To Eddie Munson: My Knight in Shining Leather

A sick day

The next morning started with a jolt when Eddie's alarm went off, making you sit up too quickly. Your head pounded, and you fell back against the pillow. Eddie reached over and hit a button, shutting off the music. "Good morning," he mumbled.

"Good morning," you replied. You tried to sit up again, ignoring the ache that started at the base of your neck and stretched into your temples. The throbbing eventually subsided, and you swung your legs over the edge of the bed, stretching your back. Eddie sat up behind you, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. He cursed before climbing out of bed and stumbling to his dresser. He pulled out some clean clothes and set them aside before disappearing to the bathroom. You grabbed your own clothes out of your bag and laid them out, deciding you wanted to shower off the events from last night before putting them on. You didn't realize you forgot to pack your shower items until you reached the bottom of your bag. Nevertheless, when Eddie returned, you asked, "Hey, would it be okay if I took a shower? I have a horrible headache that I have to get rid of before enduring another day at school." One thing you did remember, thankfully, was your birth control. You popped a pill out of the packet and swallowed it dry. Then, you returned it to your bag.

"Of course," he said, walking back to the bathroom and starting up a shower. When he returned, you asked him another question.

"Do you have any... I don't know, Tylenol, or anything?"

"Yeah, there should be some in the, uh... medicine cabinet?" His lack of confidence in his answer was more irritating than the blood pounding in your ears. You thanked him anyway and slipped into the bathroom. You tested the temperature of your shower; the water was cold and, unfortunately, didn't get much warmer, no matter how much you twisted the handle. You felt your temper begin to spike, and removed your hand from the cold stream, drying it on the towel Eddie laid out for you. You opened one side of the medicine cabinet, but didn't find any pain reliever. The other side was stuck shut, and you didn't have the patience to deal with it. You sighed and hoped a cold shower would help your attitude problem. You tied your hair up before entering, the water making you shiver almost immediately. You quickly lathered yourself with Eddie's soap, breathing in the scent. When you finished, you shut off the water and stepped out of the tub, drying yourself off and going back to Eddie's room.

He sat by his window, a joint lit in between his fingers. You figured his dealer must have gotten out, unless he kept a hidden stash he had forgotten about. You could see that happening. He blew smoke out of the open window, fanning away whatever didn't make it. "Hey," he greeted when he saw you, "are you... feeling any better?" He took a hit in the middle of his question. You shook your head, stepping toward him and taking in a breath when he pressed the joint to your lips. "This might help." You blew it out, nearly choking on the burn that lingered at the back of your throat. You turned and got dressed, moving slowly to prevent any excessive blood rushing around your body and to your head. You sat on the edge of the bed with your head in your hands. After a moment, when the high reached you, you realized your headache didn't feel any better. Eddie held the joint out to you again after taking a couple puffs of his own. You accepted it, taking in a longer hit than before. The pounding was relentless, and you started to groan as the pressure increased. "Did you not find anything in the medicine cabinet?"

"No, Eddie. I didn't. Only one side of your medicine cabinet opens, and I didn't have the effort to try to unstick the other," your tone was sharp, and you felt bad for how you were talking to him. "I think I need to go home." You saw him smother the cherry against the small ashtray that sat below the window, putting it out.

"Okay, um, I'll take you home. Do you, uh, need help with anything?" He knelt in front of you, clutching your thigh in one hand, and lightly pushing your hair back with the other.