Chapter Text
Eddie blinked awake, stretching his arms out. His whole body felt stiff — like he’d been run over, and his eyes felt like they’d been glued shut. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to get a hold of his bearings.
He looked around, dazed and confused. Where was he? How did he get here? What happened?
He was in an unfamiliar room: white walls and machines surrounded him. Eddie’s heart started pounding faster. This couldn’t be good.
There was a scent to the room, it smelled almost like alcohol, but more like turpentine. It was unpleasant and cold. There was a small glass window, but Eddie couldn’t see anything outside of it besides the foggy sky.
Shit, did Eddie get sent to some prison (always a possibility with how much the cops seemed to hate him) or some sort of medical experiment laboratory? Wayne used to talk about shit like that, but Eddie always thought it was just one of his government conspiracy theories. He had so many of those. Eddie had never believed him before but it seemed as likely as anything else now.
There was a chair close to him, with a preppy jacket laid over it. He wondered who brought a Varsity Jacket here. Was this some sort of fucked up psychological experiment?
Wait.
Eddie looked down. He was wearing a thin paper gown that did not leave much to mystery. His whole ass was sticking out, which explained why he was so cold.
Shit, he was in the hospital.
Eddie hadn’t ended up in the hospital in years. Not since he was a child and his dad had “accidentally” broken his arm. He hadn’t missed the time away from the hospital. Eddie had hated being there all alone, while the nurses shot him concerned looks but no one did anything. He couldn’t believe he ended up here again.
It probably shouldn’t have taken him so long to realize where he was, but Eddie wasn’t firing on all canisters right now. His head hurt, like he’d banged it against a wall. And he still hadn’t answered the question of how he’d even gotten here. His thoughts felt slow, like they were running through molasses just to reach his brain. He knew he just woke up but damn could he use a nap right now.
The machines next to him were beeping steadily. The noise was irritating and now that he’d noticed it, he couldn’t unhear the sound. There was no way he’d be able to sleep through that.
There were wires taped onto his body, too. Eddie knocked one off, curious to see what it did. Well, Eddie felt the same, so it probably wasn’t all that important. Eddie threw the other wires off, flinching as some ripped off his hair in the process. It hurt like a bitch.
Eddie wanted to get out of here.
He sat up, groaning at the sudden wave of pain resonating through his body. He felt like he was on fire. Fuck, was his whole stomach sliced open? What was going on? He wanted to sit back down, but he knew he might not get this momentum going again, so he pushed through the pain.
He was quickly garnering there was probably a reason he was in the hospital.
Eddie slid a leg off the bed, wincing at the pain from the simple twisting motion. He breathed deeply, trying to concentrate on the idea of standing. He hadn’t quite mastered sitting up yet, so this was bound to be a struggle.
Before he could even touch the ground, the door flew open, startling him by the loud sound it made hitting the wall.
A nurse ran in, brows furrowing in concern as she looked him over. Eddie felt guilty, like he’d been caught sneaking out by Wayne, even though he didn’t even know this woman. Plus, it wasn’t like he couldn’t leave! You were allowed to leave hospitals, it wasn’t like a jail.
“Sit down,” she said sharply. “Where are you trying to go?”
Eddie listened to her, lying back in bed obediently and his body melted back into the thin mattress. She looked rattled as she stared him down, her eyes quickly scanning his body. Eddie was unnerved, too.
She tucked him in firmly and brushed Eddie’s hair away from his forehead. It was a maternal gesture that he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Her name tag said Claudia Henderson on it. He didn’t know her, but something about her felt familiar. Maybe Eddie had seen her around town sometime. It wasn’t like Hawkins was that big. It wouldn’t have been unlikely.
She checked the machines, jotting things down on her clipboard, as she bustled around the room. She peered into his eyes using a flashlight and checked Eddie’s breathing in a practiced motion.
“Why am I here?” Eddie rasped out finally. He felt like he’d swallowed gravel. His cheeks felt puffy like he’d been holding cotton balls in his mouth, and he massaged his jaw to get rid of the sensation. Fuck, was there going to be any part of his body that didn’t hurt?
