Abby was holding a towel against her dad's gunshot wound, as Archie sped down the empty roads to get to the hospital.
"Hold on, Dad, hold on. Hold on, Dad. We're almost there. We're almost there. They're gonna fix you up. Stay with me, Dad, stay with me." Archie spoke to his dad. He glanced to the side to see that despite his sister's best effort, their dad was losing more blood. It made him push his foot harder on the gas pedal that was already on the floor. Abby's stomach turned as the stench of blood got thick in the truck to the point that she didn't know if it would ever go away.
Archie made the truck jerk to a harsh and abrupt stop when he parked in front of the hospital's doors. Abby and he carried their father's weak body into the building. "Help, please. Help, hey! Someone help me and my dad." Archie screams.
"Gurney!" A nurse screamed at some workers as she ran over to them. A couple of workers pushing a gurney came to them.
"What happened to him?" A doctor ran over to help Archie get him on the gurney.
"He was... He was shot." He points to the wound that the bullet made. His children followed as the workers pushed him down the hall.
"Sir, can you hear me? Can you tell me your name?" The nurse ran beside his gurney.
"His name's Fred Andrews." Archie answers for him. The doctor stops the teens from following them into the operating room.
"I'm right here, Dad, I'm right here. Okay. I'm right here. I'm right here." Archie promised his dad that he wouldn't leave him as he watched him get operated on. Abby hides her face in Archie's back, not being able to watch.
"Thank god, you guys are here." Archie ran up to Trev, Tomoko, Fangs, Toni, and Sweet Pea when he saw them enter the hospital's waiting room. "She hasn't spoken since we left Pops. She hasn't stopped shaking." He pointed at his sister.
Abby was sitting in a chair by the window staring down at her bloody hands, trying to persuade them to stop shaking. Sweets made his way to her and kneel in front of her. "Babe?" He called to get no response. He grabbed her hands to hold them painfully tight to stop them from shaking.
She slowly looks up at him. She throws herself at him, forcing him to let going of her hands. She threw her arms around him and cried hysterically into his chest. He wraps his arms around her and sways her side to side as he listens to Archie tell the story to them and his group of friends that were already there. "I came out of the bathroom and there was this man, thief... Wearing this hood, with a gun on Pop Tate, and then he pointed it at my dad and he fired."
"Oh, my God, Archie." Betty gasps.
"And then he…" Archie trailed off.
"And then he…. what?" Veronica asked.
"And then he bolted. Then I was holding my dad, Pop Tate called an ambulance and it didn't come so I drove here and... And I don't know, maybe I should've waited, maybe I made it worse…" Archie couldn't get the picture of Fred's blood all over the truck out of his head. He couldn't look down at his clothes or his sister for too long because they were covered in his blood. Now, that he was in a calmer state, he couldn't help but think that every bump he took on the way here made it worse.
"No, dude, are you kidding me? You saved your dad's life. First Cheryl, and now your dad. If you keep this up, you're gonna need a superhero name. Like Pureheart the Powerful." Jughead put an arm around Archie to squeeze his shoulder.
"There isn't any new information. Your dad's in surgery. He's gonna be there for a while." Alice Cooper came over with her husband and Hermoine to let the kids know.
"Uh, Archie." Hermione kneels to ask him. "Have you spoken to your mother about any of this yet?"
"No. No, I haven't called her. I'll be right back." Archie got up to have the call somewhere private.
Sweet Pea pulled Abby onto his lap as he took a seat with the group. Toni, Fangs, Tomoko, and Trev sat by them. "Is there a problem?" Toni asked Alice when she saw the woman kept her glare on their leather jackets.
"Mom. Do not start this." Betty begs. This wasn't the time or the place.
"Start what?" Toni wanted to know.
"Well, of course, I can't help but wonder if your Southside associates had anything to do with what happened to Fred." She looks over at Jughead.
"Alice, relax," Hal whispers to his wife.
"Unbelievable. At least you can't accuse my father of being the shooter, considering he's in jail." Jughead scoffs.
Abby pulls herself off Sweet Pea's lap to stand on unsteady feet. She glared at the woman through her tears. "My dad's fighting for his life right now and all you can think about is using his attack to further your propaganda. If you're going to have that nasty energy you can leave." She pointed at the exit.
"I am simply…." Alice didn't get to finish her sentence because Tomoko cut her off.
"Come on, I brought a change of clothes you left at my house and toiletry. There got to be a shower you can use here." She pulled her friend over to the desk. She asked a nurse, who guided them to an empty room.
