ERIC AND DONNA'S APARTMENT (cont'd)
"So the devil found out she was expecting your spawn on Halloween, how fitting," Eric muttered while pouring his friend some of the scotch he had been gifted from his dad. It was on the day he had moved out of his parent's house, Red had practically shoved it into his hands in an attempt to look nonchalant. Even though he knew his dad was proud to see him take such a big step, he also knew that he was gonna miss him. Hence why breaking out a nice vintage seemed like the perfect way to celebrate with Hyde.
They were both soon to be fathers, after all.
"Yeah, even I got to admit that one." The curly-haired man snickered. "How'd Big D break the news to you?"
"Oh, she threw up on my shoes while we were having dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant. Pro-tip, risotto is extremely hard to get out of leather." Eric chuckled after he took a sip of his own glass. "She came clean to me when we got home; I almost fainted and dropped my tinfoil swan."
Hyde nodded, it made sense why they were so distant lately. They were probably too nervous to tell people before they were given the thumbs up by the doctor. He and Jackie would have done the same thing, in hindsight, if they hadn't needed to impede their wedding. A part of him was still worried that her pregnancy wouldn't go as smoothly as they hoped it would be. She was tiny, after all, and often neglected her basic needs when she had a lot on her plate.
"Midge is the only other person that knows. She wants to stay here when Donna gets closer to term, so that's good." The college student sighed and propped his chin against his palm. "Although my mom is going to kill me when she finds out that she knew before her."
"At least Donna will have help while you're busy with work and midterms." It sucked that Jackie couldn't even get comforted by her mother in such a delicate time. If Pam had the capability of being a decent parent, she should at least offer to care for her daughter or give her some advice. The last time his chick even spoke to her was when she called to RSVP weeks after they sent out their invitations.
"If my trip to Athens falls through, I'll definitely be there!" Her shrill laugh echoed from their landline. "My new friend Christos has an incredible villa on the beach, but he says it's better to go during Spring before the tourists pour in! I think he's having trouble getting his wife to stay with her sister, though."
They were lucky enough to track her down to Paris as it is, but who knows where she might be boozing it up now.
Hell, Edna might be dead for all he knew.
Eric patted his friend's back, immediately recognizing the chagrin in his posture. "Hey, you have my mom too. She'll be more than happy to smother you guys with maternal love and incessant nagging."
Hyde smirked, picturing a blubbering Kitty Foreman who was about to learn that she was going to have not one, but two grandchildren. Her husband, on the other hand... "Speaking of nagging, can't imagine Red being too happy about you havin' a kid out of wedlock."
Apprehension and fear instantly filled Foreman. He had been worrying nonstop about that too, dreaded telling his parents for that very reason. "Yeah, I uh, don't know how they're gonna take it either. Probably not well."
"Mhm..." Steven hummed in agreement then tipped back another sip of the liquor.
"Especially because we don't plan on getting married anytime soon."
Choking on his drink, Hyde glared at the scrawny man incredulously. The fuck, did this dweeb really just say what he thinks he said?
"You're not? What the hell are you guys thinking?!" Hyde snarls. What kind of a bonehead decides to get engaged as a teenager, but not when his girlfriend gets knocked up? What's even more annoying, is that he's angry at the irony of him being in favour of marriage! Him, for God's sake!
"Look, things just get weird and complicated for us when there's a ring involved." Foreman cringes when he remembers the pain they went through on each occasion. "I don't want us to take any risks by giving in to pressure. Our kid is more important than appeasing other people's opinion of our relationship."
He and Donna were finally in a good place, why mess that up? In spite of the fact that this pregnancy had impacted their plans for the future, it didn't have to change everything. They could both still finish school and wait until they had secured great careers before they get married. Regardless, he would still be there for her and their child.
"This is crap, man. You're letting your past stupidity get the best of you." Steven slammed his whisky on the coffee table.
Foreman snorts. "Oh, so because you're finally not afraid of commitment, you think you have it all figured out?"
Bullshit, that had nothing to do with it! The curly-haired man bolted out of his seat. "I think you're being selfish by not making an honest woman out of your kid's mother!" Not to mention a freaking coward! So what if the last time was a mistake, it wasn't the same now. They have a responsibility that outweighs all the bullshit they went through as high school idiots.
Eric quickly leapt to his feet as well, not wanting to back down. "You don't have to be married to be a good parent, Hyde!" He yelled back, veins visibly twitching in his neck. "You of all people should know that."
Steven froze.
Well, what was he supposed to say to that?
"What's going on in here?"
Both men turned to see Donna and Jackie peeking out of the kitchen, their features full of caution. "You guys ok?" The redhead asked, gently reaching out to her boyfriend.
Hyde swallowed, glancing at his adoptive brother. He felt soft, small hands curling around his arm and he turned his gaze to the woman they belonged to. Mismatched eyes stared into his own, curiously. Almost routinely, her presence began to calm him. Right, they didn't come here to fight or judge. They merely wanted to be with their friends and seek their help.
Maybe he didn't initially agree with Foreman's view, but he made a good point. Several, in fact. Besides, he knew him enough to know that he wouldn't just bail on Donna, whether or not they were married. Not when most of his friends had been severely neglected by their own parents and saw the effects of that.
