Milkshake •Eddie Munson

Chapter Twenty Three: A Bad Deal

It was no secret to Desiree that Eddie dealt with drugs, after a long conversation with each other about it she came to terms with it and accepted it as long as he was always safe and smart about his actions. Although Eddie was never too involved with the troublesome or sketchy sides of being a dealer, he still knew it was a dangerous situation he was in and it could always go wrong in a matter of seconds. Never in Eddie's years of dealing did he ever think that it would happen in the way it was gonna happen.

9:21 a.m.

Desiree grabbed Eddie's lunchbag and set it to the side before grabbing ingredients from the fridge and cabinets. She finally settled on what she wanted to make him and began putting it together. She put his sandwich in Tupperware and stuffed it in his lunchbag along with a can of soda, chips, and a Little Debbie Chocolate Chip Cake. She zipped up his lunchbag after putting a little note in there for Eddie to boost his day if it got rough for him.

Eddie leaned against the counter and watched his girlfriend dancing around the kitchen to Living On A Prayer by Bon Jovi while using the spatula as a microphone. She didn't care how she looked in that moment and it was Eddie's favorite version of her. She opened her eyes and got startled at Eddie's lingering, "Oh shit!" She brought her hand up to her chest to feel her heart beat. Eddie chuckled and turned the music down before walking over to Desiree and pressing a kiss on her temple, "Did you make me lunch?" He asked while looking at the bag on the counter.

She looked at the bag and then back to him with the widest smile on her face, "I did, its a sandwich!" She cheerfully informed him as she applauded herself.  He shook his head and chuckled while taking a few stops forward and wrapping his arms around her head, "I told you, you don't have to make my lunchbag, love." He told her as he rested his chin on the top of her head. She shrugged and looked up at him, "Its all your favorites." She beamed a smile. He shook his head and cupped her face firmly in his hands and he took a deep breath, "What would I do without you?" He asked before pressing a soft peck to her lips and then let's go of her face. Desiree smiled and tipped toed to kiss his cheek, "We'll never know, we're gonna grow old together." She teased as she wiped off the lint that rested on his shoulder.

Eddie looked at his watch and grabbed his lunchbag while on his way to the door. He grabbed his keys and met Desiree at the front door. He pecked her lips multiple times, "Okay, bye. I love you." He spoke in-between kisses. She giggled and pushed him out of the trailer, "Goodbye, I love you." She says as she waves him goodbye and watched as he left.

She turned on her heel and walked back into Eddie's trailer while closing and locking the door behind her. She decided to take the time to clean the trailer for Wayne and Eddie since they were kind enough to let her stay there while her apartment was getting fixed up.

12:43 p.m.

Eddie wiped the grease and grime from off of his hands as his manager approached him, "Munson, have you finished the Cunningham's vehicle?" He asked. Eddie nodded his head and used a rag to wipe the sweat from his forehead, "Yes sir, its the first car I worked on as soon as I punched in." He tells him while pointing over to their Mercedes Benz. His manager patted Eddie's shoulder, "Nice work son, you're good to go on lunch." He told Eddie before walking away.

Eddie went to the break room and grabbed his bag and took it to the wall that was closest to the phone. He took the handset off of the dial and rested it between his ear and shoulder as he dialed his home phone number. The phone rang a few times before Desiree answered it, "Hello?" She says causing warmth to flow throughout Eddie's body, "Hey baby, I'm on lunch right now." He tells her as he watched his co-worker walk into the room. Ryder smiled as he sees Eddie unpacking his lunch.

He saw the little note folded up in his lunchbox and smiled before tucking it in his left chest pocket and opening his can of soda and taking a large gulp of it. Ryder sat at the table with Eddie and smiled, "How's the wife?" He asked. Eddie smiled and shook his head, "Shes amazing, look at this lunch she made me, man. Best future wife ever." He gushed. Ryder nodded his head, "A real keeper just for giving you a Little Debbie snack." He joked. Desiree heard the joke and busted out into laughter, "Honey, I rented a movie for us to put on and not watch tonight, if you can catch my drift." She told him and Eddie can just picture the smirk on her face, "I can't wait to not watch it." He spoke into the phone as lowly as he could so Ryder didn't hear.

