#riverdale bettycooper jugheadjones archieandrews cherylblossom veronicalodge blossommemorialhospital

[bugheadbughead]

blossom memorial hospital

disclaimer: this is an au where veronica never came to riverdale, jason never got murdered, and jughead, after archie didn’t go through with the road trip, grew apart from the group and eventually went to southside high

also im pretty sure that someone used the name blossom memorial hospital in a fit so lmk if thats u! this is my first fanfic so i hope y'all don’t hate it 

chapter one

Betty Cooper sat down in the uncomfortable plastic chairs that the hospital provided in the break room. Today, a premature baby had unexpectedly developed pneumonia. That, and her gossiping best friend Kevin, had kept her occupied all morning. For there was a new resident at Blossom Memorial Hospital: the sleek, sophisticated Veronica Lodge.

Apparently, the New Yorker had done her first year residency at the New York Hospital, just like the resident curmudgeon of the team, Dr. Jones. Then, after realizing that she would be “more fulfilled” in Riverdale than in a big city, she transferred her residency from one of the most prestigious hospitals in the United States to this small town clinic.

Little did she know, her new mentor would be Cheryl Blossom. Though Betty and Cheryl were technically related, the blonde couldn’t help but shudder at the neurosurgeon’s biting critiques and sarcastic comments, reserved not only for the interns, but coworkers as well. No one (except maybe Josie) was spared.

“Oh my God HI!”

A squeal suddenly snapped Betty out of her reverie. The infamous Veronica Lodge was expectantly holding out her hand. Oh, how she wished Kevin was here to save her.

“Nice to meet you! It’s Veronica. Veronica Lodge. Are you Betty Cooper? I’ve heard so much about you here already!”

“I hope not all bad,” Betty joked. She hoped that her nervousness wasn't’ showing too badly; among Kevin’s other juicy tidbits of gossip, she heard that Veronica’s father, Hiram Lodge, was a billionaire. 

“Nonsense! From what I’ve heard, you’re the sweetest and most competent doctor here.” As an embarrassed, but proud Betty blushed, the pearl clad woman pulled up a chair to the otherwise empty table.

“So! What’s all of the hot gossip here? Tell me everything! After all, from my first impressions of all the other women here, I think that we’ll be the best of friends,” Veronica continued.

Betty stuttered, and started to say something along the lines of “I’m definitely not the person to ask about gossip,” when suddenly, the intercom system crackled to life.

“Betty Cooper, you’re needed in room 305. Two weeks premature with respiratory distress syndrome.”

With an apologetic glance to the curious brunette, Betty became Dr. Cooper and ran off to the elevator.

“I got a pocketful of, pocketful of sunshine,” the familiar ringtone blared. Betty paced around her apartment, debating whether to answer her phone. The smiling Alice Cooper (nothing but a cover, of course) filling the screen beckoned her to press the green button. Finally, she succumbed to the guilt of not answering her own mother’s phone call.

 “Hello Elizabeth. Anything new today babysitting infants?” Betty bit her lip at Alice’s subtly condescending words. Ever since she had passed up a scholarship to NYU for journalism, her mother never missed an opportunity to remind her of a lost career path.

 Betty’s nails drugs into the fading crescents of her palms. “It was fulfilling, as per usual, mother. Someone new came though.”

 “Really?” Alice asked. “And who might that be?” Her sickly sweet voice betrayed her skepticism of Betty’s announcement; after all, it was a rarity for anyone to move to Riverdale, and if they did? Everyone would know about it within the hour.

“Her name is Veronica Lodge.” She was going to find out anyways, right? Betty thought.

 “Oh no! She’s the daughter of Hiram Lodge, and he was on trial for fraud and embezzlement. We can’t have you being friends with the daughter of a criminal, now can we?”

 Her fingernails pressed deeper into the now scarlet red, bloody cuts on her hands. “Mother, I make my own decisions, including what I do and who my friends are!” She pressed the red button to effectively end one of the more tiresome conversations with her mother. That phone call was a new record, Betty thought as she checked her phone. Thirty one whole seconds.

 One of the reasons that she got an apartment in the first place was to be away from the condescending matriarch that is Alice Cooper, but apparently, not even five miles could sever the ties that the 29-year-old still had to her childhood home, and consequently, her mother.

 Well, she thought. Tomorrow is another day. One that I’ll get to see Archie. And with a smile, the blonde promptly fell asleep.

As soon as Betty got to work, she heard that trusty intercom blaring across the empty halls of the hospital.

“Staff meeting. Be in room 121 in twenty minutes.”

