If I Could Tell You- Reddie

22: Goodbye

Richie was packing up his stuff, getting ready to go home for the summer. He had just placed the last of his clothes in his suitcase, closing it up, and placing it by the door. 

"Woah your ready early, got somewhere to be?" Jay laughed, Richie was never ready early or on time for that matter. 

"Actually, yes. Eddies watching the twins while I go visit Hailey for the last time until I save up enough money to buy a car and drive my ass out here." Richie was doing his last sweep of the room before he left. . . forever. 

"Couldn't you just get her parents to drive you when they visit her up here?" 

"I could ask, but it's most likely a no since they still believe it was my fault that she was in a car crash. They also think I knocked her up to so... "

"Well that sucks, guess this is goodbye then, I won't see you next year." Jay pulled Richie into a hug, slapping his back in the process. 

"Bye man, maybe I will see you in the future, although don't take this the wrong way but I really don't want you to be my lawyer."

"Don't worry dude, I highly dought you'll ever need a lawyer, I mean unless you're framed." A heavy sigh came from Richie. 

"Goodbye. I've really enjoyed the past four years with you." Richie gave a slight smile.

"Same here, good luck in college," Jay called out, and with that, the door was shut, Richie had his bag in one hand and his dorm key in the other.

After he dropped the key off in the office he began the 10-minute walk to the hospital. This time felt longer. He looked at all the things he would only pass one more tie on the way back. He aw the diner he took Eddie on their first date, that went terribly wrong, the trail to the lake where he and Eddie got lost. God, all the memories he had made over four years were all coming back to him. Every crack in the sidewalk or piece of gum stuck to the ground had some story behind it, and Richie was going to leave that all behind.

Before he knew it, Richie was standing in front of the hospital. Sirens were blaring, people being rushed in and out. Tears began to slip from the corner of his eyes as the flashes of that fateful day came back. Snipe filled his mind, images of Hailey being carried on a stretcher along with the twins were enough to make Richie want to run back to his dorm, but he had to see Hailey, after all this could be the last time he ever saw her. 

Richie found himself alone in Hailey's room with the door shut.  The cool room stung his skin, leaving bumps all over his body.

"Hi Hailey," Richie sat in the chair closest to her, grabbing her hand lightly, "It's been two years, I miss you, I miss the smell of your strawberry shampoo, I miss your eyes, hell I miss everything about you. I just want you to wake up. I want you to be able to see your kids grow up. Luca has started to talk in somewhat of a sentence, Charlie isn't far behind either. They're as smart as you. God this is the last time I'm going to see you." He went silent, just sitting in the room, closing his eyes while resting his head on the edge of her hospital bed. "I was thinking about it the other day, realizing that if you were awake I'd be showing you the ring I am going to propose with, you'd be telling me that it was a beautiful ring and laughing about how it took me so long to do it. Oh, Hailey please wake upI need you." Soft cries escaped Richie as he lies in silence.

"Richie?" A raspy voice was heard, "Richie is that you?" 

"Hailey?!?" Richie looked up to see the blue eyes that he had hoped to see every other time he came to visit. "You-Your awake!." He ran into the halls screaming for a nurse. "SHE'S AWAKE!" He called out until he could no longer scream, nurses and doctors came rushing into the room surrounding her with questions and lights. 

Moments later her parents came rushing in, kicking Richie out of the room but this time her parents couldn't kill his mood as they usually did. This time, nothing could kill his vibe. 

Richie rushed to Eddie faster than the speed of lighting. "She's awake," Richie said out of breath, "She's awake." Eddie was stunned, he would never tell Richie this but he wasn't sure if Hailey would ever wake up "This is amazing, I'll go get the twins" 

"Wait before you do that," Richie pulled a small box out of his pocket, He got down "Eddie Kaspbrak, will you marry me." Richie had a cheesy grin on his face, along with his stupid glasses since his last pair of contacts broke but that's what Eddie loved about him.

"YES!" Eddie squealed, leaping into Richie. "Okay now I'll go get the twins," Eddie ran to the back room, grabbing the twins while Richie grabbed his and Eddies' belonging. 

They took a car to the hospital, rushing in with the twins, "Hailey Hailey, "Richie called out, "Eddie has the twins." Her face lit up, "Charlie, Luca!" She held her children for the first time in 2 and a half years 

"Mommy," Charlie squealed in her little pink dress, her curls bounced in the back of her. Luca followed closely behind his sister. 

"Well, now that their mother is awake it's only customary that the twins come with us, right Roland?" Hailey's mother questions her husband.

"Oh um Yes, I'll take their stuff." He walked over to Richie. 

"Actually, I haven't signed the paperwork yet because of well obvious reasons but Richie and Eddie will be adopting the twins, I mean if that's okay with you guys." Haileys looked at Eddie and Richie. 

"That's more than okay," Richie responded.

"But but a child should be with its mother." Debbie babbled. 

"Oh don't worry mother, I'm moving to where ever they go, I'm not leaving the twins, I'm leaving you too."

"This is absurd," Debbie and Ronald stormed out of the room. 

Richie smiled, sure their life wasn't perfect but it was their life. He had the love of his love, whom he was going to marry, his best friend's kids, and his best friend who he thought he would never be able to see again. Finally, life was going good and Richie was going to do everything in his power to keep it that way.

Hi, yes this is the last chapter. I have two reasons for ending the book. A: if I didn't end it now I don't know if I would ever be able to and B: I had no clue where I was taking the book and I was running out of ideas. Maybe one day I'll write a sequel (The maybe will most likely be a yes but it might be a little bit since I have like no idea what adults do.) Anyways thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the book, and if you ever have an idea for the sequel feel free to pm me! Goodbye for now,

- Gay_Narwhal