Author Note: ….I know many of you readers are hating Hyde & Donna right now…give the story a chance…read on….

T7S

Chapter 04 – Conscious

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The night shift nurse smiled kindly at Kitty as she sat beside Jackie's bed. The chart indicated that she was out of danger as far as the first degree burns were concerned, but the ophthalmologist wanted a series of tests ran when she woke up. Kitty had smuggled an aloe vera leaf in her purse and rubbed some of the natural gel onto Jackie's reddened skin. With luck, there would be no permanent scarring – the deeper scars would come later.

Bob Pinciotti had zero luck trying to lock Jackie's mom. Kitty had thanked him for trying but Pamela Burkhart was no where on the radar. She could possibly even be out of the country. Poor Jackie…a tart for a mother and a thief for a father – it's a wonder she didn't end up on the wrong side of the tracks herself!

"Jackie, its Mrs. Forman. I know you can't really hear me dear but that doesn't mean I can't talk to you. First, I hope you're not in too much pain; I'll make sure the nurses take good care of you.

Next, when you are well enough to get out of here, Red and I have moved all your belongings into our house. We're going to help you rehabilitate. Steven moved out, but Eric is there and I'm sure he will help.

Honey, I want to thank you for being so brave. I know you got hurt but if you hadn't screamed when you did, all three of you and Jim would have been seriously injured. The garage is a catastrophe and Red is just beside himself with those silly batteries. We tried to find your mother but we don't know where she is, so you just consider yourself an informal Forman family member.

Red and I will come see you every day and you just keep getting better sweetheart. You have a big place in our hearts and we love you." Kitty leaned over the bed and kissed the satin skin of an untarnished cheek.

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Eric had seriously taken Jackie's advice to heart and applied for a part-time job at a local construction company. They were looking for someone to take measurements for upcoming projects and the engineer drawings were difficult to relay to the builders. Carson Construction gave Eric a blueprint and asked him to re-sketch a specific portion of the document so an ordinary craftsman could build from it. They also had him pass a math test and were impressed enough that Kerry Carson hired him on the spot. Eric was given a drafting table in the corner of the job site trailer. He started the next morning.

On the drive home, Eric was marveling at the idea of how he almost considered begging Price Mart to take him back when he remembered what Jackie had told him about his talent for math and drawing. Look at me now! He wanted to shout out to the world.

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"….I need some steel toed boots and I have a Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule. Isn't that cool?"

Kitty hugged her son. "Oh Eric. A real job! I'm so proud of you."

Red looked over at his son. "Kerry Construction, eh? That's a good company to work for son. Congratulations. I never would have figured you for a draftsman but you do have some undiscovered talents."

Red would have continued but the telephone rang. He picked it up. "What? When! Okay, we'll be right there.' Red hung up the telephone and looked at Kitty. "Jackie woke up and she's asking for us."

Eric started to follow his parents out the door when Kitty stopped him. "She's going to be in a panic. Let's not overwhelm the poor girl."

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The night nurse had given Jackie a light sedative to calm her down. Jackie had woken up screaming and tried ripping the bandages from her face. Two nurses held her down while a third administered a shot of valium to subdue the young girl.

By the time Red and Kitty arrived, the bandages were redressed and her hands were tucked tightly into the blankets. "She fights like a cat!" Nurse Adams exclaimed. Red smiled at the scratch marks on the nurse's arm. Kitty immediately went to the bed and spoke softly.

"Jackie honey….it's Kitty. Don't move okay?"

"Mrs. Forman?" she said her voice still hoarse.

"Yes dear. I'm here with Red. We're very concerned about you. Do you know where you are?"

"In a hospital. Why is it so dark?"

Kitty could feel that lump in her throat again. "Sweetie, you had some damage to your eyes so the doctors have bandaged you up."

"I'm blind?" she asked on the verge of hysteria.

Red reached over and clasped her hand through the blanket. "Now we don't know that yet. They couldn't test you until you regained consciousness. We're hoping you get out of here soon."

"My eyes feel like their on fire. What happened?"

Kitty looked at the small figure in the big bed and could have just cried. "Honey, there was an accident at the garage. Do you remember?"

"Yeah. I was getting a number off that bad battery. Mr. Forman, you know the one. It started to crack and then….oh god, my face!"

