Chapter 14
Under Pressure
Hyde hoped that Jackie would understand him not coming to the hospital sooner. For the first time he was glad that she knew about his first son dying, maybe she'd be more understanding that he wasn't there in the morning. She knew that he loved his family and he really wanted to go to the hospital with her and Hannah, but he made that excuse about wanting to stay and wait for Tiffany, which was only partly true because when she arrived at the house, he blankly told her that Hunter was in a car accident and was in the ICU ward at St. Peter's Hospital. He didn't accompany Tiffany at all. He just hoped his Wife would be sympathetic, but when he got out of the elevator with Forman, he knew he was in trouble when he saw Jackie's tired face, she went up to him, balled her fists, and started to hit him hard on the chest.
"HOW could you NOT BE THERE for your own son, Steven?! And ME!"
Eric got between them, but that didn't stop her mighty fists from swinging.
"Mother—" Tiffany started to say
Jackie backed away for a moment and Eric got out of the way before Hyde could push him to the Moon.
"I just NEEDED my Husband—" She started to cry
Hyde walked towards her and gently put his hands on her shoulders before pulling her close and giving her a warm embrace.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I took the coward's way out and I know it—How is Hunter doing?"
She kissed Hyde on the forehead and they walked down the corridor hand in hand to sit down on one of those connected to the wall benches in the typical hospital décor color of bright orange.
"He woke up and spoke a few minutes ago. Megan was with him."
He let his shoulder's relax at the news of his son being out of his coma.
"They are great for each other."
"I know—oh and it looks like her and Hannah are resolving their differences. Hannah faked a stomach pain just so Megan could sneak in the ICU to see Hunter."
He smiled.
"That's MY girl. Did you see him yet?"
"No," she sighed, holding his hand the whole time, studying the thick veins, "I was waiting for you, Steven. Don't you think that is something that we should do together?"
"Of course, Jackie. I'm sorry about hiding into my shell, I should've been here for YOU and Hunter. I know that I let you down." 'And myself, damn it.'
She pulled up his hand to her mouth and kissed it. "I know dealing with your emotions has always been difficult for you, Steven, and I realize this is probably bringing back terrible memories of your son Ethan James—but"
Jackie a virtual lexicon onto herself could not find the words to say to her Husband to comfort him.
"He's in a better place," Hyde coughed, he thought about his first son every single day, he just never talked about it, in his mind there was a difference, "Let's go see, Hunter."
"Shouldn't we go back for Tiffany and Hannah?"
"They can see him later, but right now, I think this something that we should do together."
"A doctor still HASN'T come by to talk to me. I've been waiting since he was brought in. What's the point of paying medical insurance for?"
"It makes me want to move to Canada."
"A lot of things make you want to move to Canada," Jackie slightly giggled.
There were no nurses around, which was a good thing Hyde thought, because if any of them said that they couldn't visit their own son he wouldn't mince words.
"My baby," Jackie went over to Hunter's bed as soon as Hyde held open the door for her. "Oh, Hunter." She lightly touched the huge square bandage that was on his head.
He blinked open his eyes, "Mo-m"
"Ssh. Don't talk, son. You need your strength." Jackie kissed him on the cheek
"Da-d."
"I'm here, Hunter." Hyde felt guilty because he felt he was giving his son the false impression that he was at the hospital all the while.
"I-s-Meg-an-Ok-ay?"
"Yes, son, she's fine." Jackie replied "We love you, baby."
Jackie smoothed the hair out of his face.
Hunter nodded before closing his eyes again. He thought there was something about his body that was out of focus, but he fell asleep before he could think about what it was exactly.
"We should let him sleep," Hyde said, as Jackie fixed his blankets and kissed him on the forehead.
"Mommy loves you, baby."
Before Hyde left the room he made sure to kiss and hug his sleeping son. He loved him so much and he hoped that no one doubted that for a second of HOW MUCH he did LOVE his Wife and family. He just wished that he could show it outward better, you think after all this TIME he would be able to. His walls were really starting to p*** him off. It was just like Hunter having barriers that shouldn't be there, Hyde was at a point now in his life where he didn't need those protective blocks anymore. All he could do was hold Jackie's hand and walk back to the waiting room to join their family and friends.
Temporary Cripple* (note-will be used as character quote)
Two hours later Jackie and Hyde were sitting in the office of one of the doctor's that wanted to speak to them.
