freaks of nature - stenbrough

-26-

TW: hallucinations, blood, hospitals
unedited

——

"Somethings wrong," Bill sat bolt upright.

He began hyperventilating as a headache pounded at the back of his head. He hit the emergency button so hard it almost got jammed. Nurses came rushing in as Bill pulled his knees up to his chest and began rocking back and forwards. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he felt his IV drip slowly becoming dislodged.

"Stan...something...happened," he breathed out as nurses tried to get his hands away from his head, "he...he...he's not...okay. Go help him."
"Bill, we need you to try and sit still, can you do that for us?"

Bills hands dropped from the side of his head. He looked over at the nurse who'd spoke to him. He grabbed her collar.

"M-m-make sure, St-Stan is okay," he whispered.

Bill's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out. One of the nurses laid him down so he wasn't injuring himself. They checked his pulse and his breath rate. Everything was normal. They all looked at each other confused while one of the nurses fixed the IV drip.

"Someone stay in here and monitor him. If this keeps happening, call Ms Denbrough."

They all nodded in agreement and everyone left except one nurse.

——

Stanley paced Richie's bedroom. He mumbled to himself and he furrowed his brows. Richie watched him, hiding the hurt he felt.

After they'd managed to get Stanley home, he'd refused to sleep. He had been up all night drawing a perfect map of the MHA facility. He hasn't cried either. Since they put Betty's body in the ambulance, a single tear hasn't fell down his cheek. Richie had tried to stop him from spiralling, but whenever he'd go near Stanley, he wouldn't even acknowledge his existence.

"If I go in the entrance, down the two hallways on the right, turn left and then go into his office I can get him and once he's done everyone else will be easy because all they know how to do is follow orders," is what he kept saying over and over.

As he kept going, everything metal in the room started to shake.

"Stan, calm down."
"...down the two hallways on the right, turn left..."
"Stan," Richie stood in front of him.
"...and then go into his office I can get him and once he's down...richie?"
"Jesus, now you notice me?"
"How long have you been here?"
"All day."
"All day?"
"You've been pacing for three hours. It's okay to cry, you know that right?"

Stanley grabbed Richie's collar.

"I'm not going to stop until all the MHA are dead. I can't let me emotions get the best of me."
"Really? Because it looks like that is what's happening," Richie slowly peeled Stanley's hands off him, "she wouldn't want you to send yourself to a psych ward. Just sit down, for a few minutes."
"Okay."

Richie pulled him over to his bed and he sat down. Richie sat on the window seat and looked over at him. Stanley looked down at his hands and all he could see was her blood.

"Stan?"
"It's my fault."
"What?"
"It's my fault...I asked her to prom...I'm the reason she's gone."
"Nothing that's happened involving them is your fault."

Stanley stood up and almost sprinted for the bathroom. Richie followed him and watched as he turned in the tap and desperately tried to wash the 'blood' off his hands.

"Stan."
"It won't come off."
"There's nothing on your hands."
"Y-you don't seem it?"

He pulled his hands out from under the water, still seeing Betty's blood covering his fingers.

"What? What is it?"
"Th-the blood," he held out his hands, showing Richie his palms.
"There's nothing there."

Richie grabbed his hands and softly rubbed his thumb over the top of them. Stanley looked back down and his eyes widened.

"The blood, i-it's getting on y-your hands."
"Look at me, Stan."

They made eye contact.

"There's nothing on your hands, you're just imagining it."

Stanley looked down and sure enough, there was nothing on his or Richie's hands.

"B-but I s-saw it and...and it was...it was dripping and..."
"You're okay, calm down."

Richie could see the fear and horror in Stanley's eyes as they made eye contact again.

"Wh-why did I see it? There's noth...nothing there."
"I think you're just tired. You haven't slept since in over twenty four hours. Betty's gone and I know she wouldn't want you to do this to yourself. She loved you."

Stanley pulled his hands away from Richie and hugged him tight. He dropped his head and buried it in his shoulder.

"Thank you."
"You're basically my brother, I'll always be here for you, Stan the Man."

What the two boys didn't know was Maggie and Wentworth had heard the whole thing. They'd heard Richie telling Stanley none of it was there fault and came upstairs to investigate. They'd heard Stanley freaking out over the blood on his hands. They'd heard Richie call him his brother and maybe it was time to make that official.