Moving On

C h a p t e r 2 4

Jughead POV:
Hope had been settling in pretty well, the girls would fight sometimes but we were doing alright. This was it. This was the morning I wake them up to take them to Betty's treatment center. It had been almost a month. I've had meetings with her doctors. They said she was doing surprisingly well for what had happened. They said she will probably always suffer from PTSD, though. I was worried on how she would react to see her children. Hopefully it would go over well. I thought to myself. Alice came over to help them get dressed and everything. That morning my dad called, as the story of five-year missing person case was solved.
"Hello?"
"Jug?"
"Yes."
"You found Betty?!"
"Yes, yes I did." I smiled.
"Yes!"
"We also have some other news, dad."
"Did you already knock her up again?"
"Sort of."
"What do you mean."
"She had a child while in captivity."
"How?!"
"Impossible, right?"
"I'm comin home, Jug. I have to."
"Don't come just yet. We'll be out all day. Come in a few weeks when Betty is back at home."
"Where is she?"
"She's at an adaptation center. She has been gone for 5 years, dad."
"Yeah, I get that. I gotta bounce, call me after I have something to tell you."
"Love you."
"Love you too, Jug." He hung up the phone. I shaved, and I put on slacks, and a button down with the top button open. This place was pricy, you had to dress nice if you payed that much for somebody to be there. I waited downstairs.
"There's my girls!" I smiled and crouched down as they ran into my arms. I had them in both arms and walked outside to the car. We buckled them in the car seats, and started driving. It took about an hour and a half, the girl were really bored. Hope fell asleep right away. Me and Alice sang and played all kinds of kids songs with Julie until she fell asleep for the last 30 minutes of the car ride. When we got there, we checked in. We had to wait a few minutes before Betty was ready.
"Betty's ready, Mr. Jones. Follow me." This visit, we got to visit in a room full of other patients and family's. There were tables and chairs, and snacks and coffee. She was sitting at the table. She was wearing button down pajamas with a robe over it in slippers.
"Betty. Hi." I kiss her on the head
"Hi, Jug." She smiled back at me.
"There's some people here to see you." Alice brought in the girls. She smiled back at them.
"Hey, it's okay." I said and they sat in my lap while Alice sat next to me. She hugged Betty over the table and began to cry.
"Oh, Elizabeth. I thought I would never see you again."
"Me too, mom." They began to cry while hugging. The girls didn't understand what was happening.
"Girls, this is your mommy." They both hid in my chest.
"It's okay. I didn't really expect them to love me right away."
"Julie, it's mommy. We found her." She began to smile. She then ran under the table and jumped into her arms. She hugged her so tight I could tell Betty was overwhelmed.
"Jug, she's so beautiful."
"Thank you, we made her." We both laughed.
"So then, you must be Hope." She smiled at her. She looked back and went right back in my chest.
"Hope, this is mommy. Mommy loves you."
"I love you mommy." Julie said to Betty.
"I love you too, baby."
"Veronica had been dying to see you."
"I know she has, the center has her blocked." She laughed.
"Why?"
"Because she kept calling to see me, but only family is allowed."
"Oh, haha. So, do you like it here?"
"Yeah, it's nice. I can't ever imagine how you paid for this."
"I did get a lot of stuff from having a wife who went missing, you know.
"Hope, do you like to read Nancy drew?" Betty said to her. She slowly turned her head around.
"Yeah! Donna used to read it to me all the time!" She said excitedly.
"Well, good. Because when I come home, we'll read them all. I promise." She smiled at her and hid her face again.
"She's very shy."
"So were you." We laughed. Alice mostly observed the entire time. I think she was in pure shock of the whole situation.
"When you come home, my dad wants to come down to see us."
"Sounds fun." We left the center and she kissed her babies goodbye. I could tell they were both sad to see each other go. I was too. But at least I knew she was safe here. That night, I tucked them into bed, and read the first chapter of Nancy drew which they loved. It was only 7:30, so I ordered takeout and invited Archie over.
"So, how's the flesh wound?"
"I'm fine. How's Betty doing? Like actually?"
"She's doing really good. She said she gets a lot of nightmares, though. Sometimes I just wish I could be there all of the time."
"Yeah, I get that. I have some news." Archie said excitedly.
"What is it?"
"Guess."
"Archie, is it something bad?"
"Maybe." He smiled at me.
"You knocked her up again, didn't you?"
"Yeah!"
"Dude, you just had a kid. Like a year ago."
"I know. It's okay though. I always wanted a big family."
"Whatever floats you boat, Arch." We both laughed.
"Do you ever think you and Betty-"
"Will have another baby?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe, I don't know. My plates kinda full at the moment with the child I wasn't aware I had." We laughed.
"How has Veronica been since Betty's been back?"
"Anxious, possessive."
"Really?"
"She's dying to see Betty. She can't even call the center anymore."
"Yeah, Betty told me. I will tell them that her adopted sister is coming into town. I'll get her in I promise."
"Great." Then, I remembered.
"Oh, shit. I forgot to call my dad." Archie watched the game while I called my dad.
"Hey Jughead."
"Hi, what is it you wanted to tell me?"
"Your mother and I, we had a big falling out. I'm staying in a hotel in centerville."
"Oh, my God, Dad. Just come stay with us."
"You guys don't want me hogging your space."
"Alice has been staying here to help with the girls. Crash there for a while."
"I'll drive three in the morning. Goodnight jug."
"Night, dad."