Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Note: Hello All! Sorry for not updating yesterday, you probably won't believe this but I didn't realize it was Monday until like seven o'clock at night and the chapter still wasn't ready to go. That's the bad thing about summer, you loose track of your days. Quick notes: I am not a doctor nor am I planning on being one. Did have a doctor's apt this last week but cancelled it cause I felt better! Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than the other, I finally got over my writers block on "meet the Hydes" so I was working on that. But I don't think I would call this chapter a filler chapter. It does have a few important stuff. Anywoo thanks for the reviews you all, they really mean so much to me! Oh an did you guys realize that this is like only day four of everyone being there? Just thought I'd point that out cause I just realized that lol Any woo thanks for reading and enjoy!
"And this is the backyard. But you probably already knew that and have seen it." Kitty said giggling as she welcomed Hyde and the camera into the blooming backyard of the Forman's. Suddenly her smile faded some, "Unless Red sold the house and in that case, Red Forman, you are in big trouble the next time you see me."
"Why'd you wanna film out here?" Hyde asked, changing the conversation.
It was bad enough thinking about Kitty not being around anymore. Thinking about what it would be like with neither Kitty nor Red here was just too painful.
"Oh right, well I wanted to show you some of the plants back here." Kitty stated, her smile now back on her face, "These plants mean a lot to me and some of them I really do hold close to my heart."
Hyde moved the camera, following Kitty as she walked over to the medium sized bush by the white-picket fence.
"This rose bush was planted over twenty five years ago. During the same week that Red and I first moved into the house." Kitty explained and then touched one of the blooming red roses, "And every year for our anniversary and sometimes on Valentines Day, Red cuts a few of the roses and brings them to me."
"It does seem a bit cheap." She said moving her eyes from the flower, "But it shows that he always remembers."
Hyde smirked at how much of a softie his surrogate father could be, as he filmed Kitty walking over to the big oak tree by the house.
"The day we bought Laurie home from the hospital was when we planted this tree." Kitty explained, smiling as she placed her palm on the trunk of the tree and began to think about the daughter she hadn't seem in years.
"Yeah," Hyde agreed, seeing how bother Kitty seemed to be, "but unlike Laurie, the tree's still here."
Kitty frowned and slightly scolded, "Steven."
"What? I could've said something about the tree being the way she'd sneak out guys into her room."
Shaking her head, Kitty took a few steps over to the outside wall of the house. There a bundle of different flowers were blooming. The one Kitty seemed to pay closer attention were in a bigger bunch. The flowers almost looked like daisies but had petals the color of blue and not white.
"These are asters." Kitty shared, "We planted those when Eric was born. They're the flowers that represent the month he was born in."
"Forman and flowers, nice call." Hyde commented with a smirk as he zoomed in on the flowers.
"Steven." Kitty called out, getting Hyde attention right away.
"What?" he asked moving the camera away from the flowers and a few feet away to where Kitty was standing by some dark purple colored flowers, that were tiny but grew in big bunches on one stem that was taller than the others.
Kitty smiled at the camera before speaking, "These are flowers are larkspurs. We planted them in July a few years back. The same month we took you in."
"You guys planted theses flowers for me?" Hyde asked in disbelief.
"Well of course." Kitty said with a smile, "You're one of my babies, and I would have planted flowers and other plants for my babies but then our back yard would have looked like a jungle."
As Kitty giggled, Hyde zoomed in on the bundle of flowers Kitty had finished talking about.
He smirked still not quite believing it, "I've got some flowers."
0o0o0o
It had been an hour or two since Eric had gone up to see Kitty and he still hadn't come out of the room. Or at least no one had seen him come out of the room. No one being Hyde, who'd practically guarded the living room stairway to ensure Eric didn't try to escape.
Jackie had tried to get him to move away from the steps by reminding him that Eric really did want to see his mother and he had told them both this, but it didn't help. So she had to physically drag Hyde into the kitchen and keep him entertained by playing with a deck of cards.
