Inspiration: Ginette Claudette - The Most

Betty Cooper was a good student. All her teachers loved her, she was in AP classes, and her extracurriculars were flawless. She was a well-rounded student, she took diligent notes in all her classes, she never spoke out of turn, and she never, ever missed school unless it was an emergency.

This was an emergency.

Holding her school bag in one hand while she fed her arms into jacket, Betty ran down the hallway. Hearing someone call out her name, she kept going. She had to get out of school. She wormed her way through some students lingering in the halls but it felt like she'd never make it out. Was the hallway always this long? It always seemed so short when she was caught up in conversation with Kevin and Veronica on their way to class. Reaching the double doors, Betty never slowed down, pushing them open with full force, ignoring the pain in her wrist at the impact.

Feeling a stinging in her eyes at the cool weather hitting her face, she carried on. Reaching the sidewalk, she hailed the first cab she could see and gave her destination in a trembling voice. Seatbelt on, she sat back and let out a shaky breath.

Then she started to cry.

—

The day started like any other.

She woke up to her alarm blasting the radio, turned it off and slowly got out of bed. Betty put on the outfit she had set out the night before and made her way to the kitchen where her mom was making breakfast for her and Polly.

The last few months, things had been rough. After her father was convicted of the murder of Jason Blossom, the Cooper women had banded together in solidarity. Polly moved back home and her mother had started seeking professional help for her obsessive need to control everything. They definitely weren't perfect but they were trying.

Alice Cooper had surprisingly turned back into the mother she was when they were younger. She was smiling more, caring about her daughters without forcing them to do what she wanted and most importantly, she let them grow into the young adults they were trying to become. She was taking Polly to her obstetrics appointments and making sure that she took all her prenatal medication. She was giving Betty tips on her articles for the Blue & Gold and even going to watch her cheerleading practices.

"Good morning mom" Betty walked in yawning. She sat down at the table and piled some eggs onto her plate. She had almost an hour before she had to be at school, and now that her home life was reaching a good place, she wasn't trying to run out the house before anyone saw her.

Polly came down the stairs slowly, dressed in some tights and an oversized sweater. She was eight and a half months pregnant, and the doctors said she could give birth at any day because it was her first baby. She had her last appointment at the hospital today and they were going to finalize the plans for when she went into labour. Betty's mom had two large bags ready just in case something happened and despite her stance a few months ago, she was now genuinely excited to be a grandmother.

Betty couldn't be prouder of her family. She drank some orange juice and smiled. Her mom had really come a long way and really showed that at the end of the day, her family was her priority. She had even invited Jughead over a few times for dinner, adamant on giving him another chance and wanting to meet the boy that occupied her youngest daughters time as much as he did.

Speaking of Jughead, Betty couldn't help but blush. They'd been officially a couple for a few months and he hadn't changed at all. He was still as attentive and caring as he'd been in the beginning when they had started sleuthing together.

Finishing up her breakfast, she got up to kiss her moms cheek, hug her sister and make her way to the front door. There was a giant snow storm hitting Riverdale and she had to dress warmly if she didn't want to freeze on the way to school. They had never received snow like this, and no one knew how to handle it. The city refused to close however, so everyone had to carry on with their day as usual.

Betty put on her winter coat, hat and gloves. Ready to brace the storm for another day at Riverdale High, she opened her door and stepped out into the storm.

—

Betty was sitting in AP calculus when her phone vibrated. She never had her phone on in class, but with Polly's due date coming up, she was scared of missing it. Picking up her phone, she saw that it was an unknown number calling her.

Ignoring the call, she put her phone in her lap and turned back to her worksheet. She managed to focus for a few seconds when her phone started vibrating again. She raised her hand to excuse herself and rushed out of class to accept the call.

"Is this Miss Betty Cooper?" Confused, Betty responded.

"This is the Riverdale Hospital. There's been an accident …"

—

The taxi driver seemed to understand that Betty needed some space so he put on some soothing radio channel and raised the volume just enough that she wasn't embarrassed by how hard she was crying. Taking off her hat and mittens, Betty put them on the seat next to her and wiped at her eyes with her fingers.

Peering at her through his rear-view mirror, the driver shook his head in pity and passed the sobbing teenager a box of tissues.

"I won't presume to know what's going on in your life, young lady, but I've no doubt that you have people that would do anything to make you feel better. Life happens, but you've got to keep going strong". The older man caught Betty's eye through the mirror and smiled.

Thanking him, Betty wiped at her eyes and blew her nose. Folding up the tissue into her hands, she looked out the window.

—

"An accident? What are you talking about?" Betty asked the woman speaking to her on the phone.

"A Mrs. Alice Cooper and Polly Cooper came into our emergency room an hour ago. There was a car accident, and you're the emergency contact for both of them. If possible, we'd like you to come down to the hospital as quickly as possible-"

The woman didn't have time to finish her sentence as Betty hung up and went back into the classroom. Ignoring the curious stares of her boyfriend, Veronica and Kevin, Betty picked up her bag and walked out without saying anything a word.

Walking briskly to her locker, she opened it almost instantly and grabbed her jacket. Hands shaking, she fumbled to close the lock properly and threw it on the floor. Putting one arm through her jacket, she picked up her bag and began to run.

—

Betty was drawn out of her stupor by the taxi driver announcing that they had reached the hospital.

"Sweetheart, you look like you could use a spot of good in your day. This ride is on me."

At that, Betty looked up at the older man sitting in the front seat. She studied him for a minute, taking in his white hair and the full mustache. He had rosy cheeks and was smiling at her, not out of pity this time, but because he looked like he genuinely wanted her to feel better. Taking in a deep breath, Betty put on a brave face and smiled back at him.