"Don't bite your nails." Hyde anxiously said
"I'm nervous, Steven."
He held her hand. The doctor breezed in and introduced himself and Hyde didn't care about phony pleasantries.
"Cut to the chase doctor, and tell us about our son." It was Jackie this time that broke cover.
Hyde was impressed.
11:00PM
No one knew to 'bother' Megan by being well meaning or otherwise. Even Hannah who was delighted to have her best friend back, respected her need for space despite all the talking they had to do regarding their own relationship, but Hannah realized there was only one relationship on Megan's mind. It was between her and her brother. Megan didn't want to leave the hospital, but Hunter was in a deep sleep and medicated so she figured she wouldn't put up a fight with the parents she would just go back to Jackie and Hyde's house. However there was something that she needed to do before she could put her head on pillow and go to sleep herself. She didn't even change into her nightclothes yet.
She wheeled herself to Jackie and Hyde's room and knocked at the door.
"Come in." said Jackie, as she played with Hyde's hair, who was about to fall asleep.
"It's me, Megan."
"Do you need anything, sweetie?"
"Is Hyde awake?"
Jackie slightly poked him.
"Yeah, I'm awake, what's on your mind, Megan?" He stretched and sat upright
"I'm too tired to take the long way round so I'll just ask it straight out. Can I live here for a month or two? Until Hunter adjusts. I'm the only one he's going to listen to." Or so she thought. Or so everyone thought.
"Did you talk to your parents?" Jackie asked
"No, I wanted to ask you guys first."
"You're always welcome here, Megan." Hyde replied
"Thanks, I'll ask them in the morning. And don't worry about Hunter, he'll be fine, and the doctor's did say his paralysis is only temporary. Good night."
Megan wondered if she was the reason why NONE of the adults freaked out over the news? Hannah was the only one to cry in her Mother's chest. Tiffany kept her tears on the inside. Her Mom and Dad looked shocked more than anything else. Megan figured Jackie and Hyde were too numb and they needed to soak all the information in.
"Night." They both replied in unison.
Jackie waited until Megan left the room and was back in her guest room before she spoke.
"Steven—" She slithered down in the bed, resting her head on his chest.
"He's going to be all right, Jackie, you heard the official word from the doctor."
"Official words mean nothing when you are Mother. I'm entitled to worry about my baby boy."
Hyde could've said, 'He's not a baby anymore, he's sixteen years old!' but since he had no desires to sleep on the couch he kept his mouth shut and fell asleep holding Jackie bathing in the knowledge that he was spared another loss that would have ripped through his soul so deeply that he wouldn't know if Jackie would have been enough. Losing one son was heart wrenching enough, if Hunter had died—he didn't want to think about that anymore, he was alive and would make a full recovery and that was the most that any parent could ask for.
Home
WI
Although Eric missed his daughter very much, he was glad that Sgt. Donna relented and let Megan stay at Jackie and Hyde's for two months so she could help Hunter get used to wheelchair life. However, it wasn't going to be a free ride as the first thing Donna did when she got home was call Megan's school to get a recommendation for a tutor and that way she wouldn't get behind on her subjects. Eric was about to open his suitcase to throw his dirty clothes in the hamper but stopped because he felt like someone was in their house or had been. Nothing was stolen. Nothing seemed out of place. But someone was in this house while they were away. He didn't want to worry Donna so he just checked each room to make sure everything was where it should be.
"Donna, did you make the schooling arrangements for Megan?" Eric asked
"Yes. I'm going to call the woman they recommended. I hope they'll accept Megan as a student considering that this is very short notice."
"How come she just couldn't go to Hunter and Hannah's school?"
"If we did that, Eric, she'd never want to come home."
The last thing Donna wanted for was Megan to feel SO comfortable in Pennsylvania that she'd never want to come back home to her and Eric. She realized this extended stay was only because of life's circumstances. She hoped that Megan COULD help Hunter get used to being in a wheelchair. If anyone could get through to him it would be their daughter. Donna thought as she picked up the phone to call the prospective tutor and wondered why Eric was looking around the house as if he lost something?
