A/n Long time no I see. I know it's been forever. Sorry about that. The last several years have been super nuts. I got married, started a fulltime job and am a mom to a little girl who is a bit older than a year-and-a-half. Please read and review. Here's a chapter some of you have been waiting for. I'm not sure quite the timeline in terms of where in the 80's this fits but since I think the show ended around the beginning of 1980 if I remember correctly figure this might be somewhere around 1985 or 1986? If I'm incorrect with my math let me know. Sorry for the long author's note on with the story.
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Someone tugging on her arm woke Jackie Forman from a sound sleep. Squinting her eyes opened she glanced at the clock to see that it was 2:42 in the morning. A little voice penetrated her sleep muddled brain.
"Mama, I don't feel good." Despite the child's words a smile crossed Jackie's face at the title. She still remembered like it was yesterday when Betsy had asked if she could call her Mama and Eric Papa.
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"Did you have a good fourth birthday, sweetheart?" Eric asked as he and Jackie tucked their little girl into bed. They had thrown her a party earlier that day and she had been spoiled by everyone who loved her.
"Yeah, I did. It was the best," Betsy answered through a yawn.
"Did you make sure to make a wish when you blew out your candles?" Jackie wondered. Betsy nodded as she looked down and began picking at her blanket.
"What's wrong?" Eric questioned.
"Is it true that if I tell you my wish it won't come true?" the little girl wondered staring at her adopted parents with big eyes. Jackie shook her head.
"No, I don't believe that. If you want to tell us your wish you can. You don't have to, though," she assured. After thinking about it for a moment Betsy opened her mouth.
"I wished that I could call you Mama and Papa. But I'm afraid that Mommy and Daddy would be mad at me. I don't want them to be mad at me but I love you guys and since you dopted me you said you're my parents and Ellie at preschool said that if you dopted me that you were my Mommy and Daddy but I have those, they're just angels. I don't have a Mama and a Papa, though. So, can I call you that?" she finished breathlessly. Jackie and Eric glanced at each other fighting to keep the happy tears at bay. Jackie only partially succeeded, and a few tears slipped down her cheeks. "I sorry, pease don't cry Auntie Jackie. I won't call you Mama if it makes you sad," Betsy declared reaching out and grabbing Jackie's hand.
"No, I'm not sad honey. I'm so happy. Eric and I would love it if you called us Mama and Papa, but only if you're sure."
"Yeah, I would love it, kiddo," Eric chimed in.
"Mommy and Daddy won't be mad at me?" the four-year-old checked.
"No, they won't be mad at you. They would understand okay?" Eric assured. Betsy nodded and gave them both a sleepy smile.
"Okay, I love you. Night, Mama, Papa," she said as she yawned before snuggling back under the covers.
"" We love you to sweetheart," Jackie replied as both adults gave her a kiss and a hug then left the room beaming ear-to-ear about the new titles they now held.
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A whimper and a cry of pain dragged Jackie back from her memories. "How don't you feel good?" she questioned the little girl.
"My tummy and head hurt," Betsy said sadly.
"Do you feel like you're going to throw up?" Betsy gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth while nodding quickly. In a move born of a couple years of practice Jackie jumped from bed and quickly ushered the little girl into her parent's bathroom. They had moved into a house shortly after Betsy's fourth birthday. She lifted the toilet lid and seat just in time for Betsy to lurch forward and throw up into the bowl. The little girl began to cry as she continued to throw up. The noise woke Eric who stumbled into the bathroom.
"'sgoing on?" he mumbled trying to adjust to the light that Jackie had turned on.
"Betsy's sick," Jackie explained as the little girl started another round of vomiting.
"I can see that; does she have a fever?" Eric asked. Jackie reached out and placed a hand on her little girl's forehead.
"She's rather warm, can you get the thermometer then get some of the children's cold and flu medicine?" she requested.
"No medicine, it's yucky," Betsy protested as she sank back against her mom.
"I know it's yucky, but it will make you feel better," Jackie promised as she ran the thermometer along her forehead. "100.8," she reported as Eric came back with a cup of the medicine.
