Chapter 7 - Revenge and A Psychotic Break

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TW WARNING! - MENTIONS ATTEMPTED RAPE AND MURDER!

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Eddie left Y/N to pull on her pjs in search of something to drink with just a towel wrapped around his narrow hips. He headed down the dark hallway toward the kitchen and peered into the fridge. He pulled out a bottle of water and opened it right then and there. Taking a long sip, he sighed at the cold liquid sliding down his throat.
Eddie took a second bottle and turned, walking along the soft carpet back to the bedroom. He was three feet from the door when a pair of strong hands snatched his body. Eddie dropped the water bottles as he was shoved roughly into the wall, one hand grasping his neck tightly while the other held a gun to his temple. His breath caught in his throat as he opened his eyes to see that Scott was in fact the owner of the death grip on his neck.
"Well...well...you aren't so tough any more are you?" Scott whispered, seeing the terror in Eddie's chocolate brown eyes as he shoved him away, holding the gun on him now, his eyes blazing.
"Now move asshole," Scott instructed as he gestured for Eddie to continue toward the bedroom. Eddie held both hands in plain view as he pleaded with Scott silently. Eddie shook his head, he did not want Scott anywhere near Y/N.
"Do you see what I've got here?" Scott held the gun up. "I'm running the show tonight and you -will- do what I tell you, now fucking move! Are you fucking stupid or something?"
"Scott, come on, Y/N has been through enough," Eddie whispered, praying this whole thing was a nightmare.
"I'll be the one who decides that," Scott hissed as he backhanded Eddie across the face almost sending him to the floor with the blow. "I won't ask you again," Scott told him as Eddie looked up at him, blood trickling down from his nose. Unable to resist, Scott punched his face, smiling as more blood leaked from his mouth. "Now that's more like it," he grinned evilly as he pushed Eddie with his boot toward the bedroom again.
Making quick work of it, Scott forced Eddie into a chair and tied his arms roughly behind his back. Eddie eyed the bathroom door, which was still partially closed feeling his wrists burning as the rope cut into his skin. He could hear Y/N brushing her teeth and wanted to scream out but knew their lives would be at stake if he did.
Scott promptly gagged him with a handkerchief at this time as if knowing what he wanted to do. He tried hard not to gag and choke with the material in his mouth. Tears fell on his cheeks as Eddie watched with trepidation as Scott positioned himself outside the bathroom door preparing to surprise Y/N when she came out, his gun pointed in Eddie's direction as he waited.
Eddie could feel his warm tears mixing with the blood oozing from his mouth and nose and his heart ached. He feared for himself as well as Y/N as he focused on the 9mm in Scott's hand. 'How can this be happening?' If he had known Scott was this mental, they would have called the police the other night. And now that Eddie knew what Scott wanted, he was even more frightened. He remembered the conversation where Y/N had confessed that she had never let Scott penetrate her. If he laid one finger on Y/N, he didn't think he could handle it. He would fucking kill him.
Y/N had let on that Scott was possessive and could be dangerous. Eddie wondered if Y/N knew that Scott had the potential to kill if he did not get what he wanted. It appeared that he could, Eddie thought as his eyes continued to dart back and forth from the bathroom door to Scott's face. He was wide-eyed with excitement and looked slightly on the verge of insanity. Almost like a wild animal, Eddie thought terrified. He prayed that Y/N would never come out of the bathroom. 'How were they going to get out of this one?'
Eddie began working his wrists inside the rope, hoping like hell he was going to be able to break free. 'Oh God, Y/N...' he thought miserably. His familiar, black, ominous cloud touching the one thing he had always dreamt of, prayed for, and now loved with his whole heart. Sobs welling in his chest, he heard Y/N turn the sink off. 'Please don't let Scott hurt her. He can do anything he wants to me,' Eddie pleaded silently. Just not Y/N, not his precious Y/N.
Y/N looked at herself in the mirror one more time before she walked out, wanting nothing more than to get into bed with Eddie already.
Watching the door begin to open, Eddie screamed a warning beneath the gag, viciously moving to escape his restraints.
"Y/N, you need to just stop right where you are," Scott called from his position behind Y/N now, the gun pointed in her direction.
Y/N froze on the spot. Her brain took in the voice from behind her, as well as the sight she caught of Eddie from the corner of her eye. She turned to Scott and fought the tears threatening to spill. This guy was just set on making her miserable. Maybe... just maybe she was too tired to fight it, she thought sadly.
"When I said we had unfinished business, Y/N, I fucking meant it," Scott spit as he moved closer to Y/N. Eddie rocked the chair he was tied to restlessly, screaming under the gag. "And I'm not about to let this scrawny tattoo freak have something I have never had," he hissed as he pointed the gun directly at Y/N's rib cage. Although the cursing beneath the gag was incomprehensible, Eddie willed Y/N to look at him. His brown eyes watered furiously as he met her gaze.
Y/N looked at Eddie with a sad look in her eyes. She couldn't deal with this, she was just not strong enough. She was going to do something Eddie would surely not approve of; she was going to put herself on the line for both of them. She had a plan in mind but there was no way she could tell Eddie. She let out of a sigh that sounded like resignation; Scott was her burden, not Eddie's.
"I can't fight you anymore, Scott," she said quietly. "I give up. I will do whatever you want me to, with two conditions. One you let Eddie go. And two you get that gun out of my face. If you do that, I'll let you do whatever it is you need to do."
Scott chuckled at how easy this was gonna be.
"You really think I'm going to let you call the shots, Y/N? I have something else in mind entirely," he said, looking over at the long haired brunette, still fighting at his restraints and screaming at Y/N through the gag. It was obvious that the metalhead had become unglued at the idea of Y/N giving herself up.
"There is no chance that I will let this asshole go, but I will put the gun down after you strip and get on the bed," he added, gesturing for Y/N to do as she was told. "Besides, making him watch as I take you for the first time will be so fucking worth it, right? You fucking bastard!" Scott yelled, waving the gun in Eddie's direction.
Y/N sighed. "If this is all about fucking me then why don't you do the one thing I'm asking you?" she asked Scott. "What's he going to do? You have a gun in your hand, he's not stupid and neither am I," she said shaking his head. "You never loved me, Scott. And you'll get what you want only because you're going to force me into it. A real man, for sure," she spat.
Meanwhile, her hand was in her left pocket sending a text to Garrett. 'Scott. 911. Gun.' after she was sure she'd sent it, she threw her arms up in the air in defeat.
"Whatever, let's get this over with already."
Scott threw his head back and laughed. "You are right about one thing, Y/N. I never did love you, but that doesn't mean that I will allow anyone else to either," he hissed as he gestured to Y/N with the gun to get on the bed. "Now shut the fuck up and take off your goddamn clothes, I don't want to hear anymore lip," he bit angrily. Eddie continued to twist his now bleeding wrists in attempt to get out of his restraints. He had caught Y/N texting from her phone and prayed Garrett would get here in time.
Y/N got on the bed, at this point resigned that there was nothing more she could do. Garrett was her last hope and if he didn't get here in time, Scott would most likely get what he came from. Not wanting to look at Eddie and to stop herself from crying because her heart was breaking, she slowly started to undress, willing her breath to remain even.
"Stop fucking struggling and watch your little girlfriend!" Scott yelled at the restless singer, the gun trained on Eddie as he opened his jeans. Scott moved closer to the bed, watching his former lover remove her clothes. "She does have an amazing body, doesn't she?" Scott grated with a slight moan, feeling aroused at the prospect of what was to come. Eddie bucked furiously in the chair, screaming beneath the gag.
"I said, shut the fuck up and quit struggling!" Scott screamed again before climbing behind Y/N onto the bed. "I will fucking use this if you don't stop!" he warned at Eddie who was now breathless from his ministrations. "God, Y/N, you are more beautiful than I remembered," he whispered, leaning over Y/N to kiss her shoulder, moaning against her skin.
"Why in hell you would let that tattooed freak touch you here," Scott mused, trailing his fingers down Y/N's spine, caressing her bottom, "is beyond me."
Y/N felt disgusted with herself, tears were now spilling down her cheeks and she felt like nothing was worth it anymore.
"Because... he's a man... like you'll never be..." she said.
Eddie's heart beat frantically as he watched Scott touch Y/N intimately. Anger unlike anything he had ever felt took over his body, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He did not care anymore, he did not even care if he died attempting to rescue Y/N from this evil bastard, like he almost did for Dustin and the rest of Hawkins. He felt his thumb finally break loose of the binds, blood seeping from the cuts on his wrists. If he could just get another finger loose, he could release himself.
Scott looked down at Y/N as he touched her intimately, closing his eyes tightly at the hot warmth inside.
"Fuck, Y/N...you feel so good..." he gasped as he finished opening his jeans, moving closer, preparing to penetrate his lover. "And, I'll show you what a real man is like," he hissed as he looked over at Eddie. "You like what you see, asshole?" he grated as he freed himself and positioned himself behind his former lover.
All Y/N wanted to do was disappear. She regretted the day she'd met Scott and she hated herself right now. She closed her eyes, now feeling completely hopeless.
Garrett called the cops as he raced toward Eddie's apartment after receiving the text from Y/N. He had never been so scared in his life. Scott alone, much less Scott with a gun was absolutely terrifying. 'How could he do something like this? Was getting his ass kicked not enough...the bastard had to come back for more?'
