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~♛~
gracie's pov:
'our story continues.
the mayor's jubilee was supposed to change everything.
be a new start.
but when we woke up the next morning, riverdale was still, at its heart, a haunted town.
meanwhile, archie andrews, who didn't even have his driver's license yet, was careening down the streets of riverdale, trying to outrace the potential death of his father.'
~♛~
my phone buzzed from the coffee table, and i groaned, reaching over to answer it.
"who's calling you at this ungodly hour?" cheryl sat up a bit, her arms moving from hugging my chest to propping herself up.
"it's betty." i said, putting my phone to my ear. "hey, bets. what's up?—"
"—come to the hospital. something happened at pop's— mr andrews, he was shot... archie's really shaken up about it."
"oh my god... i'll be right there." i replied, hanging up the phone. "archie's dad was shot."
cheryl gasped. "oh my— do you want me to drive you?"
i nodded quickly. "yeah— yeah, thank you, cher. i appreciate it—" i scrambled out of the bed, attempting to hurry so i could offer support to my bestfriend.
~♛~
when we got to the hospital, archie was pacing back and forth in the waiting room; his clothes were covered in blood and he looked a nervous wreck.
"archie." we all engulfed him in a hug.
"i— i came out of the bathroom, and there was this man— a thief... he was wearing a hood, and he had his gun on pop tate. then he pointed it at my dad and fired." archie explained. "and then, he—"
"—and then he what?" veronica asked.
"and then he bolted." archie finished. "i was holding my dad... pop called an ambulance, and it didn't come— so i drove here— i should've waited. i made it worse." he shook his head, like it was an inept move.
"no, dude. are you kidding me? you saved your dad's life!" jug assured.
"first, cheryl, and now your dad. keep this up and we'll have to give you some sort of superhero name." i added.
"like, purehart the powerful."
"there isn't any new information." alice announced, walking into the waiting room. "your dad's in surgery, he'll be there for a while."
"archie, have you spoken to your mother about any of this yet?"
"no, no. i haven't called her." he sniffed, getting up from his chair. "i'll be right back."
alice gave jughead and i a dirty look. "i can't help but wonder if any of your southside associates had anything to do with what happened."
"mom, don't start this." betty sighed.
"unbelievable." i rolled my eyes.
"at least you can't blame my father." jug smiled matter-of-factly. "he's in jail."
~♛~
around half an hour later, sheriff keller joined us at the hospital. "how's your dad doing?" he asked archie.
"he's still in surgery."
"i know this is a hell of a time for you... perhaps we could go somewhere to talk?"
archie nodded in agreement.
"mind if i tag along?" jughead asked, wanting to find out more information. the two boys and the sheriff wandered off to talk, and us girls were left in the waiting room.
i fiddled with my bandages and then started picking at the hem of my shirt furiously.
"penny for your thoughts?" veronica asked.
i sighed. "you think mr andrews is gonna be okay? i mean, that man practically raised me— treated me as his own. he was a father figure to me when my dad couldn't be. i— i can't even imagine how archie is feeling..."
"he's going to be okay, gracie." betty assured, tapping my knee. "i know he will."
~♛~
"archie? i'm steven masters, your father's doctor."
"how is he?" everyone asked, getting up from their seats.
"well, we got the bullet out, and stopped the internal bleeding. but what's most worrisome is that he's not breathing on his own yet."
"i need to see him." the andrews boy pleaded.
"and you will. soon as we get him set in a room. an hour or two, at most." dr masters assured.
"until then, what am i to do? nothing?" archie exclaimed incredulously.
"maybe—maybe you should go home and get changed." veronica suggested.
"no, i'm not leaving."
"archie, ronnie's right." i agreed.
the nurse handed him a bag. "your dad's clothes and belongings. everything he had on him."
"another reason to go." betty encouraged. "you can get your dad a change of clothes. we'll hold the fort down here."
"don't worry, arch, your dad's a strong stock. he's a fighter. he won't go without unfinished business."
~♛~
'once mrs andrews got back in town, and mr andrews was back at home, recovering in his own bed, archie's true vigil began.
he made a promise— a vow, to protect his father from harm. and as long as the man in the black hood was out there, in the night... archie intended to keep that promise.
never imagining that the angel of death was stalking different streets that night, in the small town of greendale, just on the other side of sweetwater river.'
