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𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟙𝟚-𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕖

Eddie awoke in a hospital bed, his eyes painfully stinging from the blinding light above him. Eddie groaned from the light headed feeling in his head. Eddie looked around at the room, noticing the machines hooked up to him in all different places. "Eddie?" A voice croaked from the side of the room. Eddie turned and found himself looking into the eyes of his older brother. 

"Bill? Why am I here?" Eddie asked, glancing at the IV plugged into his arm vein. 

"You passed out at Stan's house," Bill rubbed his arm nervously. Eddie then noticed the black ring around his left eye. 

"What happened?" 

Bill shuddered. "I called mom when you blacked out. She beat me in front of everyone. Bev called the police," His voice cracked. 

"What?" Eddie sat up a tad bit quickly, causing him to feel dizzy for a few seconds. 

"She's at the station for an interview."

"What's gonna happen to us if she get's arrested?" Eddie asked, his voice laced with worry. 

"Foster care," Bill shuddered. 

Eddie's eyes widened, his heart rate increasing. His breathing began to pick up and soon he was gasping for air. Bill shot up and ran to the door, calling for someone through the open entrance. Eddie began to see sparkles as his lungs continued to beg for air. Eddie felt strong hands grip his arms, sending him into a deeper panic attack. Yelling was apparent around him, not helping his anxiety. A loud shout erupted through the air, sending silence into the atmosphere. Cold, strong hands were replaced with warm, comforting hands on his cheeks. Eddie forced his eyes open and was met with a teary-eyed trashmouth. Eddie felt his breathing slow, and he gently began to take deep breaths, his heart rate calming. A faint, "Dear god," was emitted from a nurse in the corner of the room. 

"Eds?" Richie soothed, tracing circles on the boy's arms. "I'm here, darling." Eddie felt tears spill down his cheeks as everything hit him at once. Hospital. Mother. Police. Brother. Foster Care. 

"Rich," His voice came out as a plead, which cause Richie's face to turn sorrowful. 

"I'm here," Richie cooed, "Everything's going to be okay." 

"Who touched me?" Eddie croaked, feeling his anxiety skyrocket as he came to the realization that someone unknown had touched his arms. 

"A doctor, Eds," Richie said slowly, knowing what was to come. 

"G-germs," Eddie shuddered as he imagined millions of diseases crawling across his skin by the minute. 

"Eds, doctors have some of the cleanest hands in the world. They clean their hands very often, they have to be clean to cure people," Richie assured, placing his hand on Eddie's chest to attempt to calm him. "Just breathe. Breathe." 

"Eddie? I'm the doctor, I assure you my hands are super clean," A kind looking, young female stepped forward. Eddie nodded and moved his hands to cover Richie's, which was still placed over Eddie's heart. 

A male nurse stepped forward. "Sir? We need to run some tests so the room needs to be cleared." 

Eddie felt his heart rate pick up at the thought of Richie leaving, but his anxiety was soothed as the female doctor spoke again. "The boy can stay, we'll need him if Kaspbrak has another panic attack."

The nurse nodded and walked over to Eddie, checking his vitals on the machine next to him. "Rich, I can't go to foster care," Eddie whispered, panic evident in his voice.