Squealing into a parking space, Garrett noticed he had arrived before the police. Cursing he rushed into Eddie's building tearing up the stairs. He didn't know what he was going to do when he got there. He had no gun, no weapon of any kind, but it didn't matter.
Eddie pulled at his wrists, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain. He could not breathe as he watched Scott prepare to hurt Y/N. 'I'll fucking kill him, I will fucking kill him,' he thought violently, seeing red as he twisted his fingers in a last ditch effort to break free. Scott looked over at Eddie, an evil grin on his face.
"Watch and learn, you fuck!" he grated as he began to press into Y/N. Y/N's face grimaced as she felt Scott entering her.
Eddie screamed against the gag, breaking free from the restraint finally. Pulling the gag down, Eddie lunged for Scott, using his whole body weight.
"You motherfucking bastard!" he roared, taking Scott down on top of Y/N.
Immediately struggling for the gun, Scott wrestled with him. Eddie screamed again as he used both hands, trying to wrench the gun from Scott. The gun sounded twice into the air as they fought. Eddie's ears rang with the piercing gun firing near his ear, a stinging sensation crippling his left shoulder. Eddie bit his lip with pain as he rolled them off the bed onto the floor.
"I'll fucking kill you... you sick... twisted fuck!" he hissed as he slammed the gun holding hand into the carpet causing Scott to let go. The gun skidded across the carpet toward the door.
Eddie clambered towards it after delivering two swift blows to Scott's already broken nose. Scott whimpered in pain momentarily before snaking a hand out to grab Eddie's ankle and pull him back, but not before Eddie's hands wrapped around the cold steel of the gun.
Flipping onto his back, he pointed the gun at Scott, his hands shaking. He could feel the throb of his shoulder as blood poured from the bullet wound.
"Don't fucking make a move," he panted from his stance on the floor. Scott froze as Eddie gazed up at him, seeing the absolute pure pulsating rage in his dark brown eyes.
"Y/N?" Scott whispered as he held up both hands, not looking at the woman on the bed, but obviously feeling as if he needed her help.
Y/N was laying on her stomach on the bed, her entire vision blurred by the tears. She was sobbing uncontrollably now, barely able to breathe at all. All she could do was get up and lock herself in the bathroom. She saw that she was covered in blood but not sure where it had come from. She slid down the closed door and collapsed on the floor, wishing to hell that she could stop crying.
Garrett heard the gunshots as he barreled down the hallway toward Eddie's apartment and his stomach leapt into his throat.
"Oh fuck!" Garrett yelled as he picked up the pace, racing to Eddie's door. 'Oh god, oh god,' he murmured sickly as he shouldered his way into the apartment.
"Eddie! Y/N!" Garrett screamed as he flew toward the bedroom. He skidded to a halt as he came to the doorway. Eddie was lying on his back on the floor, holding the gun, quite unsteadily on Scott. He could see a lot of blood, on the floor, on the bed, all over Eddie but did not know where it came from.
"Fuck! Garrett! Help me!" Eddie whispered as he lost grip on the gun. Garrett squatted down, taking the gun from Eddie's bloodied left hand.
"Don't fucking move, Scott!" Garrett yelled as he looked around the room for Y/N. There was so much blood. 'Where was Y/N?'
"Y/N?" Garrett called, breathing a sigh of relief as he heard the police sirens.
Y/N was still on the bathroom floor, now with a towel wrapped around her as she cried her lungs out. She hated herself for letting Scott this close to her, for not seeing the person Scott was to begin with.
"Put your weapon down!" Garrett heard a deep voice behind him as several police officers entered Eddie's apartment, all guns trained on him. Garrett nodded numbly, setting the gun down and pushing it away as they had requested. Garrett held up his hands, not taking his eyes off Scott as he attempted to look for an exit. Moving to the window, Scott jerked it open.
"He's leaving!" Garrett screamed, knowing the cops could not see what he was about to do. Scott glanced back wide eyed as he threw one leg out the window, obviously intending to jump from the two-story apartment building.
"Don't fucking move!" One cop yelled as he brushed past Garrett and hopped over Eddie, snagging Scott back inside the room roughly. "Get back in here, dirt bag," the cop hissed as he pressed a knee into Scott's back, reading his rights as he cuffed him. Garrett looked down at Eddie. He was pale and trembling; he reached down to shake him and realized that the blood was coming from him, it was just like when Eddie had returned from the Upside Down.
"Oh god, Eddie..." Garrett whispered as he crouched low. "We need a fucking ambulance!" he yelled as he looked for something to stop the stream of blood.
Grabbing a shirt from the floor, Garrett began to soak the blood. 'Where the fuck was Y/N?' Garrett thought as he held pressure to Eddie's shoulder. He was moaning incoherently now, his lips pale.
"Y/N!" Garrett called again as the room swarmed with cops. "Hang on, man, help is on the way," he told him as he watched Eddie's breathing become increasingly irregular.
"Y/N," Eddie croaked, his voice weak. "Oh god, Y/N," Eddie whispered, his eyes fluttering open, fighting to stay conscious. "Garrett, is she ok?" he asked when he met Garrett's face.
"I dunno, Eddie, where is she?" Garrett asked, feeling panicked. 'Was Y/N hurt somewhere?'
"Gar... tell her... tell her... that I-I lo..." Eddie broke off, gasping with pain, gritting his teeth.
"Let us through..." Garrett heard voices behind him, looking to see the paramedics arriving with a stretcher. "Sir, move out of the way, we need to get to him," a medic said as he pushed Garrett aside. He felt helpless as Eddie writhed on the floor.
"Gar...Gar...I need her," Eddie called weakly as the medics began to treat him.
"Don't try and talk, sir, you've been shot, we need to get you to the hospital," he encouraged Eddie as they eased him onto the stretcher, after starting an intravenous drip of fluids.
"Eddie...sssh... its okay, I'll find her," Garrett called from across the room. "We'll be right behind you," he soothed, touching Eddie's bare leg in attempt to comfort him. Garrett watched as they wheeled Eddie out of sight.
The cops were walking Scott out behind him when Garrett used all his might to kick Scott as hard as possible in the stomach. A cop grabbed Garrett by the arm pulling him away.
"You fucking bastard!" he yelled as he shrugged out of the cop's grip, hoping to get one more shot at the asshole.
"You wanna get hauled in too?" The cop yelled at Garrett as he went to lunge at Scott again. Garrett looked at him breathlessly half way thinking it may be worth it.
"No!" Garrett decided quickly as he backed off, trying to cool down. He looked at the floor and saw bloody footprints leading to the closed bathroom door and ran towards it pounding. "Y/N!," he yelled as he realized it was locked. "Are you in there?"
"Yeah," was all she managed to say among her tears, not sure, if she wanted company or not.
Garrett heard Y/N whisper through the door. "Open the door, Y/N... The police have Scott and they are going to need to talk to you," Garrett blurted, tears in his eyes. He hated that Y/N had to go through more shit thanks to Scott. But they had to think of Eddie now.
"Eddie's hurt, Y/N," Garrett added as he pressed his forehead against the door. "Please open the door," he asked, trying to sound calm.
Y/N cried louder wishing she could stay here forever. Her heart tugged painfully as she heard Eddie was hurt, because of her. "I can't Gar," she sobbed sadly.
"Listen to me," Garrett cried as he heard his friend breaking down behind the bathroom door. "It's over Y/N...they have him in custody...but you have to tell them what happened so we can get him put away for good. He's hurt enough people already. First you...now Eddie...how many more does he have to hurt before he gets what's coming to him?" he told her desperately.
"I can't move Garrett," Y/N said truthfully. She was frozen on the ground unable to even think. "I just... I don't know."
"I'm coming in, Y/N," Garrett called as he shoved the door with his shoulder, breaking through the lock with two tries. He saw his friend cowered in the corner, wrapped in towel, the look on her face like nothing he had ever seen. Y/N was naked and she had blood all over her. Garrett rushed to her, grabbing her face, checking her shoulders, her chest, her body.
"My god, are you hurt?" Garrett asked as he continued his inventory before grabbing Y/N into a ferocious bear hug.
"I-I... don't know." Y/N said. She was afraid of even look at her own body. She was trembling violently, both head and body completely out of her control.
"What the hell happened?" Garrett asked, holding Y/N's face firmly. "How did he get in here?" Garrett asked, still checking Y/N out limb from limb, to make sure she was not hurt. Y/N just trembled in his arms, unable to speak. "He didn't touch you did he?" he asked quietly, watching tears stream down Y/N's face. "If he put his hands on you, even one little finger, I swear...I will kill him myself," he added.
Y/N looked at him in the eye, wishing she would stop crying. "He tried to fuck me while holding a gun at Eddie; of course he fucking touched me."
Garrett took a quick intake of breath as he looked at Y/N. He did not say another word as he hurled Y/N to his chest, feeling on the verge of falling apart himself. Holding tightly as Y/N cried, Garrett wept silently. He wished he could take all this pain from his friend. He absently thought of Eddie, bleeding, knowing he must have been losing his mind watching Scott hurt Y/N. So much so, he had taken a bullet for it. Garrett soothed Y/N's hair and back as he held her, praying that they would wake up from this nightmare.
