Sweet Baby James

It's October 22, 1987. The night James Reginald Hyde is born, and the wind is howling, biting at their backs. A prelude of what is to come. J/H

A/N: A prelude to Fire and Rain. This may be a oneshot, but it's a sneak peek of what's to come.

"I've seen fire and I've seen rain, I've seen sunny days I thought would never end..." James Taylor

Thursday, October 22, 1987
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
11:00 pm

It's a cold night in October, a prelude to the infamous Wisconsin winter. The skies have opened, and the wind is howling.

And so is his wife.

She went into labor so fast, she couldn't get an epidural. He called everybody; the Chicago clan wouldn't be here until morning. Kelso and Brooke, and Forman and Donna.

He has the elder Formans by his side, though, and WB. His foster parents, and his real flesh and blood. But the former might has well have been flesh and blood. Without them, he'd be on the streets. If he wasn't, he'd be in prison.

Or, worst of all, he'd be as dead as a doornail.

But he's alive...hell, he's thriving. Not just because he and Jackie have some hefty paychecks under their belts, but they've been experiencing some domestic bliss.

But that clock's counting down. Three, two, one...

"Push, Jackie, push!"

It's not because of their baby, a bouncing baby boy, who has quickly emerged from his comforting cocoon. Into the world, with limited fanfare.

He doesn't see much, but he has dark hair like his mother, from what he can tell. Covered in blood and guts, he's quickly wiped off by the nurses. He can see James clearly now, and...

"Steven, isn't he beautiful?"

He's in awe, even though he's been through this before. The first time around, with Becca, there was a bit more apprehension. Parenting was...and still is, to an extent, a daunting task.

But this time around, he's got that part mostly figured out. Parenting is never perfect, but he's learned a thing or two. Like letting sleeping dogs lie.

But those sleeping dogs? They ain't lying. They're howling at the moon, threatening to swallow them whole.

Retaining his zen, he keeps his cool. "Yeah, just like you."

"Oh, please. I'm covered in blood and guts, and I'm glistening..."

"Sweating?"

"Glistening." Steely blue eyes briefly gazing up at them, the baby boy continues to wail. Loudly, and proudly. "Becca wasn't this loud, was she?"

"No. She did her cryin' bit. Then she was done."

She loudly sighs, a prelude of what's to come. "I know he has your eyes, but all I see is my dad."

"It's better than seeing Pam."

Thinking with his brain, and not his dick, he's not in awe of Pam. Pam's only sent half-hearted presents, often inappropriate for an infant, and made one bullshit visit during Becca's first Christmas. And it was fucking rough.

"We're not piercin' her ears, Pam. She's a baby."

A diamond in the rough, to put it kindly, Pam made a huge scene. "But look at these diamonds, aren't they beautiful?"

In turn, Jackie tried to remain calm. "Yes, Mom. But they're a choking hazard."

Then, Pam left for Cancun. Never to be seen again, and that's how it should be. Because Pam's toxic sludge, and appearances? They can be real fucking deceiving.

But Jackie's done playing that game, and because of that remarkable transformation, she's a way better mother than Pam could ever be. Hell, she still cares about appearances, but it's nowhere near the caliber of before. When they first met, and that was all she knew.

She knows a lot more now; he's made her think. Beyond the skin deep, as she holds their son close. Feeling his warmth, as he relishes in the moment.

That moment, ever so brief, is interrupted. The nurses have to check him out; it's protocol. Jackie's reluctant, but she complies; James has to be examined, to see if he's as healthy as he looks.

However, she still seems worried, but not just about the welfare of their kid. She's got other shit on her mind, and with their son's sudden birth, her suppressed emotion have come to the forefront. Rearing its big, ugly head.

And as sweet baby James is whisked away, a normal routine, Jackie finally releases her anguish. Something's she been holding in for the past few months.

Three, two, one.

"Daddy's going to be released from prison soon, and nobody wants to take him in. And he's going to be on probation, and that means he can't leave the state. And we were going to move to Chicago after the baby was born. And my aunt's so sick, she can barely walk, and the other one doesn't want anything to do with him. We have to take him in..."

He tries to calm her down, by keeping it short and sweet. "I know."

Despite his efforts, a flurry of emotions continues to overcome his sweating wife, and Jackie bursts into tears.

She leans into him, bawling her eyes out. "Daddy's only seen Becca through a glass wall. A glass wall, Steven. And next year, things are going to change. He's finally going to be able to hold our babies..."

And as the rain continues to fall down her flushed cheeks, all he can do is hold her close, and tell her everything's gonna be okay.

But is everything gonna be okay? He doesn't know. They'll probably come out of the storm alive, but they'll be battered. With two kids in their arms, protecting them from the shitstorm.

Trying to see the good in the precarious situation, he again tries to calm the storm. "And that's great, isn't it?"

This time, it seems to work. Jackie's said her bit, and now she's done. "Yeah, it really is. He's going to be so happy I named James after James Taylor."

"And me, and Jimmy Page."

"That too, but we used to listen to James Taylor all the time." Those were the happy memories, before shit hit the fan. "Fire and Rain was his favorite..."

A blonde nurse, resembling a younger Kitty, interrupts Jackie's reminiscing. Bringing them back to the present day, and back to reality.

"He's in the clear. Eight pounds, seven ounces, and twenty-three inches long."

"Twenty-three? There's..." Still puffy eyed, she's this close to calling her egg donor Pam. "Mom, right there. Wasn't Becca only twenty?"

"Uh huh. But he's happy and healthy. That's all that matters, right, doll?"

An apprehensive but satisfied smile emerges, and Jackie simply nods. "Uh huh."