Chapter 12
Home Sweet Home
(1 day after the end of Chapter 11)
NYC
It was two forty-five in the morning when the telephone rang and Jackie was almost letting her body fall asleep was so anxious to answer the phone that she broke her crystal vase that was on her night table. Please let it be Steven.
"Hello?"
"Jackie-"
"Steven! I've been going crazy waiting for your call, the phone number you gave me was busy every time I tried phoning."
"Are you and the kids all right?"
"Yeah, they're all sleeping." One of them wasn't, actually.
She would tell him the rest when he came home, she didn't want to do that now as their phone calls were always too short.
"Are you safe where you are?" She never thought to ask it before. It never seemed to matter before. It used to be one of those things you just assumed.
"Other than missing you, I'm fine."
"When are you coming home?"
"The minute I'm allowed to board a plane. Jackie, I was so worried that I'd never hear your voice again." He could admit it to no one other than her.
It scared Jackie of the thought of Steven having to board a plane. She was sure he'd be okay, and she figured it as normal to have these reactions but she was going to think twice before getting on an airplane herself, even the private jet. Then she thought it wasn't fair to Donna and Eric and make them fly out if they didn't want to. How long was the drive from New York City to St. Louis?
"Me too. I love you, Steven."
"Love you, too."
He briefly thought of how he used to loathe Jackie when she was first introduced to the group as Kelso's popular cheerleading girlfriend. Even Donna didn't like her at first but after awhile she just became part of "the gang" and the only regret Hyde had was that they had to be separated for the better part of twenty years only to almost lose each other more times than he could count before they were even allowed to be married. Now he was married to Jackie and the Father of three children. It took a long time for him to even accept happiness. They said their goodbyes and Jackie was about to try and go to sleep but she heard something from outside her bedroom door. She threw on her robe and opened the door to see the light on in Tiffany's room and the crumb trail on the floor of cookies. Jackie softly knocked, as she didn't want to wake the babies or disturb her oldest daughter and opened the door.
"Tiffany, it's after three." She made it a statement. She didn't know whether to shield her daughter or to talk to her like she was a small adult. That was why she didn't want to do anything until Steven came back home.
"I'm not tired." She replied in the same fashion
Jackie sat next to her, "Do you want to sleep with me again?"
"No. Can I play a video game?"
Jackie sighed, "I suppose so. Just don't do it with the sound on."
"Okay. Were you talking on the phone?"
"Yes, that was your Daddy, he'll be coming home very soon."
"You mean Steven?"
'Oh God' "Yes, baby."
"Is my other Daddy dead?"
Jackie was glad she was sitting down on the bed because if she wasn't she was convinced she'd have fainted on the spot.
"I don't know, sweetie," She had her arm around her daughter, who wanted to push away to get to her video tape cartridges, "I called your Grandmother-" and Jackie hated Brad's Mother, "She hasn't heard from him yet."
"Do you want him to be in Heaven?"
"No." If only for her sake. She couldn't believe how much her daughter knew. She wasn't a baby anymore. Brad was an ass****, no doubt about it, but Tiffany loved him in some weird context despite his sometimes- neglectful ways with her.
That was the agreement if one of them found out his whereabouts to call the other one, despite the bad blood between the two women when Jackie first met her years ago when Brad dumped his Martha's Vineyard, matching sweater set, and Town & Country reading fiancée to be with her. Every time Jackie saw her ex-Mother in law she only got berated for how she was raising Tiffany and what a "fool" she was for leaving her son. (!)
"Do you want to play your game?" Jackie wanted to cry softly in her pillows before the babies woke up.
"Yeah."
"Okay," She kissed her daughter on the forehead, "I love you, sweetie."
"I know." She didn't answer with an "I love you" back which made Jackie feel worse. She knew this was to be expected. She wasn't the only one going through this, but why did it feel like it?
She needed Steven to be back by her side, she couldn't face this alone.
MO
"Guess who I got an email from?"
Eric asked Donna who was trying to take a nap on the sofa. They had just come back from the hospital after spending time with the baby. She was "stable" but to Donna those were just empty words. Eric wasn't the only one who wanted to bring their daughter home. She wished the worst of it was over, but they had many months more to go.
"Who?" She yawned she wanted to sleep for 100 years.
"Jackie."
That perked Donna up; she made herself sit upright, "How is she?" She wondered why she emailed rather than phoned them?
