Hell & Back

Chapter Twenty Four

Chrissy was sitting in the backseat of Steve's car with Eddie's limp body beside her. His head was in her lap, she was pushing hair out of his face while trying to keep it together. He looked like he was sleeping, countless times she woke up during the first week they spent together and watched him sleep, brushing hair out of his face. No matter how hard they tried they could not wake him up, finally they had no choice but to take him to a doctor.

When Eleven came out of his mind she was screaming and crying that something had happened and they had to go now. The group split into two cars, Steve's and Argyles, and sped down the road to the Creel House. Without waiting they all raced inside to find Eddie laying on the ground motionless, the headphones were still on but the tape had stopped playing. Chrissy and Steve both shook and called to him but there was no response. Nancy got down and check to make sure he was even alive

"What did you do?" Chrissy said angry at Eleven. "N...Nothing! He stepped in front of me and the bat... the bat hit him!" She said tears coming down. "It's not her fault Chrissy." Nancy said putting a hand on her arm. "Your right, it's all of ours. If he dies it's on all of us." Chrissy said turning back to the body laying on the floor. She took his hand and held tights, the rings pressing into her fingers, even as Steve and Johnathan carried him to the car she kept hold.

"Chrissy..." Steve's voice broke through her thoughts. "We're here." He said, she looked out the window at the hospital building. "Your gonna be fine. I promise." She said looking back down at him with a smile. A car pulled up behind them and than the back door opened. Johnathan and Steve carefully got him out of the car, Chrissy had to let go of him while they did but as soon as she got out she raced over and took his hand once again walking beside them. Nancy came and took her free hand.

"Argyle is taking everyone else home." Nancy said, someone must have asked about the others, maybe she did. As they walked into the building a nurse passed "Help! Our friend is hurt! He won't wake up! Please." Everyone was staring loudly. Before long they had him on a stretcher and were wheeling him away. "You kids have to wait here." The nurse said "Waiting room is around the corner." "No, I want to go with him." Chrissy said fear and anger taking over her usual shyness. "You have done all you can do, now let us try." The nurse said and turned away. Chrissy wanted to follow her but Nancy wrapped her arm around her and let her to the waiting room.

Eddie opened his eyes to see that everything around him was black. His body ached and he couldn't remember where he was. Than it hit him, he took a hit from one of those damn bats so Eleven could close the door in his head. Did he get pulled back through? Is this the Upside Down? No this looks different.

He looked around but no matter which way he turned it was blackness. He picked a way and started walking, there was no sound not even his footsteps made sounds. "Okay, okay. You were in a memory and got hit and now your trapped somewhere." Eddie said to himself silently hoping for a response. He finally saw the smallest hint of a light coming from up ahead. He started running towards it. 

It looked like a door. He could hear voices from the other side. He couldn't help but smile as he opened the door. The door led into a room he knew well enough, it was his bedroom at his uncles. The bed was bare and no posters on the walls, he  looked around confused but than he heard voices coming from outside the door. He stood their expecting it to be people looking to buy the trailer or someone just coming to find his 'Satanic Lair'. 

The door opened up and his younger self walked in, his hair was short and he wore brown shorts and a blue stripped button down shirt. His uncle followed behind him. "Eddie, you can't keep messing up in school." His uncle said. Younger Eddie sat on the bed, his feet hung off and he couldn't reach the floor yet "They hate me." He said looking down at the ground. His uncle came over and knelt down beside him "They don't understand you." He said placing a hand on his knee "I got something for you. It's not much and kinda beat up but maybe we could fix her right up." He said standing up and walking into the closet. He came out holding a beat up Flying V guitar. "For me? But..but I don't know how to play." Eddie said sadly. "As you said kid, they all hate you so you'll have time to learn." His uncle handed it to him and walked out of the room. 

It hit him all of a sudden that he hadn't seen his uncle since the day before everything happened. "Hey, remember I won't be home before you leave tomorrow night." He said as his uncle headed out the door. "Remember to take your key than. And try to stay out of trouble." His uncle said to him before closing the door. The next morning when he got into his van the key was sitting on the seat. He laughed to himself and finally put it on his key ring. 

He should have said thank you, I love you, I'm sorry, but he didn't. He went to follow the man out of the door, he wasn't sure if he would be able to interact with him but he just wanted to see him a few minutes longer. When he opened the door only a light shown through, before walking through it he turned back to look at his younger self "Take care of him." Eddie said to himself and stepped through.

The nurse came out after hours of waiting and Chrissy instantly became alert. "Your friend received a severe hit on his head causing a bleed. The blood is building pressure causing him not to be able to wake up. We are going to have to drain the blood to ease the pressure and than find where the bleed is coming from to stop it. He also may need a blood transfusion." She said looking at each one of them. "You all may want to get tested to see if your matches, it will be quicker than waiting on a blood bank." 

"We all will." Johnathan said and everyone just nodded. Chrissy knew that she was crying. Brain surgery, he had to have brain surgery. Breath, she kept telling herself. Nancy was trying to comfort her but nothing she could do was going to help. 

Three hours later they had all gotten their blood tested and Eddie was being taken back to have some pressure released. The nurse came out and Chrissy walked over to her, being the only one who couldn't sleep. "Christine Cunningham and Johnathan Byers are both the same blood time." She said and Chrissy's heart lifted there was something she could do "Im Christine, I'll do it." She said confidently. The woman looked at her questionably "Unfortunately given your condition, you are unable to." Chrissy looked at her confused "What?" She asked more than a little annoyed. "Your pregnancy means you can't go through the transfusion." She said plainly