Okay so, what's happening to Richie is something that happened to my brother- just very different circumstances. My brother got in an ATV accident that caused this and Richie, well, got his ass beat and was kicked hard af. I'm writing this from watching my brother in the hospital- he was a little older than Richie and huge (like tall and muscular- Richie is not) so it'll be a little different. It's been a few years since so I don't remember every detail so if something isn't medically accurate that's why.
Things get worse next chapter, but before you try to kill me, just know Richie will be okay. Scarred for life- mentally, physically) but okay!
Went and Bev sat in the ER waiting room, both of their knees bouncing nervously, when Bev's phone rang loudly, making the two jump. It was Stan.
"Fuck." She hissed and answered the phone. Before she could get a word in, Stan said,
"Where the fuck are you guys?"
"Richie- I- He, we're at the hospital." She said, biting her thumb nail. "I'm sorry I didn't text or call but he just- he looked so bad, Stan. I didn't even think- Maggie is in the emergency room with him, me and Went are in the waiting room."
"We'll be there in ten minutes." Stan said, hanging up immediately after.
Ten minutes later, a very worried Losers club stood in front of Went and Bev, trying to speak over each other.
"Look, just sit down and I'll explain." Bev sighed, rubbing at her eyes.
"How did you find him? Or did someone else find him and call an ambulance or?" Eddie rambled.
"Eddie." Bill gave him a look and Eddie sat between Mike and Bill.
Bev went on to explain what happened, getting interrupted when she told them Greta was who found him, and Went butted in a few times. He fidgeted nervously, much like Richie did. Tapping his fingers on his knee, bouncing his leg, and biting his lip.
The group waited for an hour and a half for an update, the only texts Went was getting was because he texted Maggie himself. His phone dinged a couple times and he looked, seeing Maggie had sent him two pictures. He opened them, paling immediately.
One was of Richie's back, bruises forming (he couldn't help but see his ribs, and God, if that didn't break his heart), a gash across his left shoulder-which was definitely dislocated now that he got a good look at it- that has been stitched up already.
The other picture was his face and upper body, his chest and shoulders looking similar to his back, bruises all over. His face had been cleaned of all blood, but he still looked horrible. With the pictures, she said,
(11:29 AM) Mags- He's in a lot more pain and is sort of coming back to himself. I'll explain in a few, they're gonna take him for a CT scan and x-rays. Be there soon.
"My God." Went covered his mouth. "I'm gonna kill that sorry fucker." He growled.
"What happened?" Ben asked.
"Maggie sent me some pictures. I'll be back, I'm gonna make a quick call." He stood and stormed out of the hospital. He went to the smoking area and lit up a cigarette, pressing the call button on an all too familiar number.
He wasn't gone long, and when he did come back, Maggie had just walked into the waiting room, eyes rimmed red.
"What are they saying?" He asked as Eddie asked,
"How is he?"
"He's… he's in a lot of pain." She said, running a hand through her hair." She sat in Went's spot and he crouched in front of her, putting his hands on her hips and squeezing in a comforting way. "He's dehydrated and has a concussion. That's why he was so out of it when he got home. He's got an IV in- they're giving him a bag of nutrients and stuff they call a banana bag."
"I've got that before." Eddie said. "Not that I need it and it's not important right now, sorry, carry on." Maggie huffed out a laugh.
"How was he acting when you left?" Stan asked.
"He didn't want me to leave." Her voice broke at the end. "Went, he… he reminded me of-of…" She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. He grabbed her free hand and squeezed. "He begged me not to go but I told him I couldn't go with him. I promised I'd still be there when he got back so I can't stay long."
"What kinds of tests are they doing?" Eddie asked.
"CT scan, X-rays, blood work. They're checking for brain damage and internal bleeding because he's coughed up some blood."
"Oh God." Eddie put his hand on his forehead. "If he dies I'm gonna kill him."
"Richie will be fine." Mike said, putting a hand on Eddie's shoulder.
"H-he's strong." Bill agreed.
"The nurse said that since it's not a lot of blood, it's a good sign. It's not good at all, of course, but… It means there's no bad internal bleeding or anything."
"Can I come with you when you go back?" Eddie asked.
"I don't know… I don't think now is a good time to see anyone other than me. He's convinced everyone hates him, and I don't know why he doesn't want Went back there."
"I'm still salty he didn't want me back there." Went huffed. "Like I carried his skinny ass to the car, and in here so he didn't have to walk."
"I can't believe you just used salty in a sentence." Bev said, a small grin on her face. "Rich would be proud." Went snorted.