Claudia looked at him. “You don’t remember?”
Eddie shook his head. “No.”
“There was an earthquake,” Claudia said, “You got caught up in it. What’s the last thing you remember?”
Eddie frowned. He — he didn’t know.
He tried to think back, but it felt like the memories were evading him, just out of his grasp. He tried to focus but it didn’t make a difference. He felt like he’d been locked out of his own mind. This was by far the worst revelation of the morning. He would rather have another broken arm or any other physical ailment than feel alien to himself. Eddie felt unmoored and suddenly very alone.
“Eddie?” Claudia said, touching his arm gently, pulling his attention back to her.
“I don’t remember anything,” Eddie said, quietly.
Claudia’s eyes widened. “I’ll go get the doctor.”
She ran out of the room before Eddie could say anything in response, leaving him alone.
Eddie exhaled. He had a feeling he’d be here for a while.
Shit.
Well, it wasn’t like he knew if he had other plans, anyway.
Eddie tried to settle into the bed, even though he felt like he’d been injected with caffeine. Eddie’s leg was jittering against the metal bed frame, making something clang against it. He looked down and realized there was a pair of handcuffs attached to the rails of the bed.
What the fuck.
What sort of shady stuff did Eddie get himself involved in now?
Had he gone on a bender? Maybe the police had decided to lock him up pre-emptively? Eddie knew they had something against kids from "the wrong part of town". The handcuffs didn’t look anything like the faux magician ones Wayne had gotten him for his last Christmas.
His wave of paranoia was knocked out by a doctor entering the room, trailing behind the nurse from before. The doctor kept looking behind him, like he didn’t want to be there. Eddie always knew the state of healthcare in Hawkins was abysmal, but you’d think he’d at least try to pretend like he wanted to help Eddie.
“Hello Mr. Munson,” he said, nervously, “I’m Dr. Phillips.”
“Hi,” Eddie said.
“So, I hear you don’t remember how you got here?”
Eddie sighed. “Yup.”
He was already tired of repeating himself.
Claudia sat in the chair next to him. Eddie had to admit, he found her presence reassuring.
The doctor rattled off a series of questions robotically, occasionally glancing up from his clipboard. Once Eddie had listed off the laundry list of everything that hurt, the doctor moved onto more general questions.
“What year is it?” the doctor asked.
“1982,” Eddie replied. Shit, was this a trick question? It was 1982, right? Eddie hoped his lack of memory didn’t mean he’d somehow slept through the year.
Claudia’s eyes widened, sending a wave of nausea through Eddie’s body. He did not like the look on her face, at all.
“What’s your name?” Dr. Phillips asked, looking down at his clipboard.
“Eddie Munson.”
He hadn’t forgotten that much, thankfully. He was very sure of his name.
“How old are you?”
“16,” Eddie said, quirking an eyebrow up. Come on, that had to have been written down in his file. They were clearly going easy on him now. It was probably just standard procedure though.
“What did you do for your last birthday?”
“No fucking clue.”
It was probably the same as what he did for all his birthdays. He’d split a small cake with Wayne, and they’d marathon movies for the day. Truthfully, all his birthdays post-living with Wayne blended together. In a good way. Eddie hadn’t cried on his birthday in years.
The doctor frowned. “What’s the name of your high school club?”
“I don’t have a club?” Eddie said.
What kind of doctor was this? You’d think he was the one with brain damage, not Eddie. Eddie would protest, but it wasn’t like he had any room for control in this situation. Eddie shifted, feeling the handcuffs strain against his wrist. Fuck, that was unpleasant.
“Where were you two weeks ago?”
“I don’t know,” Eddie said, already a little sick of talking to him.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t call the police first?” the doctor whispered to Claudia, as though Eddie couldn’t hear him. He didn’t see why the police would be involved if he allegedly got his injuries from an earthquake. Why weren’t they telling him anything? Eddie needed answers.
“I’m sure,” she said firmly, “He’s our patient, remember? That’s what matters.”
The doctor frowned but didn’t say anything in response.
“It’s fine,” Claudia stressed, “We need to just do our jobs.”
