4 MONTHS LATER....
Jackie unlocked her front door, just glad to finally be home after a very busy exhaustive day. She had Kaitlyn by the hand, her gym bag over her shoulder and was holding Jacob who was fast asleep. She had attended classes and then her interactive class at the gym. She was two weeks away from completing the course. The last few months had been very difficult to say the least. The class was in Madison which was an hour from Point Place. So with 2 hours on the road, 4 hours of class, and 2 hours in the gym she had a very full day. At the end of each day she had to pick Jacob and Kaitlyn up at Mrs. Formans, Edna's, or occasionally her mother's. Typically though it was Mrs. Forman who watched the kids.
The new demands of her life were definitely beginning to take a toll on her marriage. Now that Jackie was away for the majority of the day she had very little time for her children or her husband. She and Steven hadn't made love in over three weeks and she could tell his patience with the whole situation was wearing very thin. She was so exhausted at the end of each day and with the kids demanding what little energy she had left, sex was the last thing on her mind.
Kaitlyn ran into the living room as Jackie shut the door. Suddenly Jackie heard Kaitlyn greet her father loudly "Hi Daddy!"
"Hi Pumpkin" said Hyde as he promptly picked her up and gave her a big hug and a kiss.
Jackie walked into the living room and was surprised that Hyde would be home this early from work. He had recently switched to 2nd shift at work so that he could be home with the kids until the afternoon. Jackie looked at Hyde and knew immediately that something was wrong. He looked like he was extremely upset and worried about something. He was trying to act like everything was fine but Jackie knew Hyde better than he knew himself so the act wasn't working with her.
Jackie walked over and kissed Hyde on the lips. "How come you're not at work?" She questioned. Hyde immediately dropped the front and the look of despair crossed his face once again.
"Jackie, Why don't you put Jake upstairs to sleep and put Katie in the den to play. We need to talk." Hyde said with a look of absolute seriousness.
Jackie was starting to get really scared. Something was really wrong. Did someone die? Was he fed up with what a lousy wife she had been lately? She quickly pushed that thought away as it was too painful to even contemplate. She walked upstairs and put Jacob to bed and by the time she came downstairs Hyde was sitting on the couch. Jackie sat down next to him and searched his face for any sign of what had him so upset.
"Steven, what's wrong? You're scaring me, now tell me what's going on." Jackie said very nervously.
Hyde winced at Jackie scared expression and stood up and turned his back to her. "I lost my job today" he blurted.
"Steven, oh honey, What happened?" said Jackie as she got up to put her arms around Hyde.
"They combined my department with another one which leaves me out in the cold. I'm on the waiting list to get called back as soon as someone quits or retires." Hyde explained bitterly as he shrugged out of her hold, not wanting her comfort at the moment.
His pushing out of her hold hurt Jackie more than the news of his losing his job had and she sat on the couch waiting for him to give more details on the events of the day.
"What about your old job, wouldn't they give that back to you?"
"No, there aren't any open positions right now, in fact they're looking to downsize not hire more people."
"Oh" said Jackie, not really knowing what else to say.
"But you'll be getting unemployment benefits until you get called back?"
"Yes, but its not enough to cover all our bills, Jackie!" Hyde shouted, not really intending to yell but he was just so angry he ended up taking it out on his wife.
"Ok" Jackie said with hurt evident in her voice. Hyde had never used that tone of voice with her but a handful of times in the entire duration of their marriage. "But Steven, I start my job in a few weeks and with your unemployment we'll be ok." Jackie said, not really knowing if she was trying to reassure herself or Hyde.
Hyde just shook his head angrily and gave her a look that said "You are just so naïve"
They stared at each other in silence for a few minutes. Jackie was on the verge of tears. Hyde was usually her rock, her strength but the way he was acting was scaring her very badly. He was acting like things were hopeless. They would be alright, wouldn't they? They survived bad times before and surely this wouldn't be any different. Hyde had the look of a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Jackie was desperate to find the words to say to make him feel better.
"Steven, if worse came to worst, there is always the money I have that my grandmother left me in her will. We'll be alright."
"Jackie, we're not using your family money. We've had this discussion a thousand times." bit back Hyde crossly.
"But if it means we don't lose our house, Steven!"
"I said No! Look on the bright side, maybe your next husband will be a better provider!"
The tears Jackie had been holding in, immediately fell down her cheeks. "Steven Francis Hyde, don't you ever say anything like that again, ever! Do you hear me!!!"
Just when Hyde felt like he couldn't feel any worse, making his wife cry definitely topped it off. "I'm sorry Jackie, I didn't mean that. Look, I just need some air. I'll be back later" Hyde said somberly as he crossed the few feet that separated them to kiss her on the cheek.
