Sideways

Chapter 40 At What Cost?

Friday, July 7th

When Eddie wakes up the following morning, he feels as though he's been struck by a truck. Every muscle in his body aches, and he can barely move. For a brief moment, he's wholly disoriented, unsure of where he is or what he's supposed to be doing. It takes a few deep breaths and a minute or two of focusing for him to start piecing together the previous day's events.

He rubs his eyes to get rid of the sandmen and feels a tense, nervous sensation deep in his gut. He doesn't know where it's coming from but feels like something is off or about to go wrong. He reaches over to Buck's side of the bed and feels the warmth of where Buck had laid only moments before.

He strains his hearing and hears Buck's familiar morning routine movements in the bathroom. There is also the unfamiliar sound of their bedroom doorknob rattling. No one in their home would try to get into their bedroom without knocking if there wasn't a reason. Something is wrong. He can feel it.

Eddie rolls out of bed and rushes toward the door. His first thought is of concern for Christopher, but instinctively, he knows it is not his son; he knows exactly who is on the other side of that door.

Just as he gets close, the bathroom door behind him flies open. "Eddie..." Buck says nervously, his voice breaking. Buck's reaction, more than anything else, makes him more anxious. If he felt this too... no, that is too much to process right now. Eddie needs to focus, prioritize, deal with the situation, and then freak out.

"Buck, something's wrong," Eddie says as he opens his bedroom door to the hallway. What he finds on the other side of the door is both exactly and somehow not what he expected at the same time.

Wes is standing there, clearly in pain, his hand trembling where the doorknob was only just seconds ago. Eddie has seen more of Wes's body than a regular friend would, but right now, he stands in front of Eddie in only black boxer briefs, but his body looks different. He looks weak and gaunt like he has lost muscle mass. The blood dripping from his mouth and ears only making Eddie more concerned and panicked.

"Please..." Wes pleads, his voice weak and low with threads of pain. Eddie can barely hear him, but he feels it; he feels the pain radiating from Wes' weakened form. He reaches for Eddie and grabs his left wrist. "Hurts... Eddie, please..." Wes begs and collapses into Eddie.

He feels Wes's entire body trembling in his embrace. He shakes with such force that Eddie feels his bones rattle. For the first time, Eddie sees what using his abilities while on suppressants costs Wes. "BUCK!" Eddie yells desperately, trying to keep Wes from falling to the floor, barely holding him up with his one-working arm. "I can't hold him like this."

But he didn't need to worry; Buck was already beside him. His husband stepped in closer and effortlessly lifted Wes into his arms in a wedding carry, walking him over to their bed, siding in on his knee, and placing Wes in the middle of the bed.

Buck turns to Eddie, "Call Cole now." But he finds Eddie with the phone already against his ear. He puts the phone on speaker and hears his friend's voice answer.

"What's wrong with Wes?" Cole asks, and they can both hear the fear and anxiety in his voice.

"I don't know; I have never seen him this bad. Cole, I'm scared." Buck says, his voice breaking.

Eddie hears the fear in Buck's voice and knows he needs to take control of the situation. His medic mind and training kick in, and he hands the phone to Buck as he climbs on the bed and checks Wes's vitals "Cole, he is weak I don't know how, but he looks thin, almost deflated. He's bleeding from his mouth and ears. His pulse is racing, and he's overheated," Eddie says after lifting his fingers from Wes's neck to his forehead. He then pulls his eyelids down, checking for bleeding and finding none.