Start A Riot

FP had sat there when they came in to take the breathing tube out. Watching them closely to make sure nothing happened and also to make sure his son was breathing on his own. He sat back into the chair and waited for him to wake up. The next thing he realized the machine was beeping and Jughead was shaking. FP shot up quickly and pressed the call button, sure that the nurses were already alarmed from the machines going off. “Jug!” He called out “someone help” he yelled to anyone out there.

FP kept his arms around her, scared that if he let go of her again she’d be gone. It was so weird for him, he remembered vividly what it was like to hold her in his arms the day she was born. So little and delicate and he promised from that day on to always be there to protect her. He couldn’t do that though, when she left he let her down completely. “I know, I’m sorry for all this change. Take it slow, no need to rush anything.” he mumbled before pulling back to look down at her “i promise to be a better dad, if you’ll let me.”

The touch was so unfamiliar to Jellybean, yet she remembered it so well. She remembered how he’d hug her before he’d leave in the mornings, or how he’d hold her to his chest whenever she threw a tantrum or got upset when it was younger. There were so many memories flooding back right now and it was just overwhelming the sixteen year old girl. 

Shaking her head at his words, she let out a shaky breath. “Please.” Her words were quiet, like they normally were, but this time there was a hint of sadness wavering through her voice. “It’s.. I want you in my life.” She looked up at him, her blue eyes that matched Jughead’s were glossy with tears.

FP leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as he gripped the book in his hands. His voice was low but yet clear. He had to speak a little louder to cancel out the beeping from the machine that was keeping track of Jughead’s heartbeat. He slowly began to lose himself in the book, enjoying what he was reading out loud. The older man glanced up at his son on the bed and couldn’t help but smile when he had fallen back to sleep. He needed his rest, FP needed him back to his normal self sooner rather than later. He stuck the book on the table next to him before sitting up and placing a kiss to his sons head softly before sitting back down.

Seeing her cover her face he instantly became worried. “Jelly…” he whispered before moving next to her on the couch. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight hug “i missed you too, you have no idea. not having you around feels like I’m missing a part of my heart.” he admitted before pulling back to give her a soft smile “but you’re here now, i promise I’ll do whatever I can so you can forgive me.”

Jellybean had a tendency to get rather overwhelmed, though not seeing her father for years and just showing up at his trailer just seemed to freak her out a little. Because she had been hit with so many emotions she hadn’t felt before. 

She shook her head a little, leaning into him. The tight hug was something she hadn’t felt in years. “I’m sorry,” she whispered weakly, clinging to his arm. “There’s just so much change happening.”

FP sat back in the chair when the nurse came in to give him his meds and once again check everything to make sure he was okay. He hated the fact that his son was in so much pain and the only thing he could do was sit in a hospital chair and watch. He made a promise to himself after this that he would make damn sure nothing ever happened to his son again. He knew that putting a lock on his door probably wasn’t going to be the best idea so he’d have to settle for figuring out who did this and making them pay. After the nurse had left, FP picked up the book he had placed on the table “I brought this book, thought maybe i’d read a little if you wanted me to. I mean i probably don’t know half of these big words in here, but i’ll let you criticize me later.” he let a small laugh out before opening the book up and beginning where Jughead had left off. 

“You’re right about that.” it wasn’t something he liked to admit, because he did always figure it out. Even if most of the time he shouldn’t be able to figure it out. Hearing her next comment he cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes to her “Toni, c’mon…” he started “you know i can’t do that. i gave it up because i can’t do the job. i’m not going back on my word now.” he reminded her “no he’s not” he argued with a laugh “i’m for the cookouts, but the neighborhood watch shifts, i don’t know about that.” FP shrugged “Do you remember who owns this place? I don’t have to run anything by him and he’s not the one in charge of me. He didn’t do this to be hateful towards you and I know that if he knew what was going on, he’d be worried about you. The drive-in is bad, i know it is.” his eyebrows rose slightly “but i won’t push you, i know that you’re smart. but just know that if you need to, the door is always open for you.” 

“But you can come back. You can be Jones’ right hand so he at least he checks in with someone before making reckless decisions. Even if you don’t become King again, don’t say that you can’t do the job. You were more than capable of taking care of us and making sure we all had food and shelter,” Toni pointed out. She sighed, knowing it would have been a long shot on getting FP to get his position back, but there was no harm in trying especially when it would do so many people good. “I know… I know…” she threw her hands up in defense. “I’m staying at Sweetpea’s tonight and Fangs’ the next. The boys keep me safe, but if I ever for a second don’t feel that way I’ll come here. Deal?”

He didn’t know why it was music to his ears to hear his dad’s voice. it was soft, probably more than he’d ever heard it- and he swears this was the first time he’d been spoken to since he was a child. His dad was a tough love kind of guy, and while he wasn’t exactly the best dad, he was always trying to find opportunities for him, whether it was buying him books and bringing them home just because he though Jughead would like them, or even bringing him lunch to school sometimes so he didn’t have to eat that shit in the cafeteria. He relaxed as his dad spoke, and a few minutes later a nurse came in, asking what seemed to be the problem, and after being told by his father, she was able to administer another dosage of morphine that would hopefully ease the pain he was feeling.

