'til death do us part

Ch. 14 - Ever after

Eddie recovered slowly but steady. Every day he got a little better until the day neared that he would be discharged from the hospital. Richie dreaded that day from the beginning, because even though he wanted his friend to get better, he kind of liked the hospital bubble, especially after Eddie woke up.

Richie walked the familiar route through the halls of the hospital to Eddie's room. He came here every day, the hospital had almost become his second home. Or his first home, because the little furnished studio he rented felt less like home than Eddie's room. The room was shared with three other patients in long term care. Richie liked to shoot the shit with them, lighten up the place a bit.

He also loved talking to Eddie. They talked about almost everything, from their childhood in Derry to their adult lives. Anything and everything, except the fact that they were married. Oh, it came up every now and then, mostly when doctors came to discuss things concerning Eddie's health and Richie sat there as a second set of ears in case Eddie missed something. After all, he was the spouse, so he was expected to be there.

Now, he had to bring it up. He wanted to mention the subject for a week already, but he'd chickened out every time. In fact, Beverly gave him a stern talking to last night for avoiding it yet again. Today, he'd brought the manilla envelope that contained the divorce papers.

And boy, did that work. Eddie paled visibly when he saw the envelope and he kept staring at it like it would catch fire when Richie put it down at the foot of the bed.

He pulled the chair to the bed and sat down, nerves tingling in his stomach. "You er... you wanna talk about that?"

"No." Eddie nearly pouted, it was almost comical to see how reluctant he was to broach the subject. Well, there were two in that boat.

"Me neither." Richie took a deep breath. Beverly would surely yell at him if he didn't push through. "But I think we have to. You know. At some point."

Eddie's shoulders sagged. "I know."

And for a long while that was all that was being said. Richie noticed how Eddie's roommates purposely ignored their presence, focusing their attention on their book or the tv. For all they knew, Eddie and Richie were a married couple. And technically, they really were. And all married couples fight sometimes, or have to talk about subjects they would rather avoid.

"I like being married to you," Richie blurted out, startling Eddie into a faint blush. It was good to see the extra colour on his cheeks. "When you... you know," Richie made an aborted movement with his hand, "I was able to help you, even though I am not a doctor. I could sign documents, I answered all the questions. That list with medical information you keep with your passport was very helpful, by the way."
It was one of the things they found when they were going through Eddie's stuff, along with a copy of their marriage certificate, the divorce papers and an alarmingly extensive collection of medication. Half of which the doctors didn't even keep administering after Eddie was admitted to the hospital. And right now, all his meds were switched out for medication that he needed for his current condition. Eddie still had to take a lot of pills, yet Richie was fairly sure it was less than he used to take and a lot more effective.
"You saved me from the deadlights," Richie continued, swallowing hard. "It was nice to be able to do something back."

"You already did that when you got me out of there," Eddie said, voice equally thick.

He noticed how the man in the bed closest to Eddie, mr. Rooseveldt, peeked at them from behind his book. The general story about Eddie's injuries was a one-sided car accident, he could imagine how their current topic would pique someone's interest.

"Anyway," Richie glossed over it. "If we weren't, you know, married, there would have been someone else sitting at your bedside. And..." He paused for a moment, feeling his face heat up with what he was about to say. "I like that it's been me."

"I like that too."

Eddie's quiet, but clear admission lifted a weight of Richie's shoulders that he hadn't been completely aware of. The sudden loss of it made him giddy. "I almost thought you would pull the til death do us part thing on me. Make me a widower. Didn't seem fair when I didn't know I was married until, what? Two months ago?"

"Widowers are popular with the ladies, they say," Eddie answered, latching on to Richie's heightened mood.

Richie waggled his eyebrows. "Eds, we both know I'm not really a ladies man."

"No? What's your type?" Eddie almost forgot to tag "And don't call me Eds!" at the end of that question.

"Oh, I don't know, bedridden, missing half a lung but still having enough air for an angry rant every now and then."

Eddie swatted at him with his hand. "I'm not bedridden!" He couldn't exactly hide the smile on his face, although he tried to look stern.

Richie swatted back and they slapped their hands back and forth for a bit until he finally caught Eddie's hand and held it on top of the comforter. He watched his friend fondly. The fear of losing Eddie had cemented his refound love, bringing it from his memories into the present. Richie loved Eddie, simple as that.

Eddie smiled at Richie, warm and fond, before he moved his gaze to the fat envelope by his feet. "I don't want to marry Myra," he said quietly but not unsure. "I don't think we're right for each other. We would make the other unhappy, I think maybe I already was unhappy. I just didn't realise, I thought that was just my life."

"You deserve so much mure," Richie pressed. "You deserve to be happy. It doesn't even have to be with me." He smirked self consciously. "Although I very much hope it will be with me."
When Eddie squeezed his hand he squeezed back, grateful for the silent acknowledgement. "My offer still stands. I would love it if you came back to LA with me, whether it is as my friend or as my husband." He grinned, trying to keep things light. "Or both, of course. The possibilities are endless."

He'd offered Eddie to stay in his guestroom to recover further after he got discharged from the hospital. In addition, there were several hospitals in LA that doctor Gokhale would be happy to refer them to. The man had already said as much when he heard that Richie lived in LA and assumed Eddie lived there too. Bottomline, Richie just didn't want to part from Eddie, he wanted to keep him close.

"The weather is nice there," Eddie mused. "No cold winters like in New York."

"Less risk of pneumonia," Richie confirmed, very much liking the direction in which this conversation was going.

"The UCLA Medical Center is ranked in the top three when it comes to pulmonology." Of course he'd researched that, Eddie wouldn't be Eddie if he didn't.
"Hey, Rich, will you get my bag?"

The sudden change of topic baffled Richie for a moment, yet he obediently dug up Eddie's overnight bag from the bottom of the narrow closet behind him. Most of Eddie's clothes were placed neatly inside the closet, since he'd been staying here for so long. The bag was empty, safe for some random things that Eddie didn't need during his stay. Richie actually didn't have a clue what was still in it. He placed the bag in Eddie's lap, curious to see what he wanted with it.

Eddie pulled some toy from the bag, white and brown plastic encased in a dented cardboard wrapping. He gently pushed the box into its original shape before turning it to show Richie the front. It was a doll-sized toilet with a brown turd sitting it. The poop had eyes and a laughing mouth and on top of it sat a golden crown. 'King of the porcelain throne' it read above the toilet.

When he saw Richie's confused expression, Eddie blustered. "I know it's stupid. It was a stupid idea. I wanted... I looked up what kind of gift was customary for twenty years. It was porcelain. And I wasn't gonna give you dinner plates!" He looked more confident now, in a dogged way. Eddie pushed the toy in Richie's hands. "So. Here. Happy anniversary."

Richie laughed. He laughed so hard. Tears rolled down his face and his stomach ached. He laughed even more when he discovered the toilet made a flushing sound if you pushed the lever. Richie laughed until he couldn't anymore, Eddie laughing with him.
"Happy anniversary, Eds."

Total wordcount: 23.995

That's all, folks!