A/N – This chapter's a little shorter than the last few, hopefully the next one will be better. Hope you enjoy. Thanks to Marla's Lost for the review. Ambient Space Noise – Love your username, by the way. Carbamazepine did exist back in 2001, but as I'm sure you know, different medications work differently for different people. I have done my research on epilepsy though, and many people with severe epilepsy who are well medicated say they have about as many seizures as Eric does. Thanks for the nice reviews, I love reading them.

Disclaimer – I don't own it.

March 9, 2001

Eric was getting the silent treatment from both Donna and Hyde. He had guessed Donna was mad at him for speaking the truth the other day and Hyde was still pissed from the few days before. Hyde hasn't spoken a word to him in almost two days and Donna only spoke to him when she had to. The only one who wasn't mad at him was Jackie, which he was still a little confused about, but it was good having a friend to talk to.

Currently the apartment was occupied by the men… And Callie. Chris was in his room doing something as Callie pestered him as Hyde sat in the kitchen drinking a beer and Eric sat on the couch, watching TV. It was awkwardly silent as the TV volume was low and Eric didn't really care for what was on the screen.

Hyde was staring at Eric as he watched the TV. Hyde was still mad at him, but he knew ignoring Eric wouldn't solve their problems. He had to try and make amends, knowing it would pain him to do so. Hyde figured he'd wait until he finished his beer, it would give him a little time to think about what he was going to say.

He could start with how Eric was a dumbass for leaving, but he did have valid reasons. Hyde had to admit, he did. If Eric came home, Donna would most likely have guilted him into going back to her. Another thing was his father. Red would have been disappointed, but Hyde knew Red would have been more worried. Eric had this understanding of Red though. He thought Red was always mad at him and was always pushing him to do things he didn't necessarily want to do. But deep down. Deep, DEEP down, Red wanted what was best for his son and he wanted him to be happy.

Hyde had to talk to Eric sooner than he had hoped for though, because as he was in his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed Eric walk into the kitchen.

"Hyde," Eric said from behind him.

Hyde turned around and looked at his old friend. He had an empty glass in one hand and a small canister of medication in his other hand.

"I need to use the sink," Eric said awkwardly, feeling the obvious tension in the room.

Hyde nodded and moved out of the way, letting Eric get to the sink. Hyde stood there and waited as Eric filled his glass with a little bit of water and opened his medication canister. He took two out, put the canister on the counter and swallowed both the pills before setting the glass in the sink and walking back into the living room.

Hyde watched him go and figured it was time to talk. Hyde took one more swig of his beer before setting it on the counter and walking over to the couch, where Eric had resumed sitting.

Hyde stood over his old friend for a minute before he finally decided to speak, "Listen Forman…" Eric looked up at his old friend tiredly as he continued, "I'm still mad at you, don't think I'm not, but… I can't deal with all this… Tension anymore. It's fine at first, but after a while it just gets nerve racking. So, I just wanted to let you know that I'm still mad at you, but we're also cool."

Eric gazed up at Hyde for a moment before he let a small smirk play across his lips. That was such a Steven Hyde apology.

Eric nodded and stood, facing Hyde, "I'm sorry, Hyde. I know I can't take back what I did, but… I do regret my life choices sometimes, and I wish I had come home every once in a while to visit everybody."

Hyde nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "It's cool, man. I mean… I'm not gonna lie. You've got a pretty nice life up here, you know, besides your seizure bull crap."

Eric laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I guess…"

"Yeah, I mean," Hyde threw his hand out to the side, "You got a decent little home here, you said you take pictures, I've always kind of pictured you as the artsy type… And, you got a kid. Sort of."

Eric smiled and nodded, "Yeah, now only if I could do something about his mother."

Hyde put a hand on Eric's shoulder, "I'd say you're doing just fine, Forman."

Eric looked down at his feet briefly, his smile never fading, "Thanks Hyde," He said, looking up at his friend, "So… We're good?"

Hyde pursed his lips and pondered for a moment, "Not yet."

Eric raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"There's something I got to do first," Hyde said, Eric's confused look still present. Hyde then grabbed Eric's arm, twisted him around and put the younger man in a headlock, laughing as he did so, "There. Now we're good."

