Chapter 22
Home
Point Place, Wisconsin
May 28, 1977 (Saturday)
Point Place General Hospital
Time - Unspecified
Red and Kitty Forman were on autopilot.
Red was familiar with keeping his emotions in check, but this wasn't a war situation with killing Communists. This
was about his family; he couldn't even compare it to losing a close friend or two during a battle. It really wasn't
the same, yet his emotions needed to be the same. He noticed Kitty, whether she would try to laugh it off with a
medicinal cocktail later, he had no idea, went straight into her role as a nurse, a caregiver to those that she
cared about. Jackie had to stay overnight for observation and of the 3, the only one the doctor's said could go
home tomorrow. Eric was on the 7th floor, there were colloquial names for it, and even Kitty used to use humor
to describe the "nut floor", "the crazy floor", "the funny farm on the 7th floor", but with her son heavily sedated
and in a strait jacket she couldn't use those terms. She just wanted him out of there. He had a few spider bites
on his face and arms, but that was the only thing physically wrong with him. Then there was Steven also
sedated, hooked up to an IV. Kitty, in her street clothes, let the doctor's know that she was the nurse on
duty and if they didn't like it she was going to put her foot in someone's ass. Red thought he was lucky to be
here, he thought he was going to be arrested, if it wasn't for the fact that Hyde's brother — that was the missing
piece was reaching for his gun that after some random questioning it was decided (not by him) that it was a
matter of self-defense. He and Kitty stood outside Hyde's room. It didn't matter how they were feeling, the only
thing that mattered were the well-being of the kids.
Kitty was carrying a small purple plastic carry-all with nail scissors, clippers, gauze, medical tape, a tube of aloe
lotion, band-aids, and other assorted medical supplies.
"Red, do whatever you have to do, sign whatever you have to sign, threaten to put foots in everyone's asses,
but when Eric comes out of sedation, I don't want him to spend another night up there. I know what goes on in
the 7th floor. I don't want my baby numbed up that he loses the will to live. He's still 17 and a minor in our
care."
"Don't worry, Kitty."
Without any drugs in his system, Red felt rather numb himself, if there was a job to do, he would do it. His
feelings didn't matter. He kissed her on the cheek., "Love you." He whispered into her ear. He could bend the
rules over his distaste for PDA's just this once.
"Love you, too."
Kitty took a deep breath and went into room #409 – Hyde, Steven J.
She didn't forget what she was doing when she got the call, she finished a cup of tea, because she didn't want
to be drunk when Red called because she knew she was going to be needed. She tried to read from her Bible,
but nothing was going to comfort her until she knew the status of her kids, Kitty didn't even remember hanging
up the phone when Red called her from the hospital, she didn't recall driving the Vista Cruiser, everything was a
blur until she found Red waiting for her by the front entrance.
Kitty was so grateful that her kids were alive and breathing. That's all that mattered in the moment.
"Hi, Steven,"
She didn't want to cry or cause a scene; she knew the power of positive thinking and they
were all going to need a healthy dose of it. She kissed him on the cheek, "I'm glad that you're back to us,
Sweetie."
She couldn't believe that Edna gave birth two sons, one of them a diamond in the rough and the other one a
cold-blooded killer. The rest of the details would have to wait. When she had a spare moment she wanted to
look for his birth certificate.
"I figured this would be the best time to do this. You're going to be home soon. Eric and Jackie are going to be
fine."
She hoped that didn't seem too condescending, but nothing could be gained from negativity.
"I'm going to trim your nails, see if you have any cuts that need TLC, and to just keep
you company."
She could feel her eyes well up with water.
"A-after Red," she cleared her throat, "Takes care of Eric. I'm going to have him go to Pricemart to get you some
new socks and underwear….would you like a new robe? I think you should have one, it's pretty cold in here…..I
promise you, Steven, it'll be okay….you just focus on getting better."
Kitty could feel her words unraveling and she didn't want him to sense her nervousness over the situation.
She just wanted all of the kids back home where they belonged.
June 2, 1977 (Thursday)
A Homecoming
Hyde and Jackie were quiet on the car ride home. His first time back at the place that used to make him feel the
most secure before he was kidnapped by his brother. Jackie wanted to hold hands and he just wanted to crawl
into his own body and be left alone. Red and Kitty said little, whether that was a courtesy to Hyde or if they
were just tired he wasn't quite sure. A compromise was reached and Eric was going to be released in a few
weeks. The hospital advised against it, they wanted to send him to "special place" for "patients with his special
needs" in Chicago, but the Forman's didn't want to hear it. There was something that Hyde needed to speak to
Red about, but it never seemed to be the right time, either he was being bothered by a doctor, Jackie's touch, or
Kitty would be in the room, and although, she had every right to know, he wanted to tell Red first in private. The
car parked in the Forman driveway and Hyde didn't want to be smothered so he was able to open the door by
himself, he walked ahead of everyone and was thankful that the sliding kitchen door was open. There was
something that he needed to do.
5 minutes Later
The bang on the locked upstairs bathroom door and her shrill mention of his name went right through his body
from the outside in and then the inside out. Did Jackie think he was going to OD in here? Christ. He lost his
concentration and was ashamed of the results.
