Speak To Me

Newcomers

*Present Day*

Betty, Jughead, Kevin, Veronica, and Archie all rushed through the double doors, entering  Riverdale General Hospital. They made their way to the maternity ward where they found Hal and Alice standing at the counter. Polly sat in a wheel chair between them. She tried her best to breathe through the pain, though every now and then she would wince, squeezing the arm of the chair. When the teens arrived, they could tell that Alice and the head nurse had been in the middle of a pretty heated discussion.

"Well...my daughter needs a room, Rosa. So I suggest you figure it out." Mrs. Cooper stood with her arms crossed over her chest as they watched the agitated nurse turn away from them to find the head doctor. 

"Hey, Polly." Betty said in a soft, gentle voice, kneeling beside her sister almost immediately. 

"Where the hell have you been?" Hal wondered as he and his wife turned to see their youngest arrive. 

"We-" Betty began.

"Your father has been calling all over town to find you." Her mother interrupted.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cooper, you can blame me." Veronica jumped in.

"Well, there's no shocker there!" Alice gave her hair a small flip with attitude.

Ronnie continued with indignation. "I wanted us all to go have a little picnic by Sweet Water River, but then Betty got the call from you and-"

"Say no more, Veronica Lodge." Alice put one hand on her hip. "We're used to your bad influences upon our daughter." 

"Enough. Alright?" Betty stood up, keeping her hand in Polly's. "We're here now. Okay? We made it on time. There's no need for little speeches about your disappointment in me as a daughter."

"Betty, I-"

"No. Alright? I don't wanna hear it. Today is not the day for this." She smiled down at Polly. "My big sister is gonna have twins." She turned to smile at her best friends behind her. "And these twins are going to come into this world with the feeling that there is love all around them."

"You're right, Betty." Hal stepped forward, kissing Elizabeth on the cheek. "You're right."

"I'm just glad you could make it." Polly said as sweat began to form on her forehead and she winced in pain once more.

The nurse returned with a clipboard and waved her hand at them to follow her. All seven of them took a step forward, Betty pushing the wheel chair. But before they could take their second step, the nurse stopped them. "Ah ah! I'm afraid we can only let two of you come along."

"Well, then that would be us." Alice said, looking over her shoulder at her husband.

"We're the parents." Hal chimed in and the nurse nodded.

"No." Polly protested. "I'm not going in without Betty."

"Well, I'm sorry, young lady but that's just-"

"It's okay." Hal put a hand on the curve of his wife's back. "You girls go ahead." He smiled down at Polly. "I'm not so sure I'd wanna be in there for all the gross stuff again anyway." His eldest chuckled before he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and all three Cooper women went through another set of double doors.

Hours had passed and Kevin's father had picked him up, followed by Archie's dad and then Veronica's parents. Alice came out into the waiting room once or twice to let Hal know that the babies were taking their own sweet time and she'd disappear back into the forbidden area. After he had finished pacing, Hal sat down beside Jughead, who had nowhere else to be.