CHAPTER III
My Baby Is Busy Wearing A Neck Brace Rather Than His Angel Wings Today
Everything seemed to bow into slow motion, the headlights flickered as if taunting him, the screaming brakes seemed to laugh with perverted joy, and the metal bumper shimmered cruelly in the bare light of the empty New York street, before taking him out.
He couldn't move at all, as if his feet were glued to the asphalt, and all he could do was stare out in horror.
As soon as the shimmering bumper hit his knees, he knew he was a dead man. He could feel his knees bend backwards, his bones brushing past each other, in the wrong directions.
He could only cry out as the force sent him flying across the street, and the only thing he could do was swing his flailing arm out in front of him as he came headfirst into the sidewalk.
His vision exploded into silver light that surpassed the word beauty. But he didn't have time to admire it because a half-second later there was the hollow crack of bones and an immense pain rang throughout his body.
His throat echoed the pain, emitting it into an agonizing scream that almost deafened the agony of his mind. And through his world of torturing pain and silver light, he could feel himself falling, into nothing, and blackness overtook him…
"JANE!" Eddie snapped straight up in the bed in a panic, his movements suddenly cauterized by a freight train of pain that boiled though every nerve in his body.
"Eddie!" Jane immediately snapped from the fuzziness of the sleep, awakened by her fiancé's scream. "Eddie! Eddie, calm down! Eddie, it's okay, I'm here! Oh god! Eddie! Talk to me!"
Jane was frantic, her arms like lead weights at her side as her mind and mouth screamed frantically to make him stop. She watched him fall back into the pillows, sweat and tears running down his face with his jaw clenched tight and his eyes cinched.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, tears burning up from her throat as she watched him begin to convulse with small, spastic jerks, sweat still dripping off him.
"Eddie. Eddie baby, talk to me. Tell me where it hurts." Jane tried, finally lifting her deadweight arms from her sides and placing them gently on the sides of his face, holding his head still.
Soon, his body followed his head's command and the only thing left was sweat soaked sheets and his heavy, hitched breathing that now resonated throughout the room.
"Eddie? Can you talk to me? Tell me something." Jane pleaded, tears streaming her cheeks as she bent over and frantically kissed all the soft places on his face she could reach, as if he might disappear at any moment.
His shallow breathing only stopped inconsistently when he went to swallow back another cry, forcing it like bile down his throat. He was shivering slightly, his eyes still closed and his mouth still clenched shut.
"Eddie, come on baby," Jane cooed as she regained the broken pieces of her sanity and slipped her finger between his lips, seeking out a weakness at which to open his jaws.
Within a few seconds, he gave her the opportunity and she pushed a pencil between his teeth, one that had been sitting on the bedside table next to her, which already had teeth marks etched into it from previous nights.
He lay with tears still streaming down his face, his face twisted into an agonizing demeanor. All color had washed from his face, only his cheeks were flushed with the brilliance of blood flowing beneath his skin.
Jane took her hand and gently began to wipe away the sweat from his face, wiping it carelessly onto her long tee shirt.
It had been only five days since Eddie had been able to come home without the assistance of a nurse, and the nightmares were already pluming. Almost every night they would come, haunting him, attacking him when either of them least expected it.
Flowers, presents, and get-well cards had come by the dozens, and were all stacked out in the living room. Most of them were from coworkers from the Diana Robert's Show.
But there were some from Jane's friends, and even Ray Brown sent Eddie a card, which, Jane threatened to throw away, with the disapproval of Eddie.
Jane waited until Eddie's jaws finally relaxed and the pencil rolled limply out from between his lips, before she moved again. She gently rolled up and placed her hands above his shoulders, supported over his silent frame and looking into his closed face.
"Are you alright?" Jane whispered, carefully watching his face for any fraction of anything as he sighed lightly and nodded. She cocked her head to the side as she watched him still shivering slightly, goosebumps breaking out across his skin.
"Are you sure?" She asked one more time, gently rolling back beside him and tucking the covers around his shaking frame, leaning in close to him and holding her head an fraction of an inch away from the top of his shoulder, letting it hover.
He nodded, cringing slightly as he tried to push himself stiffly up so that he was sitting vertical, but managed something short of a slanted, laying position and allowed Jane to crawl into his lap, her ear against his chest.
They lay there in silence for a few seconds, Jane listening to the heavy thumps of his heart and gently rubbing her fingers up and down his arm, her fingertips dancing over the elevated veins in his arm.
"You're still shaking," Jane mentioned inconsequentially, as if her comment would give her a rash explanation for it.
"It'll stop," Eddie mentioned in a hollow voice, his throat burning with bile and tears and the skeletons of dead screams.
"Was it the same dream?" She asked, gently running her fingernails lightly up his arm and across his collarbone before following his bone and veins back down again.
He nodded lightly, as he shifted his head down to rest his chin against the top of her head, taking in her vanilla smell. His eyes fluttered open as he felt something hot and moist slide onto his chest, and he realized it was a tear.
"Jane? Why are you crying?" He asked, shifting out from beneath her while she still lay on her side. He turned his head to the side and sought out her dainty hand beneath the covers, intertwining their fingers like they use to do.
"I was scared," Jane managed a smile through her tears, her chin shaking with trapped sobs as he pulled her in again against his collar bone, nuzzling her with his head.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Eddie admitted, closing his eyes and leaning down his head to kiss her softly on the top of the head.
"I love you," He whispered, like a little, embarrassed child would to another embarrassed child.