"Excuse me, guys, we're gonna need to take a statement," a cop leaned his head in the bathroom and interrupted their embrace. Garrett nodded, "one minute, officer," he replied.
Y/N wrapped the towel tighter around herself and got up. "Let's get this over with," she said sounding nothing other than broken. She told the officer that she'd come out of the bathroom to find Eddie tied to a chair and Scott with a gun. She also told him that he'd tried to force himself on her while Eddie watched, but somehow, Eddie had managed to get loose and get Scott off her. There was a struggle and then she mentioned that she didn't know much more because she'd locked herself in the bathroom. When suddenly, it seemed like her brain just finally clicked.
"Where's Eddie?"
Garrett was standing behind Y/N with one hand on her shoulder as she retold the story to the officer. When Y/N looked at Garrett and asked about Eddie, he swallowed dryly.
"I told you, Y/N," Garrett repeated as he bent down so he was eye level with Y/N as she sat on the bed. "They took Eddie to the hospital," Garrett paused again, wondering if any of this was sinking in. "He was shot, Y/N. The gun must have gone off during the struggle once Eddie got loose and attempted to get Scott off of you," Garrett told her, his eyes watering again with the thought of how close he had been to losing his friend and possibly Eddie as well.
Y/N started crying loudly again. "I need to see him, Gar," she said, her voice full of pain. "I never told him how I felt about him... and if something happens to him because of me... I'll never forgive myself."
Garrett nodded, wondering exactly what she meant by that, but didn't push the subject. "That was the last thing he said," Garrett replied. "He said he needed you," he told her quietly. "I promised him we'd meet him at the hospital," he whispered as he put his arms around Y/N again. The officer nodded that he was finished taking the statement from Y/N and gestured that they could go. "Let's get you dressed so we can go check on him," Garrett said firmly, kissing the top of Y/N's head comfortingly.
Y/N nodded and allowed Garrett to help her clean up and get dressed in the bathroom. She was feeling somewhat numb. She could not believe Eddie had been shot because of her. She followed Garrett pretty much without a thought going through her head.
Garrett held Y/N's hand as they rushed toward the hospital. There was nothing to say. No words to comfort or soothe the pain he knew Y/N was suffering with. Still hand in hand, they entered the emergency department.
Eddie groaned miserably on the stretcher as he listened to the nurses and doctors milling around him.
"Y/N?" he croaked incoherently, feeling dizzy and numb. "I love you, Y/N," he whispered, feeling as though he was floating. He thought he heard someone mentioning surgery. The idea still scared him, as he knew he was injured but he relished the thought that he had prevented Scott from raping Y/N. It did not matter even if he was to die. He had loved. For the first time in his life, he had really truly loved someone, so much so that he had been willing to put his life to the test.
Startled by the sound of two bullets resounding in his ears, he remembered the scene. He had known immediately he had been hit, but the rush of adrenaline to get Y/N out of harm's way had been overwhelming. 'I should have killed him,' he thought quietly. He groaned again as pain racked through his body.
Garrett followed behind Y/N as he rushed the information counter. Y/N was in some sort of trance as if she was watching everything from someone else's body.
"We need information on Edward Munson. He was shot," he said, noting his voice sounded so much deeper than usual.
Garrett's hands shook as he held firmly to Y/N's fingers. He prayed silently that Eddie was ok.
"I believe they are taking him to surgery," the nurse told them after she had confirmed that they were family. Garrett had spoken up, lying that they were relatives, so that she would release the information, knowing Y/N could not have handled not being able to see Eddie. "Follow me, please, maybe they haven't left yet," she told them, gesturing them into the doors.
Eddie tossed his head side to side feverishly as he moaned with pain.
"Y/N...I need Y/N...please...someone..." he murmured aloud, his voice strained.
Y/N followed the nurse and wished with all her being that she could see Eddie. She had been close to telling the nurse that she was Eddie's girlfriend not caring that Garrett was there, she was going to do whatever it took to see him.
Eddie's voice grew louder with impatience as the pain increased.
"I said, someone please! I need to see Y/N! I need her now!" Eddie called, struggling to move off the stretcher, but so weak, he could barely move. He looked up and saw several bags of fluids and blood running into two IV's in his arm. He went to pull at them as he writhed on the stretcher. "Y/N! Please!" Eddie cried, loudly before strong hands prevented him from pulling his lines out.
"Sir, you are going to have to wait! You have been injured. We are prepping you for surgery; you are going to have to calm down. There is no one here named Y/N," the nurse told him firmly. Eddie turned his head side to side as he began to sob desperately.
"But, I need her, I love her!" Eddie called, tears pouring down his face. "I'm so scared! Y/N! Y/N!" he cried once more, sobbing brokenly. The curtains were suddenly jerked back by the another nurse who was leading Y/N and Garrett to Eddie.
Y/N hurried to the side of the bed, holding Eddie's uninjured hand. Tears were dropping down her cheeks as she kissed Eddie's forehead.
"I'm here, baby," she said in a soft voice. "I'm so sorry. God, I love you," she cried.
Eddie opened his eyes when he felt lips touch his forehead and someone grip his hand.
"Y/N..." Eddie sobbed plainly, as he listened to her coo in a soft voice. He could barely see for the tears in his eyes. Feeling Y/N's tears mix with his own as he confessed his love for her was more than he could stand.
"I love you...I love you," Eddie chanted back through tears, squeezing with his good hand while the other throbbed painfully. "I'm sorry I couldn't get to you sooner, I tried and tried...the rope...the rope was too tight..." he murmured as he broke off crying harder.
Y/N shook her head as tears continued to fall. "No, baby... it wasn't your fault... I-I didn't know what to do... I was so scared... I didn't know what to do... I didn't want him to hurt you..."
Garrett stood back in awe, watching the pair. He was speechless, completely at a loss for words.
"N-no, it doesn't matter. He put his hands on you and I was powerless to stop it, oh god, Y/N...I couldn't break free...he hurt you...and I let him," he agonized as he continued to cry. "Y/N...I love you...I love you so much," he howled as images of Scott touching Y/N filled his head. "I'll never forgive myself, for allowing him to touch you," he rasped as pain seized his shoulder again.
Y/N shook his head. "No, baby... this is Scott's fault not yours. You saved me..." she panted. "You saved me," she repeated trying to comfort Eddie. "Look at you, baby... he hurt you... you got shot because of me," she cried.
"I would've died for you," he whispered, looking up into Y/N's face, taking in her glistening dark eyes and tear stained cheeks. "No...-you- saved me," he told her, stroking away the tears from her cheek before he cupped her jaw.
"You saved me in so many ways," he mused quietly even though his pain was unbelievable at this point. "Tell me you are ok," Eddie urged as if suddenly realizing Y/N could be injured from the gun as well.
"I'm not hurt, baby," Y/N assured him as she ran her hands through Eddie's hair. "You saved me," she told him again, looking at him through her tears, not able to believe how much Eddie's words meant to her. "I love you, Eddie."
"Oh god, baby..." Eddie whimpered, wanted Y/N closer but unable to find the strength to pull her. Eddie sighed deeply as he focused on Y/N's face. She had never looked more beautiful than she did at that moment. Fresh tears coursed down her cheeks. "I was so scared," he whispered. "I was so scared that I was going to lose you," he continued, trying to hold back more sobs. "I couldn't take that Y/N...when I saw the gun...and him touching you...I-I thought I was going to lose my mind," he murmured, as he clung desperately to Y/N hand. "The thought of my life without you is...not worth living...just like before" he confessed as he bit back another sob.
Y/N cried as she rested her forehead against Eddie. "But I'm here. You stopped him. And I don't care about Sam and her bollocks or whatever else. All I care about is you, baby."
"You do?" he croaked quietly as felt Y/N pressing her head against him. "Kiss me," Eddie whispered, "I need to feel you...I need to know everything is going to be okay."
Y/N didn't even hesitate as she moved towards Eddie's face and cupped his chin as she lowered her lips for the softest kiss possible.
Eddie trembled at the first touch of Y/N's lips and melted into her kiss. He thought he could see stars as his consciousness wavered again, but he clung to Y/N's lips for fear if he let go, it would all be a dream.
Garrett turned away from the couple, not believing what he had just witnessed. Deciding to leave them alone, he strolled out toward the waiting room. His mind utterly blown by the entire scene, from Scott's assault to the most heart wrenching love expression he had ever been part of.
"We need to get going," the nurse told them as she moved around Eddie preparing her equipment for transport. "The doctor needs to flush out the wound and repair the damage from the gunshot," she said absently as she looked at Y/N. Eddie held on to Y/N's shirt not wanting to be separated for even a moment.
"Please don't go, Y/N...I'm scared..." he told her anxiously after breaking their kiss.
"Baby... you need to go so they can make you better," Y/N said even though her heart ached at the thought of leaving Eddie. "I'm going to be here the whole time and I'm going to be right by your side when you wake up," she assured him. "Don't be scared, it'll all work out," she said soothingly as she tried to smile at him. "I promise."
Eddie nodded looking at the nurse then back at Y/N. The nurse put her hand on Y/N's shoulder and asked if she knew where the waiting room was while Eddie watched panicked. He squeezed Y/N's hand tightly.
"Promise me?" he asked, almost childlike.
