Chapter 13
Vitals
Santa Cruz, California
March 20, 1987 (Friday)
When she saw the matrix she wanted to run.
Her personal couldn't mix with the professional not there wasn't anything personal. However this was her
career and if it had to be done. Then it had to be done. It was just the 3 quick vital signs; she could do this in
her sleep. Steven Hyde wasn't just the man she met at the grocery store who gave her a ride home to collect
her auto card and drove her back to the store so she could meet the tow truck driver, he was now a patient.
She never said where she worked, so damn, this was all going to be so clumsy in the place where she felt she
had the most confidence. When this was over she was going to go in the smoking section and rip open her pack
of More's then afterwards she was going to do what she always did go to the bar for happy hour. She would
be a mix of disappointed and relived if this turned out to be a different Steven Hyde, but she wasn't here when
the patient arrived so there was nothing left to do but grab the folder from the clear white plastic holder that
was bolted to the door and hope that she got through this in one piece.
"Hello." She closed the door.
Damn. She wanted this to be true and now she was scared out of her mind.
"Hi, Holly." Hyde said.
This was a surprise. Their car ride was interesting they talked about music (she liked the same bands as him)
and her incessant apologizes that she was wasting his time. She stated that he didn't need to bring her back to
the store and he responded that he didn't mind. When the tow truck came she said her goodbyes and he didn't
think he'd ever see her again. But it explained the giggle fit the mosquito had that kept him up for all hours of
the night. It was better than what usually kept him from sleeping.
He wore an Aerosmith t-shirt, his usual, so he didn't have to worry about rolling up his sleeves. He
hoped a needle wasn't involved.
"I'm going to take your blood pressure, pulse, and respiratory rate today." She reached
for the sphygmomanometer.
This seemed too personal and she hoped he wouldn't cross the line. She touched him in
ways that were medically appropriate, but she still felt wrong doing so.
Hyde could sense her nervousness behind her wall of being medically correct. Holly did
what was expected of her, wrote things in pencil in the papers in his folder, told him that
Dr. Kramer would be in to see him in 5 minutes; she took his folder put it in the clear
holder thing and closed the door.
Holly was able to go in the restroom that was usually reserved for patients who needed to give the doctors
their samples in a cup and splashed the cold water on her face. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she
have been friendlier? She was even cold on her internal nurse meter. Should she apologize? No. She couldn't.
There was no privacy here and then she might be reprimanded by the doctor or worse written up. She couldn't
stay in here, so she wiped her face with the scratchy brown paper towel and went back to her tasks. Like a few
days ago, he'd leave and the next time he came back for an appointment, if she were the nurse in question,
she'd do a better job. She was happy when she was buzzed that she was needed elsewhere. Nurses were
overworked, but at this moment she was grateful for the system that was in place. She wouldn't have to worry
about breaking a cover or saying something wrong when he left. She couldn't mix the business with the
personal. It was a no-no in her profession and even though they met at the grocery store first she knew he
was a patient, it still wouldn't be right, no matter how gorgeous his blue eyes were.
7:20 p.m.
Hyde couldn't get nurse Holly out of his mind. Why was she so nervous around him? Did she like him? Is this
what the mosquito was trying to tell him? He had to go back to where he was earlier today to interview some
lame singer from a stupid band and felt a shift in the music industry. He couldn't write books on bands whose
music he thought sucked. These were his assignments? He took a drag on his cigarette and almost wanted to
throw his tape recorder into the fish aquarium that was part of the décor. He drank his beer when he noticed his
shy nurse sitting at the edge of the bar trying not to be noticed. Should he go over and say hi? She definitely
wasn't the sleep with and throwaway type of the scene got old very quickly. He left his things at the booth and
walked over to the bar as soon as the chair next to Holly opened up.
"Hi, Holly."
She appeared to jump out of her skin when she saw Hyde, Steven, birthdate 11/23/1960*, who lived in a very
nice district, but was not the snobby type at all, sit next to her.
"Hi, Steve."
She took a drink of her rum and coke. Her favorite drink, "You got lei-ed."
He almost did a double take then he looked down to see the green plastic lei around his neck that he forgot to
take off.
"It was the singer's birthday." He was invited to his official party, but he didn't want to go. Damn. Why was he
starting to get nervous? He cleared his throat, "Would you to like to join me for a drink?"
It must have been the buzz because she didn't remember the words "Yes" coming out of her mouth, but she
was sitting across from him in the wooden booth looking at the colorful fish swimming in their aquarium.
She didn't even know where the French fries came from.
It was the perfect trifecta, smoking, drinking, and greasy food.
Nurses were human beings too.
Oh man, she's floundering.
You're too cautious because she isn't a whore.
I can't teach you two the lessons that you need to learn.
You two think you aren't worthy of love at all.
You both warrant happiness.
Holly nervously stirred her drink with the thin red stick and otherwise non-functioning straw.
"Would you like to share a pizza?"
"Sure," she hoped he wouldn't mind, but she needed a cigarette in the worst way. "By the way." She took a
quarter out of her pants pocket and placed it across the table.
"What this for?" Hyde asked, popping the top open on another bottle of beer.
"For the phone call."
Was she serious?
He smiled, "That's not necessary."
"I wanted to, Steve."
Would he have done the same thing? Maybe not with money or such a small amount of it.
She was scared, he was intrigued, and like his best friend, when it came time to ruin it he knew full well that he
was going to be conscious of that fact.
You don't have to.
Oh boy.
This isn't going to be pretty.
Old habits are going to die hard.
Allow yourself to be happy and maybe you won't have to ruin it.
He took the unnecessary quarter and placed it in the empty cassette case between the paper liner. He didn't
want to think about the future, especially the relationship kind, before his life changed in 1977, why couldn't one
just enjoy the here and the now?
He was sitting in a bar with beautiful company he didn't have to think about the future that most likely would
never be. They didn't even kiss yet so why was he thinking along those lines, because the mosquito told him to?
Steven…if you have to let her down, do it easy…but not tonight.
By her third drink when she reached for a napkin out of the paper dispenser, she had her
hand on his, keeping it there for a moment before letting go, and Steven Hyde very much
liked how that felt, he just didn't know if he had the right to feel happiness despite what
the mosquito thought.
Author's Note: Frequent editing at Wikipedia on the That '70s Show pages changes birthdates and
other assorted info to the point where it's difficult to tell what was actually canon or not. The last
edit for Hyde's birthday I think was due to a canon quote from Jackie in the season 5 episode where
she mentioned his astrological sign as a Sagittarius. (Hey, Hey What Can I Do?) However, the birthday
that is currently listed for Hyde has him as a Scorpio. So I changed it for my story. I also made the birth
years for the basement gang 1960 and 1961 for Jackie respectively. Thanks.