The funeral was the next day. It was quick and there was not much of a fuss at all. Eric couldn't believe how light the casket was. It felt as though there wasn't a human inside of it. After the service, they all left silently. Kitty had been acting weird since she got home from the funeral parlor.

Hyde was still asking for Jackie, and Eric was running out of excuses. He was so lucky that Kelso didn't open his big mouth the other day. He wanted to be in New York when Hyde learned the truth. He couldn't bare to see his face when Hyde was finally told the truth; unfortunately that wasn't going to happen.

"Eric I think Hyde's health is out of danger." Kitty said to him.

"Yeah I noticed that he's starting to walk now. It's just a matter of time before he finally figures out the truth." Eric said to her.

"Yeah I know. That's why I want you to tell him as soon as possible. He deserves to know the truth now that he is better. I want you to go now; I'm waiting on a very important phone call." Kitty said to him.

"Wait a minute; I have to do it and I have to go right now?" Eric asked her.

"Yes Eric, it would be better if he heard it from you." Kitty said.

"NO IT WOULDN'T BE BETTER, IT WOULD BE WORSE," Eric yelled at her.

"Eric, stop yelling at me. I am your mother and you have no right to yell at me like that." Kitty angrily said.

"Yeah well let me tell you something. You've put me in a real bad position and you act like it's nothing. Instead of telling Hyde the truth from the beginning you kept him in the dark. Now I have to go down there and explain to him why I didn't tell him from the beginning. Mom when is all this crap going to end?" He asked her.

"Honey don't worry it'll all be over soon." Kitty said in a comforting voice.

"Mom, what does that mean? Why have you been acting so strangely lately? I want to know the truth and I want to know right now." Eric demanded.

"Honey I haven't been acting strangely. Now go see Stephen. I called the hospital and told Stephen you were coming to see; I also told him that you had something very important to tell him." Kitty said.

"When I get back I'm packing and going back to NY; and I'm never coming back here. I hope you're happy. Because when I tell Hyde about Jackie the friendship will be over." Eric said to her.

Kitty was about to answer him but he went through the sliding door and slammed it shut. Eric drove to the hospital in silence. He didn't know what he was going to say to him. Hyde should have known the truth all along. Now he was going to find out the truth five days after they buried her. If an insane Jackie was scary an insane Hyde would be unnerving. The truth would destroy him completely and their friendship would be destroyed forever. Eric had finally arrived at the hospital. He parked the car and walked down the hallway as slowly as possible. When he finally reached his room he looked into his room and saw Kelso and Fez sitting in chairs near his bed.

"Hey Foreman get in here and stop trying to hide behind the wall over there." Hyde yelled cheerfully at his friend.

"Hey Hyde what's up?" Eric said nervously.

"Nothing much. I'm getting out tomorrow. I can't wait to see Jackie. How's she doing? I heard she's getting help soon." Hyde said to him.

"Hey Hyde I have to talk to you. It's very important." Eric said to him.

"Yeah your mom said you had something important to tell me. What is it?" Hyde curiously asked.

"Hey guys can you leave the room?" Eric asked him.

Kelso and Fez left the room knowing what Eric came to say.

"Okay they're gone. Now tell me what's wrong." Hyde demanded.

"I don't know how to say this." Eric said to him.

"Just say it." Hyde said.

"Alright here goes...Jackie..."

"So did you tell him and is he okay with it?" Kelso asked.

"Kelso leave I'm trying to tell him right now." Eric angrily yelled.

Kelso left the room and Eric continued to try and tell Hyde the truth.

"Well...um... the night that Jackie flat lined in your room...well...she...she...didn't make it Hyde. She died that night." Eric spat out.

He didn't say anything. He just looked at him. There was no expression or emotion whatsoever on his face. It was just pale and emotionless.

"Hyde I'm sorry...it's just...that"

"I really can't wait to see Jackie man." Hyde said.

"Hyde I just said that Jackie is gone." Eric said again.

"I hope she's getting better." Hyde said ignoring Eric.

"Jackie's passed away; I..."

"Jackie is going to be so happy when I ask her to marry me." Hyde said.

"HYDE STOP IT! She's gone...she's gone." Eric yelled and shuck him.

Hyde's face began to grow angry until there was nothing but hurt and anger left on his face.

"So you knew that she had died and you kept on telling me she was alive. Is that right?" Hyde asked him.

"My mother said that your health was at risk and that knowing that she had died would have been disastrous for you." Eric said.

"Let me get this straight. My health was at risk so you couldn't tell me. That's a bunch of bull. You and your mom are a bunch of bull. You sat here for the past five days and let me think that she was alive. You let me think that she was at your house and that she was fine. She wasn't sound asleep like you said she was. You were hinting that she was actually dead. You led me to believe that everything was going to be okay. You're a liar and so are those two dumbies out in the hall. Foreman get out of here. Get out of here now. Get out and never come back. I don't want to have anything to do with you or your damn family." Hyde yelled at him.

"Hyde wait no I'm not going to leave you here like this." Eric said to his friend.

"Get out now. You didn't care about my well being before so don't start now. I'm done with all of you. Get out. I have a lot to deal with now and nows not the time to start being friendly with me. I have to plan Jackie's funeral." Hyde said.

"Hyde she's already burried." Eric said to him.

"WHAT?! You didn't have the nerve to tell me she's dead and you didn't give me the chance to say goodbye. I didn't get to see her one last time. I didn't get the chance to hold her one last time and say goodbye. GET OUT NOW!" Hyde yelled at him.

Eric tried to tell him how sorry he was but he wouldn't let him talk. He yelled so loud and so hard that the nurses on duty came down to his room. They escorted him out of the room. Eric had never felt so worst in his life. He had betrayed his best friend and now he had to go back to NY and live with his guilt.

He lay in his hospital bed stunned. He shouldn't have known that she was dead; he kept thinking back to all of the times he had asked Eric if she was dead or not. Everytime they had lied to him. They all had lied to him. She was gone and there was nothing left for him here. He hadn't seen Jackie that night; he had seen her ghost. She came back to say goodbye and he didn't get to say goodbye. He didn't say goodbye to her and now it was killing him deep down. After three years of thinking she was gone and then finding her again only to loose her, was too much for him to bear. Holding in the tears was also hard to do. He got up out of his bed and went to the window and opened it. The sun was begining to go down and a chilly wind brushed over his body. He looked down on the ground and noticed footprints. He looked over to the right and noticed a box hidden in the uncut grass. He sat on the windowsill and climbed out of his room. He felt pain begin to shoot up his leg. He walked the short distance to the small box and picked it up. He opened the box and inside was a paper with Stephen written in Jackie Burkehart's handwritting.

If you can't read that it says Stephen.