Eric didn't even try to escape, he just sat there and waited for Hyde to let him go. As Hyde did just that, Jackie and Donna came bursting through the door, grocery bags in their arms.

Jackie smiled as she caught Eric last minute in a headlock in Steven's arm, "Awe… Did you two make up?"

Hyde smiled as Eric brushed himself off, "Yes ma'am," Hyde smiled in a mock country accent.

Jackie smiled back and set the groceries on the counter, "Good. Now we can live peacefully."

Eric scratched the back of his head as he stepped towards the kitchen where Jackie and Donna were, "Um, what's all this?"

Jackie looked up at Eric with a quizzical look on her face, "I noticed your cabinets were a little empty, so me and Donna decided to go shopping for you. I was starting to wonder why you guys were all so skinny."

Eric rolled his eyes and stepped closer to her, "You guys didn't have to buy me groceries."

Jackie shrugged, "Too late."

Eric sighed and shook his head, deciding arguing with Jackie wasn't a good idea, as she had all the answers and comebacks.

Chris and Callie soon made their appearance in the kitchen, Callie leading them, "Hey Mom," She said with a smile on her face.

"Hi sweetie," Donna smiled, planting a kiss on the top of Callie's head, "What have you been up to?"

"Eh, you know the usual. Talking, pestering, watching TV, kissing," Callie said sarcastically.

Donna's eyes widened as Chris cried, "That's not true!"

Callie rolled her eyes, "I'm kidding! Geez, lighten up."

Donna released a sigh of relief as Chris's face glowed a bright red. Jackie giggled as Callie scavenged through the grocery bags, completely moved on from what she had just said.

"I really wish you would stop saying stuff like that," Chris whispered to Callie as he helped her unload bags.

Callie gave him a look, "Quit being a baby," She said, ruffling his hair.

Jackie and Eric both laughed at the interaction and started to help put away the groceries.

Later that night, after Chris and Callie had both gone to bed and Chris's mother was out, again, Hyde decided to go out to drink. He said he'd get a cab back and that he should be back before midnight. Now it was just Eric, Donna and Jackie.

Donna was in the kitchen, reading a magazine she had picked up at the store while Jackie drank a glass of water. Eric had just finished eating dinner and was now washing dishes.

Jackie set her water on the counter and leaned over it as she looked over at Eric and Donna, "So… Callie and Chris, huh?"

Eric smirked as he scrubbed at a dirty plate and Donna sighed, "Can we not talk about this right now, please?"

Jackie gave Donna an odd look, "Why not? You don't like that your daughter has a boyfriend?"

Donna glared at Jackie, "She doesn't have a boyfriend. Her and Chris are just friends."

Jackie nodded, "Yeah, friends that make googly eyes at each other."

"Shup up," Donna snapped, flipping the page in her magazine.

Jackie gave her friend an odd look, but didn't say anything more. It was like Donna was rejecting the idea of Callie having a boyfriend. Why didn't she want that? I mean, yeah, it was a little stressful to have to deal with teenage hormones, but Chris was a nice kid.

"I'm just happy Chris has made a friend," Eric said, "He doesn't have many of those at school."

Jackie looked over at Eric, one eyebrow raised, "Really?"

Eric nodded, "He never brings anyone over or talks about his friends. I don't even know if he has any. He gets bullied a lot at school."

Jackie's face went from curious to sad, "Really? Why?"

Eric shrugged as he put the now clean plate into the drainer, "He's not popular. He doesn't play sports, he doesn't keep up with the latest trends, he doesn't really know how to talk to people… He's just a little different, I guess."

"Well, I think he's wonderful," Jackie said, raising her glass, "He should make lots of friends when he gets out of high school, all those kids are just fakes anyways."

Eric smiled and nodded, "You wouldn't have said that in high school."

Jackie smacked him on the arm, "Shut up."

Eric chuckled and continued washing dishes as the room fell silent. The only sound was running water and Donna flipping the pages of her magazine. Jackie slowly finished her water and handed it to Eric, who gladly started washing it only for a moment a later, to drop it into the sink.

The noise sparked both Donna and Jackie's attention. Eric's hands were shaking as he swallowed thickly, which caused alarm in both women.