"She and the kids are fine."
"Thank god. Did she hear from Hyde?"
"Yeah, he's okay, too, and he should be coming home by the end of the week."
Eric sat down next to Donna
"I have a feeling he'll never go that far for work again."
"Donna, I think you're right," Now it was on to their own "crises", "You've been quiet since we left Megan, are you okay?"
"I'm all right, Eric. Just very tired."
"You've been tired a lot lately. Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor?" Eric asked worried
"It's stress, Eric, nothing more."
He looked at his watch, "Why don't you take a nap?"
"I was going to-"
He got up so she could lie down, he'd have joined her, but he needed to do some actual work on his computer, which was what he was doing when he received Jackie's email. He stretched out her legs for her and covered her with the blanket that she purchased after college it was a green and blue non-gender specific floral pattern.
"Sleep well, my lady." He kissed her on the lips, anticipating the day that himself, Donna, and their daughter moved from St. Louis to Point Place.
NYC (Undetermined time later)
"Now? Okay. I'll be right down." Jackie hung up the telephone. "Tiffany,"
"What Mommy?" She was on level 20 and didn't want to get up from her spot in the living room.
"I have to go downstairs to pick up my dry cleaning, will you be a good girl and watch the babies for me? They should be almost ready to fall asleep."
She smirked in an "I-don't-wanna" way before replying, "Okay." in a tired voice
"Thanks, baby." She kissed her head
"I'm going to blow up the City." She replied before going back to her game, where the object was to blow up an urban city. The idiot bought that for her. Jackie should have inspected those cartridges before letting her play with them. She took a deep breath, she would have to deal with Tiffany later, and she didn't want to do anything that would result in a temper tantrum. Jackie decided the stairs were better exercise than the elevator. James would usually bring up her dry cleaning, she didn't want any special treatment, and she just wasn't in the mood to walk down multiple flights of stairs just to get her clothes back from the dry cleaner. When she got down to the lobby no one was in sight. Jackie ran her fingers through her hair; she needed to get her highlights done. Where was James? This was NOT the time to go on a coffee break; he was the one who called her for Pete's sake.
"Looking for someone?"
She started to smile before she turned around. "Steven?! Oh, I missed you so much!" they hugged each other for the longest time, grateful to see the other one again.
"Jackie, I missed you, too." They shared a kiss
"Were you my dry cleaning?"
"Yeah. I hope you're not mad. I sent James on a coffee break so I could surprise you in private."
"Mad? No, honey, I'm not."
She helped him with his second suitcase. "I don't remember this suitcase."
"That's because I bought an extra one. Now that I'm here Jackie, are you sure everything is fine, because how could it be?"
"Well, Tiffany-I'd rather we have this talk in our apartment."
"Okay."
"Steven, don't be angry with her when you see the video game she's playing. I had no idea until she blurted it out."
"You look so worn out, why don't you take a long hot bath? And I'll talk to Tiffany."
For the first time she let herself take the elevator again. She knew it was a stupid fear, but she felt safer with Steven beside her.
"Thank you so much, I need it." Too bad Donna couldn't be a fly on that wall. So much for the flawless Hyde's.
When they got upstairs Tiffany was done playing her video game as it stalled on her and she got angry and kicked it and the unit got unplugged and went under one of the cream colored love seat's. So she went in the nursery and watched the twins fall asleep with only a faint interest.
"Hello, Tiffany." Hyde said from the doorway. He didn't know if she would come running to him for a big hug or if she would just stay seated in the rocking chair and sulk. She stood up and looked at him.
"Hi." She replied
"I missed you." He hugged her, but she didn't hug him back.
"Can you get my video game? It's under the loveseat."
He figured this was best until he and Jackie talked about things that he really didn't want to talk about, but knew he had to.
"Okay. I got you a present."
"Later-I want to get back to my game."
It mildly hurt him to see her pull away and be distant with him, but he tried not to take it personally. She was only reacting the best way she knew how in an unpredictable sometimes dangerous world.
"Do you want me to play with you?"
"No, I'd rather play by myself."
He kissed her on the head, but she didn't respond.
Jackie didn't flinch when she felt the sponge go down her back. It was great having her husband home.
"Steven--?" She didn't know what to say and figure to let him describe it in his own words
"Did the twins grow or was it my imagination?"
"No, they've grown, you were gone far too long." She meant that as a general statement and not a judgment call.
