Here is a basic summary of Act One. I thought you guys would appreciate this.
Influenced by the works of Grimm, Baum, Carroll, Dante, Milton, Blake and others, My Soul to Keep is based on the very simple premise, what happened the moment Jackie died? Okay, it's a little more complicated then that, the war between heaven and hell, evil plots, dark matter, etc. Act one focuses mainly on Jackie, Donna and Hyde. Jackie's trying to recover from her coma but is finding herself stuck between the two worlds, unable to complete move on. Hyde is seeking redemption for his past deeds; Donna is trying to find herself in a post Eric world.
This chapter marks the middle of Act One. It's a crucial chapter that echoes the events in the first chapter, (What's to Come) re-reading that might be helpful.
Nothing in this is mine, except for the things that are.
Chapter 7: Bed of Nails. (Points to whomever can point out the song reference, though it's extremely easy.)
The moment Donna walked into the kitchen and saw her dad's face, she knew something was wrong. He had never been very good at keeping things from her, no matter how hard he tried. His sadness and worry was right there for her to see, and all she could do was grip the back of one of the kitchen chairs and ask what happened.
"Jackie fell back into a coma." Bob said softly, knowing better than to deny anything was wrong. "The doctors are hopeful."
Donna knew what that meant, they had been hopeful when Jackie six weeks ago when they had brought her in, they had been hopeful when she had woken up that her recovery would go smoothly and now they were hopeful again. Hopeful meant that they had no control over what was happening, and were leaving it up to fate.
"I need to go get ready for work." Donna said numbly before leaving the kitchen and going back upstairs to her bedroom. She wasn't in the mood for her father's attempts to cheer her up, or for watching as her friends broke down and begged Jackie to wake up. Most of all, she couldn't watch Hyde break down and blame himself like he inevitably would.
Donna felt like she was in a time warp, that it was still six weeks ago and nothing had happened since then. Maybe she had dreamt the part where Jackie had woken up and had forgiven her, it seemed possible. No, she had woken up. She had talked and had laughed and had granted Donna absolution. Donna knew it wasn't some self created memory, it had happened.
There were too many questions, not enough time.
Hyde knew something was wrong when he walked into the kitchen and saw Kitty hanging up the phone. The smell of bacon frying on the stove clashed with overwhelming scent of Kitty's tears. She turned to him and tried to smile, but failed.
"What is it, Kitty?" Red asked for both of them.
"Jackie's in a coma." Kitty informed them, "I'm going to the hospital."
"We'll go with you." Red said.
"No." Kitty held out her hand to stop them both. "Let the doctors do their job, honey." She ordered Hyde. "I'm going to go and when I learn anything, I will let you both know, okay?"
Both men relented and Kitty nodded in satisfaction. "I'll call you." She promised, leaving the bacon still frying. Numbly, Hyde walked over and turned the stove off. He walked over to the door to leave when Red stopped him.
"Where are you going?" Red asked.
Hyde didn't turn around when he answered. "I can't stay here."
Red didn't ask where he was going. He didn't need to.
It had been Bob who had called Fez to tell him the news. After hanging up the phone, Fez repeated what Bob had told him over and over in his head. Jackie was in a coma. The words felt too familiar to him, too accurate. Part of him seemed to forget that for a while, Jackie hadn't been in a coma. This was seemed strangely natural, strangely true. It was a good thing he had the day off because not even touching hair would cheer him up. His goddess was back in hell.
Angry and sad, Fez walked over to his mantle and took the picture he had of him and Jackie off. He stared at it for a moment as he remembered the day it was taken. He and Jackie had just won the roller disco championship and were on the rink, Jackie was in his arms holding onto the trophy, and both were laughing with joy. It was probably his fondest memory of Jackie, even though he had loads to choose from. He stared at the picture for another moment before his grief overtook him and he dropped the picture onto the ground, breaking the glass frame.
Today was not a good day.
Kitty watched as Jackie's neurologist and a man she didn't know talked outside Jackie's door. As another nurse walked by, Kitty grabbed her arm.
"Who is that, Claire?"
Claire looked over at the two men and shrugged. "I think his name is Warrick, he's administration, but don't take my word for it."