Betty could barely conceal her excitement. The cause, as was typical for every Tuesday, was the staff meeting that she would inevitably see Archie Andrews at. In her opinion, he was the perfect guy; sweet, kind, and caring to the children he operates on, steady hands, smart, and god-like in his looks to match. Yes, he had some grey hairs in his beautiful auburn locks, but what doctor here didn’t? (Except for Cheryl Blossom; everyone suspects that she dyes her bright red hair to keep it so fluorescent.)

It helped that all throughout high school, they both fit perfectly into the cheerleader and captain of the football team narrative. Yes, she had her fair share of boyfriends in Maryland where she went to Johns Hopkins med school, but they never stayed longer than a month. One could call it an illogical childhood crush (for that’s what it was), but Betty never could get over the titian-haired football player. It was just her luck that they found each other in Riverdale once again.

As she settled into a plastic chair on the first row of many, the most lovesick of them all patiently waited for Dr. Andrews to make an appearance. As the door started opening, her excitement increased exponentially, but to her chagrin, it was only Veronica. As she tried to not let her disappointment show though on her face, the brunette slipped into the seat next to her.

“So, have you always lived in Riverdale?” Veronica delicately tore off a piece of her donut, powdered sugar falling like snow on her black skirt.

“Yeah, ever since I was four. I went to Boston for college and med school, but I couldn’t bring myself to stay there. Not when I knew that my true calling was right here.” As Betty continued talking about her love for this town, she didn’t even noticed Veronica’s not-so-subtle head turn and subsequent jaw drop. Archie Andrews had walked in. And of course, his eyes immediately landed on the raven-haired princess.

“Hey, are you new here?” Archie’s voice had an easygoing, sweet cadence, and as soon as he started speaking to someone, they knew that they were in good hands. Perhaps his voice is what made him so amazing with the kids he performs surgery on; it could calm you even if you were jumping off a helicopter.

“Yep.” She popped the P with her powdered sugar covered, yet still enticing, red lips. “Did you know,” she said, suddenly standing up, “that I’ve tasted every flavor but orange?” And with a stroke to his titian locks, she strutted off the coffee machine. Archie, with a single look back to Betty, quickly followed, whispering something in Veronica’s ear.

 By now, Betty was gaping, mouth and eyes wide open, at this spectacle. Archie barely ever talked to her, and they had been best friends from age four to eighteen! And now he was going to waltz in, and start flirting with her newest “friend”? As the buzz of their conversation (which she had tried her best to block out) plagued her ears, she took to her typical approach. She dug her nails into the soft skin of her palms. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, Betty counted, five, four, three, two, one. She tried her best to calm her mind, but all she could think about was what Archie whispered to Veronica.

 Why was I so foolish? she asked herself. Did I think that we would ride off into the sunset together as soon as the word “hi” came out of my mouth? Of course Veronica is always going to get the guy. Why did I ever think it was possible for me?

 Yes, technically Veronica never knew of my undying love for Archie, but at a staff meeting? At 7:56 in the morning?

 People finally began to filter in, relieving Betty of the awkward tension in her shoulders at Veronica leaving her side to sit next to Archie. But of course, the first person walking in the door had to be Cheryl Blossom.

 “Awww, did your so called “best friend” leave after finding the delicious boy toy that is Archie Andrews? Oh well. I don’t blame her.” The redhead talked down to Betty, almost like her mother in the obvious condescension of her tone.

 Flipping her long scarlet hair, she walked away to her normal seat, hips swaying as if she was modeling on a catwalk. Why did she wear bright red acrylic nails if she was going to be operating with a tiny scalpel all day? And those six inch heels? Her patients are under anesthesia, it’s not like they’re going to compliment her on her shoes of choice mid-surgery.

 And of course, because her day was amazing already, Dr. Jones walked in. No one knew his first name, but he had a mysterious aura surrounding his every action that everyone, even lifers, struggled to understand at the hospital. He was the most quiet out of any of them, the only person even coming close being Phyllis, a secretary. The surprising thing was that when she looked into his icy blue eyes, all she saw were layers of sadness, anger, and pain. If she was being honest, he almost scared her, with his brooding disposition and evidently somber way of life. But he didn’t scare her for the sake of self preservation. Rather, Betty Cooper was scared because he was the epitome of all that she was, but didn’t dare to show. Every moment not spent with him reminded her that she could keep up the facade of perfection surrounding her life. But when she looked into his eyes? The darkness threatened to come out.

 Dr. Jones did his familiar slump-walk hybrid all the way over to the chair next to her. “Taken?” he muttered.

 “Of course not,” Betty replied. This was going to be a long staff meeting.

#riverdale bettycooper jugheadjones archieandrews cherylblossom veronicalodge blossommemorialhospital