Eddie wakes up early and looks at his clock. It's just past five am. He rolls over and tries to sleep but can't seem to do so and he doesn't know why. Everything is falling in place, he has a new start, a new team, a soon to be new home, and forming a friendship he didn't think he would ever do. It was all going too well and that was the bit that scared him. He sits up in his bed and gets his phone out, scrolling through some posts he is tagged in, and makes some half-hearted replies just to show willingness as that's what he has been told to do.
He would rather keep to himself but he understands being a player in a big club means interacting with people. He starts to read some emails, mainly ones about the price recommended for his house back in the states, a few others about moving his things, and then one particular mail catches his eye. He looks at the email name and here it was, the bad to all his good luck and he knows he shouldn't open it. He was told by his lawyer to ignore all contact and forward anything sent to him, he could feel his anger slowly building up inside. So he quickly closes it down and opens google maps, he remembered some of the lads at training saying there was a decent running area by them, so Eddie types in running paths and one comes up. It looks fairly close and it estimates it should take one and a half hours.
'Plenty of time do it before Chris wakes up, but can I risk it? Buck is here, if anything major happens I need to clear my thoughts. And I can trust Buck, right? Of course, I can! he thinks to himself.
He gently gets out of bed trying not to make much noise and grabs some gym gear out of the draw, taking everything he needs and changing before he slowly wanders down the hall. The faint snores of Buck could be heard and Eddie let out a chuckle and carried on down. Once down, he popped his head into Chris' room to see his son was still out for the count. He closes the door quietly and quickly pops into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge then he heads to the front door. Eddie silently opens and closes it and makes sure it was locked before he left. Once secure, he got his phone out and his earphones slipping them into his ears and plugging it in, setting the music, and started on his run.
As he starts his run through the estate he takes in the other player's houses some with their flashy cars. Eddie hadn't spent much time going to others, just the odd teammates with Buck but theirs didn't stand out like some of the ones he was seeing.
He made his way down an alley which led him to the fields where he could pick up his pace whilst listening to some of his favorite tracks as he ran. He made his way down the lowly lit path, the night was slowly lighting up, he then noticed how clear the skies were. As he ran up the path it became more visible, where it opened up onto a large grass area and a few hills. There was a little forest to the side but then it was overcrowded by the familiar view of houses surrounding the field. In every direction he looked, he saw houses.
He knew there wouldn't be many grassy areas, but it would do for him and Chris until he decided where he wanted to retire.
Another thing he didn't want to face.
Retirement.
He continued to run, saying hi to people who were also out running or walking their dogs. Eddie stopped a few times to stroke some of the dogs and have a quick chat with whomever Eddie would encounter, he would be late back if he kept on doing this every time he sees a cute dog
He starts climbing up a hill, reaching the top he sees a bench and takes a seat to rest his tired legs. He takes a drink of water from his bottle then his eyes set on the view in front of him. The beauty of the park he was in and the backdrop of the city illuminated by the ever lighting sky made Eddie truly realize he was not in America anymore. And the mere thought gave him goosebumps as he thought back to the events that happened back home, but then his mind went to the email he just received earlier. Eddie sat there and stared out at the view.
"Ah fuck it." he said out loud as he dug his phone out of his pocket.
He opened the phone and opened the email.
'Eddie,
I don't know if you will read this or not, my lawyer said I shouldn't send it but I felt I needed to. I have signed the divorce papers your lawyer sent me and I will not fight it, but I do ask if I can at least get to see Chris now and again and at least speak to him. I know what I put you both through is unacceptable, and the way you found out was not fair and then the fallout after ruining your friendships and career. But I am his mother and he needs me, I know I signed to say you could take him to the UK but after he left I regretted it and I need him, Eddie. Please let me know what you decide and I guess my lawyer will be in touch with yours soon to discuss assets etc.
Speak soon
Shannon'
Eddie feels his blood boil. Who the hell did she think she was? Demanding to see Chris? After all that she put him and Chris through? She deserves nothing!
