A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your reviews last chapter! As a side note, I just wanted to say in case any of you happen to be HR readers, I am going to update that one too. I actually have a chapter written, I'm just waiting to post it until I've figured out how to transition it into the next story arc. Don't wanna start up again and then immediatly leave you hanging. But I'm working on it! Anyways, back to Along For the Ride. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
The next morning, Kitty and Eric were picking up food from Fatso Burger (at the latter's request) before heading to the hospital.
"Now, this is nice," Kitty said. "When was the last time we spent time together?"
"At breakfast? You know, that thing three hours ago where we all sat and talked while we ate waffles?" His mom always had to make an occasion out of every moment, didn't she? He threw away his trash and then returned to the table for the remaning to-go bag and cup. He'd ordered a burger and soda for Hyde, figuring it would be better than hospital food. Besides, he was craving french fries.
"Well, good morning to your porky mouth!"
He held open the door for his mother as they left the fast food restaurant. "I see you every day, mom. We spend time together."
"I just think it's nice to spend some quality time together outside of the house, that's all," she said. This was giving Eric a major sense of deja vu. His mom never thought they spent enough time together, which he chalked up to her fear of an impending empty nest. "You just never know how many opportunities you have to do things like this with someone.
Eric sighed as they got into the car. "Mom, is this about yesterday? About Hyde?"
"We're just very lucky to have each other, that's all I'm saying."
Hyde was already awake when they arrived, jabbing at a button he held in his hand. "Hey." He seemed more focused on the device than his new visitors. "Mrs. Forman, I think this nurse call button thing is broken. I've been pressing it and nobody's come. It just beeps sometimes."
Kitty tilted her head. "Sweetheart, that's...that's an analgesic pump, for pain management. Not a call button."
"Huh." He stared at the button in his hand. "That explains a lot." He decided to let it go, and turned his attention to his friend. "What you got there, Forman?"
"One Fatso burger and a large cola." He put the bag on the small table that extended over the bed.
Hyde eagerly dug into the bag. "Thanks, man. All they gave me this morning was jello, and something that I think was oatmeal but might have been alive. The food here sucks." He suddenly remembered that one of his visitors worked at this hospital. "No offense, Mrs. Forman."
"None taken. You two boys have fun, alright? I've got to get ready for my shift." She excused herself and left.
"Speaking of fun," Eric pulled something out of his pocket, "I brought a deck of cards."
Hyde responded with the same feigned excitable kid voice he often used. "A deck of cards? Oh boy!" He did agree to play Go Fish, though, and in less than ten minutes had aquired four pairs. He kept the pairs face down on the table, and occasionally put down the cards in hand to eat or drink. "I need another arm, man," he said as he put down the burger. "Got any twos?"
"Go fish."
Hyde smiled after he glanced at his new card.
"You have a terrible poker face."
"Don't need one." He put another four cards down on the table.
"Oh, come on!" Eric reacher over and flipped each four-of-a-kind pair of cards Hyde had laid down. "Dude, none of these match." He looked through the cards one by one. "Literally none of these match."
"You never said they had to match," Hyde said with a smirk.
"It's Go Fish!"
"Anybody ever tell you you're a sore loser, Forman?"
Forman looked incredulous. "I'm not a sore loser. You weren't playing the game. You cheated."
"Sounds like sore loser talk to me."
"I give up."
Hyde smiled and laid down the rest of his cards. "And I win. You're right. That was fun." He resumed eating his burger, and Forman started putting away the cards. "We should play poker later," he said.
"Why, so you can ignore all the rules and take all my money?"
"Yeah. Sounds like a good time to me."
"I-" Forman sounded like he was about to argue, then just shrugged. "Sure. We can do whatever you want."
Hyde looked at him quizzically. Forman was being nice. He said that because he pitied him. "Don't do that."
"Don't do what?"
"The whole-" he searched for the words, "-that thing where you're nice."
"Uh...okay. I'm a little confused."
"The pity thing. Don't say 'we can do whatever you want' like some gesture of...of..."
"We're just talking about card games, Hyde."
"Yeah, whatever." He jabbed the button again. "At least I can win at a kid's game."
"I can - you cheated!"
Hyde relaxed a bit. He was used to banter. He wasn't sure what to do with concern or pity. "WB asked me yesterday if someone should call Edna," surprised with himself for bringing this up.
Forman looked just as surprised. "You didn't, did you?"
"No, I told him don't bother." Hyde had been in this hospital dozens of times (mostly thanks to the water tower), and he'd never thought to notify Edna. Why should he? She left him. He didn't have a number or address to reach her at, and he was pretty sure she left it that way for a reason. He was also pretty sure he didn't want her here, anyway. "Three parents is enough."
Forman chuckled. "Yeah. Heard WB's swinging by later."
"You did?" He wondered if WB had told him this himself. "I don't remember half of what anyone said to me yesterday."
"You were pretty out of it."
"No kidding."
"Are you back to planet Earth today?"
"Planet Earth is kind of spinny. Not sure I like it. Hey, how about when I get out of here we celebrate in the circle?" Hyde had no idea when that would be, but there was no harm in planning ahead. He was already longing for this whole ordeal to be over.
Forman nodded.
"Shoulda gone to Disney world," Hyde mumbled.
"What?"
"What?"
Forman looked at him strangely. "But seriously, man, how are-"
"If you ask me how I feel I'm going to punch you." Yesterday, he was so focused on being knocked out that he hadn't thought about what would happen after the anaesthsia wore off. Much to his disappointment, he felt largely the same as beforehand, if drowsier.
