whispered, both incredibly impressed and terrified he'd jinx it. So distracted he was by the baby, that he didn't realise Alice had descended the stairs and made her way into the kitchen.
"Jughead?" She asked quietly.
Jughead jumped a little in surprise, but Elle was unbothered by her grandmother's presence. "Morning… you're up early." He noted.
Alice smirked as she made her way to the coffee machine. "I can never sleep on Christmas Eve… I always get too wound up." She shrugged. "A side effect of having kids, I think. I was always busy trying to make sure the girls weren't going to walk in on me wrapping presents… somehow we always left it to the last minute."
Jughead nodded and smiled. "Makes sense." He said, then yawned as he moved towards the closest chair.
Alice studied him. "You got her to use the bottle?"
"A small miracle. I just hope I'm not dreaming."
Alice chuckled, and her eyes travelled down to the baby, then back up at Jughead's face. "How are you doing, Jug? Adjusting to fatherhood?"
Jughead readjusted the bottle. "I guess so… I never thought there'd be a time in my life that my daily routine would involve talking about milk and diapers," he let out a small sound of amusement, "but other than that, Elle's pretty great. Not the most outgoing personality, but I'm sure she'll liven up a bit once she goes back to college. I can't believe she's already at Yale - she's just growing up so fast."
Alice snorted, and shook her head. "All the obsession about what goes in and out of the baby won't last. It's all just newborn talk - she's going to get to an easier age soon, and everything will start to feel more natural."
The relief he felt surprised him. He gave Alice a look of sincere appreciation. "Thanks."
Alice waved her hand. "You're doing a good job, Jughead. You and Betty both are." She blinked rapidly and swallowed before she continued. "I'm proud of you." The sentiment touched Jughead, and he wasn't entirely sure how to respond before Alice reached over to squeeze his shoulder.
"Juggie?" Betty's voice floated up from the basement. She opened the door and walked up the stairs, a worried look etched on her face until she located her boyfriend and daughter. She smiled as she walked towards them. "What are you doing up here?"
Alice moved back towards the coffee pot, and Jughead gave Betty a sheepish look. "I was trying not to wake you…"
Betty sat beside him, and placed a hand on his knee. "Thanks for trying. Wait… did she…?"
"The whole thing." Jughead said proudly, holding up the now-empty bottle. He placed it back on the counter and gently placed Elle against his shoulder. He rubbed her back, and then lightly tapped it.
Betty watched and waited for her to make the tell-tale burping noise. Jughead grinned when she made it. Alice bid them both goodnight, clutching a steaming mug in her hands and she departed and made her way back up the stairs.
When Jughead handed Elle to Betty, he felt his body almost bursting with warmth. She cuddled Elle to her chest, and smiled down at the baby.
And the baby... seemed to mimic Betty's expression.
Jughead watched in awe as the baby lips twitched upwards. "Is she smiling?"
Betty's eyes widened in excitement. "She is! Are you smiling at us, Elle?"
The baby's lips twitched up again as she watched her mother.
Jughead felt a sensation of something locking in his heart. He could watch Elle smiling at Betty for the rest of his life and never get tired of it. He'd never tire of his daughter, no matter how little sleep she let him have…
…
The family of three went back to college for their second semester with more organisation, and a perfectly scheduled timetable that Betty assured Jughead would help them maximise productivity. Really, Jughead was grateful that Betty was so good at this - if she was more like him, then fitting Elle into their study schedule would have been a nightmare.
Jughead scored a job that paid decently - there was a nightclub not too far from campus, and the manager hired him as a bouncer after reading his resume. The six months he'd spent following his Dad around as a 'deputy in training' had worked in his favour, and Jughead sent FP an appreciative message after his first shift on the job.
Jughead didn't enjoy being away from Betty for hours at a time, especially not at night, but the baby still needed her at home. And Jughead felt at ease knowing she was perfectly capable of looking after both herself and their child.
Elle was even more alert, somewhat in a sleeping routine (though it left a lot to be desired) and was now happy to alternate feeding with bottles. Jughead and Betty had a solid plan - but both were prepared to leave class if they had to. Baby Elizabeth was the first and most important thing in their lives now.