"I know, never again. Tiffany is so cold-"
"I know, Steven. I wasn't really honest with you when I told you on the phone that we were all okay. She visited her Father on---" If she finished the sentence she'd have started crying again.
"S***. She was in the middle of------?"
"No. She was bored and he put her on the train. But I didn't know that and went outside looking for her, Mrs. Andrews watched the twins. AND I LET HER WATCH TV not realizing what I was letting her see." She cupped her hands in her face and cried.
Steven put his hands on her wet shoulders and kissed her neck, "Ssh. It's not your fault. We'll get through this; we're all together now. Is Brad--- ?"
Even the world's biggest dill hole didn't deserve a death like that and Tiffany didn't need to go through that life experience.
"I don't know."
"If he's somehow faking and hiding out somewhere, you know I'll kick his ass."
"I don't think so. Brad might be a lot of things, but to take advantage of a horrible situation like this, having to realize his daughter is confused, you'll be standing in line, Steven, because I'll be kicking his ass first." Jackie took the stopper out of the bathtub. You don't mess with a Mother.
He grabbed one of the big fluffy blue towels off the rack and wrapped Jackie in it like a present. He wanted to make love to her so badly, but he couldn't with his little girl in pain in the other room.
"You know, Jackie, I have an idea. Why don't we drive up to our cottage tonight? Let's get Tiffany out of New York City for awhile, okay?"
Her eyes lit up and she kissed his nose. "That's an excellent idea, Steven."
"We'll tell her together, so hurry up and get dressed." A sentence he'd never thought he'd be uttering. But the family unit had to come first before they as a couple could give into their hearts desires.
"You're telling me to hurry up and get dressed?" Jackie tried to smile; she let Hyde snap her bra closed in the back.
"I know. Very f***ed up."
Jackie put her jeans on and one of Hyde's old rock t-shirts on as Hyde called her into their bedroom.
"Tiffany, your Daddy and I have a surprise for you."
"I don't want my present, I want to play my video game!"
"How would you like to go to our cottage?" Hyde asked
"NO!" She shouted back
"Tiffany, it'll be fun, remember when we were there for Christmas?" Jackie asked on her last nerve, or one of them, at least.
"NO! I don't want to go! You're not my Daddy, Steven." She ran to go back to her video game.
Jackie saw the hurt look in her Husbands eyes, "I'm so sorry, Steven. She didn't mean it. She's hurting."
"Months and months of bonding out the window." He remembered the night they danced on the rooftop and when she sweetly called him "Daddy" for the first time. He let one tear escape down his cheek.
Jackie hugged him tight, "It's okay. She loves you, you have to know that."
"It's been my experience that kids are honest. When Mrs. Forman would kiss me on the cheek I'd smile, when my Mom would hurt me to my core, I'd cry on the inside where no one could hear me. So, I think she means exactly what she says."
"How could she? She's just a little girl." She wiped away his tears with her hand, but she started crying herself.
"A part of me wants to just pick her up, kicking and screaming to the car, but I don't want to be that kind of Father." He sat on the edge of the bed. He never should have accepted that producing assignment.
"You are a great Father. She does love you, just right now she is confused, and she needs to know what happened to Brad."
"What if he is okay, went to Connecticut and told his Mother NOT to call you for some twisted reason. What then?"
"He wouldn't do that. Even Playboy's have morals."
"Don't you stick up for him, Jackie."
"I'm not. I just don't believe he'd be so cold as to be alive and well and NOT contact us. I've been making so many calls and no one has seen him."
Hyde went to his souvenir suitcase, put it on the bed, and opened it up to reveal the contents. The gifts were wrapped but he had to undo them when he got to the airport. Jackie tried not to look at the rest of the contents of the suitcase. She could see the tiredness and disappointment in her Husband's face.
"I'm going to put this in Tiffany's room, while she's playing her video game." It was a Navaratna beaded necklace the garnet, pearl, lapis, crystal, tiger-eye, amethyst, citrine, carnelian, and aventurine that symbolized the nine planets.
"Okay," she wanted to kiss him before he left the room, but it was too late. She went in the nursery to check on the babies.