Thank God his lawyer and Athena managed to get the paperwork signed. He just wanted her out of his life for good. He knew she was right about Chris needing a mother, but since the split, Chris hasn't asked for her especially after the scene at the party. Chris was distraught after that and Eddie will never forget the look on Chris' face that evening. He looks at the email again while music plays in his ears and decides against his better judgment and sends an email back with a simple but definitive answer.
'Shannon,
NO CHANCE!
Eddie'
He taps on the send icon and a smile forms.
Finally, he had some control. He quickly sent another email to his lawyer explaining that Shannon contacted him, forwarding the email he had got and that he had answered back which he knew he would be moaned at but he didn't care. At least soon he would have access to the assets which were his anyway and as soon as he has them Eddie was going to sell some for some extra cash to save and build a future for him and Chris.
After resting a while, he gets up and starts on his run again. He ran down the hill when a couple stopped him, the girl looked mortified while her boyfriend was so ecstatic to meet Eddie.
He was a Chelsea fan so Eddie obliged and had a picture taken and had a quick chat before making an excuse and continuing on his run. He was surprised how easy it was to get away, in the states he would have been stuck signing then doing pictures and videos. Here? It was a quick chat, a picture, a thank you, and off he went. As he got to the bottom of the hill it opened onto a flat field. Eddie started picking up speed as he ran down the path, knowing he would need to get back soon.
As he did he saw a pair of old ladies standing there looking out, Eddie noticed a little dog barking and it looked distressed. So he wanders over to see what was going on.
"Hey, are you ok? Is that your dog?" Eddie asks, pointing to the dog who seems to be stuck in the mud.
"Yeah, he ran round and got stuck. But it's marshy as you can see I also lost a shoe in it. I'm scared if he tries to run back to us he will drown." the elderly lady explains.
"It will be ok. I'll go get him for you." Eddie says with a smile.
"You're sweet but we can't ask you to do that. What happens if you get wet? You will catch a cold out here." The other lady explains.
"It's ok, I live close by so if the worst happens I'll be sure to get back ASAP." Eddie says.
"Thank you, just be safe…" The other says.
Eddie nods and starts slowly making his way across the damp grass the squelching of the water under his feet made him very aware he could end up face first in it if he wasn't careful, he slowly trudged along the grass, and then as he pressed on.
He lifts his left leg to climb over a log as he places his left leg on what he thinks is grass, his foot disappears under the water getting sucked into the mud which makes him lose balance and falls in face first, as his face goes under he feels his headphones been pulled from his ears and something scratching his face as his arms flail he manages to self-right so his head is above the water.
"Are you ok? Shall we call 999?" One of the ladies shouted.
"It's fine, I'm ok." Eddie shouts as he gets his bearings.
He looks at the dog and sees it positioned on something firm as he reaches over. The dog licks his hand and he grabs it before it trudges back through the deep water. From then on Eddie goes on to get out of the muddy area into firmer land. Eventually, he makes it back to the old ladies and hands the dog over, and much to their delight.
He looks down on himself and he is covered in mud and notices one of his pockets is open. He has a feel around the water looking for his phone but it was no use, it was gone. He looks back and guesses it's underwater now so no point in worrying. He feels the other pocket it's wet but the key to the house was still there.
"Thank you so much." The lady says.
"It's fine, look I'm going head back as I'm soaking, I hope the dog is ok." Eddie says as he limps off his foot hurting.
"Thank you again!" Another lady shouts.
Eddie slowly limps back to the house. He knew by now Chris would be up and worried which meant Buck would most likely be woken up by Chris and won't be happy.
'Great.' he thinks.
Eddie limps back and makes it back to the estates he lives in. As he walks down the street, he sees people's lights on as they wake up. He hopes no one sees him, this would be the last thing he needs right now. As he makes it towards Buck's, he sees vans pulling up outside his home and realizes It was the workmen heading to continue the work on getting his house ready.
Eddie ducks his head and just walks till he gets to the front door of Buck's, he stands there looking down and just sees mud on his trainers they were completely covered, he takes off his trainers and leans them against the side of the door. He knows his feet are wet but at least he won't leave muddy footprints well he hopes, he gets the key and heads inside, as he closes the door he hears Buck's familiar voice.