Eddie heard a knock on the door coming from the phone and furrowed his eyebrows, "Whos there babe?" He asked before taking a huge bite of his sandwich. She hummed for a second, "Give me one second honey, I'm gonna get that." She tells him before there was silence on the phone signaled that she set the phone down. He heard indistinct chatter for a while, trying to understand what was being said until his heart completely stops from the horrific sound coming from the phone. Ryder quickly notices Eddie's face drop, grabbed the phone from his hands and put his ear up to it but all he could hear were cries from Desiree and a loud gunshot. He sees Eddie from the corner of his eyes immediately shoot up from his seat and run out of the room, leaving him there on the phone still with screaming is all that could be heard.

Eddie immediately left work and sped his way to the trailer, "Please please please this isn't happening." He says to himself as he grips the steering wheel tightly, turning his knuckles white. He didn't care about one traffic sign or light, he ran everything with the luck of not getting pulled over for reckless driving. He arrived at the trailer and quickly ran to the open front door and fell to his knees next to Desiree. Her breathing was slim to none, her face was covered in blood, and a large blood stain can be seen on her clothes.

Eddie places her head in his lap and scream out for help, "No, no, no, not my girlfriend. Help! Help me please!" He screams at the top of his lungs. Tears stream down his face as he looks at Desiree. "No, no, no, please baby. Baby, look at me please." He says while tapping her cheek and rocking her in his arms. The sound of footsteps can be heard and Eddie turned to see Max there with the most terrified look on her face, and tears swelling in her eyes.

She shook her head and clasped her hand around her mouth while looking at Desiree in his arms, "Max, go!" He cried and all she did was nod and run back home, and Eddie only hoped that she ran home to call the precinct. Eddie rested his head on Desiree's forehead and weeped while holding her tightly in his arms, "Baby, please. I'm so sorry." He wiped his teardrops off of her cheek.

"Wayne! Wayne!" He cried out at the top of his lungs. He shook his head and held her body tightly against his while stroking her hair, "Shh, you're gonna be okay love. I'm here a-and we're going to put on that stupid movie you bought just for us not to watch it, okay?" He sniffled and soon heard the sound of faint sirens. Eddie stood up with Desiree in his arms and carried her out of the trailer, "Help is here, look. Don't worry Des they're gonna save you and I'mgoing to propose to you and were going to have a big wedding like you told me about and then were going to make babies and grow old together." He talks to her.

He wasn't talking to her to keep her calm, he was trying to convince himself that she was going to be okay. The thought of a life without her isn't a life he was willing to live because without her he'd have no home to come to, no one to love and he'd become the worst version of his Uncle Wayne or worse, not even want to live at all if it wasn't with her.

Everyone was now out of their trailers, and watching as Eddie carried Desiree towards the cop cars and ambulances that were swiftly pulling into the trailer park. Ambulances brought the stretcher to her and took her from Eddie's arms and rested her on the flat surface. Cops immediately asked Eddie questions and set him as a suspect. He zoned out and watched as they carried her body into the back of the ambulance, "Can I go with her?" He asked while completely ignoring their questions. Officer Calhoun sighed and rubbed his temples, "Eddie, can you pleas-"

"Let him go." A voice instructed, a voice Eddie was familiar with. Calhoun sighed and nodded, "Go." He instructed and without hesitation Eddie ran to the back of the ambulance with Desiree. Calhoun looked over at him and held his arms up, "You just let our suspect go?" He asked while scoffing and putting his notepad away. "That boy was at work while all of this went down, so instead of questioning a guy that just saw his girlfriend on the floor with a bullet hole in her chest or are you going to fucking do your job and find the bastard that did it!" Hopper was infuriated as he spoke to Officer Calhoun as can be seen by his red face, and clenched fists.

Hopper looked at every officer and grew fed up, "Go look, now!" He slammed his hand on the hood of his vehicle as hard as he could, causing everyone to leave in a hurry with their sirens blaring. He reached through the window and grabbed his walkie, "Find who did it or I'm firing every single one of you." He warned. "10-4 Hop, we're gonna find them." A cop responded.

Hopper noticed Max standing there with tear stained cheeks and approached her, "Get everyone on the phone, let them know, and meet them at the hospital." He instructed her. She nodded and turned on her heel to run inside but before she could take a step he grabbed her shoulder and turned her around, "Tell Eddie I'll be there as soon as I can." He tells her and she nodded before leaving.