They were almost too quiet but when Hyde checked on them earlier they did seem to respond to him happily like they did before he left for his trip. Jackie loved the sweet powdery smell of a baby. They were content as they were full from their bottles, didn't need a diaper change yet, and were safe in their warm cribs. Steven was gone an awful long time for someone who just wanted to put Tiffany's necklace on her dresser and come back to Jackie to let her play her video game while she blocked out the reality of the current situation. It was too quiet out there but Jackie just wanted to stay seated in the rocking chair and wait for Steven to come to her. Which he did ten minutes later, carrying a video tape, that was pulled apart as she noticed the strands of tape hanging from the plastic casing.
"What's that?"
"If she didn't hate me before, she hates me now."
"Steven, what are you talking about? I didn't hear you two argue. What's on that tape?"
"You don't want to know. Let's just say she taped the news. And the reason you didn't hear us argue is because all she wants to do is play that stupid video game and talk about destroying the City. I'm going to wind up being the bad guy while your jerk of an ex-husband will get elevated to be a hero in her mind."
Jackie got up and hugged Hyde; she let her hands go up and down his back so he could feel some form of relaxation.
"It looks like I have to keep reminding you that she doesn't hate you. She's just confused and wants to know where her Father is. Although, I'm not thrilled with her playing that video game."
"If we take it off her, she's going to have a tantrum." Hyde said, looking at the sleeping twins, unaware of their family falling apart.
"I agree that we need to get Tiffany out of New York City for awhile," Jackie held Hyde's hand, "We'll work on making her understand tomorrow at breakfast."
"You know another thing I'd never thought I'd say is that I wish your ex- husband would walk through the front door right now." Like Jackie thought it was only for Tiffany's sake. She needed see that jerk alive and well.
"I love you," She held him tight and kissed him on the lips, she knew they weren't going to make love tonight as it didn't seem right with their daughter in pain to satisfy their physical pleasure.
"I love you, too, Jackie. Come on," It was his turn to hold her hand.
"Where are we going?"
"Whether Tiffany likes it or not we are going to sit in the living room and keep her company while she plays her stupid game."
Jackie pretended to be interested in writing checks as Hyde pretended to be interested in reading a vintage rock magazine (article written by Donna Pinciotti-1990) as Tiffany pretended THEY weren't there as she played her video game. Jackie looked at Hyde almost jumping out of her skin when their phone rang.
It was a mix of dread and relief when she went to answer it.
(1 day after the end of Chapter 11)
NYC
It was two forty-five in the morning when the telephone rang and Jackie was almost letting her body fall asleep was so anxious to answer the phone that she broke her crystal vase that was on her night table. Please let it be Steven.
"Hello?"
"Jackie-"
"Steven! I've been going crazy waiting for your call, the phone number you gave me was busy every time I tried phoning."
"Are you and the kids all right?"
"Yeah, they're all sleeping." One of them wasn't, actually.
She would tell him the rest when he came home, she didn't want to do that now as their phone calls were always too short.
"Are you safe where you are?" She never thought to ask it before. It never seemed to matter before. It used to be one of those things you just assumed.
"Other than missing you, I'm fine."
"When are you coming home?"
"The minute I'm allowed to board a plane. Jackie, I was so worried that I'd never hear your voice again." He could admit it to no one other than her.
It scared Jackie of the thought of Steven having to board a plane. She was sure he'd be okay, and she figured it as normal to have these reactions but she was going to think twice before getting on an airplane herself, even the private jet. Then she thought it wasn't fair to Donna and Eric and make them fly out if they didn't want to. How long was the drive from New York City to St. Louis?
"Me too. I love you, Steven."
"Love you, too."
He briefly thought of how he used to loathe Jackie when she was first introduced to the group as Kelso's popular cheerleading girlfriend. Even Donna didn't like her at first but after awhile she just became part of "the gang" and the only regret Hyde had was that they had to be separated for the better part of twenty years only to almost lose each other more times than he could count before they were even allowed to be married. Now he was married to Jackie and the Father of three children. It took a long time for him to even accept happiness. They said their goodbyes and Jackie was about to try and go to sleep but she heard something from outside her bedroom door. She threw on her robe and opened the door to see the light on in Tiffany's room and the crumb trail on the floor of cookies. Jackie softly knocked, as she didn't want to wake the babies or disturb her oldest daughter and opened the door.
"Tiffany, it's after three." She made it a statement. She didn't know whether to shield her daughter or to talk to her like she was a small adult. That was why she didn't want to do anything until Steven came back home.
"I'm not tired." She replied in the same fashion
Jackie sat next to her, "Do you want to sleep with me again?"