Kitty nodded and let go of Claire's arm. As the other woman walked away, the neurologist turned to Kitty and smiled.
"Nurse Kitty, would you come here?" He asked.
Kitty walked up to the two men and waited to be introduced.
"Claude, this is Kitty, one of our finest nurses." The neurologist said.
The man smiled and nodded. "Oh yes, I hear that you have close ties to the patient." He spoke softly; his voice was as smooth as velvet.
Kitty nodded at the man. "She's very dear to me."
The man nodded and then coughed. "Oh silly me, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Claude Warrick." He stuck out his hand for Kitty to shake, and when she took it, her hand felt instantly warmed, as though it was too close to a hot stove.
"You have very warm hands." She said as she took her hand away.
Claude Warrick smiled in return. "My wife, Penny is the opposite, she's always cold."
"Well isn't that the way it always works?" The neurologist asked.
"Doctor Reiner." Kitty spoke to get his attention. She needed to know what Jackie's condition was.
Dr. Reiner sighed as he turned to Kitty. "All the tests say she's fine, Kitty. If I had to guess, I'd say it's stress related."
"Stress related?" Kitty repeated.
He nodded, "Dr. Benson seems to think it's psychological."
Kitty pursed her lips. "Of course he does."
"Now, Kitty, I know you're not one of Dr. Benson's greatest fans."
"Neither are you." Kitty reminded him.
"I take it you two are not fond of Dr. Benson?" Claude asked them.
The other two looked at each other as they searched for something to say. "He's had a lot of complaints over the years." Kitty tried explaining.
Claude nodded. "I see." He said tensely.
"I need to go check on the other patients." Kitty informed them. In truth, she just wanted to get away from the man in the grey suit.
Donna put on Beth by Kiss and sighed as she turned around to face Hyde.
"Good song." Hyde said with his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.
"I thought you'd be at the hospital." Donna stated.
Hyde shook his head. "I can't go there, at least not yet."
Donna nodded. "I understand. I was even thinking about taking the next shift just so I'd have something to do, but whatever." She shrugged indifferently.
There was silence as Hyde walked over to the collection of records and began to look through them. Donna watched as he ran his fingers over the titles.
"Would you hand me Blondie's Parallel Lines?" she asked.
"Sure." Hyde replied. He searched for the record and then gave it to Donna.
"Next up is Blondie with Heart of Glass and it goes out to anyone who has ever had a broken heart." Donna said into the microphone, "This is WKPP and you're listening to me, Hot Donna." She put the record on.
"I'm gonna go." Hyde told her. Donna nodded and waved goodbye as Hyde left.
Fez paced around his apartment for a moment as he gathered up the courage to call Kelso. Finally, he grabbed the phone and dialed. On the sixth ring, Kelso answered.
"Hello." Kelso said sleepily.
"Hey Kelso."
"Hey, buddy!" Kelso said cheerfully. "Look, right now isn't a good time; I've got a girl here."
"Uh, Kelso, it's about Jackie."
"What about Jackie?" Kelso's tone instantly changed, making Fez all the more nervous.
"She's in a coma, again." Fez said it as fast as he could.
"Dude, I can't understand you, it sounded like you said that Jackie's in a coma." Kelso said with a laugh.
"Um, yeah." Fez said with a wince. He told Kelso everything he knew, starting with Jackie's freak outs and the conversation he had overheard with her therapist and the soft voiced man.
There was a pause and then finally Kelso said, "I'll be there in two hours."
After her shift, Donna found herself walking through the park across from the hospital. She kept her head low, paying little attention to the world around her. She knew there had to be birds chirping in the trees, squirrels gathering nuts, people on picnics, playing Frisbee, walking their dogs, but Donna didn't notice any of it. Everything had been building up inside her for the past few months, and it seemed as though she had finally reached her breaking point. It was right now that she wished she had fought harder for Eric and had begged him to stay. None of this would have happened if he had been there.
Keeping her head down so that no one would see the tears form in her eyes, she stared at the tiny bits of quartz in the stone pathway as she walked.
"Excuse me child." A woman with a strong accent said after Donna bumped into her.
