AN: The reviews for last chapter were awesome, and I'm really excited about the response I received from you guys. Hopefully you guys like this story well enough. Reviews are the best thing ever. There's a bit of a twist in this chapter and I would love to know what you think!

Chapter 2: Light at the End of the Tunnel

It might have been a slow night for the staff at Point Place Medical Clinic, but the six visitors impatiently waiting in the waiting room would have told any outsider that something big was going on. Someone they loved dearly was in trouble, and they still had no idea what kind of injuries he had. All they were told was that he was stable. Stable was such a cynical word when the life of a person was on the line. Stable could mean anything.

Kitty and Red Foreman held each other's hands as they sat still in the waiting room chairs. They were trying their best to be strong for their many children in the room, but it was hard when one of them had just been in a car accident. So many things were blazing through Kitty's mind as she thought of different scenarios of car crash victims from her entire nursing experience. The range however, didn't ease her worries one bit. It only made the possibilities of what could be just that much more real for her. She held in her soft sobs as she squeezed her husband's hand for comfort. Luckily for her, Red Foreman knew exactly when and how to comfort his wife. He, too, was worrying himself sick, but for her sake, he had to keep a strong composure. He was her protector, and in situations such as these, he had to make sure that Kitty wouldn't fall all over the place. It was hard though. He always saw Steven differently than he saw any of Eric's other friends. Steven was just like him in so many ways, but he let his anger control him in a way that Red never had to experience. His role as a father might have been to make sure Eric turned out alright, but he had an even more important duty when it came to his son's curly haired friend. Eric had a decent childhood, and even though Red weared it away sometimes, he had a confidence that assured he would make something of himself in this world. Steven, however, never had positive male role models or a single person tell him he could make it. Red had to make sure he did.

That's why it was so important for him to stay alive. If he didn't, then Red had failed him.

The younger members were having a completely different struggle on their hands. They didn't have to worry about losing a man that they saw as their son, but losing a man who had always been by their side. Now where were they as he struggled to keep living in a world that wasn't worth living as much as they once thought it was? Each one of them wanted more than anything to march into whatever emergency or operating room he happened to be in and let him know that they were there for him, just hoping that he'd stay for one last chance to make everything right with them again.

Fez stared at the clock on the wall, watching the seconds tick by so slowly. All these months, he had tried his best to understand Hyde and why he broke the heart of the only girl he ever loved. In Fez's opinion, Hyde was probably the noblest person he had ever met, but his image of his best friend came crashing to the ground once he chose to stay with Sam. He had to pick up those pieces with calming a hysterical Jackie. It wasn't exactly the best way to reconstruct the picture of his friend, and it definitely took a toll on their friendship. But not a single ill feeling even mattered anymore. All that mattered was Hyde being okay.

Eric tapped his foot nervously on the tile floor. It wasn't loud enough to annoy the others, but who really knew if even that was true. They could have all been as lost in their minds as Eric was to even notice his tapping. Eric kept repeating over and over in his head that whenever he saw Hyde next, and he wasn't going to let himself believe that he wouldn't, that he would look him straight in his eyes and call him his brother. However, even this self determined hold over didn't stop the guilt from worming its way into Eric's gut. The Hyde that he left in Point Place was so different from the one he met once he returned. Eric kept thinking to himself just how different things could have been for everyone if he stayed, but especially, how different things could have been for Hyde. Eric knew he would have talked Hyde out of staying with his "wife" that he brought home. He would have told Hyde the exact same thing he told him just a few months before the marriage when he and Jackie broke up. Hyde was actually happy when he was with Jackie. Eric knew what it was like to be in love and just how much of himself and his happiness depended on Donna. It was no wonder that Hyde had become so angry and distant.

Eric turned his head too look at his girlfriend who was chewing on her fingernails. Even though there was a change in attitude in everybody, Donna's was probably the most shocking of all. She barely cuddled with him anymore, and whenever they did try to get intimate, it was like she was performing a routine. Her distance was painful, and he wanted nothing more than for them to hold one another to ease each other's sorrows. Worrying about him and Donna was not what was important though. So, Eric once again turned away from her and continued to struggle with his guilt.

Guilt didn't even come close to describe the pain that was driving Donna insane. The only thing she could even think of was the last words that she had said to Hyde that day. There was so much malice and hate in every single syllable that she spit out to him. She wasn't even sure where it all came from. She had been cool with Hyde this entire time, but something inside of her just snapped. Maybe he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when it came to her temper. However, that didn't make Donna feel an ounce better; in fact, it made her feel worse. She didn't want something so cruel and careless to be the last words she ever spoke to her best friend.