"I promise, baby," Y/N said softly, before she kissed Eddie's forehead and headed out of the room, prepared to cry her eyes out.
Eddie watched her go, tears falling down his cheeks again. He was terrified that he would never see her again.
"I love you," he called when Y/N turned heading out of the room, his fingers extended on the bed.
"I love you, too." Y/N said looking over her shoulder before leaving to find Garrett.
Garrett faced the large picture window, overlooking the busy street with his arms crossed. He tried repeatedly to understand what was going on. 'They were in love? When the fuck did that happen,' he thought quietly and 'how did I not see it?' He mused inwardly. He had noticed they had gotten close quick, but even as he and Y/N had discussed earlier, she had only admitted to finding the singer attractive. 'Now this?'
"Hey," Y/N said as she reached Garrett, her mind still so concerned with Eddie and his surgery that she had not even given a second thought to what Garrett has just witnessed.
"Is he going to be ok?" Garrett asked, not looking at Y/N yet, unsure how to respond.
"I-I don't know. I think so. They're taking him to surgery to try and fix him up," Y/N replied.
"I see," Garrett said, quietly. He could feel Y/N's eyes on him and he could see the young woman trembling out of the corner of his eyes. "Oh, Y/N," Garrett moaned as he turned taking her into his arms when he saw the tears falling rapidly down her cheeks.
Y/N cried openly into Garrett's shoulder, not able to hold her emotions in a moment longer. "It's my fault. I won't forgive myself if something happens to him."
"How is this your fault?" Garrett asked, while soothing Y/N's back. "Scott had the gun. He rolled the shots. Eddie was just protecting you," Garrett tried to comfort her. "Anyone would have done the same thing," he added, feeling Y/N clinging to his waist. "Anyone that loves you that is," he continued, feeling Y/N's body tense in his arms.
Y/N finally realized that Garrett had been here the whole time. "Gar... I-I-... Fuck," was all she was able to come up with.
"It doesn't matter, Y/N, it doesn't fucking matter," he told her, gripping her tightly. Garrett could feel Y/N's body go limp in his arms as she cried. It did not matter, Garrett decided, they would deal with it as it came. All that mattered right now was seeing Eddie safely through surgery and comforting his one and only friend. He thought he better call the guys and let them know what was going on.
"I should call the others, huh?" Garrett asked when Y/N's sobs slowed.
Oddly, enough Y/N shook her head. "Not yet. I just... I kinda need just you here, Gar," she said sadly.
Garrett nodding, knowingly. Collapsing onto the carpet, Garrett pulled Y/N into his lap, wrapping the young woman in his arms again.
"I'm here, Y/N, I'll always be here for you," he whispered as he rubbed small circles on her lower back.
"How could I have not known he was capable of this?" Y/N asked miserably. "He's hurt me so much, Gar... he was my burden and now I made Eddie carry it too."
"None of us knew," Garrett told her quietly. "Not in a million years would I have expected something like this from him," he continued as he looked down at Y/N. "I know how much he hurt you, Y/N. Believe me, I know, but there is no doubt in my mind, after seeing you two together tonight, will Eddie ever consider fighting for you...against him...a burden," he said as he rubbed his eyes.
Y/N shook her head as more tears fell down his cheeks. "He got shot because of me, Garrett, because he was trying to help me... oh god... he has to be okay, he has to."
"He will, Y/N, he will," he cooed softly. "He's fucking strong. He survived the Upside down along with the demobats and Vecna! There's no way something like this is gonna take him out," Garrett reassured, thumbing away Y/N's tears. Garrett held Y/N tightly as she cried, eventually dozing off in utter exhaustion.
Resting his head back against the wall, with Y/N against his chest, he closed his eyes. "He better not anyway," he murmured to himself, hoping to God he was right.
"Munson? Eddie Munson family?" A staff member called from the waiting area, startling Garrett awake. "Munson?" the nurse called again, nudging Y/N awake this time.
"H-here..." Garrett called as he moved Y/N out of his lap and they both stood up. A tall man in a white coat came toward them with his hand outstretched.
"You two with Eddie Munson?" he repeated. Garrett noted that the young doctor looked fatigued, red creases around his nose and face from where his mask had been, his scrubs stained with what appeared to be iodine or blood. "He was fortunate," the doctor stated. "The bullet just grazed the artery and aside from losing a lot of blood, I was able to repair both the artery itself and the muscle it tore through," he continued as Garrett's hands shook and he searched for Y/N's fingers.
"He's in recovery right now, but he will be headed to the ward shortly. He's a very lucky man, indeed," the doctor repeated. "He will have to stay here a few days for close monitoring and intravenous antibiotics," the doctor finished as he looked at Y/N and Garrett.
Y/N felt as if air had returned to her lungs after hours of not breathing. She nodded at the doctor, before taking a few steps back and running her fingers through her hair in utter relief. 'Oh thank god, he was fine'. Garrett was thanking the doctor and shaking his hand as Y/N tried to fight the tears again.
Grabbing Y/N again in a bear hug, Garrett kissed the top of her head.
"You see? I told you he would be ok," he told her, smiling excitedly. He could feel Y/N shaking with tears again. "Don't' cry, didn't you hear what he said? Eddie is going to be okay," Garrett repeated.
Y/N nodded as Garrett hugged her again, thinking she could not have explained to Garrett what she was feeling if she had tried.
"Why don't you call the guys and I'll head upstairs and wait for Eddie in his room?" she said, willing herself to keep under control.
"Sure, ok," Garrett told her with a curiously raised eyebrow. "Are you sure you are ok?" he asked, his hand on Y/N's shoulder.
"Yeah... it's just a bit much... that's all," Y/N said truthfully. "I just feel really weak right now," she said with a small smile as she headed for the elevator.
Garrett watched her go, although he thought he should go with her. He opened his phone to call the guys hesitantly.
Moving Eddie onto the hospital bed woke him from his dazed sleep. His head felt heavy and his shoulder was numb but thankfully not painful anymore. He could feel the tight shoulder immobilizer holding his injured arm against his body. He wiggled his fingers even though they felt tingly and strange.
He looked around the generic hospital room, painted softly in sea green. His heart leapt with the thought of Y/N. She promised she'd be here when I woke up, Eddie thought quietly as the nurse settled his blankets around him.
"Are you hurting?" she asked quietly, feeling his pulse. Eddie shook his head and immediately wished he hadn't, as dizziness ensued. "Just rest," she encouraged. He smiled weakly at her and glanced again at the empty doorway. Maybe Y/N had changed her mind. Maybe she thought this whole thing was a mistake. He couldn't blame her though. Tears threatened as he felt emotions overwhelming him. It scared him to know how much he depended on Y/N already, how much he needed her.
Y/N made her way through the hallways, exhaustion finally taking over her body. She took the wrong way a couple of times because she had mixed up the room numbers. She was beginning to understand why Garrett was worried, but truth be told she couldn't explain why she wanted to cry. She finally reached Eddie's room and walked in, doing is best to smile at the singer.
Eddie's eyes fluttered open as he heard footsteps enter his room. Y/N filled the doorway, a faint smile touching her lips, she looked completely exhausted.
"Y/N," he whispered hoarsely, feeling his throat dry and scratchy from the surgery. "I was afraid you weren't coming," he confessed as Y/N pulled up a chair at his bedside.
"Nah, I promised I'd be here." Y/N replied with a smile. "I just got lost." she explained as she sat down, taking Eddie's hand between her and kissing it softly. "How are you feeling? Need anything?"
"Just you," he replied as he watched Y/N tenderly kissing his hand. He smiled wistfully at Y/N as he struggled to get closer to her. "Are you ok?" he asked, entwining his fingers with Y/N's but looking intently at her face. "I was so worried about you, Y/N," he blurted, his eyes watering. The anesthesia drugs were not helping his ability to remain calm, cool and collected, especially now that he could see Y/N's beautiful eyes, so fatigued and troubled.
"I don't know yet," Y/N said with a sad smile. "I just don't know how I feel right now. I'm kinda numb because my brain can't process what happened. I'm just glad you are okay."
Eddie searched her dark pools for a moment before he answered. "Let's not think about it right now," he decided, stroking Y/N's hand with his thumb. "The good part is that it's over," he added, feeling a tear fall down his cheek. "And we both survived it," he said quietly, thinking how truly lucky they actually were. "I wanna hold you, but I can't move this arm," he chuckled tearfully with mild aggravation.
Y/N smiled and got up from the chair, giving Eddie a hug and doing her best not to hurt him. New tears formed in her eyes as she held onto the singer, feeling just so weak. She kissed Eddie's forehead before sitting back down again.
"Don't go," Eddie whispered as he moved over, making room for Y/N on the right side of the bed. "I need to feel you close," he replied quietly. Eddie groaned with the movement as it was uncomfortable being paralyzed by the shoulder immobilizer. "Just hold me, ok?" Eddie whispered, eyes watering again as he saw Y/N hesitating.
"I don't want to hurt you, baby," Y/N said softly. "You're probably more comfortable without me."
"No," Eddie answered quickly. "No, I'm not," he added before looking at the door. "Oh, is Garrett with you? We wouldn't want him to see us like that, I guess," Eddie replied sadly, as he looked over at Y/N. His heart ached to have the back up singer close, but he understood.