Donna looked up at the person addressing her. "Sorry." There was something very familiar about the woman in front of her. Her curly black hair hung long on her back and she was dressed in a rust orange skirt and matching blouse and her hands were covered in henna tattoos. On her left arm she held a large woolen bag.
"You look lost." The woman commented.
Donna tried to place her accent. If she had to venture a guess, it would have been Romanian or Hungarian, but she wasn't sure.
"I'm fine." Donna replied. "Sorry I bumped into you."
The woman smiled brightly, "Do not think anything of it, I can see that something saddens you." Her voice was sympathetic and Donna felt herself drawn to the woman.
"Thank you." Donna gave a slight smile.
"Would you like to talk about it?" The woman asked.
"I don't know." Donna said hesitantly. "I'm not big on discussing my problems with strangers."
The woman nodded thoughtfully. "A usually wise decision, yes… I am Serena, and now we are not strangers."
Donna laughed lightly. "Okay, I'm Donna."
"Donna," The woman grinned. "Let's go over to that table." She pointed to an empty table near them. They walked to it and sat down on each side. Serena sat her bag next to her and pulled out a deck of warn looking tarot cards.
"Oh um, I don't want…"
Serena raised her eyebrow at Donna. "Are you sure?"
Donna eyed the cards for a moment. While rationally she felt they were just a bunch of hocus pocus, she couldn't see any reason why getting a reading would hurt.
"Okay." She conceded.
Serena smiled again and began to shuffle the deck.
"That deck looks pretty old." Donna stated.
"Yes, they were my mothers." She replied as she continued shuffling. Finally, she placed the deck onto the table in-between herself and Donna. Looking Donna in the eye, Serena took the top card and placed it on the table.
"The six of swords," Serena said, "but it is reversed."
"What does that mean?" Donna asked.
"Usually, the six of swords indicates a pleasant journey; however in this case, it seems to indicate stagnation, difficulty without end."
"Oh." Donna said not knowing what else to say. To say that Donna felt stagnant would be the understatement of the century.
Serena put the next card beside the first. "The Knight of wands… this is very unusual."
"What is?" Donna queried.
"It seems that you're going to be taking a journey after all."
"Well, that's good right?"
Serena shook her head. "This card, it speaks about journeys yes, but they are never the ones you thought you would take. This is a journey into the un known." Seeing Donna frown, the woman smiled. "Perhaps I am reading this wrong, let's see what the next card says." With that she pulled the next card of the top of the deck and placed it beside the others.
"The page of wands, he is the most loyal of messengers and friends… this is someone you are very close to, is it not?"
"I thought I was." Donna said, instantly thinking of Eric.
"You still are." Serena said confidently. She placed the next card above the first and frowned. "The ten of wands… the wands are strong in this deck…"
"What is it?" Donna asked.
"There is a traitor in the midst… someone dangerous and deceiving… he is the reason you will take this journey."
"I don't know of anyone who would do that." Donna told her. "Go on." She instructed Serena to continue the reading. She obeyed and took the last card.
"The ace of swords."
"It's reversed." Donna commented. "That's probably not good is it?" Donna watched the woman as she stopped smiling. Her face was solemn as she looked at the card. "I have never seen such a troublesome reading before, and I have done many in my lifetime… this card, Donna, please take this to heart."
Enough of the reading had rang true already for Donna, even if she didn't know what she had meant by a journey or the bit about the traitor, that she nodded and said, "I will."
"The ace of swords depicts a violent act, a most horrible crime…watch out for the traitor Donna, for the sake of those you care about.
Donna nodded, "I will." In her minds eye, she remembered the conversation Fez had overheard between the creepy man and Jackie's psychiatrist. Was he the traitor?
Serena smiled as she put away the cards. "Do not worry so much, you will know what to do when the time comes."
"How can you be sure?" Donna asked.
The woman smiled sadly and pulled up her sleeve. Tattooed on her arm in black ink were numbers. "I know how precious life is."
"Shit." Donna muttered. "I'm so…"
"Don't." Serena said holding up her hand to keep Donna for apologizing. "You were not there."
"Right." Donna said, "Still, here I am, thinking about how the love of my life is marrying another woman and my best friend is in a coma, and the rest of my friends are falling apart, it seems so insignificant."