"No. Can I play a video game?"
Jackie sighed, "I suppose so. Just don't do it with the sound on."
"Okay. Were you talking on the phone?"
"Yes, that was your Daddy, he'll be coming home very soon."
"You mean Steven?"
'Oh God' "Yes, baby."
"Is my other Daddy dead?"
Jackie was glad she was sitting down on the bed because if she wasn't she was convinced she'd have fainted on the spot.
"I don't know, sweetie," She had her arm around her daughter, who wanted to push away to get to her video tape cartridges, "I called your Grandmother-" and Jackie hated Brad's Mother, "She hasn't heard from him yet."
"Do you want him to be in Heaven?"
"No." If only for her sake. She couldn't believe how much her daughter knew. She wasn't a baby anymore. Brad was an ass****, no doubt about it, but Tiffany loved him in some weird context despite his sometimes- neglectful ways with her.
That was the agreement if one of them found out his whereabouts to call the other one, despite the bad blood between the two women when Jackie first met her years ago when Brad dumped his Martha's Vineyard, matching sweater set, and Town & Country reading fiancée to be with her. Every time Jackie saw her ex-Mother in law she only got berated for how she was raising Tiffany and what a "fool" she was for leaving her son. (!)
"Do you want to play your game?" Jackie wanted to cry softly in her pillows before the babies woke up.
"Yeah."
"Okay," She kissed her daughter on the forehead, "I love you, sweetie."
"I know." She didn't answer with an "I love you" back which made Jackie feel worse. She knew this was to be expected. She wasn't the only one going through this, but why did it feel like it?
She needed Steven to be back by her side, she couldn't face this alone.
MO
"Guess who I got an email from?"
Eric asked Donna who was trying to take a nap on the sofa. They had just come back from the hospital after spending time with the baby. She was "stable" but to Donna those were just empty words. Eric wasn't the only one who wanted to bring their daughter home. She wished the worst of it was over, but they had many months more to go.
"Who?" She yawned she wanted to sleep for 100 years.
"Jackie."
That perked Donna up; she made herself sit upright, "How is she?" She wondered why she emailed rather than phoned them?
"She and the kids are fine."
"Thank god. Did she hear from Hyde?"
"Yeah, he's okay, too, and he should be coming home by the end of the week."
Eric sat down next to Donna
"I have a feeling he'll never go that far for work again."
"Donna, I think you're right," Now it was on to their own "crises", "You've been quiet since we left Megan, are you okay?"
"I'm all right, Eric. Just very tired."
"You've been tired a lot lately. Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor?" Eric asked worried
"It's stress, Eric, nothing more."
He looked at his watch, "Why don't you take a nap?"
"I was going to-"
He got up so she could lie down, he'd have joined her, but he needed to do some actual work on his computer, which was what he was doing when he received Jackie's email. He stretched out her legs for her and covered her with the blanket that she purchased after college it was a green and blue non-gender specific floral pattern.
"Sleep well, my lady." He kissed her on the lips, anticipating the day that himself, Donna, and their daughter moved from St. Louis to Point Place.
NYC (Undetermined time later)
"Now? Okay. I'll be right down." Jackie hung up the telephone. "Tiffany,"
"What Mommy?" She was on level 20 and didn't want to get up from her spot in the living room.
"I have to go downstairs to pick up my dry cleaning, will you be a good girl and watch the babies for me? They should be almost ready to fall asleep."
She smirked in an "I-don't-wanna" way before replying, "Okay." in a tired voice
"Thanks, baby." She kissed her head
"I'm going to blow up the City." She replied before going back to her game, where the object was to blow up an urban city. The idiot bought that for her. Jackie should have inspected those cartridges before letting her play with them. She took a deep breath, she would have to deal with Tiffany later, and she didn't want to do anything that would result in a temper tantrum. Jackie decided the stairs were better exercise than the elevator. James would usually bring up her dry cleaning, she didn't want any special treatment, and she just wasn't in the mood to walk down multiple flights of stairs just to get her clothes back from the dry cleaner. When she got down to the lobby no one was in sight. Jackie ran her fingers through her hair; she needed to get her highlights done. Where was James? This was NOT the time to go on a coffee break; he was the one who called her for Pete's sake.
"Looking for someone?"
She started to smile before she turned around. "Steven?! Oh, I missed you so much!" they hugged each other for the longest time, grateful to see the other one again.