Jackie watched him numbly as she watched him pick up his car keys and leave the house. She sat on the couch and put her head in her hands and cried. Not about the job, jobs were a dime a dozen. The only thing that really mattered to her was her husband and children. She'd known Steven for a lot of years now and she knew he was going back to his old habits of doubting and putting himself down. She thought the years of her loving him and having and building a life together had repaired a lot of the damage his earlier life had done. Apparently all those old insecurities and wounds were alive and well.
Things had been strained between them lately which didn't help matters but Jackie was livid about his remark about her next husband. Over her dead body would she ever have another husband. Only one thing would ever make her leave him and if that thing happened the least of Hyde's worries would be that his wife left him. He'd be dickless and dead and he knew it so she wasn't too worried about that possibility. They would get through this. She knew that, but Hyde's behavior was definitely worrying her. She just hoped once he came home and got a good nights sleep things would look brighter in the morning. Jackie wiped the tears off of her cheeks and got up to check on her daughter who was playing in the den quietly with her dolls and tea party set.
"Come on baby, you hungry?" said Jackie, trying to put on a cheerful front for her daughter's sake.
They went into the kitchen where Jackie fixed a pan of macaroni & cheese. She was too tired to make anything more complicated and Kaitlyn was such a picky eater it was one of the only things she ate willingly.
After they had eaten a few bites, the phone rang.
"Hello"
"Jackie?, Is Hyde there?" questioned Eric.
"No, he went out" said Jackie, not bothering to hide her worry.
"What's wrong?" said Eric, picking up on Jackie's worried tone of voice.
"Eric, he got laid off today. So he's really upset. He probably went to that old bar you guys used to go to all the time. Would you go check on him, make sure he's ok?"
"Oh man, so that's why he called. I thought it was weird he called when he should have been at work. Sure, I'll go over there and see how he's doing."
"Thanks Eric, I really appreciate it. I'll warn you though, he'll probably bite your head off for showing up to check on him"
"Don't worry about it. I can handle Hyde. I'll talk to you later."
"Ok, say Hi to Donna for me. Bye" said Jackie and hung up the phone with a blank expression, not really knowing if she had done the right thing or not by asking Eric to check up on Hyde.
OLD TOWNE BAR..
Hyde sat on old rickety bar stool about to start his second beer. His shitty day somehow managed to get ever shittier. He hadn't meant to take it out on Jackie; it was the last thing he had intended. He couldn't stand to see her cry and his being the cause of those tears was nearly unbearable for him. He loved her and his kids so much; there were no words to describe it. What if this was just the beginning of the end for them? That thought was like a dagger in his heart. He laughed sarcastically to himself, "You're just like your old man after all".
The entire time he had been growing up his mother had always said "You're just like your father.", which had been no complement. Those words repeated in his mind over and over again "You're just like your father, you're just like you're father" He could even hear Edna's old drunken sneer. Sure his relationship with his mother was vastly improved over the last year or so but those memories hung with him like a second skin and never went away. Well, it looked like Edna's prediction was well on its way to fruition. He lost his job, took his anger out on his wife, and was now drowning his sorrows. Chip off the old block apparently.
Suddenly the bar stool beside him was occupied by none other than his best friend.
"Hey Hyde, I got your message from earlier. So I thought I'd see if you were down here since Jackie said you went out for awhile."
"Save it Forman, I'm well aware my wife sent you to check up on me" said Hyde with a solemn expression.
"Fine, whatever Hyde. Do you want to talk or just feel sorry for yourself?" said Eric, who knew exactly what Hyde was doing at the bar.
"What do you know about anything Forman, you've got your cushy little bank job. I've got a wife, 2 kids, and a mortgage and now no job. So excuse me if I need a little liquid pick me up!" Hyde replied sarcastically.
"Cut the "Poor me" routine Hyde. You'll get your job back, or something else. Things will work out, you'll see." said Eric, trying to put things in perspective for Hyde.
"If I was you I'd think that too." Hyde said mockingly.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean" asked Eric angrily.
"Nothing"
"Ya. Sure. If you're bound and determined to give up and feel sorry for yourself instead of trying to work things through then I'm not going to waste my breathe." Said Eric as he angrily got up from the bar stool. "I'd just like to remind you of what you do have. You have a wife and 2 children who love you. So don't act like you have nothing and the whole world is against you because that's just not how it is and you know it."
"Whatever" said Hyde blankly.
"Ya, whatever" said Eric, fed up with Hyde's attitude, and left the bar.
Several minutes later, Hyde feeling very disgusted with himself, threw a dollar on the bar for a tip and got up from the bar and left to go home.
