Two Steps Behind

Part 26

 "Elizabeth's face was absolutely priceless when you jumped off that stage," Jeff announced backstage as he wiped the sweat from his face with a towel. "Damn, that was quite a spectacle to witness. Shit, man, you have no idea how happy it makes me that you two are finally together."

Gareth agreed. "Yeah, you two are the real deal, man. You always have been. I have never seen two people look at each other the way you do."

Eddie smiled, reliving that moment in his mind; the look on her face, the smile she gave him, the way her skin flushed a deep scarlet at being the center of attention. In that moment, she had been the only thing that had existed for him, the only thing that mattered. He couldn't believe this wasn't all a figment of his imagination, that his deep wanting hadn't sent him down some tunnel into madness, living a false narrative where he finally got to be with her. But no, she was really here and she was really his and she really loved him and wanted this just as much as he did.

"I love her," Eddie stated as he pulled on a fresh tee. "She's always been the one, the only one. It just took me a while to get the balls to finally tell her. Speaking of, I need to go get my girl and then we can start loading everything up."

Eddie headed out into the bar, but Elizabeth wasn't sitting at the table. He glanced around at all the people still enjoying some drinks, chatting, thinking she might have made a friend in the crowd or spotted someone she used to know but he didn't see her. He made his way over to Jimmy.

"Hey man, have you seen Elizabeth?" he asked.

"Uhh..." Jimmy paused, head swiveling around the bar. "No. You know, I thought I saw her head to the restroom, but that was a while ago."

Eddie felt panic starting to build at his words as he strode over to the women's restroom. He pushed the door open and called her name inside. No one answered. He walked in and looked around, pushing back stall doors, but she was nowhere. Running back out into the bar, he began frantically scanning every face.

"Eddie, what's going on?" Gareth asked, coming up to stand at his side.

"Where the fuck is Elizabeth!?" Eddie practically yelled, grabbing the front of his friend's shirt desperately like he would somehow have the answer.

"Whoa, man. Relax. She's got to be here somewhere," Gareth assured him, gently removing his hands from his clothing. "She wouldn't have taken off without saying anything to you, especially not with everything going on. Maybe she just ran into someone she knows."

"That's exactly what I'm scared of." He didn't want to think about who she may have run into, the reason she might not be waiting for him to come get her after the show. Because the only logical conclusion was his worst fear.

Just then, a man came running into the bar from the back alley door. He held his hands out in front of him and they were covered in blood, his eyes were wild with terror. Eddie felt his heart clench, his stomach seize, and he knew what the man was going to say before he'd ever spoken a word.

"Hey! There's a girl in the alley out back! Someone attacked her and she's in really bad shape!"

Then Eddie was flying across the bar, everything else becoming meaningless as he slammed into the door and out back. Crazed eyes fell on a form lying motionless on the ground, arm bent wrong, as if it wasn't attached to her body properly anymore.

"No!" he screamed, running and collapsing at her side. His knees hit the ground hard enough to tear open his jeans and the skin underneath, but he felt nothing as she scooped her into his arms, pulling her against his chest. "No, baby, no!"

"Jesus..." Gareth breathed as he came barreling out the back door after this friend, the scene unfolding in front of him.

"Call a goddamn ambulance!" Eddie bellowed, tears