Y/N laughed softly. "Baby... he kinda saw us declaring our love for each other while you were on the gurney, after that hugging you is pretty much standard procedure," she said stroking his hair softly. "I just don't want to cause you any more pain."
Eddie felt his cheeks heat. "I didn't know he was even there," Eddie hissed quietly. "I was too focused on you," he said softly as he purred into Y/N touching his hair. He loved the way Y/N caressed him. "And there is no way, your hands could ever cause me pain," he added snidely as he leaned in closer, hoping for a kiss.
"I know... but he was." Y/N said with a soft smile. "I don't think it had sunk in his mind yet, but yeah..." she trailed off. She smiled and placed a kiss on Eddie's lips, moving a thumb over his cheek. When she broke the kiss, she leaned her forehead against Eddie. "And you're already wincing from the pain, I really don't want to hurt you."
"I'm not," Eddie replied stubbornly, after lingering on Y/N's lips pressed to his, even though he had felt a slight twinge when the bed dipped. Eddie smiled into Y/N's face as they rested their foreheads together. "Tell me that hearing you say you love me wasn't a figment of my imagination," he whispered softly, looking into Y/N's shimmering eyes.
"I could really deny that just now, couldn't I?" Y/N said amused, she paused and took Eddie's face in her hands. "You didn't imagine it, baby. I love you."
"And..." Eddie grinned incessantly. "You said it first," he added proudly. "Although... I've probably known that I love you longer, not that knowing longer would be saying much since it was pretty much love at first sight for me," he confessed. "I won't deny how good it makes me feel to hear you say it, though," he added, kissing Y/N's nose followed by her lips once more, clinging again to the sweet taste he was so in love with.
Y/N smiled into the kiss, loving the emotion behind it. She kept kissing the singer until he tilted his head to deepen the kiss and winced in pain.
"You're such a bad liar, Munson," Y/N said pulling away and hovering over him as she held her weight with her arms.
"I'm fine," Eddie held back a grimace after Y/N broke from the heated kiss. "I'd be even better, if you would crawl into this bed with me," he teased, his eyes bright with amusement. "But, I'll settle for a little more of those delicious lips," he whispered, using his good hand to pull Y/N's shirt down so he could kiss her again. Eddie deepened the kiss immediately, moaning at Y/N's tongue on his lips and inside his mouth.
"Aaahem..." sounded from behind them as Garrett cleared his throat entered the doorway, breaking up the intimacy of their kiss.
"Hey Gar," Y/N said not being able to even stand up straight as Eddie still had a hold on her shirt. The metalhead seemed to realize this because he let go. Y/N straightened up, but a little too quickly. Dizzily, she collapsed in the chair burying her face in her hands.
"Y/N, are you ok?" Garrett asked worriedly.
"Yeah... just fucking tired," Y/N replied.
Eddie tried to sit straighter in the bed as Y/N fell into her chair. He grimaced painfully as he overstepped his limits with his shoulder in attempt to reach out and touch Y/N.
"How ya doing, Eds?" Garrett asked the long-haired man lying in the hospital bed. Eddie had not realized how frightened he was of Garrett finding out about their relationship until this moment.
"Um, ah...well...I'm a little sore, but I'm more concerned about Y/N," he replied anxiously, his eyes fixed on Y/N.
"I'm fine," Y/N said stubbornly, but she still had not lifted her head from her hands. "I just need some rest, that's all."
Garrett eyed her, "You're so full of shit, Y/L/N," he said shaking his head at the mess that Y/N looked like at that moment.
"She is," Eddie concurred, still watching Y/N nervously. "I can't catch her if she goes down," Eddie added, looking at Garrett seriously. "I'm kind of maimed over here," he continued, looking back at Garrett. "You should take her home," he told Garrett even though he didn't want to be left alone. Y/N had been through hell in the last twelve hours and she looked every bit of it.
Y/N shook her head. "I can't go back there... not yet anyway," she said. "I'll be fine," she said again, knowing it was no use. And very aware of how much her body was protesting. "Did you call the guys?" she asked Garrett in a desperate attempt of changing the subject.
"Yeah, I told them to wait until tomorrow to come up though, seeing it's after five am and all," Garrett added as a nurse walked into the room and changed Eddie's IV bag. "You can come home with me, Y/N," he added, putting his hand on the young women's shoulder. "I'll go to yours tomorrow and clean up a bit so you won't have any reminders," he told them both quietly.
"I just... I don't want to go back there for a while," Y/N said shaking her head, "I can't..." she said softly, feeling her face go pale as her head filled with the memories of Scott. The tears started rolling down her face uncontrollably. It was the first time all night she had let her guard down and she could not take it. She shot pass Garrett and headed to the bathroom before puking her guts out.
Eddie watched in agony, as he could not go after his lover.
"Gar," he whined as he looked at Y/N, kneeling in front of the toilet, retching. Garrett nodded and headed into the bathroom, leaning over, soothing Y/N's back with one hand.
"Take it easy, get it all out Y/N" he said quietly as she continued to retch, her whole body shaking. Eddie wanted nothing more than to be there for Y/N and watching Garrett with her was painful.
Y/N was alternating between sobbing and vomiting, making it insanely difficult for her to breathe. She choked, which caused her to heave even more. She had been so worried about Eddie, she had barely given a thought to what happened and it was fucking painful now as it all came back to her and refused to leave her mind.
Eddie began to cry as he watched Y/N getting sick. The whole night had been one insane nightmare after the next. He knew that Y/N was hurting and his chest ached with the realization of it. He could see Scott touching her; see that bastard sliding the barrel of his gun down Y/N's smooth back. He fought furiously for control, biting back a scream, only he couldn't move, he couldn't comfort, and he couldn't be there for her.
Edging up in the bed, he continued to watch Y/N cry, now embraced by Garrett on the bathroom floor. He felt helpless and hideously guilty that he had not been able to reach Y/N in time. Now he would have to endure those memories. Memories of her submissive position on the bed, with Scott over her, assaulting her both emotionally and physically. Eddie cried for them both. He cried for their future, for their past, for everything.
Y/N tried to calm down in Garrett's arms but she knew she'd only find comfort in Eddie's arms, like she had that night when Scott had come back. She heard Eddie's sobs and without hesitation, she got up and got into bed with the singer, pulling him into her arms.
Eddie held onto Y/N as if his life depended on it, curling his body so tightly next to her, he worried if Y/N could still breathe. He ignored the throbbing of his shoulder as he gripped her with his right arm.
"I love you, baby," he mewed softly, between sobs "I'm so sorry this happened to you." He felt Y/N slump against him, drawing energy from him, finally comforted. "I hate myself for allowing this to happen to you," he whispered against Y/N's shirt, now wet from his tears.
Y/N shook her head, barely able to speak. "This was not your fault Eddie. There was not a thing you could have done other than what you did. You saved Y/N." Garrett said softly, knowing his friend could barely speak.
"I know," Eddie sobbed, "but I feel like if I could have only gotten to her faster, broken free quicker, I could have killed that son of bitch before he even laid a hand on her." He pressed his face into Y/N's shirt, trying to control the pain bubbling out of his chest. "Oh Y/N, oh god... all I can see is him touching you," Eddie cried, squeezing her tighter. "I hate him, I fucking hate him so much," he growled through gritted teeth.
Y/N could only sob as she held Eddie, her own guilt for bringing Scott into their lives taking over her.
"Eddie, stop," Garrett said, "You did what you had to do, there's nothing more you could've done. You have to stop blaming yourself for this because I know for a fact that Y/N is blaming herself too for bringing Scott into your life. You're going nowhere with this."
Eddie sniffed, trying to get a hold of himself. "You're right, Garrett," he conceded, looking tearfully up at Y/N. His heart squeezed painfully as he looked at his lover, her eyes red and puffy. He needed to concentrate on how they had come through such a disaster. He needed to be grateful that Y/N was alive, safe and sound in his arms. And most of all, he needed to be grateful that Scott was finally behind bars where he belonged.
"Y/N, I think I need to take you home," Garrett said. Y/N shook her head. "No, I'm not leaving him here alone," she said firmly. "Y/N, come on. Look at you, man... you're about to collapse any second now," Garrett insisted. "I'll take you home and we can come back after you've slept," Y/N shook her head again.
"No," she repeated, her mind not able to process being without Eddie right now.
Eddie nestled against Y/N as they argued. He wasn't going to fight Y/N if she wanted to stay here. He couldn't deny that he didn't want to be alone.
"She can sleep here with me Garrett. We all need to sleep anyway. You can bring her some clothes later to shower. I know that one of these chairs turns into a bed, not the most comfortable but I think we're too tired to care right now," he told him, not looking at him. "Actually, she could just stay in bed with me," he added as he pulled Y/N closer and nudged the blankets over both of them. "We'll be okay, you go get some sleep too Garrett. I think we just need to be alone for a while," he reasoned, looking up at the drummer.
Garrett wasn't happy at all with the decision. Y/N looked worse than death and she needed some proper rest, but he knew there was no winning in this two versus one.
"Fine, then," he said slightly annoyed. "I'll bring some of your stuff later, Y/N. I guess yours too, Eddie," he said before he walked out.
"He's pissed, Y/N," Eddie said quietly after Garrett left the room in a huff. "I don't want you to go, but maybe you should have," he added, looking up at Y/N, thinking she did look terrible.
