richie
after a while, eddie's violent sobbing subsided to gentle sniffles with the occasional hiccup. i rocked him back and forth in my arms like a baby as i traced circles into his shoulder sleeve with the tips of my fingers. it had always calmed him down. my back was painfully uncomfortable against the hard and cold wall i was awkwardly leaning against, and my leg had gone numb worryingly long ago. however i couldn't really find it in me to care. all that mattered was eddie.
it also gave me time to think about everything i'd said to him and how much i regretted all of it. i knew i'd reacted in the worst way possible, and in no way was i even slightly mad at eddie. i'd just been scared, and confused, and i didn't know how to handle it. but that was no excuse for what i said. i cringed as i remembered my words.
"what the fuck is wrong with you?"
i just hoped he would forgive me, for what i said and for what i was about to put him through next.
"ed's?"
i whispered cautiously, my voice almost inaudible as it strained above the quiet pitter patter of the rain splattering upon the rooftop. i felt eddie tense up in my arms as a way of response almost. i sighed.
"you-...your arm. it, it's still bleeding."
i swallowed hard as i looked at the patch of red on his sleeve, wet with both tears and blood. he cuddled further into me, i could tell he knew where this was going.
"ed's, we have to clean it, and make sure you don't need to go to hospital."
he immediately began shaking his head against my chest as he started to hyperventilate again, panic lacing his stuttered words.
"n-no, i c-can't. m-my mom, sh-she'll kill me. c-can't-"
"hey, hey shhh. it's okay, everything's okay bubba. just calm down."
i swayed us gently, hoping the action would prevent him from crying again. i was shocked to say the least. only eddie would be too scared to be hospitalised in fear that he would be hospitalised again for an entirely different reason. it hurt to think that his mom would be angry over something that wasn't his fault.
i shushed him quietly as i struggled to stand on two feet and push myself upwards against the wall with him in my arms. as i stood upright, i realised i was holding him in a bridal fashion, and i almost smiled at the irony of it all.
i steadily carried him to the bathroom, hearing loud snores from across the hallway and cringing at the thought of mrs kaspbrack waking up now. it only took a swift yet gentle kick to the door for it to open enough for me to slide inside the small and pristine room. the bathroom looked as if it were the cleanest place in the house despite it being the place you take a dump in.
i carefully sat eddie down on the closed seat of the toilet and took his hands in mine, studying his face as he hesitantly met my eyes with his own. i frowned at his tearful expression, and quickly kissed the top of his head before beginning to rummage around in the medical cupboard. i pushed all the pill bottles aside and pulled out the antiseptic wipes and bandages i knew were buried somewhere underneath. i tore open the wipe and turned to kneel by eddie, sighing sadly at his frightened gaze.
"i'm sorry ed's, but i need you to give me your arm."
he gulped audibly, quickly shaking his head no with pudding brown eyes, pleading desperately for me to leave it alone. but i couldn't. not when he was hurt this badly.