Quiet. Hunter Hyde was always the quiet one of the Hyde family, but now the silence was just dreadful as they all came home from the hospital. Tiffany had to go back to New York for school and partly because her brother told her to go. Jackie and Hyde figured there was no better time like the present then to take Hannah out of the house so that Megan could talk to Hunter in private. She wasn't too thrilled about being tutored. Man, why couldn't her Mother let her take a leave of absence? Hunter looked at the floor, rather than her. She didn't want to think it strange that he was in a wheelchair, because he never once thought that about her.
"Hunter, do you want to talk?" She kept her distance.
"No," he felt as if he was in someone else's body. "Leave me alone, please."
Megan knew that wasn't him talking. It was stored up emotions from the car accident.
"I-" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, even though she did, and always would. Maybe it was best for him to have some space. She could operate her chair, better than he could operate his, so she tried to keep her chin up as she went to the guest room leaving Hunter alone with his thoughts.
Eric couldn't shake the feeling that SOMEONE was in their house while they were in Pennsylvania. He didn't want Donna to get worried, or worse yet have her ridicule him for the thought.
"Are we good?" Eric put his hands around the coffee cup.
"What?"
"We have the house to ourselves, Donna. I want to know are we good? We seemed to settle into yet ANOTHER routine."
Donna picked up his hand and kissed it. "Eric, you think that you'd be thrilled that we decided not to go through with our in house separation."
"I am thrilled. I don't know, we just went from bickering, tension to back to our hum drum routine again." Eric sighed
"Relax, Eric, we're good."
He smiled. But like the zits that always used to show up on his high school class picture days, he knew something was about to rise on the surface again. 'but not at the expensive of my marriage and daughter'. He never wanted to lose either one of them.
Hyde paced back and forth in the empty stables as Jackie sat on the piled up wooden crates.
"I didn't see it coming where Hunter would shut Megan out like that." Hyde said
Jackie stood up, "I talked to her and she said she's fine."
"Of course, she's going to say that to US. I'm going to have a talk with that boy."
"Steven, be gentle."
"Now is NOT the time to coddle him! You know better than that, Jackie."
She smirked, "Hunter's going through a lot, we have to be supportive."
"I know that, but I'm NOT going to let him toss away his Soul mate. Come on, Jackie."
He was surprised that he said that out loud, but he made that vow to himself a few months ago and he was going to keep it. Megan and Hunter WERE soul mates, which was why he had to go against Zen and use the appropriate word. He loved his kids very much and he loved Megan as if she were his own, too. Those kids didn't deserve to wait twenty plus odd years for their complete happiness.
"Don't yell at him." Jackie said as they entered the house through the kitchen entrance
"Who's going to yell?"
They didn't have to call out his name, because Hunter did not move from the spot his Mother parked his wheelchair in, when they left the house with Hannah an hour and a half ago.
"Hunter," Jackie gushed her voice, "Have you been in the same spot all this time?"
"Yes." He replied quietly, looking at the floor again
"He won't talk to me." Megan came back in the room
"I want to be alone."
"Who are you, Greta Garbo?" Hyde said
"Who?" Hunter asked, looking at the walls, the floor, anything but the faces.
"Never mind. Don't you want to get settled in your room?" Hyde asked him.
"I can't."
"Hunter, YES you can, you pushed my chair hundreds of times."
"That was different."
"Megan wants to help you, why won't you let her?" asked Jackie
"I'm in NO mood for the happy cripple show that you put on Megan."
"F*** you, Hunter!" Megan threw the TV Guide at him, because it was only thing she could reach from where she was.
"ENOUGH. Hunter, apologize to Megan before I hit you in areas that you can still feel."
Jackie and Hyde ignored Megan's language as he hit a sore spot with her.
"Steven-no hitting!"
Hyde never once hit his kids maybe a little tap to say, "don't touch the stove" when they were toddlers, but he never spanked or verbally abused his kids. It still made Jackie nervous, because under the circumstances she was afraid he might actually do it.
"Don't you love me anymore?" Megan asked, determined not to cry after all she was the happy cripple vs. Hunter the temporary cripple.
Hunter felt terrible as soon as he said the remark. He hated himself. He hated that he made Megan doubt their relationship. It was like a game of ping-pong, one moment, he had doubts, then she would have doubts, and they were supposed to be good now. Her engagement ring was supposed to be on layaway at the jewelry store. Of course, he loved her. He loved her so much he hated himself for all the hurt he's caused her and his family.
"I'm sorry," he still couldn't look her in the eyes, "You don't have to doubt---" he couldn't finish the rest with his parents there.