Y/N shook her head, "I don't care," she said simply. "I can't physically bear to be without you right now."
"Ok, baby," Eddie cooed softly, shifting so that Y/N could hold him closer. "I feel the same way," he continued as he pulled the blankets higher around them. "Let's sleep some then, ok?" he whispered just as the door opened and a police officer leaned in.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Y/F/N Y/L/N?" the officer mispronounced Y/N's name as he looked at the pair questioningly.
Y/N lifted her head up, thinking that she really needed to rest because she felt close to passing out.
"Y/L/N, that's me. What can I do for you?" she asked tiredly.
"Y/L/N...sorry," the officer apologized as he entered the hospital room. "I have a few more questions for you...about last night," he began as he raised an eyebrow at the two cuddled in bed together, obviously disapproving. "We took a man into custody last night named Scott Turner. He gave a statement regarding his reasons for being at the residence in question," the officer paused as he pulled out his notepad and a pen. "He said that you gave him full access to your apartment and that in fact, the two of you were...uh...together? Anyway, the stories are not matching up with your original statement and...." Eddie pushed up with his good arm.
"What the fuck are you talking about? That man tried to kill both of us! Do you mean to tell me that you are siding more with his story?" Eddie yelled exasperatedly.
"I'm trying to talk to Miss Y/L/N here," the officer told him, anger crossing his face at being interrupted.
Y/N raised her arm and shook her head at Eddie. She was just too tired to be upset. "We were together until he fucked girl in our bed." she replied a little coldly.
The officer cleared his throat as he wrote a few details down. "I see, well he also mentioned that you were attempting to reconcile," he started again as he looked down at Eddie, "and this man," he pointed to Eddie, "was getting in the way of that. He said the gun belonged to him," the officer finished as he looked between Y/N and Eddie now.
"That is a complete lie," Eddie yelped.
"Whatever, we are going to need some information, Mr. ah..."
"Munson, Eddie Munson," Eddie cut him off, his head was spinning, his arm really beginning to hurt. He couldn't believe that the police were going to try and pin this on him. "And I want to press charges on that asshole too, I mean I am the one laid up in the hospital. What do you guys think? I shot myself?" Eddie laughed incredulously as he looked at Y/N, noting the paleness of her face.
The officer looked at Eddie, the expression on his face, less than understanding.
"You are going to have to come back tomorrow. I can't fucking believe this," Eddie hissed. "We will be speaking with an attorney from here on out," he added, knowing that was the only card he could pull to get the cop to go. "Unless you plan to arrest me or something," Eddie continued. The cop looked at Y/N, disbelief in his eyes. This had obviously not been his plan. Eddie knew that the cop had little or no hard evidence to arrest either of them thereby calling him on it.
"Miss Y/L/N, do you have anything further to say?" he asked as he flipped the notepad shut.
"What exactly do you want me to say?" Y/N asked with pain in her voice. "Mr. Turner just made me go through the worst night of my life by breaking and entering, let alone attempt to murder Mr. Munson here and you are here turning it back on us. You look like a smart man; do you really think I'd be in a hospital looking the way I do if I was trying to reconcile with him? No. I'd be trying to get him out while trying to get Mr. Munson here arrested," she said coldly. "I was almost raped at gunpoint, but you know what? YOU are the one with every right to be annoyed."
"You two need to get your stories straight," the officer looked at them in all seriousness. "And I would definitely suggest an attorney, Mr. Turner has appointed one as well, this is not the end of this," he added, before turning on his heel and leaving. Eddie felt the room spin dizzily as he watched the officer go. Nausea washed over him as he leaned back against the pillows. Tears spilt down both cheeks.
"This is never going to end is it? That man is pure evil," he continued as he fought the bile rising in his throat, knowing he needed to be strong for Y/N but he was so weak.
"I can't do this..." Y/N suddenly breathed out, tears spilling down her cheeks as she tried to breathe, not really succeeding. She thought about the cops finding her in the bathroom covered in what she now realised was Eddie's blood, Eddie's injuries on his wrists from the rope, how the hell could Scott's story be more believable than theirs? "I can't do this."
"Calm down, baby," Eddie cooed as he pulled Y/N against him. "It's gonna be okay," he whispered against her hair. Eddie wondered who in the hell Scott knew or had an affiliation with that could get the tables turned on them as he had. There had to be a reason for that. The evidence was stacked against the prick, wasn't it? He was one dirty fucker, Eddie thought miserably. "We'll get a good attorney and all this will be behind us before we know it," he continued as he soothed Y/N's back, the pain in his shoulder causing him to grimace.
"I can't fight him anymore," Y/N panted. "He always wins. I can't keep doing this," she cried, not looking at Eddie. "It hurts too fucking much," she said sadly. She just couldn't keep living this that just when she thought it was over, things only got worse.
"You don't have to fight him alone anymore," Eddie reassured, "I'm right here with you, we will fight him together. And we will beat this," he continued. "I know how much this is hurting you," he whispered. "But, I'm here, baby, I'm going hold you and love you to the end," he comforted. "I don't think he can hurt us anymore," he added.
"He is, already," Y/N replied sadly. "I'm sorry, I love you more than I can say, but I need to be alone right now," she said and without another word she got up from the bed and left the room.
"But, Y/N," Eddie called but she had already gone. Helpless and in pain, Eddie cried silently in his pillow. It wasn't enough, he wasn't enough. He moaned in agony as he heart ached in his chest. The combination of his injuries and his desperate attempts to comfort his lover were brutal. He was too weak from the blood loss and left over anesthesia to chase him, no matter how much he wanted. Empty and sick, Eddie fell into a fretful sleep, often calling Y/N's name in his misery.
Y/N walked for hours. Her body was still exhausted but she didn't care anymore. She needed to forget, she needed to get away. She wanted to believe Eddie but as much as she tried, she couldn't. She had never been in such emotional pain in her life and she wasn't sure she could pull though this.
She walked until she found herself close to Jeff's house, the sun shining brightly already. She knocked on the guitarist's door and stood miserably until he opened the door.
"Y/N! Thank god! We've all been worried sick about you!" Jeff said, as he pulled the young woman inside, noting she looked like a car had hit her and dragged her. "Where have you been?" Jeff asked gently as he led Y/N to the couch, he noticed how Y/N was staring blankly and was allowing Jeff to lead her as if she couldn't move on her own.
"Walking," Y/N replied a few seconds later as if she was having trouble even thinking. She allowed Jeff to take off her messy shirt.
"Walking?" Jeff said confused. "You walked all the way from the hospital? That's miles away!" Y/N just nodded and laid back on the couch, her eyes glassy and unfocused. Jeff helped put a blanket over her on the couch, looking worriedly at her and almost ran to the phone. "Garrett, she's here and it doesn't look good."
"What?" Garrett screamed into the phone to Jeff. "She's there? Did she walk all that way?" Garrett continued to rage. "I'm on my way," he screamed and hung up in Jeff's ear. Jeff grabbed a bottle of water and raced to Y/N's side. She looked dehydrated and completely void of emotion.
"Y/N, drink some water," Jeff encouraged as he helped her sit up. "Talk to me, what's going on with you?"
Y/N looked at Jeff as if she didn't know him.
"I don't know," she replied. "I know the cops came to talk to us again, blaming Eddie and I just..." she felt a shot of guilt run through her and she just felt quiet. Her eyes blank again.
"Blaming Eddie? How could they do that?" Jeff asked, shocked at Y/N's response. When Y/N fell silent, Jeff pressed the water bottle to her lips. "Drink some of this buddy, you look awful," he added. Jeff had no idea what to say much less what to do. He had never seen Y/N so distressed. Jeff mused about why the cops would ever blame Eddie for the turn of events.
"Hey, I just thought of something. Doesn't Scott have some family in the LAPD?" Jeff asked but didn't wait for Y/N to answer. "I distinctly remember you telling us that he used to talk about how he gets out of tickets all the time because his cousin or brother or something is practically chief of police up there," he finished. "You think...surely he wouldn't pull rank that way would he? God, Y/N, if that's the case...then..." Jeff broke off as he looked at Y/N's face go completely pale.
"Y/N?"
Y/N nodded slowly. "His brother," she said softly. That explained a lot. She had not thought of his brother. Now she knew there was no way out. Tears slipped down her cheeks again, right before her stare went unfocused again, and she turned to Jeff as if he had just gotten there.
"Jeff! When did you get here? Want me to get you something to drink? I didn't know you were coming."
"What?" Jeff looked at her confused. "What are you talking about Y/N?" he asked as he looked at the dazed glare in Y/N's eyes, her face getting paler by the second. "Y/N? What's going on, I've been here all along..."
"I'm sorry, Jeff but I've been up and down for 3 days, I really need to catch up on my sleep." Y/N replied. "You should've called before you dropped by."
"Y/N, you are s-scaring me," Jeff stammered. He grabbed his friend by the shoulders and forced her to look at him in the face. Y/N was looking at him as if she did not even know who he was. Jeff knew she must be going into some kind of shock, trying to escape the excruciating pain of last night. He pulled Y/N close as he felt tears threatening.
"Its okay, Y/N, we gonna get you some help," he cried to his friend. Where the fuck was Garrett, he thought as he hugged Y/N before pulling back to look at her again. "Y/N, where are you?" he asked quietly as he looked at her, seeing the confusion flashing through her eyes.