"I love you too."
My Baby Is Busy Wearing A Neck Brace Rather Than His Angel Wings Today
Everything seemed to bow into slow motion, the headlights flickered as if taunting him, the screaming brakes seemed to laugh with perverted joy, and the metal bumper shimmered cruelly in the bare light of the empty New York street, before taking him out.
He couldn't move at all, as if his feet were glued to the asphalt, and all he could do was stare out in horror.
As soon as the shimmering bumper hit his knees, he knew he was a dead man. He could feel his knees bend backwards, his bones brushing past each other, in the wrong directions.
He could only cry out as the force sent him flying across the street, and the only thing he could do was swing his flailing arm out in front of him as he came headfirst into the sidewalk.
His vision exploded into silver light that surpassed the word beauty. But he didn't have time to admire it because a half-second later there was the hollow crack of bones and an immense pain rang throughout his body.
His throat echoed the pain, emitting it into an agonizing scream that almost deafened the agony of his mind. And through his world of torturing pain and silver light, he could feel himself falling, into nothing, and blackness overtook him…
"JANE!" Eddie snapped straight up in the bed in a panic, his movements suddenly cauterized by a freight train of pain that boiled though every nerve in his body.
"Eddie!" Jane immediately snapped from the fuzziness of the sleep, awakened by her fiancé's scream. "Eddie! Eddie, calm down! Eddie, it's okay, I'm here! Oh god! Eddie! Talk to me!"
Jane was frantic, her arms like lead weights at her side as her mind and mouth screamed frantically to make him stop. She watched him fall back into the pillows, sweat and tears running down his face with his jaw clenched tight and his eyes cinched.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, tears burning up from her throat as she watched him begin to convulse with small, spastic jerks, sweat still dripping off him.
"Eddie. Eddie baby, talk to me. Tell me where it hurts." Jane tried, finally lifting her deadweight arms from her sides and placing them gently on the sides of his face, holding his head still.
Soon, his body followed his head's command and the only thing left was sweat soaked sheets and his heavy, hitched breathing that now resonated throughout the room.
"Eddie? Can you talk to me? Tell me something." Jane pleaded, tears streaming her cheeks as she bent over and frantically kissed all the soft places on his face she could reach, as if he might disappear at any moment.
His shallow breathing only stopped inconsistently when he went to swallow back another cry, forcing it like bile down his throat. He was shivering slightly, his eyes still closed and his mouth still clenched shut.
"Eddie, come on baby," Jane cooed as she regained the broken pieces of her sanity and slipped her finger between his lips, seeking out a weakness at which to open his jaws.
Within a few seconds, he gave her the opportunity and she pushed a pencil between his teeth, one that had been sitting on the bedside table next to her, which already had teeth marks etched into it from previous nights.
He lay with tears still streaming down his face, his face twisted into an agonizing demeanor. All color had washed from his face, only his cheeks were flushed with the brilliance of blood flowing beneath his skin.
Jane took her hand and gently began to wipe away the sweat from his face, wiping it carelessly onto her long tee shirt.
It had been only five days since Eddie had been able to come home without the assistance of a nurse, and the nightmares were already pluming. Almost every night they would come, haunting him, attacking him when either of them least expected it.
Flowers, presents, and get-well cards had come by the dozens, and were all stacked out in the living room. Most of them were from coworkers from the Diana Robert's Show.
But there were some from Jane's friends, and even Ray Brown sent Eddie a card, which, Jane threatened to throw away, with the disapproval of Eddie.
Jane waited until Eddie's jaws finally relaxed and the pencil rolled limply out from between his lips, before she moved again. She gently rolled up and placed her hands above his shoulders, supported over his silent frame and looking into his closed face.
"Are you alright?" Jane whispered, carefully watching his face for any fraction of anything as he sighed lightly and nodded. She cocked her head to the side as she watched him still shivering slightly, goosebumps breaking out across his skin.
"Are you sure?" She asked one more time, gently rolling back beside him and tucking the covers around his shaking frame, leaning in close to him and holding her head an fraction of an inch away from the top of his shoulder, letting it hover.
He nodded, cringing slightly as he tried to push himself stiffly up so that he was sitting vertical, but managed something short of a slanted, laying position and allowed Jane to crawl into his lap, her ear against his chest.
They lay there in silence for a few seconds, Jane listening to the heavy thumps of his heart and gently rubbing her fingers up and down his arm, her fingertips dancing over the elevated veins in his arm.
"You're still shaking," Jane mentioned inconsequentially, as if her comment would give her a rash explanation for it.
"It'll stop," Eddie mentioned in a hollow voice, his throat burning with bile and tears and the skeletons of dead screams.
"Was it the same dream?" She asked, gently running her fingernails lightly up his arm and across his collarbone before following his bone and veins back down again.
He nodded lightly, as he shifted his head down to rest his chin against the top of her head, taking in her vanilla smell. His eyes fluttered open as he felt something hot and moist slide onto his chest, and he realized it was a tear.
"Jane? Why are you crying?" He asked, shifting out from beneath her while she still lay on her side. He turned his head to the side and sought out her dainty hand beneath the covers, intertwining their fingers like they use to do.
"I was scared," Jane managed a smile through her tears, her chin shaking with trapped sobs as he pulled her in again against his collar bone, nuzzling her with his head.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Eddie admitted, closing his eyes and leaning down his head to kiss her softly on the top of the head.
"I love you," He whispered, like a little, embarrassed child would to another embarrassed child.
"I love you too."