More. || Eric Coulter

Seventeen.

Hours passed when Eric finally calmed down.
He was sure that the nurse was frantically searching for him because he wasn't there for the check-up but he couldn't care less about that. He felt fine in the head.
He finally stood up when the cold wind got stronger and went back inside but instead of going to the infirmary, he went another way.

It felt weird to stand in front of her apartment again.
He was nervous yet he didn't hesitate on opening the door with shaking hands and stepped inside.

When he closed the door again, the silence hit him like a brick. It was surreal yet normal all at once.
As he eyed the spacious apartment he couldn't ignore the little things he noticed. It all seemed like she was still alive and just out for a while. A mug and a plate with leftover crumbs were still on the coffee table in the living area and as he entered her bedroom, he saw the unmade bed and a few pieces of clothing scattered around.

Days have passed since the war ended yet Vinnie's apartment still smelled like her and overwhelmed Eric, making him so dizzy he had to sit down on the bed. The last time he sat on this bed was years ago, months after the first war ended.
He couldn't help but take a shirt that was laying next to him and brought it up to his nose. Again Vinnie's scent filled his nostrils and the dizziness hit him as well as a new wave of sadness and slight anger. It felt like something was squeezing his heart together and ripping it apart all at the same time.

How could she leave him alone like that? How could she do this to him?
Eric knew that it was expected of him to not show his emotions much less act on them but right now he was not strong enough emotionally to suppress the feelings. The mix of the inner fight against his emotions and her scent made him dizzier and dizzier and if he didn't do something against it now, he was sure he would lose his consciousness. So he stood up, walked into her en suite bathroom, once he felt steady enough on his legs, and splashed cold water on his face. It helped enough for him to successfully make his way into her kitchen and pour himself a glass of water with ice to get rid of the dizziness.
As Eric was standing by the sink, he couldn't stop another wave of memories from invading his mind and as he remembered the countless times of him and Vinnie cooking dinner together, the anger came back again.
The glass in his hand shattered but he didn't feel the shards cut into his skin. He simply took hold of a nearby chair and threw it across the apartment, shattering the piece of furniture as well as the TV screen when the chair made impact with it.

No one could've stopped Eric from destroying things and he didn't stop until he reached the bedroom again where he aimlessly rummaged through Vinnie's stuff.
He wasn't sure what he was searching for. Maybe some bracelet or earring even though he knew Vinnie was not the type to wear any jewelry or any accessory of any kind apart from a watch. Maybe a book but all he could find were books about medical stuff he didn't understand. Maybe a picture of her, or of Frank, maybe even Freyr. Any picture would've done it, calmed him down but he couldn't find anything apart from blank sheets of paper and a pen.
He kicked over the nightstand he was rummaging through and let himself fall on her bed where he tried to calm his breath and gripped her blanket at the same time despite having a deep cut. He felt the shirt in his right hand again and took hold of it.
Her scent filled his nostrils again.
This time the dizziness hit him full force and before he could do anything against it, he fell back on the mattress before he lost his consciousness.

-

"If you weren't a leader, I would punch the shit out of you for doing something stupid like that." A female voice said before he opened his eyes fully. He found himself in the hospital bed again and realized it was the nurse from earlier.
"Drink." she commanded and shoved a glass of water in his unharmed hand though Eric only complied hesitantly.