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Steve stared at the circled square on the calendar for today’s date with a sinking feeling. The scribbled words were loud and clear.
Doctor’s appointment.
He hated the doctor’s office. The sharp smell of sanitizer, the white walls that made him feel claustrophobic…He wished for a way out of it. It helped that he couldn’t eat because of his blood draw; he doubted his stomach could handle anything.
“We leave in five,” Eddie called from the kitchen.
“Can’t we just cancel?” Steve asked. “The headaches aren’t that bad.”
“Steve, they aren’t headaches, they’re migraines,” Eddie said, coming to place a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “And you’ve been getting them almost weekly.”
“I’ve had them for years,” Steve grumbled.
“Not like this,” Eddie reminded him gently. “I know you hate needles, but what is it about the doctor’s office?”
The childhood memory flashed in Steve’s mind and he caught snippets: the nurse with a tray of seven immunizations for his check-up, the way he’d fit himself behind the vending machine to hide, his father’s grip on him to pull him back in to the exam room, the force in which his father held him down as the nurse jabbed Steve with needles. Steve remembered the way he’d cried continuously afterwards and his father’s hot slap across his cheek to stop your tears.
Steve swallowed down the sour taste in his mouth. He hadn’t described much of his childhood and he hadn't talked about the many doctor’s visits that ended with his parents arguing. They’d pick him up from the appointment and spend the car ride home nipping and digging at each other about what Steve’s results meant for sports and scholarships. Or worse, they’d be in a tight silence the whole way home, his father braking the car hard enough to make Steve carsick.
“Just, don’t really like them,” Steve responded lamely.
“Is there a way I can help?” Eddie asked softly.
“It’ll be okay,” Steve sighed and nodded at the clock. “We’ve got to go.”
Eddie tugged Steve’s sleeve. “We’ve got a few minutes for this, hang on.” Eddie paused. “Maybe something for the waiting room? You still playing Animal Crossing on your Switch?”
Steve met Eddie’s eyes. “Yeah, you’d bring yours?”
“Course, that way I can play while I wait,” Eddie responded. “Maybe I can show you my new garden before you head in."
“You’re staying? I thought you had errands or something.”
Eddie gave him a look. “Yeah, I’m staying. No way I’m leaving you in there all alone."
Steve felt his face flush and a smile play at his lips. The thought of Eddie in the waiting room, not beside him but in the same building, simply nearby, melted the tension between his shoulders.
“And I’ll grab some snacks for after. We still have extra from watching Holly last week.” He stroked Steve’s cheek before heading to the kitchen. “You like Teddy Grams?”
Steve felt comforted.
Maybe that’s what he needed all along.
Someone to stay.