“What’s the last grade you remember graduating from?” Dr. Phillips asked.
Eddie frowned, thinking hard, even though it hurt him to focus. “Fuck. 10th grade? What the fuck is wrong with me? What’s going on?”
He could vaguely remember getting his midterm report card back in 10th grade (he’d failed algebra). He remembered hanging out by himself at the park after school. He remembered when he started to deal, trying to make it easier for Wayne to keep the lights on.
But everything after was hazy. He didn’t have any recollection of the earthquake they’d mentioned, so clearly he’d been missing some time.
“Well, it seems like you’re experiencing some memory loss.”
“No shit!” Eddie said.
“You seem to be missing about four years,” he continued.
Eddie choked. “Four years?”
Claudia nodded sympathetically. “It’s going to be okay.”
“No! I can’t — four years? I’m supposed to be 20?” Eddie said, his voice trailing off. Shit.
He didn’t even remember graduating high school! Was he in college now? Working at the factory with Wayne? Slaving away in some dead-end job in Hawkins. He couldn’t have missed that much of his own life. He couldn’t be a stranger to his own life!
Dr. Phillips hummed. “I’d guess it's a form of retrograde amnesia.”
“You’d guess?” Eddie muttered. That didn’t sound very firm at all. Not that Eddie knew what it meant, but he wasn’t the one who went to medical school, okay!
Unless he had… Eddie scoffed at the idea. No way his grades were good enough for that. It would’ve been a minor miracle for him to get into college at all. Maybe Corroded Coffin blew up into fame? Who was Eddie kidding? It had been four years. There wasn’t a chance the band was still together. He could only hope they were still friends.
“Your ability to form memories seems intact,” Claudia said, trying to force some cheer into her voice, offering Eddie a silver lining. He hadn’t even realized that could be a concern.
“How do I get my memories back?” Eddie asked.
4 years was a lot of time. That was 4 years of dinner with Wayne, 4 years of playing the guitar, 4 years of D&D, 4 years of his freaking life. He wanted it back. He needed his memories back. He needed his life back.
How was he supposed to walk around unaware of everything that had happened recently? Eddie knew intimately just how fast things could change. His dad had gotten arrested over an evening back when he was 10 and Eddie’s life had tilted at the axis. He’d moved to Hawkins to be with Wayne within a week. Who knew what else was different now?
The doctor shrugged. “Memory research is difficult, Eddie. There is no way to know when your memory might come back. Or really, even if it will come back. You’ve experienced some brain trauma, clearly. There’s no easy fix for this.”
That was not what Eddie wanted to hear. He felt a pit form in his stomach at the idea of never getting his memories back. He couldn’t accept it. He’d just have to see another doctor. Someone who knew what he was talking about.
“This is useless. Can I go home?” Eddie asked, diverting his question to Claudia.
“Not yet, sweetie. You still have injuries healing up on your stomach, and we should do some tests to make sure there’s nothing else wrong.”
Eddie groaned. He wanted to get out of here.
The doctor left the room, which Eddie was relieved for. Eddie wasn’t the most perceptive person, but he could feel a wave of animosity coming off him.
“How are you feeling, kiddo?” Claudia asked.
“Like I’ve been dragged through hell,” Eddie said.
“I’m not surprised about that. You did survive an earthquake. You’ve been asleep for two weeks now. And your injuries aren’t helping matters either, but it is healing well. No infections!”
Well, that explained how groggy Eddie felt.
“Oh, right,” Eddie said, eyebrows scrunching up. He didn’t know they could even get earthquakes in Hawkins. He thought that was something people worried about in California, not Indiana. “Is — how bad was the earthquake?”
“It was bad,” Claudia said, “The hospital is packed with injuries. 23 people died, too.”
The words set a spike of fear through him.
“Uncle Wayne?” Eddie asked, jerking out of bed, “Is he okay? Do you know — can you see if he’s okay?”
“He’s fine,” Claudia reassured.
Eddie swallowed down a wave of panic.
“He’s not here.”