Abby was in the shower scrubbing her skin raw. She tried to think logically and tell herself the blood wasn't there anymore, but she couldn't stop. A hand reached out to grab her arm. "Hey, you're good." She looked up at Sweet Pea and then at her arm that was an angry shade of red from her scrubbing.
"I'm clean." She told herself more than him.
"Yeah, so come on." He helped her out of the shower and dried her off. She put on her pantie, bra, a purple long sleeve shirt, and jeans. She sat with her friends in the unoccupied room. "Thank you all for coming," Abby spoke to most of them for the first time since they stepped into the hospital.
"You don't need to thank us, we'll always be there for you." Trev stood up to hug her.
"It just doesn't make sense." She hugs him tightly.
"He was a desperate robber who got in over his head from what Archie said. He wasn't thinking logically. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to make sense of the senseless." Tomoko joins the hug.
Abby pulled away from the hug to pace. "That's what I mean. If he was desperate for cash then why did he leave the register drawer that Pops took out? He almost forgot my dad's wallet."
"He must have panicked. Most robbers didn't plan to shoot anyone. Not that I know what robbers think." Fangs put his hands up when everyone but Abby shot him a look.
"No, you weren't there. Even when he was yelling and waving the gun around. He had a sense of control like, he already had everything planned out." She explained. "His eyes as he stared at my dad's bleeding body on the floor. He was getting off on it."
A knock on the door made everyone jump. Jughead stuck his head in. "Abby. The sheriff wants to get a statement from Archie and you."
"Okay." She followed him to a waiting room.
She took a seat next to her brother that was giving his description of the attacker. "He was maybe 5' 10". 160 pounds or so."
"And he was wearing dark pants and a dark jacket? Anything on that jacket? Any symbol or insignia?" The sheriff was going off the details Pops gave.
"You mean like a snake?" Jughead sat down at the table with his snack he got from the vending machine.
"No, it was just a jacket. No snake." Archie put a stop to Jug getting rallied up.
"And the ski mask that he had on…" Keller asked.
"No, it wasn't a ski mask. It's a black hood from a jacket. He'd cut the eyes out himself." Abby corrected him.
"And the guy's eyes were blue," Archie adds on.
"Now, Pop Tate had a fairly good idea of what happened up until when your father was shot. And then, well... There are some gaps. And I need you to help me fill those. What did he do, our masked man? After he shot my dad?" He asked them.
"For a few seconds he just watched my dad bleed out, then he turned to go to the door, but turned back to grab his wallet and ran out of Pops," Abby told him.
"That didn't happen. He just ran out of the diner." Archie corrected her with his foggy memory.
"What are you talking about?" Abby squints at him.
"What are YOU talking about? I would have noticed if the guy took dad's wallet! I was there!" He didn't want to admit that he didn't react right away.
"Archie, sometimes in traumatic events like this people blackout and don't remember things. That's why it's important that we get as many sides of the story that we can." The sheriff put a stop to Archie's outrage.
Archie sighs, calming himself down before asking, "Who did this, Sheriff?"
"Archie, it's just... It's too early to speculate. But this guy, he was probably out of his head on meth or the jingle jangle, some Southside lowlife that was just looking for a cash grab." He told them.
"Then why didn't he grab the money that Pops took out?" Abby asked.
"He might have got scared after shooting your dad." He suggested.
"No, he had a steady hand on that gun the whole time. After he shot my dad, he looked satisfied like he accomplished something. He was about to walk out before he turned around to grab my dad's wallet." She explained why the event confused her.
"Like the wallet was an afterthought," Jughead mutters before looking at the sheriff. "Since this is Riverdale, I have to ask. What if robbery wasn't the motive? What else could it be?"
"Well, I mean, I suppose it could be someone who has a grudge against your dad. Wanted to make it look like a robbery. But I mean, it's just too early to tell." Killer told them.
Abby sighed, trying to not get upset with the man. But, this was her second time calling him for a violent attack and he wasn't reassuring that he would catch the guy. She knew he was being honest, but it wasn't helpful.
They walked back into the main waiting room where their friends were. Abby sat with her friends. "So, how was it?" Fangs ask.
"It felt like a waste of time, but hopefully it isn't." She sighs.
"Archie, Abigail Andrews? I'm Steven Masters, I'm your father's doctor." The doctor came into the waiting room. Abby hurried over to the man that was standing by her brother. Everyone else got up to stand a distance away that would be considered respectful while still being able to hear.