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Jackie unlocked her front door, just glad to finally be home after a very busy exhaustive day. She had Kaitlyn by the hand, her gym bag over her shoulder and was holding Jacob who was fast asleep. She had attended classes and then her interactive class at the gym. She was two weeks away from completing the course. The last few months had been very difficult to say the least. The class was in Madison which was an hour from Point Place. So with 2 hours on the road, 4 hours of class, and 2 hours in the gym she had a very full day. At the end of each day she had to pick Jacob and Kaitlyn up at Mrs. Formans, Edna's, or occasionally her mother's. Typically though it was Mrs. Forman who watched the kids.
The new demands of her life were definitely beginning to take a toll on her marriage. Now that Jackie was away for the majority of the day she had very little time for her children or her husband. She and Steven hadn't made love in over three weeks and she could tell his patience with the whole situation was wearing very thin. She was so exhausted at the end of each day and with the kids demanding what little energy she had left, sex was the last thing on her mind.
Kaitlyn ran into the living room as Jackie shut the door. Suddenly Jackie heard Kaitlyn greet her father loudly "Hi Daddy!"
"Hi Pumpkin" said Hyde as he promptly picked her up and gave her a big hug and a kiss.
Jackie walked into the living room and was surprised that Hyde would be home this early from work. He had recently switched to 2nd shift at work so that he could be home with the kids until the afternoon. Jackie looked at Hyde and knew immediately that something was wrong. He looked like he was extremely upset and worried about something. He was trying to act like everything was fine but Jackie knew Hyde better than he knew himself so the act wasn't working with her.
Jackie walked over and kissed Hyde on the lips. "How come you're not at work?" She questioned. Hyde immediately dropped the front and the look of despair crossed his face once again.
"Jackie, Why don't you put Jake upstairs to sleep and put Katie in the den to play. We need to talk." Hyde said with a look of absolute seriousness.
Jackie was starting to get really scared. Something was really wrong. Did someone die? Was he fed up with what a lousy wife she had been lately? She quickly pushed that thought away as it was too painful to even contemplate. She walked upstairs and put Jacob to bed and by the time she came downstairs Hyde was sitting on the couch. Jackie sat down next to him and searched his face for any sign of what had him so upset.
"Steven, what's wrong? You're scaring me, now tell me what's going on." Jackie said very nervously.
Hyde winced at Jackie scared expression and stood up and turned his back to her. "I lost my job today" he blurted.
"Steven, oh honey, What happened?" said Jackie as she got up to put her arms around Hyde.
"They combined my department with another one which leaves me out in the cold. I'm on the waiting list to get called back as soon as someone quits or retires." Hyde explained bitterly as he shrugged out of her hold, not wanting her comfort at the moment.
His pushing out of her hold hurt Jackie more than the news of his losing his job had and she sat on the couch waiting for him to give more details on the events of the day.
"What about your old job, wouldn't they give that back to you?"
"No, there aren't any open positions right now, in fact they're looking to downsize not hire more people."
"Oh" said Jackie, not really knowing what else to say.
"But you'll be getting unemployment benefits until you get called back?"
"Yes, but its not enough to cover all our bills, Jackie!" Hyde shouted, not really intending to yell but he was just so angry he ended up taking it out on his wife.
"Ok" Jackie said with hurt evident in her voice. Hyde had never used that tone of voice with her but a handful of times in the entire duration of their marriage. "But Steven, I start my job in a few weeks and with your unemployment we'll be ok." Jackie said, not really knowing if she was trying to reassure herself or Hyde.
Hyde just shook his head angrily and gave her a look that said "You are just so naïve"
They stared at each other in silence for a few minutes. Jackie was on the verge of tears. Hyde was usually her rock, her strength but the way he was acting was scaring her very badly. He was acting like things were hopeless. They would be alright, wouldn't they? They survived bad times before and surely this wouldn't be any different. Hyde had the look of a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Jackie was desperate to find the words to say to make him feel better.
"Steven, if worse came to worst, there is always the money I have that my grandmother left me in her will. We'll be alright."
"Jackie, we're not using your family money. We've had this discussion a thousand times." bit back Hyde crossly.
"But if it means we don't lose our house, Steven!"
"I said No! Look on the bright side, maybe your next husband will be a better provider!"
The tears Jackie had been holding in, immediately fell down her cheeks. "Steven Francis Hyde, don't you ever say anything like that again, ever! Do you hear me!!!"
Just when Hyde felt like he couldn't feel any worse, making his wife cry definitely topped it off. "I'm sorry Jackie, I didn't mean that. Look, I just need some air. I'll be back later" Hyde said somberly as he crossed the few feet that separated them to kiss her on the cheek.