But getting their college degrees felt more important now too, because they had someone depending on them. It was going to be a struggle to get through their tertiary education - but they had a little person to fight for; they both wanted to make her proud. By the time she turned four, ideally, they would have jobs relating to their careers - ones that paid better than anything they could get without a college degree.
The first day back at school involved the most preparation for study Jughead had ever engaged in. He slid Elle's bottle into its compartment in the backpack Cheryl, Toni and Veronica gave him. He nodded along as Betty listed all the things he'd need - and made sure to double check he had his laptop inside the right compartment.
But even so, Betty was still fretting. "Do you think you have enough diapers? I can give you the rest of these-"
"Betty." Jughead cut her off. "We've got this. Everything is ready." He assured her. He placed the backpack on his shoulder, picked Elle up from her bassinet, and tucked her into his arms. "Worst case scenario, I'll just run back here and grab what we need. We're not parked that far from campus."
Betty nodded and retrieved her own bag. "Okay…" She checked the time on her phone - it was almost Nine AM. "I'll meet you at the Sterling Memorial Library at Two PM."
"Got it." He said calmly.
"Are you sure it's okay? You're going to have her all day…"
"Betts, it's fine. My lecturer told me to bring her."
"I know… but, I just feel guilty leaving for her for that long…"
"You're not deserting her to join the circus. You're going to class - and you'll have her all day on Thursday." Jughead reminded her. "There's no need to feel guilty, Betts… you're not allowed to take her to Psych, but I am allowed to have her in Writing class. Honestly, if anything, she'll inspire the minds of the future writers who see her. She sure inspires me."
Betty beamed at this. "Okay… Semester Two, here we come!"
…
Jughead had barely settled into his seat, Elle resting soundly on his lap, when Trula sat down in a huff by his side.
"Two minutes!" She said, frustrated. "I am two minutes late - but do you think it even matters? No. Because guess who else is late."
Jughead smirked. "Surely not our dear lecturer."
"You guessed it, Jughead." Trula shook her head. "By the way - it's Jay's fault I'm late. He wanted to stop for coffee before class - which is fine, you know, we have to love a morning caffeine hit. But!" She paused for effect. "Adam was there - and Jay started flirting with him in that ridiculously fake Southern Accent he puts on when he's nervous. So of course some idiot cut us off in the line, and I know for a fact that the preppy barista takes seven minutes on average to finish three coffees - not nearly enough time. So I just left him there. Caffeine is amazing, but not amazing enough to risk my education. And still our lecturer isn't here - honestly, I could have coffee right now but I chose to be as close to 'on time' as possible." She scowled as she pulled her red laptop out of her bag. "Jay's going to be so late to class."
Jughead smirked as he placed his own laptop on the desk in front of him. "I bet he'll be here in… nine minutes."
"Oh you're so on, Jughead."
While they waited for their lecturer, and the rest of their classmates, Jughead looked around the classroom and noticed several new faces. Possibly, they were older students catching up on freshman subjects - but, perhaps, they'd transferred from other institutes, or were beginning their course this semester. He overheard the conversation of two of the new students, and concluded they'd have interesting input into the class discussions…
… and it was as he was pondering this that the lecturer finally came into the room. "Sorry, guys, my car broke down again. Never get a Sonic… piece of shit, it is…" She huffed as she moved to the front of the room.
But the lecturer wasn't the person who really caught Jughead's attention. It was the woman who'd walked in behind her. Her auburn hair held back with a plaid headband that matched her tailored slacks. A white button up shirt tucked behind her belt. She walked with her chin up, and held a space grey MacBook Pro to her chest as she strutted down the aisles of tables to find a place to sit.
Jughead couldn't take his eyes off her.
Not because she was pretty - she was, but Jughead couldn't care less about that - but because he recognised her. He knew who she was, and a pit of dark, nauseated foreboding settled into his stomach as her eyes flickered to the side and she made eye-contact with him.
It was almost as though time had slowed down for Jughead; his heart thudded in his chest, he felt his throat constricting, and when a smirk slid onto her lips as she took a seat, Jughead's insides froze in fear.
Because, it seemed, unless he was hallucinating some kind of machiavellian nightmare… that Donna Sweett had joined his class.