"Ooh, I'm real scared. Coming from the guy with his good arm in a sling."
Hyde looked around, and his eyes landed on the pack of cards. He picked it up and aimed it at Forman, but put it down with a smirk after it made Forman duck. When Forman stood up again, Hyde tossed it, not very hard because he was mostly joking around, and entirely missed. It bounced against the wall with a light thud.
"Were you even trying to hit me?" Forman grinned victoriously.
Hyde gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I told you the world was spinny."
Eric held up his hand. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
Hyde scoffed, and held up his middle finger. "How many am I holding up?" He was dizzy, not blind. "Hey, come here."
Forman walked next to the bed, standing to Hyde's right.
"Other side, man."
His friend reluctantly followed his orders. Hyde punched him lightly - well, not punched so much as grazed Forman's arm, then recoiled as his busted rib took the momentum as a cue to hurt more. Great.
"What was that for?" Forman asked. "I didn't ask how you are."
"You were thinking it," he replied, voice strained.
Forman rolled his eyes. "You probably shouldn't...punch things. You know, take it easy for a while." He raised an eyebrow at Hyde.
"You should shut the hell up." It was hard to be intimidating while writhing in pain in a polka dotted hospital gown. He was supposed to be cool, but the situation was not cooperating with that idea.
A nurse decided to come in at that moment, and seemed to recognize Forman, probably thanks to Kitty. "Eric! How are you?"
"Oh, uh..." Forman clearly knew he was supposed to know this woman, and was trying not to let on that he didn't remember her. "Great..."
"Your mom tells me you're writing movies now. How's that going?"
"Documentaries, actually. That was...yeah, I'm looking into other things now."
"What sort of things?"
"Um..." Forman looked around the room. His eyes landed on the pack of cards. "Magic?"
"Oh, you have to show me a trick," the nurse said.
Hyde was so excited, he forgot about being hurt. This was too good to be true. "Show her the one you showed me," he said, congratulating himself for making this moment worse for his friend.
Forman laughed awkwardly. "I don't think that's really necessary."
"Come on, man, don't be modest," Hyde said, trying his best to keep a straight face, and knowing that he would pay for this later as Forman shot back a death glare.
"You know what, fine. Pick a card, any card." He splayed the cards, and the nurse picked one. Forman had her put it back in the deck, shuffled the cards, and picked one at random. "Is this your card?"
The nurse looked amazed. "Yes, it is. How did you do that?"
Forman did a double take. "Wait, are you serious?"
"Yes, a two of clubs, that was my card."
"Oh my god. I did it." He turned to Hyde. "In your face! What do you have to say to that, Hyde?"
The only answer he got was coughing, and a thumbs up.
"Oh, he's just doing that because he doesn't want to admit that I did something cool."
"You're the best magician who ever lived," Hyde said in between coughs, "you should be in Vegas. Really top notch work." He rubbed the side of his chest with the broken rib.
"Do you want an ice pack, honey?" the nurse asked.
Forman answered for him. "Yes." This time it was Hyde who gave the death glare.
The nurse left, and returned with the promise ice pack. She talked to her patient for a minute, and double checked that everything was fine. While she was working, she kept up a conversation with Forman about his "magic career." He was in too deep now. He was just listing all of the made up tricks he supposedly knew when Jackie came in, holding all of the things she had picked out at the gift shop yesterday.
"Jackie," Forman started, "I just did the coolest thing-"
"Yeah, that's great, Eric," she said flatly. "Steven! I brought you presents!"
"Cool."
The nurse was about to leave when she called something to the nurses table, then turned back to Forman. "Eric, would you show Jeanette and Carey some of your tricks?"
"Sure, he will," Hyde said, deciding that if Forman could answer for him, he could return the favor.
"I guess I have no choice," Forman said with a forced smile, and was reluctantly led away to embarass himself in front of his mom's coworkers.
Jackie presented each item in his bag to Hyde, placing the bear on the side table and opening the card envelope for him since he was busy with the ice pack. "Want me to read it to you?"
"No, I'll read it later." Seeing Jackie's pout, he figured he should explain. "You know, after visitor hours, if it's like the middle of the night and no one's here."
"Why?"
God, she was going to make him talk feelings again. "In case I miss you or something."
Jackie clearly liked this answer. "Aw, in case you get lonely? That is so cute." she put the card on the table.
"I don't get lonely." Hyde stated, and then patted the side of his bed. "Sit with me." Yeah, that might have undermined his previous statement just a bit.
she answered, "I don't know if there's enough room."
"You're small. We'll deal."
She carefully helped him slide over a couple inches, and joined him on the bed. "It's small," she said.
"Yup."
"And not very comfortable."
"Nope."
A comfortable silence fell around them as they watched Forman through the window desperately trying to repeat his dumb luck.
"Think I might sleep for a while," Hyde said, eyes still on the magic show. He hadn't slept well thanks to various medical personal constantly coming and going, and he was pretty sure all the not-a-call-button did was make him tired. He felt bad sleeping since Jackie had just come to see him, though, and there was no telling when WB would join them.
"Go ahead, puddin'. I'll be here when you wake up."
A/N: There you have it! Next chapter will pick up directly where this one left off, so we'll see more Hyde/Jackie, some WB, and learn the outcome of Eric's magic tricks, and eventually learn what Jackie's card says. Please leave a review if you like, reading your guys' thoughts always gives me new ideas for what's coming up! Thank you so much for reading. Until next time!