"Damn it, Jackie! Leave me alone!"
Did this bastard have to take away everything?
He waited until he heard her walk in the opposite direction and down the stairs. He zipped his jeans back up
and reached for a clean towel to clean up the mess. He could throw this towel into the hamper, but what worse
than a talk now, would be a discussion later. Hyde folded the towel and opened the door with his stop being
the basement.
"Steven!" Jackie didn't get far, he was surprised she actually made it downstairs, "What….ew….why does that
towel smell like pee?"
"Jackie, didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up?"
He walked passed her shocked face and hoped that Red and Kitty wouldn't say anything. At least there was no
party with balloons, streamers, and a Welcome Home banner as if he were a soldier returning home from the
battlefields of war. Kitty was on the phone and Red wasn't in the kitchen. He made his slow walk to the
basement. He threw the towel into the washing machine and the sound of it going on, he never noticed how
fucking loud it was before. While he was upstairs someone brought his belongings downstairs and placed his
duffle bag on the worn sofa. He sat on his familiar white kitchen chair with no interest to put on the TV, Hyde
had no desire to do anything at the moment.
He just wanted to be left alone for a while.
2 Weeks Later
12:19 a.m.
Hyde wanted all of his clothes burned.
He couldn't wear what this bastard touched.
Everything was in a box and when no one was around to bother him, he was able to buy some new used
clothes at the Salvation Army. Jackie was allowed to stay in Laurie's old room. It was only a matter of time. He
couldn't sleep down here anymore, but with the Forman's limited space, he chose to sleep on the sofa. That
bastard raped and killed his mother, gave Fez drugs that looked like candy, Kelso was attacked by dogs, Donna
was raped (even though she thought it was mutually agreed upon sex with him) and electrocuted.
Everyone else was barely surviving.
Kitty had to work a double shift because they were going to need the money. Hyde couldn't bring himself to
work at the Fotohut yet. It was going to happen and he wanted to relieve Kitty who lavished him with even
more hugs and kisses, and this time he didn't pull back, at least not at first.
He walked up the stairs and headed up the main stairs in the living room. Poor Kitty looked even more
exhausted than he ever remembered. He couldn't tell Red what he needed to just yet. She was sitting in a chair
alongside Eric's bed.
Time was not doing anything for Eric Forman's wounds.
As if on invisible cue Eric woke up screaming.
"Get them off me! The spiders are on me! Mommy, help me!"
Jackie wandered in the doorway. Her heart ached for everyone, gone were the days of her being even the
slightest self-centered.
"I'm here son, so are Hyde and Jackie and your father….."
What did Red get for his bravery? A pink slip from PriceMart because the corporate chain felt a vigilante was not
good for business. Red thought the only thing saving him from being jail right now was that Hyde's twin was
reaching for the handgun that was on his body.
She sat next to Eric who was clinging to his mother as if he were a toddler having a nightmare about the
boogeyman.
Kitty was going to call off from work.
"No, Mrs. Forman, I'll handle this….."
He hoped James Steven Hyde (how original Edna was in choosing names for the sons she never even wanted)
was burning in Hell somewhere.
"I'll put on the coffee…."
Jackie said trying to find her role in this whole situation.
It was going to be another long night. She was starting to get used to Steven's up and down moods. He usually
would apologize after and she knew it was going to take a long time before they could even be themselves
again.
Red kissed Kitty on the cheek as he watched Hyde protect his best friend and defacto brother. She could feel
actual tears run down her husband's real-men-don't-cry cheeks.
"Steven, go downstairs with Jackie, I don't want her alone in the kitchen. I'll handle this one," he instinctively
cleared his throat.
"Get the spiders off me! They're crawling all over me!" Eric cried not aware that a 3rd person within 5 minutes
was holding him to keep his hands from trying to take off the invisible spiders that he was certain were all over
his body.
Both Red and Kitty put their foot down after the doctors' suggested he be put away for good, he'd never get
better if he were locked up in an insane asylum. He didn't need to do pointless arts and crafts and he loaded up
with anti-depressants, he, and everyone else, needed the love of a good family to get them through this. They
got a postcard from Bob he was living in Mississippi and opened up a Donna's bait and tackle shop to ease his
pain. The house was boarded up and for sale and no one showed an interest in buying it. Kitty kissed everyone
goodbye as Jackie poured three cups of coffee in the happy yellow mugs at the kitchen table. Red would be
joining them as soon as he got Eric back to sleep.
"I'm so glad to have you back, Steven." He didn't want to talk about his experiences, not with Jackie, with any
doctor, certainly not with any psychiatrist, and even though he felt he owed the world to them, not even with
Mr. and Mrs. Forman.
She kissed his hand, "Would you like any Girl Scout Cookies? I think there is one box of shortbread left."
"No," he tried to smile in the face of it all, "They're Red's cookies."
Author's Note: When this was a large one-shot before I made it a multi chaptered story I wrote this little
note for what was supposed to be the upcoming "chapter 2". Eric deals with agoraphobia, Hyde and Jackie
recover, Red and Kitty do their best to keep their family in one piece, and Hyde learns more about his twin
brother from an unlikely visitor.