Reddie: Richie Returns

5: On The Surface

Richie was so focused on getting back up to the surface with Eddie, that he hadn't noticed a Beverly shaped figure was standing over the well's opening. Her arms were folded tightly, and she was looking down at him in a particularly unimpressed manner. He struggled to push himself up the last of the climb, so Beverly angrily grabbed him by a belt-loop on his jeans and yanked him upwards over the side, giving him a wedgie in the process.
Richie flew out of the well and landed in an unimpressed heap on the dusty ground as Beverly continued to stare down at him in annoyance. "Oh, hey Bev... Sorry I took your ca-" 
Beverly promptly smacked him hard on the arm "Ow! Jesus! What was that for?!" Richie yelped and cowered while still lying on the floor in an exhausted heap.
"What the hell were you doing down there Richie?!" she yelled "And why did you run away like that?! We were worried sick about you!" she smacked him once more across the arm in frustration "Shitting hell Bev, would you quit it!" he caught her arm mid-swing as she was about to smack him again "Would you stop hitting me!" he shouted.

Richie stood up and dusted himself off, only to be met with another smack across the arm "Ow!" he exclaimed in horror once again. "Would you stop it?! I'm just trying to stand up, jesus!"
Beverly grabbed him and leaned in closely, "Don't you dare scare us like that again Richie" she hissed. She could be absolutely terrifying when she was on a mission, and this was one of those moments. Richie could see the heat in her eyes as she angrily held him by the arm. "Okay! okay, I'm sorry Bev. I should have let you know I was okay. I'm sorry" he looked into her eyes seriously, and felt the heat of her annoyance slowly simmer down, and he relaxed slightly.
"You're an asshole Richie Tozier" she responded. "But what the hell were you doing down there?" she asked again. She watched as Richie's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered everything that had happened down there. "Oh my god, Eddie!" he gasped. Beverly looked at him confused for a moment as he began to look around frantically calling out for Eddie.
"Richie? Is Eddie still here?" she asked, suddenly her heart was thumping in her chest as she hoped Eddie was okay even though she had seen the life slip away from him the last time they were down in the sewers. 

Richie was wandering around the ruins of the well-house, still calling out for Eddie. He was worried Eddie might have wandered off and gotten lost. Suddenly, Beverly's heart sank as she followed him into the ruins. She saw him lying on the ground, still holding onto Richie's old jacket the way he had when he died. Richie was crouched over his body, gently patting his face to wake him up again. This went on for a few minutes before Beverly finally plucked up the courage to place her hand on Richie's shoulder as he continued to crouch over Eddie's lifeless body. "Richie..." she said softly as tears began to roll down her cheeks.
"He was literally just talking to me Bev" Richie frantically reassured her "We talked for like ten minutes!"

Beverly slowly crouched down beside Richie and put her arm around him to comfort him as she'd realised what had happened here. Richie was not okay. He was still adamant that Eddie was alive and well, and continued patting his face to try and wake him up again. 
"He loves me Beverly, he told me himself" his voice began to break as he too, began to realise what was going on. "He loved me" he repeated "He really loved me back" he cried. Again, tears began flooding his eyes and streaming down his face, but he still refused to believe that Eddie was never alive when he was found here. Richie angrily wiped the tears away from his face with the back of his dirty hands as he began to hit Eddie harder to wake him up "C'mon you asshole, fucking wake up!" he cried.

Finally, Richie gave in. It was almost as if history was repeating itself as Richie tenderly grabbed Eddie to hold him close as he cried. He sure as hell wasn't going to leave Eddie here again, and he refused to let go of him. 
He continued to cry hard into Eddie's limp shoulder and Beverly buried her face into Richie's shoulder as he screamed in pain and repeatedly wailed "Why?". Ben quietly approached them from behind and quietly placed his hand on Richie's shoulder to try and prize him away from Eddie, but Richie refused to let go, just as he had refused to let go of him last time.
Richie felt Ben's arms wrap themselves around his waist to try and force him to let go of Eddie's body "Fuck off!" he yelled "Just let me fucking say goodbye" he wailed. 
"Richie..." Beverly tried to comfort her distraught friend, but she knew it was no good as Richie swiped her hand away from him. She wiped the tears from her face as she gestured towards Ben to leave Richie alone for a while so he could grieve. Ben reluctantly let go of Richie's waist and let him sit with Eddie's body for a while.
It broke their hearts to see Richie in such a state. Richie Tozier was once the joker of their group of friends, and was nothing but an annoying asshole ninety five percent of the time. But they loved him for it, because he never failed to make them all laugh. He always seemed so animated and happy on the surface, but it seemed that the one person who now needed that comforting laughter the most, was Richie himself. It broke them to see him in this way.

They stood a fair distance away from Richie and Eddie now, like worried parents observing their child having a meltdown in front of them. They couldn't bring themselves to try and prize Richie away from Eddie again, but it had been several hours now and it was beginning to get dark. 
Beverly finally plucked up the courage to approach Richie again, and he seemed to have calmed down. But now he just sat in the shadows with his head dropped, holding Eddie's cold hand in his. His eyes were closed and he was still crying when Beverly approached him, but he was thankful for her presence now. 

She sat down beside him once again, and leaned her head against his shoulder to comfort him. 
"I'm sorry" Richie whispered as he placed his free hand on hers "I was convinced he was here" he whimpered. He felt Beverly squeeze his hand in empathy. "I loved him so much" he sighed sadly.
"I know you did, Rich" she replied sadly. "Will you come back with us now?" she asked "It's getting cold now and your clothes are still damp", she squeezed his hand again, "You'll catch your death if you stay out here much longer" but even as she tried to encourage him to move away, he still wouldn't move from his spot beside Eddie. He was still holding his hand tight. Eventually, Ben was given the signal by Beverly and he came back to lift Richie up from his spot next to Eddie. But he still wouldn't leave willingly. Ben had to wrap both of his arms around Richie's torso again to be able to move him enough to get him back to the car. Beverly quietly sobbed as she made her way back to her car Richie had stolen to get himself back to Derry. 

She took a few moments to herself as she sat in the car and quietly sobbed to herself. She watched Ben in the rear-view mirror as he continued to wrestle Richie into his car, but Richie wouldn't give up. He slipped from Ben's grip a couple of times, and immediately tried to run back to the spot where Eddie lay before Ben tackled him to the ground again. He managed to slip free from Ben's grip a third time, but Ben had caught him by the jacket and whirled him back towards the car. 
It was almost as if she was watching a father wrestle his toddler away from a toy they desperately wanted while mid-meltdown at the fact they couldn't have it. Her heart broke for Richie.