"Jackie, I missed you, too." They shared a kiss
"Were you my dry cleaning?"
"Yeah. I hope you're not mad. I sent James on a coffee break so I could surprise you in private."
"Mad? No, honey, I'm not."
She helped him with his second suitcase. "I don't remember this suitcase."
"That's because I bought an extra one. Now that I'm here Jackie, are you sure everything is fine, because how could it be?"
"Well, Tiffany-I'd rather we have this talk in our apartment."
"Okay."
"Steven, don't be angry with her when you see the video game she's playing. I had no idea until she blurted it out."
"You look so worn out, why don't you take a long hot bath? And I'll talk to Tiffany."
For the first time she let herself take the elevator again. She knew it was a stupid fear, but she felt safer with Steven beside her.
"Thank you so much, I need it." Too bad Donna couldn't be a fly on that wall. So much for the flawless Hyde's.
When they got upstairs Tiffany was done playing her video game as it stalled on her and she got angry and kicked it and the unit got unplugged and went under one of the cream colored love seat's. So she went in the nursery and watched the twins fall asleep with only a faint interest.
"Hello, Tiffany." Hyde said from the doorway. He didn't know if she would come running to him for a big hug or if she would just stay seated in the rocking chair and sulk. She stood up and looked at him.
"Hi." She replied
"I missed you." He hugged her, but she didn't hug him back.
"Can you get my video game? It's under the loveseat."
He figured this was best until he and Jackie talked about things that he really didn't want to talk about, but knew he had to.
"Okay. I got you a present."
"Later-I want to get back to my game."
It mildly hurt him to see her pull away and be distant with him, but he tried not to take it personally. She was only reacting the best way she knew how in an unpredictable sometimes dangerous world.
"Do you want me to play with you?"
"No, I'd rather play by myself."
He kissed her on the head, but she didn't respond.
Jackie didn't flinch when she felt the sponge go down her back. It was great having her husband home.
"Steven--?" She didn't know what to say and figure to let him describe it in his own words
"Did the twins grow or was it my imagination?"
"No, they've grown, you were gone far too long." She meant that as a general statement and not a judgment call.
"I know, never again. Tiffany is so cold-"
"I know, Steven. I wasn't really honest with you when I told you on the phone that we were all okay. She visited her Father on---" If she finished the sentence she'd have started crying again.
"S***. She was in the middle of------?"
"No. She was bored and he put her on the train. But I didn't know that and went outside looking for her, Mrs. Andrews watched the twins. AND I LET HER WATCH TV not realizing what I was letting her see." She cupped her hands in her face and cried.
Steven put his hands on her wet shoulders and kissed her neck, "Ssh. It's not your fault. We'll get through this; we're all together now. Is Brad--- ?"
Even the world's biggest dill hole didn't deserve a death like that and Tiffany didn't need to go through that life experience.
"I don't know."
"If he's somehow faking and hiding out somewhere, you know I'll kick his ass."
"I don't think so. Brad might be a lot of things, but to take advantage of a horrible situation like this, having to realize his daughter is confused, you'll be standing in line, Steven, because I'll be kicking his ass first." Jackie took the stopper out of the bathtub. You don't mess with a Mother.
He grabbed one of the big fluffy blue towels off the rack and wrapped Jackie in it like a present. He wanted to make love to her so badly, but he couldn't with his little girl in pain in the other room.
"You know, Jackie, I have an idea. Why don't we drive up to our cottage tonight? Let's get Tiffany out of New York City for awhile, okay?"
Her eyes lit up and she kissed his nose. "That's an excellent idea, Steven."
"We'll tell her together, so hurry up and get dressed." A sentence he'd never thought he'd be uttering. But the family unit had to come first before they as a couple could give into their hearts desires.
"You're telling me to hurry up and get dressed?" Jackie tried to smile; she let Hyde snap her bra closed in the back.
"I know. Very f***ed up."
Jackie put her jeans on and one of Hyde's old rock t-shirts on as Hyde called her into their bedroom.
"Tiffany, your Daddy and I have a surprise for you."
"I don't want my present, I want to play my video game!"
"How would you like to go to our cottage?" Hyde asked
"NO!" She shouted back
"Tiffany, it'll be fun, remember when we were there for Christmas?" Jackie asked on her last nerve, or one of them, at least.