"How is he?" Archie asked.
"We got the bullet out. And we've stopped the internal bleeding. But what's most worrisome is, he's not breathing on his own yet." Dr. Masters told them.
"I need to see him," Archie demands.
"And you will. As soon as we've got him set in a room, you'll be able to sit with him. Should be an hour or two at the most." He informs them.
"And until then, what am I supposed to do, nothing?" He glares.
"Maybe... Maybe you should go home and get changed." Veronica whispers.
"No, I'm not leaving." Archie shook his head.
"I'll be here, Archie. You should get cleaned up. I'll call you if anything changes." Abby promised to hold down the fort now that she came out of shock.
"Here are your dad's clothes and personal belongings. Everything he had on him." The nurse held out a bag that Archie took.
"Okay, well, yet another reason to go. You can get your dad a change of clothes. Veronica will go with you. Right, Vee?" Betty pats her friend on the shoulder.
"We'll hold the fort down here. Archie, try not to worry. Your dad is a strong stock. He's a fighter. Fred Andrews isn't one to leave unfinished business behind." Alice knew Fred would fight the grim reaper himself to stay with his children. Archie reluctantly left with Veronica.
"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Jughead nods to Sweet Pea.
"Right now?" He stares at Abby.
"You can go, we got her." Toni wraps an arm around her shoulders.
"I'll be fine." Abby nods.
Sweet Pea walks off and Jughead follows behind him. "I'm going to call Tall Boy to ask him to come down here for a talk. I was wondering if you would come with me." He told the serpent.
"For what?" He asked.
"A few weeks ago, Hermoine Lodge fired the Serpents. Can you be sure that no one acted alone in shooting him today?" Jughead brought up Archie's theory that he promised to check out.
"Abby let everyone know that the Lodge did that on her own." He glares at the shorter male.
"You think everyone bought that. I know you see Abby as the Northside exception, but can you honestly think everyone does." Jug knew that most Serpents were decent to him because of his dad. It wouldn't surprise him if a lot of Serpent treated Abby nicely because of Sweet Pea.
"What do you need me for?" He wonders why he was bothering him if he was going to do this no matter what.
"Even though Tall Boy extended the serpent protection to me because of my dad. I know that I'm pushing it asking for this. I hope you being there will help. I promised Archie to look into this." Jughead explains.
"Fine." He sighs. They went outside to make the call and wait for Tall Boy.
He and two other members pulled up. "I got nervous when you said to meet at the hospital." Tall Boy got off his bike.
"I was wondering about when you said the Serpents had my back. Does that courtesy extend to a guy who's like my brother, and a man who's like a second father to me?" Jughead asks.
"What do you need?" Tall Boy nods.
"Fred Andrews, my buddy's dad, was just shot, during a robbery at Pop's. The guy was in a black hood." Jughead told them the situation.
"Serpents don't wear masks." Frankie, a serpent that came along with Tall Boy, spoke up.
"Yeah, but we are just wondering if someone went rogue after they got fired from the construction site. When people's livelihood is lost, they do crazy shit." Sweet Pea wanted to be clear they weren't accusing the Serpents of doing this as a group.
"That's right, Fred is your girl's dad…. Alright, we'll knock some heads. Let you guys know." Tall Boy shook Jughead and Sweet Pea's hands before leaving.
Abby watched as the waiting room filled up with bulldogs, pussycats, and some many of Archie's friends. "Lil Red, you okay?" Moose pats her head.
"I'm as good as I can be right now." She gave a weak smile.
He got pushed out of the way by Cheryl who pulled Abby into a hug. "Why are the fates so cruel to have both our parents in the hospital?"
"Your moms in the hospital?" Abby hugs her tightly.
"There was a fire at Thornhill, they suspect an unattended candle. She got burns saving me." Cheryl gave the story, she knew she was going to have to give a thousand times.
"But, you're okay?" Abby pulls back to give her a look over.
"I'm fine." Cheryl nods.
"Thank god." Her phone rang, making her pick it up. "Hello, Sheriff."
"Come on in, guys." He pushed a button and a few men walked into the lineup room. "So, this is who we've picked up so far. All of them have a history of armed robbery or some other violent crime. So, you feelin' up for this?" He asks the siblings. They nod their heads. "Alright. Put 'em on." He spoke into the intercom mike. The men put on the black hoods.
Archie and Abby walk up to the one-way mirror. "One, step forward."