"Jeffy, you're crazy," Y/N said shaking her head as she hugged her younger friend. Garrett came through the door after a few minutes.
"Y/N, we were worried sick about you!" he said as he kneeled in front of her. Y/N looked at him as if he was crazy too.
"What are you on about dude?" she asked. "You knew I was working with Eddie on my vocals," she said confused.
Garrett looked at Jeff panicked before looking back at Y/N. "Y/N? What's the matter with you? You weren't doing vocals with Eddie today," he told her, his voice shaking. "Jeff? What's going on?" Garrett asked as he looked at Y/N who had leaned back on the couch, relaxing as she used the remote to flip on the TV. Garrett took note of Y/N's face, noticing she was so pale, she looked yellow.
"I dunno, Garrett, I think she's in shock or something," he added as he moved closer to Garrett whispering. "We need to get her to the hospital, like now, I've never seen anything like this," Jeff continued, his eyes watering with fear.
"Y/N," Garrett knelt closer to Y/N, taking her face into his hands. "We have to go. You need some help," he insisted, feeling anxiety taking over his body.
"The hospital?" Y/N asked. "Dude, I have work to do, I'm only taking a nap," she said trying to move away from Garrett. "Y/N listen to me, Eddie is worried sick about you, he's been crying non-stop since you left. He wants to see you to know you're okay," Garrett insisted and his words seemed to break some of Y/N's daze.
"Eddie?" she asked her voice cracking as she said the name, tears forming in her eyes. "He probably doesn't want to see me, he's too good for someone like me."
Garrett breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had finally gotten through the shock and brought Y/N back to reality. "No, Y/N, he needs you," he reassured, "let's go, we need to go see him," Garrett continued, hoping the ploy would get Y/N to go to the hospital. Y/N needed serious medical attention. Garrett looked at Jeff, gesturing that he get Y/N some fresh clothes.
"I can't see him, Gar," Y/N said sadly, looking down at her feet. "I walked out on him. "I was too damn weak and I left. He doesn't want to see me."
"Y/N, we're going," he said firmly as he shoved a borrowed t- shirt from Jeff over Y/N's head. "It doesn't matter what you did. He needs you and you are being stubborn, so let's go," he began to pull off Y/N's tennis shoes and socks so that he could change her into a borrowed clean pair of running bottoms. "Don't fight me on this," Garrett insisted again as he helped Y/N put on fresh socks and underwear. "You are not in your right mind, Y/N," he told her quietly, feeling his hands shake, he didn't know what he was going to do if Y/N tried to refuse. They had to get her to the hospital.
Y/N just shrugged her body too weak to fight. She allowed Garrett to change her clothes before Jeff and Garrett got her into the car, taking her to the hospital.
Garrett peered over the back seat to see Y/N curled into a ball, asleep. Jeff was viciously biting his nails as they sat in traffic.
"What's going on, Gar? I'm fucking scared, man," he asked as he looked over at Garrett.
"Fuck if I know, Jeff," Garrett replied as he drove nervously to the hospital. "When I got to the hospital this morning, Eddie was a fucking wreck. He told me that Y/N had just taken off without word. He could barely talk he was so upset. He tried to tell me what happened but I just called a lawyer and left a message with the receptionist. I think it was just too much for Y/N. But I don't understand it. When I left she couldn't even think about leaving Eddie. To go from that to just up and leaving... I don't know, but it's fucking scary."
Jeff looked over his shoulder to see Y/N twitching in her sleep, a sheen of sweat across her brow. "Y/N said the same thing...something about the police trying to blame Eddie for the incident. Then I remembered Y/N telling us that Scott had some connections within the LAPD, Y/N said it was his brother. He must be using the family card in there to get out of trouble. I don't understand how that's possible though, I mean Eddie was shot for god's sake," Jeff paused, looking back at Y/N again, seeing her pull her knees tighter to her, in the fetal position.
"What's going on with her and Eddie anyway?"
"Well I don't think it's my place to tell you, but I guess you'll find out anyway. She and Eddie are together," Garrett said, letting out a sigh of relief as they reached the hospital.
Jeff sat silently for a moment as he helped Garrett hunt for a parking space. "Fuck, Gar, isn't it a little soon for all that?" he replied before checking Y/N again. She was shaking all over and tossing feverishly on the seat.
"Yeah, probably," Garrett agreed. "But you gotta admit Y/N changed for the better after she showed up here... if only that motherfucker Scott hadn't ruined everything again."
"Yeah...shit, Gar, I think she's getting worse," Jeff said nervously as he kept his eyes on Y/N. "Let's get her inside," he gushed as he climbed out of the car, immediately opening the back of the SUV for Y/N.
With Garrett's help, they carried Y/N into the main emergency waiting room. It didn't take long once the staff had assessed Y/N and Garrett had explained what was going on to lead them back to a room. The nurse then asked them to step out for Y/N's exam. Garrett nodded hesitantly, not wanting to leave Y/N before taking Jeff by the arm, leading him back to the waiting room.
"Should we go see Eddie while they evaluate her?" Jeff asked Garrett as they put money into the coffee machine, desperately needing the caffeine.
"Yeah, he must be worried and he shouldn't be alone," Garrett said as they both took their coffees and headed to Eddie's room.
"Eddie?" Jeff asked hesitantly.
Eddie jolted awake as his name was called.
"Y/N?" he squinted at the door, raising up on one elbow. "Jeff......Garrett ...where is she? Did you find her?" he asked, his voice high pitched with worry.
Garrett nodded as he sat on the bed at Eddie's feet, Jeff taking a chair next to the bed.
"Yeah. She showed up at Jeff's house, I'm surprised she found it but she's been walking since she left," Garrett explained as calmly as he could. "But she was kinda out of it. She kept thinking that she'd been in the studio all night."
"Oh god," Eddie buried his good hand in his hair, tears welling in his eyes. "Thank god, you found her," he said, brokenly. "Where is she now?" he asked, knuckling away the tears sliding down his cheeks.
"We brought her here, so they're examining her." Jeff replied, feeling his heart tug at the obvious care Eddie had for Y/N.
Eddie nodded in acknowledgement. "That's good," he said softly as he curled on his side. "I'm so worried about her," he whispered, not really focusing on either Garrett or Jeff. "She's been through so much and last night...I'm afraid she won't be able to recover. She's convinced that Scott has her trapped and will always win no matter what," he moaned miserably. "I can't help her, I tried... but...I just couldn't help her..." he cried into the pillow. He didn't want Jeff to see him like this. It was bad enough Garrett had seen him in this condition. He was just too tired and too weak to keep up appearances at this point.
Garrett shook his head. "I don't think this about you not being able to help her... I think it's about how Y/N feels around Scott, Eddie," he tried to explain. "I know you didn't know the whole thing but when they were together Scott kept putting Y/N down, and taking advantage of her. And after they broke up, Y/N continued to feel that he was still doing that. You helped her, Eddie. I really thought she had no way out of her depression and she started getting better, when she showed up here. Last night wasn't about you; it was about her not being able to handle everything that happened."
"I understand that Garrett, I really do, it's just really hard for me to accept. You have to understand how helpless I felt when I was bound to that chair while that bastard touched her, you have no idea what it was like for me to witness that kind of abuse," he told him, his voice still shaking as tears fell down his face.
"Of course I don't Eddie," Garrett said soothingly. "I won't even pretend I do. If you had not been there who knows if Y/N would be even here with us. You saved her. And I'm not trying to say I am even close to understanding what happened, I'm just asking you not to give up on Y/N yet. She has never been good at opening up. She always thinks she can deal with things on her own when she can't. You are the only person that has been able to get through to her and she really fucking needs you right now."
"And I need her," Eddie whispered, holding a pillow close to him. "Can you take me to her? The nurse can bring us a wheelchair so I can bring all this gear with me," he rolled his eyes at the IV pole. "The doctor came by this morning and says if all goes well tonight, I'll be released tomorrow," he added, looking at Garrett, wide eyed with anxiety and desperation.
Garrett nodded without hesitation. He got the wheelchair for Eddie and helped him get in it, wheeling him down the hallways as they went to find Y/N.
"You need to calm down, Miss Y/L/N," the nurse insisted as Y/N tried for the fourth time to leave the exam room. "I've sent for your friends, they are just in the waiting room," she told her. "I have some medication for you, now it is really important that you take this," she instructed as she came toward her with the medicine cup and a glass of water.
Y/N had spent the last ten minutes arguing with her about needing to be somewhere. The psychiatrist had interviewed Y/N and ordered some Valium for sedation, knowing Y/N was experiencing complex post traumatic stress disorder. The nurse knew it was going to be difficult, but the doctor had already requested a bed for her on the psychiatric wing. She hoped her friends would help to calm her for the admitting.
Y/N was about to say no again when she saw Garrett wheeling Eddie in the room.
"Baby!" she screamed a little too happily for everything that had been going on and how tired she should be. "Baby... I don't want to take that," she said to Eddie as she pointed to the nurse. She put her arms around Eddie and held him tightly but clearly out of it.