Thanking him, she put on her hat and mittens and got out of the car. Hearing the vehicle drive off, she pushed her shoulders back and held her head up high. Now was not the time to break down.

She didn't know what had happened to her mom, her sister or her unborn niece/nephew. For all she knew, they were all fine and she just had to come pick them up. Betty tried not to think of the worst case scenario and braced herself for whatever lay ahead.

Walking into the hospital, she was guided by a volunteer to the emergency department where she presented herself and almost immediately a doctor came to speak to her.

"Ms. Cooper, I'm the physician that has been treating your family. I understand that you're only 16 but you were the emergency contact and we have a few questions to ask you." The doctor in front of her looked haggard, as though she had spent the entire morning running around.

Guiding Betty to a seat, she straightened out the folder in front of her. Betty wasn't sure what to make of the mannerisms of the doctor.

"Before you ask me whatever it is you need to know, would you mind just letting me know what-"

"BETTY!" Hearing her name yelled so vividly and clear, Betty turned around and saw Jughead running to her. His beanie was askew, and he wasn't even wearing his winter jacket, but he was there. Stopping in front of her, he leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees while he took some deep breaths to calm his breathing.

"Juggie? What are you doing here?" Betty reached out and immediately he took the seat next to her, holding her hands and facing her.

"You ran out of class and didn't say anything. I had to make sure you were okay. Plus, Veronica has that weird stalking app she uses for all of us so I knew where to go."

Rubbing his thumb over her hand, she felt herself tear up. Placing her hand on his cheek, she leaned forward and kissed him. The doctor cleared her throat the the display of affection and the teens jumped apart, blushing. Mumbling an apology, Betty asked the doctor to continue what she was saying earlier.

"Now, your mother and sister were brought in following a car accident. Due to the low visibility of the storm and the raging winds, a car speeding through the intersection ran a red light and was unable to stop because of the ice, when he realized there was another car in front of him. Luckily the car didn't flip but it hit at full impact on the drivers side." The doctor looked at the young woman in front of him proudly, shoulders back and head held high. She hated to deliver bad news but she needed to explain the situation properly.

"That being said, your sister was rushed into surgery because the impact caused a lot of stress on her body, and as a result, on her baby. She's having an emergency c-section. Her OBGYN is the one performing the surgery, as she followed the case. I know this wasn't what your sister wanted but we didn't have a choice if we wanted to save their lives". Betty whimpered and began to cry while the doctor spoke. Jughead kept his hand in Betty's and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, kissing her temple to calm her down.

"Your mother, being the driver sustained the worst of the injuries. She's currently in the intensive care unit, and I don't want you to be alarmed. She has a tube in her throat that's helping her breathe and she's hooked up to the ventilator. She has a few fractured ribs, a broken arm and she hasn't woken up yet. Once she wakes up, we'll take out the breathing tube."

"Can I go see her?"

—

"Mom?" Betty walked up to the hospital bed holding her mother to see her clearly. Jughead followed her, scared that she'd collapse any minute.

Reaching her mother's side, Betty held her hand up to her mouth and began to cry again. Alice Cooper lay in the bed unmoving, with the better part of the left side of her face bruised, various cuts visible from her neck up and she had the breathing tube secured to the ventilator. She seemed calm and the beeping of the monitors were almost soothing.

Jughead held Betty by her shoulders as he stood behind her and he felt her sag against him as she cried. Turning her around, he held her in his arms and rocked her. Whispering softly, he tried to calm her down despite the obvious pain she was in. He hated seeing her like this. His strong, smart, beautiful girlfriend didn't deserve to go through any of this. Kissing the side of her face, he held onto her as she continued to cry, wishing there was something he could do to ease the pain she was in.

"Juggie, please don't leave me." Looking up at her boyfriend, Betty felt like a small child begging for attention.

"I don't know what I'd do if you left me. You've become my rock and you've helped me through some of the hardest times in my life-things no one should have to go through. I don't know why you're still here but please don't leave." Jughead looked down at the blonde and felt his heart wrench for her. She looked so small and desolate. Her big, blue eyes shining with tears and her face flushed from her crying earlier. He smiled down at her and put his hand on her cheek, rubbing it softly.

"Betts, I'm not going anywhere. If you think you need me, just know that I need you the most." Leaning down, he kissed her softly and felt most of her tension melt away. Breaking the kiss, he turned to look at the Cooper matriarch and saw her eyelids begin to flutter. Nudging his girlfriend, he turned her to look back at her mother.

"Mom!" Betty leaped forward and grasped her mother's hand. Alice groaned in pain and Jughead took that as his cue to leave the room and find a nurse.

Betty felt a new wave of tears stream down her face but she was beyond the point of caring. She let go of her moms hand and leaned over the bed, placing her hands on either side of her moms face and smiling widely.

"Mom. Oh my god Mom you're okay. You're in the hospital and you have a breathing tube in your throat so you can't talk. It'll be okay Mom. I love you. I love you so much" Betty was openly crying and kept kissing her mothers cheek. Alice nodded and Betty knew from then on out, that everything was going to be okay.

Turning to Jughead, she practically jumped him, smiling and laughing. He laughed at her newfound excitement and allowed to pepper kisses all over his face. All he cared about was that she was smiling at this moment.

"I love you." The words slipped out of his mouth without meaning to. Not because they weren't true-he'd been in love with her since he was a child, but because he was waiting for the right moment to tell her. Betty stopped kissing her boyfriends face and looked at him, eyes wide. After a second, she broke out of her trance. Eyes shining, she smiled even wider than before.

"I love you too Juggie, I love you too." With that, Betty leaned up and brushed her lips against his again.