Potential - Steven Hyde

Chapter 9- The Funeral

It was the day of Angela Parker's funeral and Maura did not want to get out of bed. She had spent the past four days in bed crying and not eating. She was devastated that her mom was gone. She knew she was sick, she knew that her cancer was fatal, but she thought she had a little more time left. On top of that, everything Steven had said to her was stuck in her head. She had thought that the two of them had a good relationship after everything that had happened. Mo knew that they all knew about her mom, Hyde knew about her mom. Maura never cried, she never even showed when she was upset, so the fact that she was so upset should have given him an idea of what was going on.

After laying in her bed for a while, Maura was dragged out by Daniel and Drew, forcing her to get up for the day and into the shower. Maura knew this was inevitable and jumped in the shower. Once she was done, she got out and dried off. She was about to start blowdrying her hair when she heard her brothers outside the door. "It's really hard seeing her like this," Daniel said. Maura quietly stepped closer so she could hear better. "I'm worried. The last time she was like this was when she and Scott broke up. She was a mess. She was always in her room and I am pretty sure she lost ten pounds from all the crying and lack of food she ate," Drew said. Mo bit her lip, she felt guilty that her brothers were worried about her and not grieving the death of their mother instead. She knew she had to pull herself together, at least for the rest of the day.

After blowdrying her hair and putting on the tiniest amount of makeup, Maura changed into her black dress that was reserved for funerals. She slipped on some black tights and heels and finally looked at herself in the mirror fully for the first time in a few days. Her face lacked color and she had dark circles under her eyes that could still be seen right through her makeup. She looked frail and sick. She hadn't eaten much besides the small bites she was forced to take by her brothers.

Maura made her way downstairs and glared at her father, Patrick, in the kitchen. The only reason he was even there was that his business trip had just ended. Maura had tried to call him and let him know that Angela had passed away, but she couldn't reach him and had to leave a message with the front desk at his hotel. On top of that, he was leaving after the funeral for another business trip. Did he even care that his wife was dead or that his children had just lost their mother? Mo just stayed quiet and got into the car, dreading the funeral as well as the reception that was being held at their house after.

When they pulled up to the church, Patrick tried to wrap his arm around Mo's shoulders, but she just pulled away and walked ahead of him to their reserved pew in the very front. There were a lot of people there. Maura was appreciative that she had friends, family, and classmates that cared about her and her mother, but she just walked down the aisle, emotionlessly. Maura sat in between Drew and Daniel as the three children waited for the funeral to begin.

A few pews back were the Formans and the rest of the group, being respectful, surprisingly. "Mo's hair looks so good!" Jackie whispers excitedly to her friends and everyone rolls her eyes at her. "That is what you are focused on right now?" Donna says, in a disgusted tone. "Hey, I am just glad she hasn't let herself go," Jackie says defending herself. Eric looks over to Hyde, surprised to see that he took his sunglasses off. "Have you apologized to her yet?" He asks as everyone stands up and the casket is brought to the front, placed next to a beautiful picture of Angela. Hyde had felt so guilty over the past few days and had not spoken to Mo yet. He knew that she was going through a lot right now and he didn't want to make it worse. He decided he was going to give her some space and some time to grieve and hopefully she would forget everything he said or at least not be as upset with him then.

The funeral was beautiful and although it was difficult for Maura, she was happy that her mother was no longer suffering. After the funeral, only the family attended the burial, and then it was time for the reception. All Maura wanted to do was lay in her bed for the rest of the day, not make small talk with a bunch of people in her house. As she made her way into the backdoor, the busy house felt so empty without her mother there. Mo bit her lip and went to grab a drink because that was the only thing that would make her feel better right now. She poured herself a strong drink into an empty coke can she found and then made her way into the living room.

The first person to hug her was Kelso. Even though he was quite perverted and a bit shallow, he truly did love Mo and wanted the best for her. "Hi MoMo," Michael said softly as he hugged his friend. Maura didn't say anything but just hugged him back. She was greeted by a lot of people telling her how beautiful the service was and how sorry they were for her loss. Maura had lost track of how many people she had talked to at this point. "Hey," Eric said softly as everyone went into the kitchen to get food. "Hi," Maura said softly as her eyes began to well up. "You didn't even say anything and you are making me cry," Maura laughs softly as she wipes her tears. Eric smiled softly and pulled her in for a hug. "If you need anything, I am always here for you Mo," he says softly and Mo nods, trying to keep herself from crying.

As the two pull away, the front door opens and Casey Kelso walks in. "Hey Parker, Foreplay," he says softly as he pulls her away from Eric and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, hugging her from the side. "Hey Case, thanks for coming," Mo says softly as she leans against him. "Just wanted to pop over and let you know I'm thinking 'bout ya," Casey says sincerely. Maura lived on the same street as the Kelso's so she was close with all of them and that included Casey, who she may or may not have also slept with a few times. "I just saw your old man pulling out of the driveway, where is he heading?" Casey asks and Maura bites her lip as the tears pool in her eyes. He left and didn't even say goodbye? Maura wasn't even sad, she was angry and frustrated that her father didn't even care. "A fucking business trip," Maura says as she pulls away from Casey. "I'm going to bed," Maura says as she runs up the stairs to her room, shutting the door and collapsing on her bed.

After ditching her heels and peeling off her scratchy tights, Maura put on an album before crawling into her bed. She wanted to cry, but she was all cried out after everything that had happened. She just laid there for a while and stared at the ceiling, not even trying to stop her mind from racing. After a little bit, there was a knock at the door. "Drew or Danny, I am not in the mood, go away," she yells over the music. There was another knock at the door and Maura groans as she sits up in her bed, "what is it?" The door opens and Steven Hyde walks in, shutting the door behind him. Maura rolls her eyes and lays back down, not in the mood to talk to Hyde. "Forman said you would be up here," he says, staying by the door. "What do you want Steven? To call me more names? I am really not in the mood right now, maybe save it for next time we see each other," Maura snaps. Hyde sighs and takes his glasses off and makes his way over to Maura. He squats down so they are eye-level and pauses for a moment. "I didn't mean anything I said the other night," he starts, "I was in a bad mood and I took it out on you, that wasn't fair and I am sorry."

"Okay, can you go now?" Maura says, not making eye contact with him. "Please just let me say one last thing," Hyde says. "I don't know what it is like to lose a parent the way you did, but I do know what it's like to have absent ones. I am so sorry you are going through this, you don't deserve any of this Mo, but we are all here for you, I really mean that," Steven finished his sentence and then stands up, going to leave Maura's room. "Thank you," Maura says softly as she sits up in her bed and makes eye contact with Steven for the first time. "No problem Mo," Hyde says smiling softly at Maura before leaving her room. He leaned against the closed door and smiles to himself. He felt so much better now that he had apologized to her, but he couldn't help the feeling that remained in his stomach whenever he thought about Maura.