"Eric, are you alright?" Donna asked as she set her magazine down.

Eric nodded, "Yeah… I just—I just feel a little weird. I think—I think I'm going to—" He was cut off by a choking type noise as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He fell forward, but luckily Jackie caught him as he started convulsing violently.

"Oh God!" Jackie cried, slowly bring Eric to the ground and lying him on his back, "Um… Donna! Get me a pillow or something so he doesn't bang his head on the floor!"

Donna quickly darted out of the room in search for a pillow as Jackie rested Eric's head in her lap. Chris has told her not to touch Eric when he was having a seizure, but she couldn't let him hit his head either.

Eric's arm was pressed against his chest, as if it were forced to be there as his legs kicked rapidly. Eric whimpered loudly as he convulsed, Jackie trying to sooth him but running her fingers through his hair, "Shh… It's okay. It's okay…"

Jackie's voice broke at the last couple of words. She felt a few tears fall from her eyes. Watching this was terrifying. Jackie looked over her shoulder, "God damn it, Donna! Where are you?!"

Donna came rushing into the kitchen as soon as she said that, a red throw pillow in her hand, "Sorry! Sorry. Here."

Jackie grabbed the pillow and slowly moved out from underneath Eric and put the pillow in her place. Donna and Jackie sat there with Eric as he went through his seizure and it ended after about a minute and a half or so. He was breathing heavily and wheezing, as if he couldn't catch his breath. Jackie noticed his hand clenching and unclenching, as if he wanted something to comfort him.

Jackie grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly, "It's okay, I'm here. Me and Donna are here."

Eric's chest was heaving as Jackie used her other hand to rub his arm in reassurance. Eric slowly calmed his breathing and his chest stopped rising and falling at a rapid pace. After he was back to normal, but still unconscious, Jackie looked up at Donna.

"Come on, help me get him to the couch to lay down," Jackie ordered.

Donna nodded and grabbed one of Eric's arms, Jackie grabbing the other before they hoisted him to his feet. They carried his limp form into the living room and gently laid him on the couch, resting his head on the pillow and lifted his legs up onto the couch behind him.

Donna and Jackie then gazed down at Eric and gathered themselves. That was scary. Jackie thought the partial seizure was scary, but this was a lot worse.

"You think he'll be alright?" Donna asked, her hands on her hips.

Jackie nodded, "Yeah. He told me it might take a while for him to wake up, so…"

"How long?" Donna asked.

Jackie shrugged, "Ten, fifteen minutes? I don't know, he wasn't exact."

After a few more minutes of keeping an eye on Eric, Donna turned to Jackie, "I think I'm going to go lay down. It's exhausting just watching him do that."

Jackie nodded in agreement, "Alright. Good night."

"'Night," Donna huffed before walking down the hall to the guest bedroom.

After Donna disappeared behind the door, Jackie looked down at Eric. He was breathing softly now, his chest rising and falling slowly. Jackie smiled down at him sadly. Why did such a good guy have to have such a terrible disease? Jackie never understood that. It seemed like all the good people had all the issues in life and all the assholes had all the fame and fortune. It made Jackie sick.

As Jackie watched him sleep she yawned, feeling tired now herself. She could go lay in bed with Callie and Donna in that uncomfortable squeaky mattress, or…

Jackie shrugged. Why the hell not? She grabbed Eric's arms and gently pulled him into a sitting position, "Come on Eric, up we go."

After Jackie got Eric situated, she sat down next to him, but before she could help him lay back down on the opposite side of the couch, Eric slumped into her. She fell onto her back, her head hitting the pillow Eric had been using as Eric's body fell between her legs and his head landed on her shoulder, his soft breathing tickling her ear.

Jackie was tempted to get up and lay him on the other side of the couch, but she was actually kind of comfortable like this. Eric's body was warm and cozy, and he smelled good. Wait. What was she saying? Jackie couldn't be having these thoughts about Eric. Not with the tensions running high between him and Donna. This would just make matters worse. But on the other hand, Eric did look rather cute sleeping. Jackie smiled down at him as he snored softly as he moved a little, snuggling closer to Jackie.

Jackie felt her heart flutter at this small movement. What the hell, one night on the couch with Eric couldn't hurt. Could it?