She shook her head. “Your uncle is volunteering with the relief effort right now. We’re trying to get him here. We didn’t know when you’d wake up, but he’s been here a lot. He’s going to hate that he missed this.”
“Oh.”
He didn’t blame him for not being here. But Eddie wished he was here. Eddie needed someone to tell him that everything would be okay.
“One of your, uh, friends is here, though,” Claudia said, trying to brighten his spirits, “Well, I’m not sure if friend is quite the right word, but he really cares about you.”
What was that about? If friend wasn’t the right word… Did he — did he maybe get a boyfriend? He felt stupid for entertaining the thought. But it was possible, right?
Eddie had always thought that when he got older, he’d move out of Hawkins, to somewhere safer. Somewhere he could be free and open. Maybe he’d found someone who loved him.
Eddie needed to know who it was desperately, all of a sudden. Needed to meet this mystery man. Well, re-meet. He wondered what he’d be like.
“A friend?”
“Can I send him in? He’s been very worried about you. Wouldn’t leave the hospital. We had to pry him away from your bed to make him take showers. He’s going to be so mad that he wasn’t here when you woke up — he was just getting some coffee from the cafeteria downstairs.”
He sounded really sweet. Devoted and caring and thoughtful.
Eddie nodded. “Sure. Does he know about my memory?”
Claudia shook her head. “No. But I can let him know.”
“Please,” Eddie said. He could barely understand what was going on. He knew he couldn’t explain it to someone else.
She nodded and walked outside briskly, leaving Eddie with his thoughts once again.
The initial adrenaline from waking up in a strange situation was wearing off. Eddie was getting tired, but he didn’t want to doze off until he got to see Uncle Wayne. He couldn’t miss him again.
Eddie waited, staring at the door for this mystery ‘friend’. He really didn’t have anything else to do but wait.
Finally, the door cracked open, and a man walked through it tentatively.
Eddie lost his breath at the sight of him. Okay, maybe he lost his breath because his ribs were hurting, but it was equally possible that it was because the man that had walked in was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.
He looked like just Eddie’s type. Strong and pretty — he looked like he spent too much time on his hair. His arms were defined and his shoulders were broad. Eddie wanted to sink his teeth in them.
The sudden wave of lust rushing over him felt a little inappropriate, considering he was in a hospital. But he couldn’t help it. Look at him! How was he even real?
He looked like a Calvin Klein model!
He had the prettiest moles on his cheek that Eddie couldn’t help wanting to kiss. He was smiling — he had the most beautiful smile Eddie had ever seen.
“Eddie!” he exclaimed, rushing towards him, “You’re awake.”
Eddie nodded, overcome as he stared at him, trying to piece together a memory. He remembered the feeling of being pressed up against him, pulling him up from a pit, holding a glass shard against his throat. Okay, that last one was kinkier than Eddie had thought he’d be into. But he didn’t judge future-Eddie for what he got up to in bed.
But the memories were revealing. Every tangential moment that flashed through his head, consisted of him lingering on Steve’s muscles and his eyes. It seemed more likely with every moment that he really was Eddie’s boyfriend.
“I am,” Eddie said, weakly, trying to smile, “Hi…”
He trailed off, realizing he didn’t even know his name. He couldn’t believe he didn’t even know the name of his boyfriend.
“You don’t remember me?” he said, looking at Eddie, his brows furrowed in concern. Eddie wanted to reach out and smooth the skin. But that was probably a weird thing to do.
“No,” Eddie said sadly. He couldn’t believe he’d forget someone so wonderful.
“My name is Steve.”
Eddie’s brows furrowed. “Steve. King Steve?”
He didn’t quite know where that flash of memory came from. He remembered basketball and… a sailor? He felt confused. There were too many images bouncing around his head with no context.
Steve grinned. “Yeah! You remembered? I’m not really King Steve anymore, but it’s a start! Do you remember, um, how you got here?”
He sat down in the chair next to Eddie, taking Eddie’s hand in his absentmindedly. He squeezed his hand. Eddie was surprised by how much he liked this — he’d never held someone’s hand before. Fuck, they probably did this all the time. They probably did more than this, too. They must kiss and fuck and go on dates. Eddie felt a sharp loss at missing out on all these things.