"Yeah," He extended a hand out to Eric. He trusted him, always had and always will. "I got your back, man." Besides, if he did anything dumb, Jackie read all those Nancy Drew books. She knew how to get away with murder.
Smiling, Eric grasped his best friend's hand and pulled him for a hug. "Thanks, man. You too."
"I will never understand how guys can argue then make-up within seconds." Donna snorted and shook her head.
"Simple reason; we're too lazy to hold grudges." Hyde shrugged. "By the way, congrats on the bun in the oven, Big D." He goes in for a hug, which is more than happily received. Eric does the same, embracing Jackie with faux reluctance.
"Same to you. You're gonna be a great dad, you know?" She beams, patting his back. Embarking on this new journey of parenthood scared the crap out of her. It was comforting, though, to know that her best friends were right alongside them.
Jackie pokes Foreman in his chest. "And, our kids are going to be the same age, so don't raise your's to be as geeky as you. Or we won't let them play together."
"Jokes on you, I've already been reading Spiderman comics to Donna's belly before bed." Eric laughs haughtily. There was also a box of Star Wars-themed onesies hiding somewhere deep in their closet, but Donna didn't need to know about them yet.
They retire to the living room again and spend the next couple of hours catching up. It didn't take long for the expecting mothers to demand dinner, so Chinese takeout was quickly ordered and distributed.
Steven and Jackie take this time to explain their other reason for dropping in unexpectantly. About the pregnancy, their potential desire to move, and the wedding. They wanted to tell everyone about the changes in their plan... if they had one. Too many things were happening at once and way more decisions needed to be made, fast.
"So, you want us to be your witnesses at the courthouse?" Donna nodded. She wasn't opposed to the idea of a quickie wedding, it was cheaper and less of a hassle. Honestly, she was just stunned by how much Jackie seemed to be on board with all of this. Hell must have frozen over! Their tiny brunette was giving up a day of dresses, gifts, and dancing to exchange their vows in a dingy government building.
Clearing his suddenly dry throat, Hyde reached over to hold Jackie's wrist. He hadn't told her of his epiphany at W.B.'s house the other day yet. There was a lot of strings he had to pull in between now and then, one of them being the main dealbreaker. Without the go-ahead, there was no point in even mentioning it to her. Thankfully, his dad had called him this morning to tell him that everything was set. Now all they had to do was tie up some loose ends.
After he informed the bride and the rest of the wedding party, of course.
"Actually, I want to go over something with you, doll."
Jackie furrowed her eyebrows, he sounded suspicious. "Okay?" The other couple in the room exchange curious looks too, but remain quiet.
"I don't want to get married by a judge and I know that you don't either." She opens her mouth to protest, but he quickly silences her with a finger to her lips. "You might think that it's enough for you now, but that's a load of crap. You're just putting up with it because you don't want to push me."
Steven sighed before tossing his sunglasses onto the coffee table. He wanted her to know how serious he is about this, and she always said that she saw the truth in his eyes. Ironically his mom used to say the same thing, that's why he started wearing the damn things in the first place. "You're not gonna make me uncomfortable by telling me how much you want to have our perfect wedding, alright? Last year made me realize that if I had to spend the rest of my life with someone, it had to be you. So, fuck all the precautions, I'm giving us the wedding we deserve."
He cradled her beautiful face, thumbs wiping tears away. "Let's do this the right way, baby. Marry me on Veteran's Day."
"Oh, Steven!" Jackie stared at the love of her life in awe until she couldn't bear it any longer, bringing him in for a passionate kiss. There was truly no man that could ever suit her better than her scruffy fiancé. "Yes!"
"Wait, hold on! That's only a few days away!" Foreman waved frantically. Was he crazy? How in the hell were they supposed to throw that big of a shindig within that small amount of time? "Why Veteran's day anyway? What about my parent's barbeque?"
Donna nudges her boyfriend. "That was their first date."
"Okay, that's cute and all but how are they gonna get everything ready in time?" Eric rolls his eyes. He glances back at their friends to demand some answers but finds them still in the middle of 'celebrating'. "Stop making out on my couch!"
Hyde breaks away first, glaring at someone he's seriously reconsidering as his best man. "Stop worrying, June Cleaver. I've got most of the prep work handled and we'll figure out the rest when we get to your parent's house."
"Wait, Steven. We're getting married in Point Place?" Jackie asks, confused.
"Uh, yeah. Didn't I mention that?"
"Hold on, that means we have to come too, right?" Donna groans. She was actually hoping to keep the baby thing a secret from her dad and the Foremans. Not for too long, only until there was an actual baby.
Eric simply grins and heads to a small table where a telephone rests. He flips through the phonebook for a while before dialling a number, ignoring everyone's questioning looks.
"Eric, who are you calling?" His girlfriend furrows her eyebrows.
"Oh, a proctologist, I wanna make an appointment in advance. So y'know, they'll be ready for me." He presses his ear against the receiver and speaks in a chipper voice. "Hi, there is about to be a very large and angry foot lodged in my ass. Do you take student healthcare insurance?"