Chapter Text
The military is no laughing matter. Having military family makes you appreciate what life has to offer. You take your opportunity as life throws you them.
Jughead Jones has been serving his country for 31 years now. As for his wife it's been 28 years. They have managed to grow their family and serve. Most people wouldn't have managed but they, they made it work.
The couple took tours as and when they came. They were still fit and passed the training to go on tour. However, they made time for their family. Their youngest is just 13. Reagan, a surprise for everyone at such a tragic time.
Betty Cooper loves and cherishes her children. Two grown fully moved out. One looking to hopefully start a family someday in the future. That future was now the present.
Captain Cooper Jones was on a hard tour. They personally requested for her. She knew the area, she knew local people. Yet it doesn't mean it ever got easier.
It was mail day. Betty was dancing around camp gathering everyone. "Fingers, smurf come on! Fangs hurry! We got post!" She was dancing as she loved reading what everyone at home has to say. Mail day was an emotional day for everyone.
Betty handed it out piece by piece. It came up to hers. It was a letter from Avery.
"No care package Cap?" Fingers asked.
Fingers was Avery's age. They were both simple but vastly different again. She couldn't help but see a part of Avery in him and take him under her wing more than the others.
"Nope, this is better than all your care packages. It's a letter from my daughter. So stick them where the sun don't shine." She teased.
All the boys in her unit gasped and laughed. "Dismissed guys. Go read your letters. You deserve it." Whilst Betty dismissed them she began opening the letter. She couldn't help herself. She ripped it open.
Pulling it out the paper smelled like Avery. Over the years they would spray their perfume on the letter for their parents. Both Betty and Jughead loved it. It allowed them to feel like their there with them.
Betty wanted to wait to read the letter but she needed to have the smell of her daughter with her. So that night she grabbed herself a coffee, sat on the state of crates and began reading.
-Dear Mum,
I miss you so much. It pains me that I can't tell you in person. When you see me I will be 7 months pregnant.
I'm pregnant mum.
Me and Enzo are so happy. It was on accident but we don't care. Veronica is so overjoyed. She's already driving me up the wall with designing the nursery. We gave in.
Is this what you felt like mum, with me? This overwhelming feeling of both joy and nerves. It's crazy I can feel this tiny being inside me.
If it's a boy, we're naming him Samuel after auntie Sam. I remember all the stories you told us about her and auntie Avery. I miss them. I know my little boy will be strong like them.
It It's a girl, we're naming her Lizzy after you mum. You're my biggest role model and inspiration. I want my little girl to be named after someone who is amazing. You are.
I've put a picture the sonogram and my baby bump in with it. Dad is so excited, he's helping Enz build a baby cot. Yet a part of me can't help but want to run for the hills. Does that make me a bad person or just human?
I think it makes me human. I'm just scared that's all. I can't wait to pick your brains when we're home.
Carson is doing amazing. He has just started at a new school. He's hoping this is the school he can finally settle in. Reagan is driving me insane. That's time be expected, she has a crush. So she keeps ringing me. It's so cute.
I love you mum. Come home safe, you'll get to meet your granddaughter or son.
Lots of love,
Avery x.-
The stars shined brightly as tears fell down her face. She looked in the envelope to see the pictures. Betty couldn't believe it, her little girl pregnant. She was officially old.
____
Back in New York:
Jughead and Reagan were surprising Avery with pram. They were so excited for this baby. Carson was working when they dropped it off. Veronica and Sweet pea had been working non stop on the nursery.
Now in a small apartment Avery Jones and Enzo Lodge has a fully stocked nursery waiting for the day their little baby finally arrives.
"You guys, you didn't have to." Avery hugged her family.
"We wanted too." Jughead smiled.
"I helped picked it out." Her sister showed her it.
"We love it, don't we Enzs."
"We sure do. Tomorrow we go for another scan. We'll call you with any updates." He promised.
"You better son." Veronica smiled. "Has Betty wrote back yet?"
"We sent the letter last week, so hopefully she has it." Avery explained.
"Betty will be so happy. She'll be in a rush to come home now. I miss my wife."
"You miss more than that." Sweet Pea playfully nudged him.
All the adults in the room laughed. Reagan looked at her father then at her sister. She mouthed does he mean sex. Avery just burst out laughing.
"I'll explain when I can drink again." She teased. "Anyway, I love having you around but work calls."
Avery kissed her family goodbye before heading to her night shift. All shift her thoughts were about this little human being inside her. She really hoped it was a boy. She always wanted a boy first then a little girl.
____
The appointment came around so fast. Avery laid on the bed looking at Enzo. The smiles on their face were so wide. The gel was freezing as wand was pressed against her stomach.
The nurse began taking measurements as she stopped. All of a sudden the nurse stopped, "if you excuse me I need a doctor." The nurse made them aware.
Avery knew that wasn't good. She was a doctor herself. She turned the monitor to herself.
"Please Miss Jones stop."
"I'm a doctor, He's gone isn't he? There's no heart beat." Avery looked at the nurse so blankly. She already new the answer.
"I'm so sorry for your loss. I'll give you a few minutes. When your ready leave, I'll speak to the doctor about inducing the labour."
The couple just nodded.
Enzo looked at his girlfriend. He face was blank of emotion. Pain slid down her face in a form of tear. All Avery needed was for this to be over and it just began.
One week was all it took. A week of pain being induced. Knowing all this physical and emotional pain was for nothing. She was holding her lifeless son in her arms. Samual died on the date of his birth. He was the smallest most beautiful baby Avery had ever seen.
The two only had five minutes with their son before it was all over. Only five minutes of being a parent. Five minutes of feeling a parents love for a child before it all over.