Since the moment that she entered the emergency room, Jackie hadn't taken her eyes off the swinging double doors leading to where the patients were. When Donna called her apartment to tell her and Fez to get their asses to the hospital because Hyde was in an accident, every happy feeling inside of her from her surprisingly warm hearted break up from Fez ejected from her body. The ice that ran cold in her veins was deafening to the dial tone of Donna hanging up the phone. On the car ride there, Jackie kept trying to convince herself that it was just like when he fell off the water tower; he'd be in and out and fine again. The moment that the nurses told them he had been in a solo car accident that completely totaled the El Camino, Jackie's heart fell straight onto the cool tile floor. She still had no idea what had happened to him physically or whether she'd see him again.

Life was ironic like that. For all these months, Jackie wished nothing more than to never see Steven Hyde again. Watching his total indifference to her and their relationship was more painful than anything she had ever experienced. It hurt worse than the time he cheated on her with the nurse, and even when she heard those horrendous words screech out of Sam's mouth. Jackie figured to be forgotten was much worse than anything Steven could have done to their relationship. All those months, Jackie felt like she was the crazy one in a strange new world where hearts didn't exist and love was just something that existed to sensationalize television. All those months, Jackie tried every day to feel the connection that held her and Steven together, but ever day she was severely disappointed. To never see him again could be the possible route to actually get over the pain that shredded her soul, but since that was near impossible, she just had to "move on".

Now Jackie didn't care about any of the betrayal or the hurt. All she cared about was to know that her Puddin' Pop was still breathing. The Puddin' Pop she hopelessly knew was still inside him deep, deep down.

All Hyde could see was white. It was almost as if he weren't in a real place at all. But then, the most beautiful woman in the world appeared to him through the blinding light. She was dressed in a long white dress, but that was really all Hyde could see. She was too vague and blurry for him to recognize her as anybody he knew, but what his eyes lacked the ability to do, his soul filled in the rest. He knew this woman, and he knew her very well.

Hyde opened his eyes to what appeared to be the source of the light in his dream. Hovering above him was a bright light bulb that raped his wide pupils with painful waves. He immediately shut them closed trying his best to figure out where he was using his other senses. Hyde listened to a repetitive beeping noise coming from his left, and he felt an uncomfortable obstruction in his hand. He was wrapped tightly in what felt like thin sheets. Hyde tried to move his body but felt a sharp pain shoot up his left arm. Fuck! Hyde attempted to open his eyes again, this time away from the light. As the room came into focus, Hyde immediately recognized it. He was in a hospital. Shit. What the fuck did I do this time?

Just then, a doctor in a long white coat walked in and looked very happy to see he was awake. "Hello Steven. I'm Dr. Cook. Do you know why you're here?"

"No." Hyde croaked out. He wasn't expecting his throat to be so dry. He then turned to his pained arm to see that it was in a cast.

"You were in a car crash on highway 80 just outside of town. Lucky for you, no one was around for you to actually hit."

Hyde closed his eyes in frustration. Wouldn't I remember if I was in a car crash? I guess I must have been drunk.

The doctor walked over to him and pulled a tiny flashlight out of his front pocket. "Alrighty, let me just check a few things out for you Steven."

The doctor proceeded to shine the light in Hyde's eyes, checking for any possible unseen brain injuries. Other than a knock on the head and a broken arm, he was in pretty good shape. However, he was in a slight coma for quite some time. It was quite abnormal for a patient who suffered such minor injuries, and they figured he must have done something worse to his brain than what appeared to them. The doctor began checking some of Hyde's other vitals as he asked him a series of questions.

"Feel any sharp pains in your head?"

"No."

"Experiencing any dizziness?"

"No."

"Disorientation?"

"You mean other than not remembering being in a car crash?" Hyde sarcastically replied.

"Yes, other than that."

"No."

"What year is it?"

Hyde rolled his eyes at the doctor, catching the joking tone in his voice. He knew his little snarky remark wouldn't go by unchecked.

"1978."

If Hyde would have cared to look instead of trying his best to not make eye contact in order to show this guy to go away, he would have caught the shocked expression plastered on the doctor's face. He definitely wasn't expecting that kind of answer. Dr. Cook had worked in Point Place his entire medical career and had never encountered a patient with severe memory loss. He had to call in a professional and fast. The doctor quickly straightened up and began to walk out of the room.

"We're just going to keep you a little longer to run a few more tests, Steven. It seems that you have experienced a head injury." He opened the door and began to walk out, only to turn around with a furrowed brow. "Your family is here to see you. I'll send them in."

Every one couldn't have been more hopeful to finally see the doctor walk into the waiting room again. The troubled look on his face scared them though. They immediately began to demand to know Hyde's condition.

"Doctor." Kitty called as she hopped out of her seat. "Is there any more news on Steven?"

The doctor folded his hands and walked over to the waiting room chairs. He took a seat where everyone waiting to see Hyde could hear him clearly.

"Everything is perfectly fine with Steven physically, other than he has a broken right arm. However, it appears he has a bit of a memory loss."