Since they'd spend a lot of time in hospitals and in waiting rooms with Kitty being sick, they always had a deck near by and Red had taught them both several different card games he'd learned during the war.
"Your turn." Jackie called out.
Hyde furrowed his brow as he looked down at his hand of card, he then looked back at Jackie, "What were we playing?"
"I don't know." She said looking back at him , "I was hopping you'd know."
Hyde shook his head and then placed his cards face down on the kitchen table where they were sitting. Jackie saw his actions and immediately, a smile sprung to her face and she nearly jumped out of her chair.
"I win!" she called out and Hyde deepened his frown.
"I thought you didn't know what we were playing."
"I don't." she agreed with a small shrug, "But you gave up and so that means I win."
Hyde just shook his head again, trying his best not to smile. Meanwhile Jackie did nothing to hide her smile and continued to let it grow as she gathered the cards again.
Just as Jackie had begun to shuffle the card, Hyde took them out of her hands. Red had not only taught Jackie how to play a few new games, he'd also taught her a few ways to cheat and beat Hyde. Jackie pouted slightly and leaned back in her seat, but was ignored by Hyde when the kitchen door swung open.
"Hey you guys."
"Forman, man, what are you doing down here?" Hyde asked forgetting about the deck.
"Hyde, don't worry." Eric assured as he walked over to the two, "Mom knows I'm down here. She's asleep right now and…"
"How does she know you're down here if she's asleep?" Hyde asked with a raised eyebrow.
Eric held back a laugh, but had to smile, when he saw Jackie do the same. She seemed to notice how Hyde was acting like Kelso or Fez, but Eric wondered if Hyde realized it himself.
"I told her I was gonna go downstairs a few minutes before she fell asleep and she said ok."
Hyde's face feel, "Oh."
"So how did it go?" Jackie asked with a smile.
"It went pretty good." Eric nodded at the brunette, "We got to visit and spend time with each other. We talked and I guess Mom wasn't as mad at me as I thought she was…or at least she forgave me a lot quicker than I thought."
Jackie looked up at him with reassuring eyes, "Eric, your mother was never mad at you."
"Yeah, but I still had to apologize for a few things." Eric replied, "And I'm glad I did. I'm glad I stayed."
Jackie's smile grew, seeing how much happier Eric seemed. "We're glad you stayed too, right Steven?"
Hyde muttered something as he started dealing the cards between him and Jackie. Jackie watched him and knew he was glad that Eric was here, but wouldn't come right out and say it.
"For Mom's sake." She added, keeping her eyes on her ex-boyfriend.
Hyde looked up from the cards and over at Jackie, who gave him a look that showed she knew she was right. Hyde sighed and picked up his cards.
"Yeah, for Mom's sake."
Jackie couldn't stop smiling and Eric had to join in as he watched her. Her smile was contagious, it was beautiful, she was beautiful.
Wait he shouldn't be thinking of Jackie like that, of course she was beautiful, she was gorgeous really…there he went again. Quickly not wanting his thoughts to continue on this path, Eric stopped looking at Jackie and followed her eyes to his adopted brother.
Feeling uncomfortable, like he was being watched, Hyde looked up from his cards and found the two gawking at him.
"If the two of you are done staring at me, I'd like to start the game Jackie." he ordered more than suggested.
Jackie rolled her eyes before grabbing her hand of cards. He didn't even know what game they were playing. Lifting the cards to her eye level, she then realized she didn't have any clue either.
"Hey Jackie, you've got a pretty good hand if you guys were playing poker." Eric shared after taking a peak at her cards.
Jackie looked back down at her hand and saw the five red diamond cards; three, four, five, six, and seven. A straight flush! With her grin back in its place, Jackie looked up at Eric.
"Eric, you are absolutely right. And we are playing poker." Jackie announced causing Hyde to frown.
"Jackie, we never even said…" Hyde began to argue but it was too late.
"I win!"
The tiny brunette happily placed the cards on the table and clapped her hands with joy despite Hyde's annoyed expression. Seeing Jackie in her cheerful mood, made Eric's spirits rise up a bit too; though he still couldn't explain why.
