You Love Somebody

45 (Eddie)

Eddie's knee was acting up throughout the show. There were times where he forgot he couldn't be as wild and it hurt like hell. He was aware he had Anna's eyes burning into the back of his head, keeping an eye on him. She checked in the intercom every now and again if he winced or took the weight off his leg.

"Are you good, Eddie?" She asked and he sent her a thumbs up. 

He knew she would take great care of him and that she would make sure he was seen by a specialist as soon as possible. But he really didn't want her to worry. At the moment she needed to enjoy the time she had with her dad and Alice before they headed back to America. 

But the next morning she gently woke him and told him to get ready, because they were going to a private hospital to get his knee checked. 

He sat up in bed, his unruly curls a mess on his head, and rubbed his eyes. 

"How did you manage that?" He yawned. It hadn't even been 12 hours and she already had an appointment for him. 

"I insisted." She smiled and ruffled his hair. "You need to be checked immediately. Cardiff is only five days away and you're not going on stage with the kind of pain you had last night." 

He smiled at her and knew there was no point in discussing it with her. She had the last word; that was her job. If she as his physician determined that he wasn't fit to perform, she could shut it all down. 

He showered and got ready. When he came down she handed him breakfast and coffee to go and shoved him towards the door. 

"Let's go, handsome." She said. She had arranged for a car to pick them up and drive them there. 

"I could have driven, you know?" He chuckled, but she just shook her head and made him get in the backseat. 

"Ben offered to take you, but I insisted." She got in next to him in the backseat. 

"Shouldn't you be spending the day with your dad and Alice before they fly home tomorrow?" He asked, worried that she was wasting precious time on him. 

"Nope. This felt like a physician/girlfriend thing, and I am both, so there..." She chuckled and took a bite of his croissant. 

He shook his head at her, but leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, love." 

***

The advantage of a private hospital was that there was no waiting time. They were seen by a specialist immediately. Anna shook his hand and introduced herself as the backstage medic. They had a doctor to doctor moment, before it was time to examine Eddie's knee. 

Anna sat down next to him, and held his hand. The specialist noticed it, and Eddie enlightened him. 

"Doctor/girlfriend," he chuckled and the doctor laughed. 

It hurt like hell when he examined the knee. He did ultrasound and in the end an x-ray to have a full picture of what was going on. 

"Right, Mr. Wilde. Your scans show some weakening to the ligaments in your knee. We generally see this with sportsmen and people, who do activities that involve repetitive stress on the knee. That can contribute to wear and tear on ligaments over time. It can lead to instability and an increased risk of injury if not dealt with. The good news is that it isn't a severe case and we don't need surgical intervention. However, it is something that needs to be dealt with or you will risk injuring yourself seriously. So what I recommend is that you start working with a physiotherapist immediately and you'll need to wear a knee sleeve for your performances." 

Anna nodded and looked at Eddie before she jotted some things down on her phone.

"Would you by any chance be able to recommend a physiotherapist?" Anna asked and smiled at the specialist, one of those smiles that would make any man find a way to please her.