Eddie looked at Y/N, shocked at her behavior. This was not his Y/N. She had a glazed over expression that scared Eddie to his very core. He pulled Y/N into his lap while still in the wheel chair and kissed her cheek, fighting tears. He hated seeing her like this. He could feel Y/N's heart pounding in her chest as she was terrified of the nurse coming toward her.
"Angel," Eddie whispered, taking the medication from the nurse. "Please take this," he urged, soothing Y/N's back with his one good arm, "for me," he continued as he looked at Y/N. He looked at the pill in the cup. "You should see all the drugs they are giving me," he comforted. "This is one baby...little pill..." he nuzzled her cheek again.
"But I don't want to," Y/N insisted. "Look, I'm all fine, baby," she said as she put her hands touching her torso as if she was trying to prove she had no injuries. "Why do I have to take it?"
"So we can take a nap on that big comfortable bed over there," Eddie eyed the stretcher in the corner. "Neither of us has slept more than a handful of minutes over the last 24 hours, come on, sweetheart," he whispered. "I wanna take a nap with you," he continued. Garrett came up from behind them and placed his hands on Y/N's shoulders.
"Yeah, Y/N, it's just for rest, take the pill, ok?" Garrett said, softly.
Y/N looked at Eddie and then at Garrett looking like was trying to decide whether they were lying. She seemed uncertain as she finally took the pill, oblivious to the fact that all the eyes in the room were on her.
The nurse gestured for Garrett and Jeff to meet her in the hallway as Y/N snuggled against Eddie.
"Just relax, baby," Eddie cooed as he felt Y/N curling in his lap. He met Garrett's eyes over Y/N's head and silently told him to go with the nurse. "You okay?" Eddie asked softly against Y/N's hair. "I was worried about you," he continued as Garrett and Jeff followed the nurse out of the room, leaving them alone.
"Yeah, baby," Y/N said, "I dunno why all you guys were so worried. I told you I was going to be late in the studio."
"Let's go lay down on the bed together, I'm so exhausted. I just want to lay down and hold you," Eddie encouraged.
Y/N nodded and got from Eddie's lap, pushing the wheelchair and helping Eddie onto the bed. "I don't think I'm that tired," Y/N said as she got into bed, in Eddie's arms. But this was obviously a lie, as she fell asleep in a matter of seconds.
Eddie breathed as sigh of relief, knowing that the medication had kicked in. Y/N was snoring softly against his chest and Eddie held her tightly, praying that when she woke up she would be back to reality. Eddie was terrified after seeing Y/N in this condition. He felt panicked and sick, but most of all helpless. He wondered how they were going to get through this.
Outside the room the nurse was talking to Garrett and Jeff "The doctor interviewed her and it appears that she is suffering from complex post traumatic stress disorder, similar to what soldiers experience when they return from war and sexual assault survivors. He believes that Y/N will benefit from some inpatient therapy and medication to get her through this transition period," she began as she looked from Garrett to Jeff. Jeff was biting his nails again and Garrett looked as if he could pass out.
"This is a very serious condition if left untreated. Miss Y/L/N got very angry when I mentioned to her that she needed to be admitted for treatment. I was even concerned we may have to restrain her as she was so delusional, talking about a recording studio and making music. Does that make sense to you?" She asked, making sure the two men were following her.
"Yeah, we are," Garrett said sadly. "Or we were," he continued. "We are trying to record an album; we've just been signed by a new record label and have been under a deadline to get some tracks done for them." Garrett told her, his eyes watering with tears as he looked at Jeff for support.
Jeff nodded. "Yeah, we're all musicians and she was at my place insisting she needed to get back to work too," he told her.
"Yeah, she is Eddie's girlfriend and we're both their best friends," Garrett told her. "I was really worried about her because she hasn't rested at all, she walked all night to Jeff's house which is quite a few miles from here," he told her, wanting to tell her what had been worrying him most of all.
"It seems that a patient suffering from the condition Y/N is experiencing either sleep too much or not enough," she reassured. "I think the Valium will help her get the rest she needs right now," she continued as she looked through the window into the room and saw that Y/N was sleeping soundly in Eddie's arms. "She was very upset; I had already sent for you two when I attempted to get her to take the medication. It is fortunate that between the three of you, she listened to the instruction and took the medication. Let's go ahead and get her admitted while she is sleeping. Hopefully after some rest, she will be a little more compliant about treatment when she wakes up," she said with optimism although her face showed the opposite. "You guys have any questions for me or the doctor?"
"How long until she's better?" Garrett asked nervously.
"And what can we do to help?" Jeff added. The nurse hesitated wanting to be completely honest with them.
"Well, honestly, there is not a timeframe I could give you. It really depends on Y/N and her will to get better. It sounds as though, she would have no reason not to want to get back to her life as it was before the incident, but you can never tell." Garrett looked down at his feet sadly, not feeling much hope and hating Scott more than anything. "As far as helping, you can just be here for her, support her, let her know how much you love and care for her. It takes a lot of love and understanding to come through what Y/N has endured. She is very lucky to have you all in her life," she added with a small smile. "I'm going to go get the paperwork started," she said quickly and was gone. Jeff looked at Garrett for a moment before sighing.
"Jesus, Gar, what the fuck are we gonna do?" he asked, sadly.
"I have no clue, Jeff," Garrett said truthfully. He ran a hand over his face trying to get his thoughts in order; he had not slept much himself. "Okay, first we need to tell Eddie all this. Then we have to call and get a hold of the lawyer because Eddie probably couldn't do that," he said thoughtfully. "Then after we get Y/N admitted, we should go get some things for both Y/N and Eddie from the apartment because have a feeling Y/N will be staying here for a bit," he rambled on.
Jeff nodded numbly as he followed Garrett into the room. Eddie lifted his head off the stretcher at the sound of the door opening after glancing at Y/N seeing she was completely knocked out still.
"What did she say?" he whispered, not wanting to wake Y/N, although Eddie could read the looks on their faces. It wasn't good, whatever it was.
"Well she is pretty much in shock," Garrett said. "This is like too much for her mind to handle so she reverted back to how things were before the attack," he continued to explain.
"They're going to admit her for treatment," Jeff told him. Eddie looked down at Y/N and brushed his lips over her forehead.
"Whatever it takes," Eddie mused as he kissed her dark hair. "We'll do whatever it takes to get her better," he repeated, his voice wavering. "Did she give any indication how long it would take for her to recovery or what we can do to help?" he asked, stroking Y/N's hair lovingly.
Garrett smiled, as Eddie asked the same questions they had. "She said there's not a real time line and that we just have to be there for her," he told him. "I was thinking of letting Jeff stay here while I go to the apartment and get clothes for both of you and some other stuff you might need and then heading down to visit the lawyer," he told him, waiting to hear what Eddie thought.
"Yeah, that sounds like a plan," Eddie told him quietly, seeing Y/N stirring slightly from their voices. "I'm not leaving her either," he whispered as he looked back up at Garrett and Jeff. "Once they get her in a room, I will go back to mine because I know it will be time for my antibiotics and whatnot. Let me know if you need any further information for the lawyer, he can come talk to me in my room. I'll be more than happy to give him a blow by blow account of what happened, cause god knows I can't get it out of my fucking head," he added. Eddie leaned down, pressing another kiss into Y/N's hair and inhaling deeply as fresh tears surfaced. "I really love her, you guys," he mused as he bit back a sob.
Garrett nodded and put a hand on Eddie's shoulder. "I know. And I can only begin to imagine how hard it is for you," he told him quietly. "But we're here for you. We're your friends too and we'll help you both get through this," he assured him. Jeff nodded in agreement and gave him an encouraging smile. "I'll stay with her while your take your medication until you can come back to her room," he said before turning to Garrett. "And tell the lawyer to be prepared in case the label starts pressuring us again," he warned him.
"Surely they wouldn't do that would they? Try to pressure us with Eddie injured and Y/N is so ill?" Jeff asked looking back and forth from Garrett to Eddie. Looking down at Y/N, Eddie combed his fingers through her hair again, watching her eyelids flutter as she dreamt.
"I don't know," Eddie said truthfully. "They have been putting an insane amount of pressure on us to find another member and from what I know they want us to be working non-stop until the record is done. So I'm thinking that they'll tell you to go back to work with Garrett. Well, if it comes to that I will do what it takes, however, Y/N comes first. She is my first priority. I will not slave to a group of assholes I don't even know," Eddie said firmly but looked apologetically at Garrett and Jeff. "I'm sorry guys, but I mean that. I know we have worked our asses off for a chance with this label but Y/N comes first," he added as he lay down and pulled Y/N closer.
"Yeah, she does," Garrett agreed. "To all of us. But you gotta know that we might need to do at least some work so we don't lose this chance all together."
"Like I said, I'll do what it takes," Eddie told them quietly as he noticed the nurse coming back into the room. "Let's get her upstairs before she wakes up," the nurse suggested as she began gathering Y/N's clothes and placing them in a bag. Eddie looked down at Y/N again and he slowly eased himself from the bed, covering her with a blanket. He could see Y/N visibly shiver when he moved away, knowing she must be freezing, wearing only a hospital gown. Eddie walked over near Garrett and Jeff as the nurse began moving the stretcher with Y/N on it. Garrett gestured for Eddie to sit back in the wheelchair as he noticed him trembling.
"We'll follow you," Garrett told the nurse as she headed down the hall with a medical tech assisting her with the stretcher.

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