"Hello?" Buck shouts and Eddie wanders through limping, he makes it to the door of the kitchen.
"Hi." Eddie says as he was hobbling through the kitchen door.
He looks at Buck who is clearly shocked at the state of Eddie, and Eddie shifts balance as this was embarrassing. All he wanted to do was go for a run and now he is standing there wet and covered in mud.
"Eddie, what the fuck happened?" Buck says and Eddie sees him run over to him.
He feels Buck's hands on him, he can feel the warmth from the hands radiating through his wet clothes to his skin and it feels nice.
"Erm, well, it's a funny story..." Eddie starts as Buck helps him to the kitchen stool as Buck lets go Eddie feels the coldness wash over from where Buck's hands were and he watches as Buck turns to the kitchen counter.
"Aren't they always?" Buck says and Eddie watches as Buck grabs some cloths and wet one and then hands them to him. He watches Buck head to the cupboard under the sink and pulls out the first aid box.
Eddie starts to wipe his face with the wet cloth and dry it with the other and sees Buck has frozen most likely thinking how the hell Eddie ended up like this. Did Buck think he was attacked? Eddie had heard rumors of players being mugged and attacked around London he needed to reassure Buck.
"I mean it, it's a funny story, and don't worry no one did this to me, It's all me, sorry about the mess." Eddie says as he watches Buck move towards the counter.
He noticed Buck was staring at him, most likely looking at the mess Eddie was in. Then thoughts turn to the stinging sensation on his face. He watches as Buck grabs a blanket from a cupboard and wraps it around him, Eddie can feel the warmth from it straight away.
"Ok, well I'll try to patch up the cuts, but I saw you hobble so I guess we need to get you to a&e." Buck explains as he opens the box and moves towards Eddie, now realizing the stinging must be some cuts from whatever scratched him in the water, but he didn't want to go to the hospital.
"I will be fine. I think I just twisted it and maybe cut it, is Chris up?" Eddie asks, hoping to change the subject away from hospital visits.
"Yeah, I made him pancakes, Carla is on the way but he talked me into letting him come to town with me, he is one hell of a charmer. Oh, Athena has tried calling you, we were worried." Buck says, Eddie looks at Buck wondering why it stated the 'we' bit but brushes it off as guesses Buck is stressed from the morning, "I thought you had run off leaving me with Chris." Buck chuckles and Eddie stares at him and smiles at what Buck just said.
"I would never abandon Chris, look don't laugh ok? I was up early and decided to go for a run before anyone woke, I knew you were in so if something major happened you were here, as I ran through the fields I saw two ladies…" Eddie is cut off.
"Oh, you don't need to say no more, didn't think you were an outdoors person hope you made sure no one saw you, don't think the gaffer would like that story plastered over the papers" Buck chuckles and Eddie couldn't believe Buck would think Eddie would do that especially if he saw them.
"Nothing like that you dog. Anyway, their dog got stuck in what I can now say was a well-hidden swamp, so I offered to get it out. Unbeknown to me, it was deeper than any of us thought. I fell in as my foot got stuck in some mud and I lost my balance and banged my head on something before I felt something scratch me as I went under. But I managed to get back up, and I got the dog out which the fucker had been on a board so it was ok besides it being stuck. But then as I got out with the dog, I realized my phone was gone so it must be somewhere in the water, so now I need to get a new one." Eddie chuckles, "Ow!" He says as he feels Buck spread cream on his cuts.
Eddie glances at Buck as he looks at the cut and applies some more, Eddie wondered if he learned some of this from his sister. Eddie could feel the heat of Buck's fingers as he brushed the cream on his face, he then felt a gentle push so he turned his head in the direction of the push and was greeted by Buck's blue eyes. He never really noticed before how blue they were as they never really got this close or looked at each other for long. Eddie could feel something but didn't have a clue what it was and then Buck broke away, wiping his hands. Eddie was left there staring, still trying to figure out what happened.