"Forman man," Hyde called out, breaking Eric from his thoughts "you still play poker?"
"Uh yeah, sometimes." Eric nodded, feeling abit nervous. Things still weren't a hundred percent good between him and Hyde, so he knew he had to be careful about what he said.
"In the teachers lounge they play every so often. But we don't play for money, we play for grading papers. Loser grades the other's student's papers." Eric explained to the two, "I like grading my kids papers though so I don't really play as much. Do kind of miss the game though."
Hyde nodded, "Man Forman, that sounded pretty lame." He stated and Eric smiled and nodded, know just how boring it did sound, "Maybe while you're here, on one of Mom's good nights, we can have a game. We'll get Kelso and Fez in on it too."
"Yeah." Eric agreed as he smile grew, "It'll be just like the old days."
"Actually I was saying to invite them so there's more money for me to win," Hyde said with a smirk, "but yeah that'll be like the old days too."
Jackie watched the scene with her excitement practically bubbling inside of her. It was so great to see the two men being civil to each other and putting an effort to get things back to the way things were before. It was even more exciting because one of those men was Steven Hyde, Mr. Zen Man.
"You guys, I just want you to know that it really make me so happy to see that you guys are getting along like this." Jackie shared with the two men infront of her, "Especially because it's all thanks to yours truly."
Eric's brows knitted together as he stared back at the smiling Jackie, holding back his own grin, "Jackie…"
"No, it's ok." She said lifting her hands in the air to stop Eric from saying more, "No 'thank you's are need. But do remember, I like sparkly stuff."
"Deal the cards, Jackie." Hyde ordered.
Smiling as she did so, Jackie began passing out the cards to herself and Hyde. Eric looked on and suddenly felt out of place for some odd reason.
"Um so is it my turn to get dinner?" he asked, looking for something to do, "Cause I can go get it now and…"
Jackie shook her head, trying to keep track of the cards, "No, you stayed with mom today so you don' have to buy anything till tomorrow." She explained, "Brooke and Kelso are getting dinner tonight."
"Oh ok." Eric nodded, "Well where are they? Maybe I could give a few suggestions."
"Forman, this is Point Place we only have about six take out places here." Hyde said as he watched Jackie carefully, making sure she made no attempt to cheat, "Besides Fez and them went shopping a few minutes ago."
"Oh." Eric said, his face falling as he realized what the only option he had left was, "Guess I could go down to the basement and watch some TV."
"Donna and Randy are down there." Jackie informed before Eric could take another step to the basement door.
"Oh…well…um that's ok. I guess I could spend some time with them." He said trying to sound convincing.
He didn't want to go to the basement and sit there alone. Of course he didn't want to be down there with just Donna and Randy down there, either. Very slowly, Eric began to walk to the old hang out. Maybe if he walked slowly enough, Kelso and Fez would be back before he reached the basement.
"Forman."
Eric stopped in his tracks and turned around when he heard Hyde's voice call out to him.
"You can just watch TV in the living room." The curly haired man pointed out, before feeling a sharp object collide with his shin, "Ow! Jackie what the hell was that for?"
"Eric," she began ignoring Hyde completely, "I think what Steven is trying to say is you don't have to go down to the basement, you could stay here with us and get in on the game. Right Steven?"
"Yeah right." Hyde said in a tone that showed he didn't have much interest in the conversation, while looking down at his cards, "Jackie, I'm missing a card."
Ignoring Hyde once again, Jackie turned to Eric and smiled, "Come on."
Her smile was starting to send shivers down his spine—the good kind of shivers though. But this was getting to be too much to handle. He decided to decline the invitation.
"No, it's ok." He began, "I don't wanna interrupt anything."
"You're not interrupting anything. Now come on, sit down."
"No really I'm…"
"What wrong Forman?" Jackie asked interrupting him in an almost mocking tone, "Are you scared to loose to a girl?"
Eric titled his head to the side abit, "Oh you seem so sure of yourself. We'll see about that, Beulah."