It started to crack. Mr. Martin's battery was defective as was all the others in that lot. This would explain a lot to the insurance inspector! Red had to remember to tell that to his representative in the morning.

"Jackie, honey….you're face is okay. You look like you have a bad sunburn but it will go away."

"Aloe Vera. I still smell it." Jackie said.

Kitty smiled. "Oh, you knew! I came everyday and put it on your face. That's wonderful!"

Dr. Crystal walked into the private room, "Mr. Forman, you are looking so much better! Are you having any pains?"

Red growled. "Of course, I have pain. I was hit with acid covered plastic. Did you expect me to feel nothing?" Dumbass!

Dr. Crystal laughed and winked at Kitty. "I see that he's making a good recovery." He turned to Jackie. "Hello Jackie. I'm Dr. Crystal, and I'd like to welcome you back to the world of the conscious. You've been here for five days and now that you're awake, we're going to do a bunch of tests on your eyes to make sure they are healthy and that your vision is good."

Red cleared his throat. "Well, um, we're just going to come back tomorrow then." Red walked around the IV pole and gave Jackie a kiss on the top of her head. Kitty squeezed her hand. "We'll be back honey. Dr. Crystal, be sure to call us if you know anything."

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Eric was carrying his clean clothes up from the basement when he heard his parents talking in the kitchen. Their voices were low which was unusual and while he didn't like eavesdropping, something in their tone seemed urgent and he stopped to listen.

"Dammit Kitty! She's blinded for god knows how long. Don't you realize that should have been Eric?"

Red was crying?

"Honey, I know and I can't help but be glad that he's okay. Jackie's such a sweet girl and you did your best to save her."

Jackie's blind?

"I'm suing that company. How many other people have to get hurt before they get rid of those bombs? Did you see my shop?"

Red was angry.

"Sweetie, we need to let the insurance company and attorney handle this. Jackie's going to need our help. Bob can't find her mom. We are all she has."

Yeah and Hyde runs away!

"She never should have been out in the shop. Why did I let her do that?"

Eric heard his dad break down into sobs. This giant of a man who never cried ever! His dad was shedding tears for a friend of his son. For Jackie. Eric never knew his father had that depth of feelings for anyone let alone a stray "chicken' his mom took under her wing.

He quietly picked up his basket and swung through the dining room to hit the stairs. His parents didn't need to know he was listening in on their private conversation.

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Jackie sat in the wheelchair. A white gauze bandage was wrapped around her head and she seemed to have shrunk inside herself. Red and Kitty came to pick her up but were taken aside by the attending therapist. "May I speak with you privately?"

The Forman's stepped into an empty room. "Hello, I'm Dr. Sanders. I read the psych evaluation on Miss Burkhart. She's having difficulty dealing with the blindness or temporary blindness. We won't know more about the vision loss until the healing process is complete."

Red sighed, "In English please?"

"Yes, I'm sorry sir. Physically, there is no reason for Miss Burkhart to stay in the hospital. All of the medication she needs can be taken at home and she needs rest. The Ophthalmologist would like to see her weekly to chart her progress."

Kitty asked, "The eval…is she clinically…depressed?"

"Miss Burkhart needs to learn to adapt. If she seems to worsen, I can prescribe medication but she's a little scamp, scratched up a couple of nurses….I don't think she'll be depressed if she's surrounded by caring friends."

Kitty laughed, "Ahahahaha, she'll be surrounded by love. We'll take good care of her."

Dr. Sanders smiled. "Good. The post op paperwork has all of her instructions and restrictions as well as many prescriptions she'll need for her eyes."

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Eric was in the driveway when Red parked the Toyota. Kitty came around and opened the door. "Eric, honey…the ground is icy. Can you help Jackie walk to the kitchen so she doesn't slip?"

Eric wasn't sure what was happening but he held out a hand and when Jackie didn't take it, he grabbed her small one. "Here Jackie, welcome home." She grabbed his hand.

"Eric?" her voice sounded small and hesitant.

"Yeah, that's me. Let me help you inside." Jackie turned on the seat and Eric wrapped one of her arms around his neck and he put his other arm around her waist. He waited until she got her balance. "It's about ten steps to the patio door. Are you ready?"

"Eric," she said solemnly. "I don't think I'm ready for any of this."

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A/N: The Author is not a doctor or experienced in vision loss – this is just fiction and angst. Thank you.