"All done, if you want to come to town with us, I don't mind. And I'm sure your son would love that and it would make my life easier as I've never been shopping with a kid before. I just normally babysit at home." Buck chuckles, "But we also do have a kick about later with some of the lads as we got a new player, and Mason has him staying at his. So I said that it would be fun to get the new guys together as it made you feel ok meeting others outside the club. But if your foot is hurting I can tell them it's off." Buck explains and Eddie had forgotten all about it, and he wasn't about to let anyone down.
"No don't, we will go. It wouldn't be nice not to be the new guy and you are right, it helped me loads meeting some of the guys outside the club. Less pressure." Eddie chuckles.
"Dad, your back!" Chris shouts as he enters the room and he lights up seeing how happy his son is.
"Right, well your dad can fill you in on what he has been up to, but first he needs to call Athena and explain everything. I'm going for a shower." Buck says Eddie watches as he turns to leave.
"Can I still come with you please?" Chris says his pleading voice echoes the hall.
"Ask your dad, and don't forget to ask Carla." Buck shouts and Eddie can hear the chuckling.
"So, what do I need to ask Carla?" Eddie questions.
"If she will come with us to town." Chris says smiling.
"Ok I'll ask her when she arrives but first let me call Athena, go play in your room and I'll come to you once I've changed out of this." Eddie says.
"Ok dad, be quick though I want to explore." Chris says smiling and he heads to his room.
Eddie looks at the phone and finds Athena's number, he knew he was going to be in for it but it was out of his control as he presses the dial button.
"Hey Buck, I've still not heard from Eddie." Athena says instantly.
"Yeah, it's Eddie and before you rant my phone is probably at the bottom of a marsh long story short I helped some old ladies and then fell in a marsh, lost my phone, got covered in mud, have a few cuts but I will be fine." Eddie explains rapidly.
"Ok, but still why didn't you leave a note? It wasn't fair on Buck or Chris, they had no idea where you were." Athena states and he knew she was right, he should have thought of leaving a note.
"I know that now, next time I will, I promise." Eddie says.
"As long as everything else is ok i will let you off" Athena chuckles.
"Well, there is one more thing I think I should explain to you." Eddie says.
"Oh, and what would that be?" She asks.
"Well, this morning when I woke I had received an email from Shannon." Eddie says and waits for it.
"What the fuck is she doing emailing you? She knows she isn't meant to talk to you directly, it's meant to be through the lawyer. I hope you emailed your lawyer about this." She says, sounding pissed.
"I did email them, but I also emailed her back, saying no." Eddie explains.
"No to what?" Athena questions.
"She basically asked about getting visitation rights to see Chris, and to be able to speak to him. I can't put him through that again Athena, so I told her no." Eddie explains, slightly panicked.
"Good, but did she say if she signed the papers?" Athena questions.
"She did, and she has. So hopefully, now we can move forward, and once it is finalized, can you sell everything for me?" Eddie asks, he knows he should do it himself but it meant flying back to the US, which meant more chances of seeing people he rather not.
"Of course, I will sort it all out for you and have the money sent to your new account. It should hopefully end all ties with the old team." She says.
"That's what I'm hoping for. Well, I best go get showered and then clean the mud off the floor before Buck goes mad." Eddie chuckles.
"Best be quick then, See you, Eddie." Athena says.
"See you." He replies as he hangs up.
Eddie places the phone down, and shifts gently out the stool. He stands there a while, trying to figure out how to get to his room without any mess. He settles on stripping to his boxers and hobbling to place his dirty clothes into the washer and starts it, before making it to the bottom of the stairs.
"Chris I'm going to go shower, stay in your room and don't answer the door to anyone, understand?" Eddie shouts.
"Yes, dad." Chris replies.
Eddie shakes his head and slowly walks up the stairs heading to his room. As he does, he stops as he passes the mirror and looks at his face. He has a few cuts on his cheeks and one across his forehead, he figures if someone asks he will make up some story instead of saying what really happened.
He walks to his draws, grabs some fresh clothes, and heads to the bathroom. When he enters, he notices the blood on his leg and sees a cut. He lets out a huff, he knew this is the last thing he needed right now, he opened the bathroom cabinet as he knew there was a first aid box and opened it up to get the cream out.