"Then let Megan help you." Jackie stroked his hair.
"How do you know my condition is temporary? What do the doctor's know? So, is this who I am now? The temporary cripple?" Hunter asked, looking up to see all of their faces.
"Is that what this is all about?" both Jackie and Megan said at the same time.
"Hunter, whether you are in this chair for two months or two years, you have to learn to accept it, because your Mother and I will not tolerate a rude mouth from you just because you are in a wheelchair." Hyde said
"Do you want my help?" Megan asked gently
"Yes." he quietly replied.
"Good, then we'll leave you two alone." Hyde said, patting his son on the shoulder as Jackie smothered him with a big hug and kiss.
"Do you really want my help?" Megan asked, when they were out of the room.
"Yeah. I'm sorry for that remark, Megan. I miss sitting on your lap and holding you."
"You can still do that, Hunter."
"How?"
"I'll wheel myself next to you. Better put the brake on, you don't want the chair to take off—you know how to do that already."
Hunter was nervous, shy was one thing, but he hated to be nervous. He hated being out of his artists box.
"Okay. Now what?"
"You've seen me do it lots," Megan took her hand and placed it on his knee, "See, look how close we are."
"Close your eyes."
"What?"
"Close your eyes, if I'm going to do this, Megan, I really don't want you to see."
He thought about the possibility of falling and not being able to get up and being caught in a sea of two wheelchairs.
"Just position yourself and work with all the strength you have in your upper body, just pretend your legs aren't there." She cautioned, closing her eyes.
"Okay," Hunter took a deep breath, "If I fall down will you still love me?"
"Of course, I'll still love you," she opened her eyes, "You should realize me of all people would understand exactly what you're going through."
"I'm ready, Megan, are your eyes closed?"
"Yes! And I keep opening them to answer you back!"
"Okay, well you can close them now."
Megan smiled as Hunter took a deep breath hoping he could swing his body to the right and land on her lap.
[cut to]
Jackie was about to check up on Megan and Hunter when she noticed what he was trying to do, so she stood in a far corner with her fingers crossed.
"What are you looking at?"
"Ssh! Steven, keep your voice down," Jackie whispered, "Look."
"He can do it." Hyde replied
Hunter's 'jump' wasn't entirely successful, but he got further on Megan's lap then he thought he would.
She pushed his left leg down gently that got caught on her handles.
"You DID IT, Hunter!" She kissed him on the lips and hugged him.
He wrapped his arms around her tight and sighed into her shoulder, "I love you, Megan Forman."
[cut to]
"Aww! My baby did it!" Jackie said
"I know. Now, let them have their moment. But we can go to the stables and make our own moment." He played with her hair.
"But it's COLD out there!"
Jackie tried to keep her voice from raising as she watched Hunter and Megan cuddle. They were so cute together. Even though it was difficult to get used to seeing her son in a wheelchair. What if Hunter was right and it wasn't temporary? What do doctor's really know?
"I'll keep you warm, babe."
"All right, Steven, let's go—" She turned around to kiss him on the lips, "But this better be good."
"I'm always good!"
They made their quick and silent exit out to the stables.
"Thank God, I'd thought THEY'D never leave!" Hunter said
"I know, I bet they thought they were real quiet, too! Well, if they get to fool around, why don't you say, I teach you how to get out of your chair and onto the sofa so we could make out while your parents are busy doing it?" Megan asked
Hunter made a face; he DID NOT want to think about his parents 'Doing It' ever.
"That sounds like a great lesson to me, Megan." It was the first time since his car accident that Hunter Daniel Hyde smiled.
One day later
Eric was getting the mail out of the mailbox when a neighbor kid came up to him.
"Hi, Mr. Forman."
"Hi, Bruce. I told you to call me, Eric."
"Hi, Eric. My Mom told me to bring this book over for Mrs. F—I mean Donna."
"Thanks, I'll make sure she gets it." Eric waved goodbye to the nine year old.
It was only when he threw the bills on the coffee table that he saw the title of the book.
The Fainting Phenomenon: Understanding Why People Faint and What Can Be Done About It (2001)
"What the hell?" Eric whispered to himself.
There was never a dull moment around here, Eric thought as he put the book on the table, sat himself down at his computer desk to check to see if Megan or Jackie emailed, and for ten minutes block out the fact that Donna fainted recently and didn't bother to tell him.
Never a dull moment.