He wondered if it had hit Steve, too. That Eddie didn’t know anything about him, their relationship, the two of them together. He knew it wasn’t the biggest of his problems, but the idea of losing Steve before he’d even gotten him felt like a dagger to his heart.
He didn’t think Steve would break up with him now, but Eddie couldn’t blame him if he did. He couldn’t be the same man he fell in love with. Future Eddie was probably much cooler than Eddie was now. This wasn’t what he signed up for.
“I don’t remember much. My head hurts. I’m sorry.”
“Oh,” Steve said, “No, don’t be sorry. That’s okay. I’m just glad you’re alright. You are okay, right? The doctors wouldn’t tell me anything and Claudia was busy, so she didn’t say much either.”
Eddie squeezed his hand back.
“I’m okay,” Eddie confirmed.
“Good,” Steve said fiercely, “And don’t worry about your memory, okay. We’ll figure something out.”
“I’m a little worried,” Eddie said. “4 years is a long time. I don’t even remember you.”
Steve frowned. “Well, I’m not really —”
“But it’s okay. I still love you,” Eddie said. It was important to him that Steve knew that. They could salvage this!
Steve choked. “Oh!”
Eddie watched in concern as he coughed. “Steve? Do you need some water?”
“No, I’m good,” Steve said, his voice hoarse.
“You sure?”
Steve nodded fiercely. Shit, maybe they hadn’t said ‘I love you’ yet. Eddie didn’t know why he wouldn’t have. He felt so sure that he did love Steve though. It felt like a universal truth — something that Eddie just knew intrinsically, down to the very atoms in his body. He loved Steve.
Eddie had always been a coward. He’d probably been waiting for Steve to say it first before reciprocating.
No matter. Future Eddie could thank him for taking this leap of faith.
Steve looked a little lost which Eddie couldn’t blame him for. Eddie’s memory loss must have been a big shock. But he didn’t seem upset, which Eddie was relieved by. He didn’t really have the capacity to handle anyone else’s emotions right now.
The door swung open once more, interrupting the awkward silence which had fallen upon them.
Eddie lit up when his eyes drifted to the entrance. Wayne was here! He looked different than Eddie remembered: more grays in his hair, more wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, exhaustion dragging his shoulders down. But his smile was just as Eddie remembered.
“Eddie!” Wayne exclaimed. “You’re awake!”
He grinned, wide and eager. “I’ve been awake, old man. What took you so long?”
“Brat,” Wayne muttered, “I was on the other side of town. Came as soon as I got the call.”
Wayne came closer to the bed, leaning down to hug Eddie. The contact irritated his sore ribs, but Eddie didn’t mind. He wasn’t going to pull away.
Eddie leaned into the hug, throwing his arms around Wayne’s shoulders as his eyes fluttered shut. The collar of Wayne’s shirt was stained, and he might have looked older than Eddie remembered, but he was just the same.
He teared up, glad that the tears would go unseen, pressed up as he was against Wayne.
“You’re okay,” Wayne mumbled again. He was trembling. Or maybe Eddie was the one who was shaking, he couldn’t tell.
Eddie nodded. “I’m perfectly okay.”
“Well actually,” Steve said, “Eddie’s —”
“What’s wrong?” Wayne asked, pulling away, abruptly and turning to Steve. What a snitch.
“It’s nothing!” Eddie said, shooting Steve a look. He just tilted his head, angling his body to Wayne. They probably knew each other too, now.
Wayne narrowed his eyes. “Edward Munson, what is wrong?”
“Eddie isn’t short for anything,” he said, lying as if uncle Wyne wouldn’t know, “I, uh, might be missing four years worth of memories.”
“Christ,” Wayne said, swaying forward, “Well, that’s something. Christ, Eddie, you always seem to get yourself into trouble.”
Eddie didn’t see how he could be responsible for an earthquake. It wasn’t like he’d put himself into danger! Well, he still hadn’t gotten the full story behind his injuries, but he couldn’t imagine another explanation.