FP sat there almost toning the doctor out, he could hear everything he was saying but he was too busy just staring at Jughead. He was laying in that bed too often here lately and FP hated that. He would do anything to change places with him, to be the one who got hit and not his son. It still didn’t make any sense to him, Jughead drove better than FP did most of the time. He wasn’t reckless. He had been happy he drilled into his head how important a helmet was when riding. “He’s always been a fighter. His entire life, doesn’t know any different.” he mumbled to the doctor. He was right, he needed to rest, not only was he exhausted but he knew that taking care of Jug would be a full time job for a while. “Yeah, I’ll see if I can close my eyes for a little.” he mumbled before the doctor nodded and walked out of the room. FP stayed there, looking at Jughead, listening to the sound of his machines working to keep him breathing and monitoring his heartbeat. Remembering the first time he heard Jughead’s heartbeat, he kept thinking this must have been payback for being such a shitty father. But he was determined to do whatever it took to fix it. Soon he had fallen asleep, sitting in the chair next to his sons hospital bed.

FP sat in the dark hospital room, not taking his eyes off of his son for more than a minute. Constantly listening to the machines to make sure everything was running properly. When the nurse brought in Jughead’s jacket and hat, FP exhaled loudly. He wouldn’t be walking out of the hospital with just those things, the kid in the bed was coming with him too. His attention quickly changed to the door where the man in the white jacket stood. He wasn’t even listening at first but nodded along anyway “thank you, for helping.” he gave him a small nod “i really need him to wake up, i cant lose him.”

FP nodded “I know, i know. to be honest i don’t even know what i’ll do if she ever comes around. can you imagine me being a parent to a teenage daughter?” he laughed quietly “i think so, i’ve only seen her the once. riverdale is kind of like a whole other life to her though, i can’t imagine it being all that easily, especially when you’ve got a new parent in your life again.” he leaned back into his chair and listened to her, worried about her more now than before “Toni” he said before shaking his head “i’m between a rock and a hard place, you know this..” he started “but i’m worried about you, you know that if you’re ever in trouble you can come to me, right? regardless of whatever jug has to say.” he exhaled. 

“You did a pretty good job with me. I think she’s in good hands,” Toni replied offering a sincere smile. She genuinely did care about FP like a father. In the absence of her own and when she joined the Serpents, he took her under his wing no questions asked. “And you? How are you adjusting to being a stay at home Serpent? Has my grandfather tried convincing you to go on neighborhood walks with him yet?” The way FP said her name Toni could only brace herself. He only said her name like that when he felt reason to be concerned, which rarely was pointed at her and more for the Serpent boys. “I’ve just never felt like an outsider on the Southside. My mom won’t let me be on the Northside, my uncle won’t let me back home after leaving the first time… But I’ve got it. I always find a way,” she explained. There was a tad bit of weakness in her tone, but in her usual Toni way, she swallowed it down and ended in a reassuring look even if her insides didn’t feel that way.

FP’s hands shot up in defense and he nodded “i think you’re absolutely right” he nodded. god she was sixteen already, he knew how old she was though, remembered her birthday like it was yesterday, one of the two greatest days of his life. “you’re old enough to make your own decisions, you’re smart enough to make your own decisions as well.” he added “hey, sweetie don’t be sorry. you have no idea how much this made my day, hell my week.” he grinned “hey i’m sorry too, for being a shitty father. you deserved so much better than that, you still do.” 

Jellybean was trying not to break down, really. All the emotions were hitting her at once. She was usually a strong girl, didn’t show too many emotions, normally seemed happy. But right now, she was far too vulnerable for her liking, especially in front of her father. She just didn’t like seeming weak. It must be a Jones thing, really. 

When FP apologized for being a shitty father was when she covered her face with her hands, a small sob coming from her lips. She hated crying in front of people and she felt even worst that she hadn’t seen her dad in years and was now crying on his couch. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, her voice shaky. “I just-” she really couldn’t stop her voice from wavering. “I missed you.”

Where was he? It felt like he was floating over his own body, watching himself being put on a gurney, watching as EMTs tried to find a pulse that hadn’t been there, and restarting his heart. The wailing of the ambulance as it screeched past SunnysideTrailer Park, where FP Jones had no idea that his son was fighting for his life, alone in the back of the ambulance. He can see his shirt is cut from him, his jacket able to be removed as they surveyed the damage and immediately rushed him into surgery due to the internal bleeding that had come from his collision with the ground. He flatlined again mid-surgery and finally when they brought him back and managed to finish they put him on assisted breathing because it was clear that that was needed. He lay immobilized on the bed, on arm in a sling and a leg in a cast. 

His hat had been pulled from the reck, given to his father, along with Jughead’s leather jacket. “He’s lucky to be alive you know.” spoke a voice from the hall, and he stepped into the room, clipboard in hand. “My name is Doctor Podoshik, I’m one of the surgeons in charge of your son’s care. He’s lucky to be alive. If he hadn’t been wearing his helmet when he was thrown from his bike, he could’ve died on impact.”