He places it on the side and jumps in the shower letting the water hit him. He watches as the dirty water disappears down the drain, the warm water heating him back up. He makes sure to be gentle around the cuts but makes sure they get cleaned too. Once done, he climbs out and dries himself off.
"Now to try and sort the cuts." he says to himself.
He reaches for the cream and applies some to his leg and then looks in the mirror to apply some to his face. He then grabs a bandage and gauze, wraps it around his leg. Once done, he dresses and heads back to his room. As he does, he can hear talking and Carla s voice echoes the hall. He quickly grabs some trainers and sprays deodorant before heading down catching the last bit of the conversation.
"Wolves?" he hears Chris ask.
"It's what we call for those over-friendly fans, who want to grab us and have pictures like that, but don't worry. I will have my disguise on." Buck replies and Eddie moves forward.
"May need more than a hat and sunglasses." Eddies says and takes in the sight of the people in the room.
"Are you sure you can walk on that? You look unformattable and the last thing we need is the gaffer on your case which means he will be on mine as you're staying here." Buck questions and Eddie shifts slightly to make it more comfortable to stand.
"It will be fine; just give me some pain killers and promise we will take it slow around the shops and I'll be fine." Eddie says.
"Well if he doesn't I'll be calling Athena on ya." Carla says.
"Well, Maddie is popping round later, I can ask her to look at it, that way no need to let the club know just yet." Buck says and Eddie watches as he picks the bucket up and places the mop in it
"Deal, and let me do that. I did make this mess after all." Eddie states.
"No, you sit and Buck will clean and I'll make drinks. Going to need my caffeine, out in the busy town with two footballers of a big club and a kid? I mean doesn't sound like a bad idea at all." Carla chuckles and Eddie hears Buck chuckle too, Eddie did think that it might be hard to get anything done but he had faith Buck knew what he was about to do.
Eddie watches as Buck disappears cleaning the floor and he turns his attention to Carla who smiles at him.
Chris was playing a game so he watched his son play and tried to offer some advice on what to do next on the level. He turned and noticed the stool he was sitting in was dirty so he grabs a rag and cleans it before Buck returns before cleans the floor around the stool. He then sees Buck looking at the stool confused and giggles to himself.
"Well, looks like we have to time drink these while we wait for the floor to dry." Carla says passing the drinks out.
"Yeah, so where do you need to go Eddie?" Buck asks.
"Just a phone store, sort a new phone." Eddie responds.
"Can I get one dad?" Chris asks and Eddie is taken back, where did he get that idea from. He had this when he was in the states and he told him, no, and Chris went on sulking. He was warier to let Chris have one, he read too many horror stories.
"I've told you before mijo, you are too young for one." Eddie explains hoping Chris will understand as Eddie hated being the bad guy all the time.
"That's my bad, I mentioned that Hen and Athena's kids have phones for emergencies... You know in case something like today happens." Buck says and Eddie couldn't argue with what Buck was saying. It made total sense! Especially after this morning's fiasco.
"Oh, I have never thought about it like that, I just think of all the bad stuff you read that could happen, you know..." Eddie says moving his hand and starts rubbing his neck. He watches as Buck shakes his head and tips the dirty bucket water away as he moves to the utility room.
"Well, we could get him one and have them set it up for kid mode. As I know that is a thing now, plus if he needs me, he can call." Carla explains.
Eddie liked that idea, his only concern was Shannon. If she found out Chris had a phone she would try to contact him.
"Maybe, let us see what the company says, but no promises ok mijo?" Eddie says as he ruffles Chris' hair, "What about you Buck where you need to go?" Eddie asks and he notices that Buck keeps his focus on his drink and looks like he was trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible. Eddie didn't know why but didn't want to question it in front of Carla.
"I need a phone, plus I want to peek at the sports shop to look at some football boots." Buck explains.
"Why do you need new boots? Don't you get sponsored to wear certain ones and get to have many pairs of them?" Carla asks.