“Sit down,” Steve said, bringing him over to the chair by Eddie’s bed. He picked up the jacket — it must have been his. Wow, was Eddie dating a freaking jock? That was crazy!
“I’ll be fine,” Eddie said, “I’ll get the memories back. Probably.”
“Probably,” Wayne repeated.
“We’ll figure something out,” Steve muttered to Wayne, “Don’t worry.”
Eddie didn’t quite see what Steve could do, but he appreciated the show of support, just the same.
He hadn’t even realized just how off kilter he’d been until Uncle Wayne walked inside. His heart had slowed down. Everything was going to be okay. Now that he was here, everything really was going to be okay. Uncle Wayne always fixed things.
“You’ve got some more visitors,” Wayne said, gesturing to the door.
Eddie’s brows skyrocketed as he took in the train of people walking through his door. Eddie didn’t even know this many people.
A girl with a steely glint in her eye led the pack, with a gaggle of children following her behind. One of them was wearing this sick shirt with a demon head on it. A kid with curly hair kept tossing tearful glances at Eddie, but he didn’t know what he was supposed to do about that. The group was rounded off by another brunette who tossed a grin over to Steve.
Eddie felt a little overwhelmed as he took in all the new faces. They crowded the bed. Eddie’s gaze swept the room. He didn’t know who to focus on. Who was important to him? The girl at the end of the group went to stand by Steve, leaning into his side.
“Eddie, how are you feeling? You’re okay?” she asked.
Eddie nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I think.”
“I gotta say I really thought we lost you there,” she continued, “It was pretty harrowing. So much blood and then the doctors kept saying ‘they didn’t want us to get our hopes up’. But you’re alive! Yay!”
Eddie’s eyes widened. He hadn’t realized he’d been that injured.
“Robin, you’re freaking him out,” Steve hissed.
The girl — Robin — shot him a chagrined look. “Sorry! I talk a lot when I’m nervous.”
“We’re all glad you’re awake,” the other girl said.
“You missed so much,” one of the kids said earnestly. They were all blending together in his head already. He could feel a headache starting already. It was really weird speaking to them without knowing who they were to Eddie.
Another one of the kids piped up. “You were so brave.”
What?
Gareth and Jeff ran into the room, diverting Eddie’s attention away from the horde of children.
Oh, thank god. People he knew. Eddie had been friends with them both since he was in 8th grade, and they were in 6th grade. It was reassuring to know they were still friends. He relaxed into the bed.
Eddie shot them a weak grin, taking in how different they looked. Their faces were wan, but they bounced towards Eddie immediately, pushing past the kids.
“Man, we’re never letting you out of our sight again,” Jeff said.
Gareth nodded firmly. “You get into way too much trouble when you’re without us.”
Eddie gingerly swung his hand at Gareth, batting him on the arm. “Like you haven’t gotten us into trouble plenty of times. I still remember what you did in summer camp. Your mom never got over it.”
“Not trouble like this,” Gareth hissed.
Eddie wasn’t sure that could be possible. He’d been grounded for two weeks because of Gareth.
“Why are there children here?” Eddie asked Steve, leaning in, so he could whisper. He eyed the preteens with mistrust. Did Eddie get a job babysitting? He didn’t imagine the parents of Hawkins would ever trust him with their offspring.
Steve laughed. “They’re your friends.”
“I thought I’m supposed to be 20,” Eddie said.
“Well yes. You met them last September in school.”
“Wait? I’m still in high school?” Eddie said.
Steve’s eyes widened. “Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll fill you in on everything later.”
Eddie nodded. He was getting groggy but more than that, he wanted some space to come to terms with everything.
“Okay,” Steve said, “Thanks for coming, but everybody out.”
“But Steve —” the curly haired kid said.
“No protests. Eddie needs to sleep.”
He watched as Steve herded everyone but Uncle Wayne out of the room. Some left a lot easier than others. The one with the longish brown hair had to be dragged out of the room. He’d have to learn a whole lot of names later.
He’d get through this. Hopefully. It certainly seemed like there were plenty of people around to try to help him through it.