"Nothing is insignificant. " Serena informed her, "I survived, grew strong and have lived a most successful life. I did not give up, and neither will you. If you need to run, run and don't look back, and if you need to fight, then you do that. What you do matters, Donna."
Serena's words of advice stirred something deep within Donna. She knew that Serena was right. Silently, she made a vow to do what needed to be done, no matter what the cost. She was going to find a way to help Jackie and Hyde.
"Thank you." Donna said as she stood up from her seat. "Really."
Serena followed suit and stood up as well. "I live in the blue house on Robinson, if you, or any of your friends needs anything, come to me and I will help you."
"Blue house, got it." Donna repeated. "Thank you, again."
"Go." Serena said waving her hand. "Start your journey."
For the first time that day, Donna felt something akin to hope.
Hyde walked into the dark hospital room and sat next to Jackie in his chair. He took her hand and stroked it lightly.
"Huh, déjà vu." He remarked to her. "I suppose I should make a joke about you not talking… I've kind of exhausted those haven't I; besides, you know I miss you talking." Hyde took a long breath and stared down at Jackie's hand. "I always forget how tiny your hands are… how tiny you are. You're like, you're literally a doll. Must be why I call you that huh… look, Jackie, about what I said yesterday, you know I…look, if being with me, flaws and all is what makes you live, then that's perfectly alright with me. It's not like I want to be without you anyway, I just thought that I should earn your trust back first, but if you're going to be pulling this crap on me, then um, I can't say no. I'll even make you a deal, if you wake up, we'll get married. How bout it?"
He knew it sounded pathetic in his head as he said it. "Shit, look, that wasn't a proposal, okay it was, but I'm not proposing so you'll wake up, although, I mean, it wouldn't hurt, otherwise you won't be able to say your vows and that just… I just really want you to wake up, whatever it takes Jackie, I will do whatever it takes." Needing to gather his zen back, he let go of her hand and sighed. "I'll be right back." He told her and then walked into the bathroom. He shut the door behind him and leaned up against the door. It was then that he heard the door to Jackie's room open and footsteps come in. Hyde remained still, grateful he hadn't turned on the bathroom light yet. He pressed his ear to the door to listen.
"She's in town." Hyde didn't recognize the voice of the first person.
"She isn't our concern." Hyde instantly recognized the voice of the second person. He was the man who had come into the record store asking for Tommy Johnson. The man's voice sent a chill down Hyde's spine. What the hell was he doing in Jackie's room?
"Well, you don't have to worry." The first man said, "As long as she's here, your plan will work."
"Work?" The soft voiced man asked, "This girl is the reason you are here, Ick."
"It's Icarus." The first said with a whine. "I still don't see what this… girl is so special."
There was a pause and Hyde waited with baited breath to see what the other man would say.
"She freed us." The man spoke with fondness for Jackie. It made Hyde want to run out there and beat the man to a bloody pulp, but he knew it would be futile. The second man continued, "Without her, you would still be in the pit, wallowing about your own misfortunes."
"Yeah, but she could also send us back. If she ever found out, and got help, and you know who is looking after her… and with Serena being in town…"
"You forget, Ick, that Jacqueline here does not have any knowledge of what truly happened, and do you really think he's going to tell her? The operation will continue on as planned." The second man sounded colder and more authoritarian than usual.
Doubt began to sink inside Hyde's mind. Not only did he wonder what the two men were talking about, but mostly he worried about Jackie's involvement in it. She had been in the hospital for the last month, whatever she had done, it had to have been before the night she had drowned. Surely if Jackie had gotten into trouble she would have told him about it. Sure, they weren't getting along, but she knew that he'd still help her if she needed it, right? As he thought back on the conversation he had just heard, he remembered that they said she didn't know what she had did. Never the less, she was in danger and needed to be protected. He waited for a few moments to make sure the men were gone and then slowly, he opened the door and walked out. Briefly, he stared into the empty hallway and then looked back at Jackie.
"I'm going to do whatever it takes." He promised her for a third time.
I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, tell me what you thought about it. I love hearing your thoughts and theories and while I have everything mapped out already, if there is anything you think this story can benefit from, let me know!
No subservient demons were hurt in the making of this chapter. The next chapter: The land of the not quite dead part one.