The mocking smile Jackie wore soon disappeared and her face went blank before a determined glare appeared, "Oh it is so on."
Hyde looked up from his hand of cards and watched the sight infront of him. He frowned slightly at how this argument was slightly different from the ones Eric and Jackie use to have. And then yesterday with the movie. He shook it off and decided to see this competitive argument as a good thing. It was showing that some things stayed the same.
As Jackie dealt Eric his share of the cards and Eric finally took a seat at the kitchen table, the kitchen phone let out a loud ring breaking the comfortable silence the three had fallen into.
Jackie turned to Eric, "Get the phone."
"Me? Why me?"
"Last person to sit down, gets the door, phone, microwave whatever beeps." Hyde stated, "New rule."
Eric sighed and stood up on his feet again, "Fine." He walked to the yellow phone before turning back around and pointing at Jackie, "But I'm watching you and the cards!"
"Why doesn't anyone trust me?" Jackie asked.
Eric didn't get to answer or hear Hyde's answer to the question. He'd already picked up the receiver and placed it against his ear.
"Forman residence." He said rather quickly, wanting to go back to the card game.
"Eric?"
Eric's eyes bulged out as he heard his father's voice call out his name from the other end of the line. Panicking already, Eric pulled the phone away from his ear, covered the mouth piece with his hand and turned to Hyde and Jackie. He tired to tell them who it was, but he couldn't find the words.
"I….the…the…"Eric struggled saying a few words, both Hyde and Jackie were sure he'd made up.
"Speak, Lassie." Hyde commanded in a joking voice.
But Jackie could see how serious this moment was, by just look in Eric's eyes.
"Eric, what's wrong?"
At last finding his voice, Eric spoke, "Red's on the phone."
The four words caused Hyde and Jackie to jump out of their seats, forgetting all about the card game.
"Shit." Hyde cursed, realizing that Red might have recognized Eric voice. What was he doing calling now it was only… he looked down at his watch and saw that the time was forty twenty-five.
"Shit." He said again, "Jackie, you've gotta get to the airport you're already late."
"Got it." Jackie nodded and grabbed the Toyota keys off the counter before dashing out the door.
Hyde turned to Eric, who still looked alarmed. "Forman, give me the phone."
Eric didn't need to be told twice. He almost threw the phone at Hyde, luckily Hyde had caught the receiver. He took a deep breath before placing the phone against his ear.
"Hey, Red." He greeted, hoping he sounded causal.
Red frowned on the other end, "Steven? Where's Eric?"
"Um I don't know." Hyde shrugged, "Seattle, I guess. I mean that's where he lives isn't it?"
"I thought I heard…never mind." He gruffly said with a shake of his head, he had more important things to talk about.
Hyde felt a wave of relief; that was a lot easier than he thought it was going to be. However his feeling of relief didn't last very long as Red began to speak again.
"Where's Jackie?"
"She on her way." Hyde answered, which wasn't a lie. "She left about thirty minutes ago really, but you know it's kinda a long way to the airport and then all the traffic…"
"Right." Red nodded not sounding very convinced, "The traffic getting out of the driveway is always packed around this time."
Hyde frowned, "What? No, she'd not in the driveway she…"
"Steven, go get Jackie back into the house." He ordered.
Feeling confused, Hyde turned over to Eric who was still standing at his side.
"Go get Jackie." he whispered so Red couldn't hear.
Eric nodded once before running to the glass door. He pushed the door to the side and waved Jackie back inside—luckily she hadn't even started the vehicle. Not five seconds later, Jackie was inside standing by Eric and looking between him and Hyde.
"What's going on?" she asked.
Eric shrugged, "I don't know."
"Alright Red, she's here." Hyde said into the phone, not paying the two any attention, "What's going on?"
Red exhaled a deep sigh, "I'm stuck in Chicago."
"What?" Hyde asked with knitted brows, "I thought you said it was a one way trip."
"It was, but the damn snow caused some emergency landing crap." Red explained, "I'm calling off one of the pay phones in the airport. They don't know how long it'll be before we get back in the air."