"I do, but these are for..." Buck nods towards Chris and Eddie just stares at Buck. He can't believe he's trying to include Chris in a kick about with teammates. It was so unreal, he just smiles at Buck as that's all he seems to be able to do and sees Buck smile at him, "He will need them for later at the kick about." Buck says shrugging his shoulders and again he stares at his brew.
"But..." Eddie starts.
"That's a great idea! It's about time others met this sweet kid." Carla explains and Eddie stares at Carla. And based on the look she is giving him, he knows not to question her.
"Fine, but if it is too much for him we stop, ok?" Eddie explains.
"It's fine. Mason will have it all sorted, he will be safe I'll even have Maddie turn up there ok? So she can check you out and then she will be on hand." Buck says smiling at the people in the room.
"You mean, I can play football with you and your teammates?" Chris asks, eyes widened and Eddie loved how much Chris looked excited.
"Yeah, not all of them, but some." Buck says smiling.
"OMG! This is gonna be the best day ever, can I get some blue boots like the ones my dad has?" Chris asks.
"We will see what they have in store, ok?" Eddie says knowing he is defeated.
Eddie looks at his son who has a beaming smile, a smile he hasn't seen in ages and it throws him that it happened in a stranger's house. But that was the effect Buck seemed to have on most people Eddie has met.
He sits with Chris and plays a game and looks at Carla who joins in, he glances back and sees Buck leaning at the counter watching with a smile and he realizes this must be new for Buck. His house is so big and it was just him and now he has a house full. Eddie decides that even when he moves into his place he will make sure Buck isn't alone as that's what teammates do.
"Time flies when you have fun, come on let's get a move on. I want to try to be in and out the town before it gets too busy." Buck says and Eddie turns to see Buck placing his cup in the sink.
"It's London, it's always busy." Carla chuckles.
"That it is, but if you get in early, you avoid a lot of tourists which we would want to also avoid. Because it means we could get stuck there autographing, so grab your stuff and we are on the move people" Buck chuckles as he walks to the door and Eddie follows him closely followed by Carla and Chris. As they get close to the door Eddie reaches down for his keys only for Buck to grab them first.
"No chance. You're not driving with a bad leg, everyone in my jeep." Buck says smiling.
"But I'm fine to drive. My leg is fine, I promise." Eddie says.
"Ok, stand on the so-called fine leg and lift the other. If you can stay like that for 10 seconds I'll let you drive." Buck says and Eddie couldn't believe what Buck had just said but Eddie was never the one to back down.
He looks at Buck as he puts his bad leg fully down and as he does, he can feel the pain spike at him, which makes him squirm. He lifts the good leg up and he knows he most likely won't last but he has to prove a point.
"One... Two... Three.." Buck counts and Eddie can't take the pain anymore and falls. But he lands into Buck's arms, who is quick to catch him by the arms and hold him steady. Eddie can feel Buck's strong hands holding him and there smooth to he feels Buck straighten him up and watches as Buck turns and chucks Eddie's keys back in the bowl and Eddie could swear he saw Buck's cheeks been flush red.
"I win, come on in my jeep we go." Buck says.
"Hey, give me a retry, I'll do it." Eddie says behind Buck.
"Eddie, give up. You lost, let's just go." Carla says.
"Yeah dad, let's go." Chris chimes in.
Eddie watches as Buck goes to his jeep and climbs in he waits for Chris and Carla to leave and locks the front door as he wanders down to the jeep he sees Carla climb in the front and he helps Chris into the back and in the seat and straps himself in to.
The drive is filled with conversations... Well, it mostly consisted of a grilling from Carla who wanted to know the ins and outs of the team and what it is like to play for such a big club and under such a legend of a manager. All the questions help to take over the whole drive.
As they pull into the parking space, Eddie watches as Buck slides his hat and glasses on and Eddie does the same. Eddie was dreading if anyone would spot them but he hoped they didn't, they climbed out and headed around to the phone shop.
Eddie could feel Buck staring at him as he limps into the shopOnce in the shop, Buck goes with one advisor whilst Eddie went with another. They explained to Carla to take Chris to the toy store as they did not know how long they would be.