He had green eyes, making Abby look back at the sheriff. Did he not hear Archie when he said the man had blue eyes? "No." They told him.
"Step back. Number two, step forward." They repeat the process to get the same results.
Archie and Abby walked into the hospital waiting room. Sweet Pea went to Abby's side. "Any luck?" He asks.
"No." She shook her head.
"Fuck." He curses. "Jug and I got the Serpents to look around."
"They'll probably have better luck." She sighs.
Reggie with his fellow letterman jackets came over to hug Archie. "Thanks, Reggie." Archie pulls away.
"Bulldogs are here for you… and you too." He went to hug Abby, but Sweet Pea put a hand on his chest to stop him.
"Don't be a creep." He sneers.
"It's a hug, man." He scoffs.
"That's too much touching." He glares.
"You sound so insecure," Reggie smirks. Sweet Pea went to get in his face when the Pussycats walked between them to talk to the redheads.
"The Pussycats are here for you too. We're sending your dad our prayers and giving him as many of our nine lives as he needs." Josie nods to them.
"Thanks, Josie," Archie said for them.
"He'll pull through, I know it." Valary hugged Abby.
"Is that not too much touching?" Reg points at them to Sweets.
"Reggie, you had your chance." Val pulls away from the hug to glares at the jock.
"Time and place, Reg." Melody nods.
"Veronica said that you were down at the sheriff's station? That maybe they got the guy?" Josie was hopeful.
"Yeah, but it wasn't him. He's still out there." Archie said making the group deflate.
Dr. Masters came over to them. "Archie. Abby. He's in Room, you can see him now."
"Okay, great." They were eager to see him.
"Listen, he hasn't woken up yet. But talk to him, coax him back. Keep it positive. Honestly, that could make all the difference." He instructed them.
They went into his room to sit by his bed. Abby stares at all the tubes and wires connected to him. It was the first time she ever thought he looked fragile. "Dad. I don't know if you can hear me. Hopefully, you can. I'm only supposed to talk about good things, which... Kinda limits my options, but... What can I tell you? Do you have anything?" He looks at his sister.
"Remember the last time, we were all in a hospital room together. Archie was getting his tonsils removed." She thought of the last time it was just the three of them in a room like this one.
"Oh yeah, you were so jealous of me." He nudged her.
"I can't help it, you got out of school to eat ice cream and read comic books all day." She giggles. "I kept pretending my throat was sore to the point where dad had to give me ice cream so I would shut up."
"I'm going to get a cup of water. You stay here, talk to him." Archie walks out of the room. Abby went on to tell him her favorite childhood stories of them.
Cheryl came into the room. "Hey, Abs."
"Hey, Cheryl. Is your mom doing better?" She asks.
"She's up. Hopeful your dad will be soon. I came to give him the kiss of life." She walks over to his bedside.
"What?" Abby pushed her eyebrow together.
"The one Archie gave to me at Sweetwater. I'm going to pass it along to your dad." She bent down to give him a peck on the forehead.
"Cheryl. What're you doing?" Archie came through the door in a hurry.
"Paying you back for saving me at Sweetwater River. You gave me the kiss of life, Archie Andrews. Now I've given it to your dad." She looked at the man in the bed. "He's going to be just fine. Toodles." She walks past Archie to leave the room.
Archie sat next to his sister. "I've been thinking about what I can say to you, Dad. And I kinda started imagining what we would've talked about at Pop's this morning if things hadn't gone to hell. You would've asked me about Veronica. I would've told you how crazy I am about her. You would have said, That's great, but take it slow, Archie, no one's getting married." Abby laughs because it sounds like something her dad would have said.
"Archie! Archie!" She grabbed onto her brother's arm when her dad's eyes opened.
"Dad? Dad? Can you hear me?" He smiles. Fred nods. "Thank God. Dad." He sighs.
"I'll get a doctor." Abby ran out of the room to grab the man.
After they ran some tests to make sure he could breathe on his own, they took out the tube. They left him with his children. "Dad, I just want you to know I'm sorry I didn't do more at Pops. And whether or not Sheriff Keller finds the person who did this or not, you don't have to worry. I'm gonna protect you. Nothing like this is ever gonna happen to either of you again, I swear it." Archie grabbed his father's hand with one hand and his sister's with his other.
"Son... That's why I came back. To protect you and your sister." He squeezed his hand.
"All that matters is that we're all here. No one needs to be putting their life on the line." She playful rolls her eyes.