"How about we get you up and get you some water to wash out your mouth then you can take your medicine," the tired father suggested. Reluctantly Betsy nodded allowing her mother to help her up and hand her a cup of water which she swished in her mouth before spitting into the sink after climbing up on to her stepstool. Taking the cup her father held out to her the sick preschooler grimaced as she swallowed the liquid.
"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" her mother soothed.
"No, I guess not," she murmured as she held out her arms to her father requesting to be picked up.
"Do you want to sleep with Mama and I, princess?" he asked as he headed back into their room.
"Yes, pease," she responded tiredly.
"Okay, why don't you and Papa get settled. I'll grab a bucket just in case then come join you. Do you think you can drink a little water?" Jackie coaxed.
"I'll try," answered Betsy. Smiling a comforting smile, Jackie brought her a cup of water before heading to grab the bucket they kept on hands for emergencies such as this. She heard Eric instructing the little girl to sip it slowly as she left the room. An hour later everyone was glad they had the bucket as Betsy woke up gagging and both parents knew they wouldn't make it to the bathroom in time. The comforted their little girl until the bout of vomiting was over and she sank wearily back on to her pillow. The rest of the night was more of the same. When morning came Eric called his mom who had been a nurse to get some advice. Betsy had been sick before, but her fever had kept going up not down. Kitty assured the anxious parents that she had the flu and it would get better in a few days. The best thing to do was to keep her hydrated and do warm baths to try and lower the fever. Thankfully Kitty was right and after three very long days Betsy was back to her happy normal self.
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Jackie, however, had apparently caught Betsy's flu but she didn't seem to have a fever. Groaning after throwing up for the fifth day straight she struggled to her feet and stumbled to the sink to brush her teeth.
"You're still throwing up?" Eric asked in concern as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Jackie nodded dejectedly.
"I'm not sure why I'm still sick. Betsy was only sick for three days."
"I'm not sure either. Maybe you should go to the doctor?" her husband suggested. Jackie shook her head.
"No, I don't want to," she argued.
"Come on, Jack, it's for your own good. If Betsy was still sick after this long you would be taking her to the doctor he replied. Sighing resignation Jackie nodded.
"Fine, I'll make an appointment. Hopefully they can get me in after I drop Betsy off at school. Fez has everything at the salon in hand so I'm okay taking off a few hours. Giving his wife a smile, Eric placed a tender kiss on her lips before they headed to finish getting ready for their day.
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Jackie waited nervously in her doctor's office later that morning. She didn't know what was wrong, but she hoped the doctor could give her something to help with the crippling nausea.
"Jackie Forman?" the nurse called from the door across the room. Nodding Jackie stood up. "Come on back and we'll get you seen," the nurse said as Jackie headed towards the woman and followed her down the hall. After getting her weight and other vitals taken, she explained her symptoms to the nurse.
"I've been feeling like this for a week or so. At first, I thought it was the flu. My little girl had it late last week, but she got over hers in three days and I'm still throwing up."
"When was your last period?" the nurse questioned. Jackie froze as she realized she didn't know.
"I don't know maybe two or three months ago?" she answered as she began to panic.
"Okay, let's have you give a urine sample and I'll draw some blood. We'll run a pregnancy test," the nurse explained as she handed Jackie a cup. After giving the sample and having her blood drawn, she sat numbly in the doctor's office thinking about how their lives might be about to change. A few minutes later the doctor walked in, reading her chart.
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"Good morning, Mrs. Forman. I am happy to report that you are in fact pregnant. Judging by your blood work, I'd estimate that you're about seven or eight weeks along, but I would recommend that you make an appointment with your OB/GYN as soon as you can to get an ultrasound and to make sure things are okay.
"Okay," Jackie answered clearly in a state of shock.
"Do you have any questions for me?" her doctor asked kindly. Jackie shook her head. "Okay then, I'll let you go, but make sure to pick up these prenatal vitamins and start taking them immediately," she informed her patient while writing a prescription and handing it to the shocked young woman. Nodding Jackie took the paper and headed for the pharmacy to buy the vitamins. When she was there, she found a shirt in Betsy's size that said, "big sister." She knew exactly how she was going to tell Eric the news.
TBC?
A/n, hope you liked it.