"NO! I don't want to go! You're not my Daddy, Steven." She ran to go back to her video game.
Jackie saw the hurt look in her Husbands eyes, "I'm so sorry, Steven. She didn't mean it. She's hurting."
"Months and months of bonding out the window." He remembered the night they danced on the rooftop and when she sweetly called him "Daddy" for the first time. He let one tear escape down his cheek.
Jackie hugged him tight, "It's okay. She loves you, you have to know that."
"It's been my experience that kids are honest. When Mrs. Forman would kiss me on the cheek I'd smile, when my Mom would hurt me to my core, I'd cry on the inside where no one could hear me. So, I think she means exactly what she says."
"How could she? She's just a little girl." She wiped away his tears with her hand, but she started crying herself.
"A part of me wants to just pick her up, kicking and screaming to the car, but I don't want to be that kind of Father." He sat on the edge of the bed. He never should have accepted that producing assignment.
"You are a great Father. She does love you, just right now she is confused, and she needs to know what happened to Brad."
"What if he is okay, went to Connecticut and told his Mother NOT to call you for some twisted reason. What then?"
"He wouldn't do that. Even Playboy's have morals."
"Don't you stick up for him, Jackie."
"I'm not. I just don't believe he'd be so cold as to be alive and well and NOT contact us. I've been making so many calls and no one has seen him."
Hyde went to his souvenir suitcase, put it on the bed, and opened it up to reveal the contents. The gifts were wrapped but he had to undo them when he got to the airport. Jackie tried not to look at the rest of the contents of the suitcase. She could see the tiredness and disappointment in her Husband's face.
"I'm going to put this in Tiffany's room, while she's playing her video game." It was a Navaratna beaded necklace the garnet, pearl, lapis, crystal, tiger-eye, amethyst, citrine, carnelian, and aventurine that symbolized the nine planets.
"Okay," she wanted to kiss him before he left the room, but it was too late. She went in the nursery to check on the babies.
They were almost too quiet but when Hyde checked on them earlier they did seem to respond to him happily like they did before he left for his trip. Jackie loved the sweet powdery smell of a baby. They were content as they were full from their bottles, didn't need a diaper change yet, and were safe in their warm cribs. Steven was gone an awful long time for someone who just wanted to put Tiffany's necklace on her dresser and come back to Jackie to let her play her video game while she blocked out the reality of the current situation. It was too quiet out there but Jackie just wanted to stay seated in the rocking chair and wait for Steven to come to her. Which he did ten minutes later, carrying a video tape, that was pulled apart as she noticed the strands of tape hanging from the plastic casing.
"What's that?"
"If she didn't hate me before, she hates me now."
"Steven, what are you talking about? I didn't hear you two argue. What's on that tape?"
"You don't want to know. Let's just say she taped the news. And the reason you didn't hear us argue is because all she wants to do is play that stupid video game and talk about destroying the City. I'm going to wind up being the bad guy while your jerk of an ex-husband will get elevated to be a hero in her mind."
Jackie got up and hugged Hyde; she let her hands go up and down his back so he could feel some form of relaxation.
"It looks like I have to keep reminding you that she doesn't hate you. She's just confused and wants to know where her Father is. Although, I'm not thrilled with her playing that video game."
"If we take it off her, she's going to have a tantrum." Hyde said, looking at the sleeping twins, unaware of their family falling apart.
"I agree that we need to get Tiffany out of New York City for awhile," Jackie held Hyde's hand, "We'll work on making her understand tomorrow at breakfast."
"You know another thing I'd never thought I'd say is that I wish your ex- husband would walk through the front door right now." Like Jackie thought it was only for Tiffany's sake. She needed see that jerk alive and well.
"I love you," She held him tight and kissed him on the lips, she knew they weren't going to make love tonight as it didn't seem right with their daughter in pain to satisfy their physical pleasure.
"I love you, too, Jackie. Come on," It was his turn to hold her hand.
"Where are we going?"
"Whether Tiffany likes it or not we are going to sit in the living room and keep her company while she plays her stupid game."
Jackie pretended to be interested in writing checks as Hyde pretended to be interested in reading a vintage rock magazine (article written by Donna Pinciotti-1990) as Tiffany pretended THEY weren't there as she played her video game. Jackie looked at Hyde almost jumping out of her skin when their phone rang.
It was a mix of dread and relief when she went to answer it.