"What …what are you gonna do, man?" Hyde asked trying not too sound worried; but he was. Red still wasn't home and Kitty was getting worse.
"I don't know." Red replied as he shook his head, "I'm getting so desperate I'm thinking about looking up the kettle head and asking him for a ride."
Hyde nodded along, until he understood just what Red was saying. The kettle head, that was Kelso. And Kelso did live there. But he was in Point place right now, not in Chicago.
"No!" Hyde almost shouted confusing the audience in the kitchen even more, "I mean, no. you don't wanna call Kelso, he's Kelso."
"Steven, I need to get home." Red reminded in his stern voice, "I need to get to Kitty."
"I know, Red." Hyde said, he really did understand that Red wanted to come home as fast as he could, but he couldn't find out about the Kelso and Fez being here just yet.
"But think about it man, you could get lost trying to look for Kelso, and then we wouldn't be able to get in touch with you." Hyde pointed out, "And even if you do find Kelso and get a ride, with Kelso driving he'll probably get both of you guys lost."
Red sighed and rubbed his eyes, "I guess you're right. And Tonto would probably want to come along too. I'd walk to Point Place before getting in the car with those two dumbasses."
"Yeah, I know." Hyde said as he smirked at the thought, "Look Red, I've got an idea. Mom's got Kelso's number around here, I'll call them up and tell them your stuck there and might need a ride. You stay there at the airport for awhile longer to see if there's any news on your flight. Once you hear something, you call me and tell me you've got the flight or to call Kelso and tell him to pick you up."
"Fine." Red muttered, not exactly thrilled with the idea, but he knew there was really no other option.
He had just checked his wallet to see if he had enough cash to rent a car and drive himself, but he come out more than short of a few dollars. He closed the pocket that held his cash, but before he shut the entire wallet he caught the glimpse of the small photo in the photo holder. He stopped himself from closing the wallet and looked down at the photo.
It was a picture of Kitty that had been taken not too long ago. She was sitting at the table in the kitchen, smiling with a cup of coffee next to her. It looked like any normal day, which was one of the reasons Red carried around the photo. One the kids must have take it, he was guessing Jackie as he could see Hyde's hand on the kitchen table. She'd also been the one to cut it out into a wallet size for him.
"How's she doing, Steven?"
"Mom's doing ok." Hyde confirmed, "We're keeping her happy and comfortable."
Red nodded, his gaze still on Kitty's smiling face, "Good."
Hyde nodded his head, knowing Red wasn't completely convinced, "Red man, don't worry. We'll take care of her until you get here."
"You better." Red replied in a gruff voice, but not as gruff as it usually was Hyde noticed.
Red cleared his throat and closed up his wallet, "Well I don't want to use up all of my change."
"Right yeah, ok." Hyde agreed, "Call us when you hear something ok? Alright, bye."
Hyde placed the yellow receiver back on it's hook ending the call with his surrogate father. He turned around and was faced with two wide eyed, curious expressions.
"Well?" Jackie asked the suspense killing her, "What happened?"
"He's stuck in Chicago." Hyde said with a sigh.
A smile just about sprung to Eric's lips. His ass was saved for another day! Then he looked over at Jackie and saw how upset she looked and then he remembered his mother. She probably wanted to see Red and he probably felt the same.
"But he's coming home soon, right?" Eric asked, hoping only for his mother's sake.
Hyde ignored Eric's question and remained silent. Jackie wasn't going to take that as an answer though.
"Steven," she called raising her voice some, "when's Red coming back?"
"I don't know. He doesn't know." Hyde said shaking his head and then stopping to look at them both, "But it better be soon."
Author's Note: And that my friends is Chapter 18 of "Two Weeks" Hope you liked!
When is Red coming home? What will happen when he finds out about the guest in his house? Why does Eric smile when ever Jackie smiles? Will the guys have their poker night? Will Randy be invited? And what card game will Hyde, Jackie, and Eric play now?
Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, and have a nice day!