Everyone looked around the room at each other, trying their best to scope out each other's reactions. This was unexpected.

"How much of a memory loss?" Red ventured to ask.

"Well," The doctor looked nervously around at the group. Amnesia was something the medical profession knew very little about. "It appears that he thinks that it is 1978."

Kitty cried, "oh god", and Eric gasped.

"Now," The doctor interrupted, trying his best to give them some kind of answers. "We're going to run a few more tests on Steven and do a CAT scan of his brain to see if we can locate the problem. Right now, we're going to allow you to visit him, but no more than two at a time. He's been through quite a lot, and I think it's generally best for everyone. Now, I must warn you. Don't reveal too much to him at this moment about what has happened in the past 2 years that he doesn't remember. Something like this can seriously push a patient over the edge."

"Have you told him yet, doctor?" Kitty asked, clutching onto her husband's hand.

Dr. Cook looked down to the floor. "No, I haven't. I think it's best if you tell him Kitty. He trusts you."

Kitty nodded her head, willing to take the responsibility even though she knew it would pain her so much. "Red and I will go in to see him first then."

The doctor nodded and left to call Point Place's neurologist to get to the hospital immediately.

Kitty and Red Foreman slowly walked down the hall of the emergency room, Hyde's door right in their line of vision. Under normal circumstances, they would have rushed to see Hyde after such an accident, but they were in no hurry. No parent would be in a rush to tell their surrogate child that the world they thought they were living in was long gone.

Red opened the door with a slow turn and took the leap to look at Steven first with Kitty reluctantly at his heels. They found him sitting in his hospital bed wearing a broody expression just like they expected. Once he quickly noticed that they had entered, he gave only a slight smile that was typical to his usual expressionless face.

"How are you feeling, Steven?" Kitty asked, wanting to ease the news to him gently.

"Okay, other than this cast is really uncomfortable." Hyde gestured to the white plaster wrapping on his forearm with a frown.

"Well, that'll be off before you know it, I'm sure." Kitty put in, giving only a half hearted laugh instead of her usual warming cackle.

Kitty's attempts at easing the problem at hand only ended in her crying in her hands. Hyde looked to the woman with an even bigger frown on his face. "It's okay, Mrs. Forman. There is nothing wrong with me other than a little bump on my head and a broken arm."

Kitty sobbed harder in her hands, and Red rubbed her back in comfort. He quickly realized that he would be the one that would have to tell Steven.

"Look, Steven. The doctor wanted us to tell you one more thing about your… um… condition."

Hyde sat up straighter in his bed. "Alright."

"Well, son. It seems that… uh…." Red stumbled on his words as he looked to his crying wife who was now peering over her hands, waiting for him to say it. That look of hers always gave him strength to be her protector, and now he had to save her from delivering the worst news they could ever dream that they had to say to one of their children.

"It seems that you have some kind of, what was the word the doctor said?" Red looked down to Kitty.

"Amnesia." She reminded.

"Yes, amnesia. He says you think it's 1978."

Hyde gave him a "you're crazy" look but then started laughing and shook his head. "I don't know what kind of weird joke is going on here," he said through a slight chuckle. "But I'm not falling for it. It is 1978."

"This isn't a joke, Steven."

The hard stoniness of Red's voice shook Hyde to his core, but he still couldn't believe what he was actually telling him. He could only sit still and watch as Red held out a newspaper that he had been pretending to read in the waiting room. He glanced over the page. It looked ordinary enough, until he noticed the date at the top.

1980?

It was 1980! 2 years!

Hyde didn't notice he was holding his breath until his throat started to compulsively gulp for needed air. He took in a huge breath and closed his eyes. He had never felt so scared and paranoid in his entire life.

Red and Kitty watched silently as Hyde tried to cope with the news that was just dropped to him. It was obvious that he was having a miniature panic attack as his eyes grew really wide and darted back and forth. All they could do was watch. Something like this had never happened to them before. It had never happened to anyone that they had knew before… not until now.

Hyde took deep breaths in and out as he tried to calm his racing nerves. He theorized that he hated feeling this helpless over his emotions more than what he was just told. He tried his best to say anything. Shouldn't he ask some question about what you had apparently forgotten over the past 2 years? But then he thought of someone else that was probably freaking out just as much as he was right then. Someone else who would make the fear that now shook his limbs go away.

"I think that I need to talk to Jackie." Hyde announced as he folded his arms and sat back. "She's probably freaking out right now, and I need to show her that everything is just fine."

Red and Kitty exchanged worried glances. Not only was Steven clamming up and not talking at all about the situation, but it didn't even dawn on them what the Jackie situation was going to be like. Two years ago, Jackie and Hyde were still together and happily at that. He didn't have a single clue of any of the things that had happened between them. This could only lead to more trouble.

AN2: So were you expecting it? Chapter 3 should be up in a few days.