Eddie sat there and listened to the advisor drone on about the newest phone that does this and does that but he didn't really care. He just wanted a phone to use. He eventually settles on one phone and they sort out transferring everything for him. He then bites the bullet and sorts one out for Chris which he will surprise him with later but makes the advisor show him how to check everything before the advisor goes through the whole kid's bit on the phone and how it won't let them do things. Once done he places the phones in the bag and walks towards everyone who is sitting there waiting for him.
They leave the store and make their way slowly to the sports shop and Eddie lets Chris look around as he goes to speak to the clerk.
"Hi, how can I help you today?" The man asks.
"I'm after some football boots for my son over there." Eddie replies.
"Oh right, is he able to play football? I mean I see he is struggling to walk." The clerk asks and Eddie tries to play it cool.
"Look, yes my son has CP but it doesn't mean he can't play. I just want to buy him some boots so he can have a kick about later. Why is it such a problem?" Eddie says getting much more annoyed at the dubious look the clerk was giving him.
"I have to look out for the safety of customers, and advise if I think it will be unsafe sir." The clerk says.
"You have no right to make that kind of assumption, and what may be best for my son." Eddie says.
"I'm sorry sir, but I just needed to ask as I don't want to sell you something that may lead to your son hurting himself." The clerk starts, Eddie could feel his anger building more and clenches his fists.
"What do you think we will do, sue you? Are you f…" Eddie starts.
"Eddie, all ok here?" Buck interrupts and Eddie is taken back that Buck has come over.
"No, this jackass has explained that he doesn't feel comfortable selling us football boots for Chris due to him not being able to walk properly." Eddie snarls looking at the clerk.
"Can we see the manager please?" Buck says politely, and the clerk disappears "Eddie calm down, will you? It will be ok." Buck explains and Eddie tightens his fists but Buck's tone eases him.
"No, it won't. Who does he think he is for refusing me" Eddie says
"He is most likely doing his job." Buck explains and Eddie sees the manager coming over.
"My clerk explained you wanted to talk... Oh! Mr. Buckley I didn't know it was you. How are you?" The manager explains, Eddie hopes with the manager knowing Buck it might get resolved and he eases up.
"All good, look there may have been some miscommunication between everyone." Buck says and Eddie notices Buck looking at him, "We just wanted to buy some football boots for his boy. I understand where your clerk is coming from, but we're both professional players and you know me. We just want to show his son that having a handicap won't stop him from doing sports." Buck explains.
"I understand that completely and I can only apologize, my clerk was doing his job, but if you are sure you wish to buy a pair I will not stop you. Let us sort you out a pair at a discount, of course." The manager explains.
"No need for the discount, we will pay full price and thank you." Buck says.
"Thank you, Mr. Buckley." The manager states, "And I apologize to you too sir." The manager says looking at Eddie.
"It's fine." Eddie says and walks off.
Eddie wanders over to Chris and helps him pick a pair of boots that look pretty similar to the ones he had and explains to Chris they would take pictures to show them both wearing their boots later to show it to their family. After a lot of persuasion, Chris reluctantly takes them off and they pay for them.
They leave the store and Eddie can't help but have a smile on his face as they listen to Chris explaining what he wants to try later while they head to a restaurant for something to eat. After a few hours, they head back to Buck's, and Buck explains he needs to have a nap and disappears. Eddie says to Chris he should go have a nap also while Eddie shows the phone.
"This is for you, now it is mainly for emergencies only but it's yours. So you have to promise to look after it, ok?" Eddie explains.
"Thank you, dad." Chris says as he gives him a big hug and Eddie pulls tight.
"Right go get a nap, and we will sort out the phone later, ok?" Eddie explains.
"Ok, dad." Chris says as he wanders off into his room.
"If you want to get off and meet us later Carla you can. To be honest I may go take a nap too." Eddie says.
"Well, shopping trips do that, but yeah I will meet you later." Carla says as she takes her leave.
Once he hears the door lock Eddie lays down on the couch he couldn't be bothered to go up the stairs. He turns and places his phone on charge, and sets an alarm while he gently rolls and nods off.