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Eddie remembered vague things after sinking under the tides of his consciousness. His waterlogged clothes, the sting of his cheek from the stab wound, and the vulnerable feeling that twisted his stomach as they watched him expectantly for his brief word of encouragement in that murky cavern.
“I fucked your mom” he stated, and like that they charged off not long after. As he was now alone and fighting for each breath, he heaves a pained sigh. He realized those would possibly his last words. In a way, it felt right but there was more he needed to tell Richie. He wouldn’t, no, couldn’t leave him. His heart ached, or was he having a heart attack? At this point, he could fucking care less. Finally, as the noises of them fighting It were growing more distant and the colors around him grew blurry like the blending of dark colored acrylics, his body gave out against his better interest.
Then, there’s a shudder for breath and his eyes snap wide open, blinking furiously. His gasps grow more panicked as he only sees white and his hands scrabble for an inhaler. Does he need an inhaler in heaven? Does heaven even exist? He tries to move his body but feels a firm hand hold his and, as if he were underwater, he hears some voice warbled and distant. Someone gently strokes his arm and the familiar shape of an inhaler is held out to his face. He accepts it and gives an abrupt cough as things come back to focus in his present situation.
“-there we go. Just take it easy, ok?” A familiar voice responds. Its gentle but had grown rough from the tides of time. The voice of Mike, he was sure of.
Another thought that occurs to Eddie is that he’s staring at the ceiling. So he cranes his head to see his friends sitting around him. Beverly holding his hand, Mike and Ben hovering right behind her with Richie sitting close on the other side, inhaler still in his grasp. They all stare carefully back at him in hanging suspense just as they did when he was dying, and that same disgusting sensation of vulnerability coiled tighter into itself. Nausea almost made his throat close up but he pushed back at it.
“Did you fuckers kill the clown?” His voice comes out in a rasp and he watches their expressions melt into warm smiles that the dumbass they knew was truly still alive.
“Deader than dead.” Ben answers back with a grin.
“The whole place caved in on It. Its not coming back in the slightest.” Mike nods sagely.
“If it wasn’t for Richie you would’ve been buried with that monster too.” Ben adds, ignoring the sharp look Richie gives him.
“You carried me out?” Eddie asks, swiveling his head back to Richie. He watches the man fidget in his chair and cross his arms.
“Sure did, but that’s besides the point. How do you feel?”
Eddie blinks in surprise and looks down at himself for the first time. He notes the white linens and the mass of bandages around his chest as well as the brace pressing against his sides and back. He inhales deep and slow as he flexes his jaw and yes, the bandage over his cheek is replaced with a cleaner one.
“Like shit.” He finally spits. “Ironic for the one person who pays the most attention to their health.”
“That’s what you get for being a little bitch.” Richie replies back with a smirk and Eddie retaliates with his usual banter as the others laugh.
The laughter quietens as a Doctor strides in.
“Mr. Kaspbrak?” She says, adjusting her papers. He gulps as his heart sinks to the floor. Every possible diagnosis ran through his head like a grocery list.
“Uh, yes?” He answers meekly.
“It’s good to see your awake, and lucid. Between the spinal fracture and the stomach wound, we were not sure how you would make it. Do you feel any pain?”
He nods slow and tries to adjust but stops. Spinal fracture?
“A little bit. How long will I be here?”
“Two to three months.”
Eddie visibly deflates.
“I would suggest that you contact any loved ones about your situation as well as your employer about time to take off. The healing process will be a bit longer considering the condition you came in but we do provide excellent care for these kind of accidents.”
Accidents?
“…. Thank you…” Eddie mutters and while the doctor checks the iv bag hanging by his side Eddie mouths ‘Accidents?’ at his friends. The others look away rather unhelpfully and Bill gives an awkward cough. The instant the doctors absent Eddie presses more harshly.
“What did you tell her?”
“W-w-we said thhh-thhhere was a car accident.” Bill speaks up.
“It’s not like we could tell the truth.” Mike adds.
Right… Right. Eddie reaches a hand up to run over the cheek wound and throws his head back up at the ceiling.
“I’m assuming you dickheads aren’t going to stick around much longer.” He starts slowly, looking back to them. Each give their shrug or nod in response, all except Richie that is. Eddie already dreaded laying by himself in bed all day watching reruns of Friends on the shitty tv mounted on the wall facing him. “Figures. Just make sure to visit so that I don’t go insane and murder the staff.”
“Calm your tits Ed, I’ll stick around a bit.” Richie finally says.
Oh…
Eddie huffs and then sucks in a sharp as a firm pinch of pain along his back twinges.
Bens face falls. “You alright there?”
“No.” He mumbles honestly. “I think the painkillers wearing off.”
"Then we'll take that as our signal to leave so you can get more rest, alright?" Mike says and looks pointedly as the others. They nod back in agreement and all leave with their respective goodbyes. Just as Richie is the last to slowly make his way out of the room, Eddie calls for him with a small "hey."
"What?"
"You said you are going to be staying here longer with me?" As the words left his mouth he wanted to make a face at how stupid he sounded.
"Yeah, whats your point?"
“Shouldn’t you get back to your comedy tour or some crap?” He asks. Richie rubbed the back of his neck and rocked back on his heels.
“Eh, it can wait… I’ve got some ideas for new material I want to work on anyways.” Richie gives a noncommittal shrug but searches Eddies face for any sign of rejection.
Eddie nods and sighs. “Alright, but I’m going to bore you into leaving.”
“Is that a challenge?” Richie smirks back. “Because I gladly accept the feat.”
They both laugh until it dies down slow and there's just that quiet space resting between the two. For a moment they hold eye contact and the odd warmth flushes Eddies face.
"Well alright then. just tell the doctor that I need some more pain killers in me, my insides are already in agony."
Richie gives a mock salute. "Will do, captain Numb Nuts."
Eddie shakes his head and lays back to focus on sleeping but instead lists off his worries in the empty room until the monotony lulls him finally to sleep.