Family || Sweet Pea [1]

7

Chapter 7 || Hospital Visit

The next morning, I peeled away from Sweet Pea and Toni with a yawn.

"Morning." Fangs said from behind a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Fangs." I smiled.

"You got a few texts and calls." Fangs said, pointing to my phone. He'd plugged it in for me last night, so it was fully charged.

Cherry
I did something about my mother's so-called curse. Call soon.
xC

I shook my head but responded with a 'sounds good.'

Juggy
Meet me at the hospital. It's urgent.

The text was followed by numerous calls from Archie, Betty, and Jughead. I quickly got dressed and shrugged on my leather jacket and boots.

"Where are you going?" Fangs asked.

"The hospital. I'll text you updates, it's an emergency." I told him. I raced back to dad's trailer, pushing open the door and grabbing my keys off the table. I walked back outside and threw the tarp off my motorcycle. I started it and drove quickly and safely to the hospital.

--------

"Red?" I asked, pushing open the emergency room doors. Archie Andrews was covered in blood and surrounded by Betty, Veronica, and Jughead.

"Kat." He sighed, letting out a pained sigh. He rose to his feet and I instantly caught him in a hug.

"Hey," I soothed, running a hand through his red hair. "What happened, Red?"

"My dad-" He cried into my shoulder. I hushed him and rubbed his back, looking to Jughead for an answer.

"Fred Andrews was shot." Jughead said quietly, holding Betty's hand.

"Oh, Arch." I sighed, feeling him hug me tighter.

"Archie, why don't you sit down?" Veronica suggested with a tight lipped smile. I rolled my eyes at her and let Archie hug me until he was ready to let go.

"Thank you for coming, Kat." Archie sighed, finally pulling away. I pat his shoulder as he sat down.

"No problem, Red." As Archie recounted the story of how his father got shot, I texted Fangs with an update.

Fangs
I'm at the hospital. Archie's dad's been shot. I'll be in touch

"And then he..." I tuned back in, taking immediate note of Archie's hesitation.

"And then he what?" Veronica pressed.

"And then he bolted. Then I was holding my dad, Pop Tate called an ambulance and it didn't come so I drove here..." Archie trailed off. I rested my hand on his shoulder as he sighed. "And I don't know, maybe I should've waited, maybe I made it worse..."

"No, dude, are you kidding me?" Jughead said, patting Archie's back. "You saved your dad's life. First Cheryl and Kitty, now your dad. If you keep this up, you're gonna need a superhero name. Like Pureheart the Powerful."

Jughead tried to keep the atmosphere light; well, as light as he could get it considering the circumstances.

"There isn't any new information. Your dad's in surgery. He's gonna be there for a while." Mrs. Cooper informed Archie. Mrs. Lodge knelt down beside Archie, lightly pushing me out of her way.

"Archie, have you spoken to your mother about any of this yet?" She asked.

"No. No, I haven't called her. I'll be right back." Archie stood up to make a call, leaving Betty, Jug, Veronica, and I in the presence of the Coopers and Mrs. Lodge. Alice Cooper sighed, drawing my attention to her.