Avery Jones and Enzo Lodge felt broken inside. The two taking different approach to this grief they were faced with. Enzo wanting to face it head on where as Avery was avoiding the pain at all cost.
___
New York airport:
Captain Cooper-Lodge had landed back home. She was fully expecting her family to be there. They always were but this time they weren't. Only her husband with her youngest daughter.
Reagan ran up to her mother hugging her tightly. "My baby girl." She hugged her so tightly. "My gosh, stop growing."
The teenager laughed softly as Jughead came up behind them. He looked at her like he had death on his mind.
"Who died?" Betty joked, not realising that was the case.
"Betts, sit down." Jughead sighed softly.
"Just tell me Juggie." She was worried and had no idea what direction this was going in.
"Samuel."
Betty's face just dropped. "She..." Betty couldn't finished what she was saying. Jughead just nodded.
"Baby I need to get to her. She needs her mum." She told him.
"I know. Let's get you home."
Throughout the drive home Betty tried to contact her oldest daughter. Yet all she was getting was radio silence. That pained her as a mother. Her daughter was in need of some serious emotional support.
Arriving at her daughter's apartment she found it a complete mess. Enzo let them in hugging them tightly. "She won't speak to me. I'm going through this as well." He broke down in their arms.
"Why don't we take you to V's and I can try get through to Av?" Betty suggested.
"I need her back Betty."
"And I'll try." She kissed his head.
Jughead kissed his wife lovingly before he took Enzo out with Reagan. They were there for him and he was thankful. He needed it and his girlfriend wasn't giving him that support.
Meanwhile, Betty cleaned up the apartment before braving heading into the nursery. She had shown her pictures and couldn't wait to step in the room.
Betty saw her daughter wearing a completely blank expression. She was gripping a teddy bear she had bought him. It mimicked one she used to have. Tears ran down her face whilst she clutched the teddy.
"Honey?"
Avery didn't even move. Hearing her mother's voice made her sob harder. She needed to hug her but she was frozen in pain. Feeling her mother's embrace made her come back around.
"I'm here sweetie." Betty kissed her daughters raven locks.
"He was so tiny." She uttered.
"I bet he was so beautiful." Betty was trying to control her own emotions.
"The most beautiful little boy mum. So cold to the touch. I'm drowning here, I feel lost and alone."
"You're not alone honey. You have Enzo and most importantly you have your whole family." Avery just sat on her mother's lap.
She needed to be held whilst she cried. She hasn't cried since the day she held him. The two just sat in silence. Betty had no idea how to help her daughter but she hoped that this was helping somehow.
Two weeks passed and Betty was trying her hardest to help her daughter through it but nothing help her. It doesn't help that Betty never felt the pain her daughter going through. On one hand she is forever grateful for that but she wanted so desperately to take her daughters pain away.
Avery is exactly like her mother. Throwing herself into work when she doesn't know how to cope with her feelings. That's what she was doing. After the moment the mother and daughter had there's not been a single person able to get through to Avery.
At the hospital their were postings around looking for experienced doctors to go on tour to help the troops. Avery was eating her lunch as the poster starred her down. For the passed month she felt like she needed a massive life change. She needed to get away from New York. Escape the place that was holding so much pain in her heart. So that's exactly what she signed up for a massive life change.
Now it was time to find the perfect time to tell Enzo. In reality there's never the perfect time. Avery settled on telling him over a home cooked meal.
"Baby what's this for?" Enzo hugged her from behind.
They haven't had a date night in months. This for Enzo felt like they were finally trying to get back to normality after the grief.
"Well I have something to tell you." Avery prompted.
"Go on." He kissed her cheek.
"I'm going on a training course to help the military train more in field surgeons." She whispered like it was a secret.
"Seriously? You didn't come talk to me about this first??
It was in that moment they both emploded. It ended in tears and heart break.
"I need this Enzo! I need this to move on from the grief! I need to go to survive. If I stay I don't know if come back from this fucked up situation."
Enzo couldn't deal with this. He had been dealing with all of this on his own. He needed his girlfriend. All he could do was give the its him or the end
"If you go, we're over." Enzo cried. He had been keeping it in for far too long.
"No don't, I need this Enz!" She shouted.
"We can get through this together." He pleaded.
"No I'm dying here. Suffocating! I... We lost Sammy! I need this." She shouted.
"And I don't need you! I lost him too! Now I'm losing you."
Avery didn't know what to say. She had already made her mind up. She needed this and if that made her selfish so be it.
Enzo took that silence as his answer."Fine I guess were through." Tears just ran down his cheeks. Wrapped up so consumed by all this hurt. All the emotions hit him like a dump truck.
He stormed out the room. In that instinct he needed his mother. He needed to be somewhere he felt safe and he could just cry.
The door slammed shut Avery ran to their room. Packing her bag was the easiest thing she's done since the miscarriage. She was going to stay with Sam her close friend up until her deployment. She couldn't be in that house. All she sees is the ghost of her dead son. She couldn't be there. She feels the cold air in the nursery. She sees him when she closes her eyes. All this pain was too much for her to deal with. She needed to channel her energy on something that will make an impact to the world.
This decision wasn't an easy one to make. So as Betty and Jughead sat in front of their daughter, they just listened. They were scared for Avery. They have experienced the terror of the battle field first hand. They knew she could handle it but at the end of the day. She's their first born.
Could she really deal with the experiences they've faced first hand and all the pain and grief that came with it? On top of the pain she is already feeling?
Was Avery Jones truly ready for this next chapter of her life?
Some people make it. Some people don't. All that was in training. What will she be like out in the cross fire?
Is this truly what she wants?
The question that stands or is it just a distraction from the pain of losing her child? As a parent they will never know only Avery Jones knows.
We're here for that ride.
So buckle up and don't get caught in the cross fire.