Jackie watched him numbly as she watched him pick up his car keys and leave the house. She sat on the couch and put her head in her hands and cried. Not about the job, jobs were a dime a dozen. The only thing that really mattered to her was her husband and children. She'd known Steven for a lot of years now and she knew he was going back to his old habits of doubting and putting himself down. She thought the years of her loving him and having and building a life together had repaired a lot of the damage his earlier life had done. Apparently all those old insecurities and wounds were alive and well.
Things had been strained between them lately which didn't help matters but Jackie was livid about his remark about her next husband. Over her dead body would she ever have another husband. Only one thing would ever make her leave him and if that thing happened the least of Hyde's worries would be that his wife left him. He'd be dickless and dead and he knew it so she wasn't too worried about that possibility. They would get through this. She knew that, but Hyde's behavior was definitely worrying her. She just hoped once he came home and got a good nights sleep things would look brighter in the morning. Jackie wiped the tears off of her cheeks and got up to check on her daughter who was playing in the den quietly with her dolls and tea party set.
"Come on baby, you hungry?" said Jackie, trying to put on a cheerful front for her daughter's sake.
They went into the kitchen where Jackie fixed a pan of macaroni & cheese. She was too tired to make anything more complicated and Kaitlyn was such a picky eater it was one of the only things she ate willingly.
After they had eaten a few bites, the phone rang.
"Hello"
"Jackie?, Is Hyde there?" questioned Eric.
"No, he went out" said Jackie, not bothering to hide her worry.
"What's wrong?" said Eric, picking up on Jackie's worried tone of voice.
"Eric, he got laid off today. So he's really upset. He probably went to that old bar you guys used to go to all the time. Would you go check on him, make sure he's ok?"
"Oh man, so that's why he called. I thought it was weird he called when he should have been at work. Sure, I'll go over there and see how he's doing."
"Thanks Eric, I really appreciate it. I'll warn you though, he'll probably bite your head off for showing up to check on him"
"Don't worry about it. I can handle Hyde. I'll talk to you later."
"Ok, say Hi to Donna for me. Bye" said Jackie and hung up the phone with a blank expression, not really knowing if she had done the right thing or not by asking Eric to check up on Hyde.
OLD TOWNE BAR..
Hyde sat on old rickety bar stool about to start his second beer. His shitty day somehow managed to get ever shittier. He hadn't meant to take it out on Jackie; it was the last thing he had intended. He couldn't stand to see her cry and his being the cause of those tears was nearly unbearable for him. He loved her and his kids so much; there were no words to describe it. What if this was just the beginning of the end for them? That thought was like a dagger in his heart. He laughed sarcastically to himself, "You're just like your old man after all".
The entire time he had been growing up his mother had always said "You're just like your father.", which had been no complement. Those words repeated in his mind over and over again "You're just like your father, you're just like you're father" He could even hear Edna's old drunken sneer. Sure his relationship with his mother was vastly improved over the last year or so but those memories hung with him like a second skin and never went away. Well, it looked like Edna's prediction was well on its way to fruition. He lost his job, took his anger out on his wife, and was now drowning his sorrows. Chip off the old block apparently.
Suddenly the bar stool beside him was occupied by none other than his best friend.
"Hey Hyde, I got your message from earlier. So I thought I'd see if you were down here since Jackie said you went out for awhile."
"Save it Forman, I'm well aware my wife sent you to check up on me" said Hyde with a solemn expression.
"Fine, whatever Hyde. Do you want to talk or just feel sorry for yourself?" said Eric, who knew exactly what Hyde was doing at the bar.
"What do you know about anything Forman, you've got your cushy little bank job. I've got a wife, 2 kids, and a mortgage and now no job. So excuse me if I need a little liquid pick me up!" Hyde replied sarcastically.
"Cut the "Poor me" routine Hyde. You'll get your job back, or something else. Things will work out, you'll see." said Eric, trying to put things in perspective for Hyde.
"If I was you I'd think that too." Hyde said mockingly.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean" asked Eric angrily.
"Nothing"
"Ya. Sure. If you're bound and determined to give up and feel sorry for yourself instead of trying to work things through then I'm not going to waste my breathe." Said Eric as he angrily got up from the bar stool. "I'd just like to remind you of what you do have. You have a wife and 2 children who love you. So don't act like you have nothing and the whole world is against you because that's just not how it is and you know it."
"Whatever" said Hyde blankly.
"Ya, whatever" said Eric, fed up with Hyde's attitude, and left the bar.
Several minutes later, Hyde feeling very disgusted with himself, threw a dollar on the bar for a tip and got up from the bar and left to go home.
***Please be kind and review***. It helps me know whether or not you want to continue reading this crap. If you've never reviewed before at Fanfiction.net its really easy. At the bottom of the page hit the little GO button and a window will pop up. You don't have to be registered to leave a review. You can just pop in your first name or alias and leave a comment. Thanks!