"Well, I carried him in me for nine months so he likes me better than you." Maggie told Went, who glared. She gave him a small smile and pecked him on the forehead, standing. "I'll text him if anything changes or we get any news." They nodded and she quickly made the short trip back to Richie's room. They rolled him back into the room just as she sat down.
"Hey baby, I told you I'd still be here." She told him. He nodded, letting out a breath.
"He's not too happy." The nurse said. "I told him he might have to have a drainage tube put in his nose. If there's blood in his stomach, that is."
"Hopefully not. But there's gotta be blood coming from somewhere."
"He might have swallowed a lot- maybe bit his tongue when he got hit and it bled a lot, and he's just coughing it back up. We'll be find out when the tests come back." Maggie nodded and the nurse left. Richie sighed, closing his eyes.
"Are they not... worried about my... chest hurting?" He asked, lifting a hand to scratch his nose.
"They must not think it's something to worry about. It's probably bruised or broken ribs."
"Lucky me." He mumbled.
"How's your head?" She asked, standing and brushing a few knotty curls out of his face.
"Hurts." He replied, sighing when she began running her fingers through his hair. The cut above his eyebrow wasn't as deep as they'd thought, and only needed butterfly stitches, the cut on his cheek as well- but instead of those, it was just a bandage, His nose somehow hadn't been broken, but it was obvious he's gotten hit. "Life would… be a lot… fuckin' better if… I could fuckin'... see."
"Blurry vision makes it worse, huh?" She asked. He nodded, grimacing.
"I don't… know… where they… went. He punched me… and they went… they fuckin'... flew away." He was sounding much more like his old self, before he'd gotten quieter.
"Your friends are in the waiting room with your dad and Bev." She told him. He opened his eyes- well, one eye- and looked at her.
"Really?" He asked.
"Mhm, they've been here since nine. They love you, Richie. They're worried and want to see you."
"Why?" He sounded so much like a child. "They… hate me." His lips trembled.
"Baby," She cooed, "No they don't. Why would you think that?"
"Th-they hang... out without me… and think I'm a… liar. And I am a liar, mom!" His heart rate began picking up. "Stan and I… we- I… we had a fight… and I- I said shit that… that I shouldn't have li-like... I used to and he... called me a liar and an... asshole." He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a painful sob, covering his mouth with his hand. She grabbed his free hand with hers and crouched next to him, squeezing his hand comfortingly. She'd hug him but that'd make his pain worse.
"Richie… baby, I'm sure there was a reason they didn't invite you."
"Because I'm the... biggest fucking dick."
"No-"
"I am, I am, I am." He cried, rough sobs wracking through his body. "I've tried so h-hard to change and... it wasn't good… enough. I'm not... good enough." He gripped his hair with his hand instead, bringing his knees up to his chest, even though it hurt. "I'm sorry... I'm not good enough, mama. I-I- fuck, it hurts." He moaned. The heart monitor started beeping and a nurse rushed in. "I can't breathe. I can't- I can't breathe." He gasped, coughing. She didn't say anything, she just grabbed a mask and put it over his mouth and nose and turned a machine on.
"Try and take some deep breaths for me, Sweetie. You're okay."
"No, no, no, no…" He cried, squeezing Maggie's hand back. She was crying silently as she watched. She didn't know what to say. It took a few minutes, but he calmed down enough to where there were just silent tears falling. "There we go, we're okay now, right?" He nodded.
"S-sorry." He stuttered.
"Don't apologize, baby." Maggie said, shaking her head. "Is there anything you can give him for pain?" Maggie asked, watching as he gripped the bar on one side of the bed with the hand that wasn't holding hers.
"On a scale from one to ten, how bad is your pain?" She asked.
"Fuckin'... highest number possible."
"Ten?"
"Higher."
"Okay, I'll go talk to your doctor and see what we can do for you." She left and maybe a half an hour later, a doctor walked in. A tall blonde woman.
"Hi Mr. Tozier, can you look at me?" She asked. He turned his head away from his mom and looked at her. "I'm Dr. Alleyne."
"Call me… Richie." He muttered.
"Okay, Richie. Can you tell me your full name and birthday?" She asked.
"Richard Wentworth Tozier…" He let out a small whimper. "March… seventh, two thousand one."
"Okay, good. Do you mind if I press on your stomach? It will probably hurt, since that's where your pain is, correct?" He nodded. "I'll be able to see if there's anything out of the ordinary."
"Okay. I might… kick you."
"Wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to me." She told him with a smile, pulling on some gloves. She looked at Maggie. "Has he had his appendix removed? Or any major surgeries?"
"Um, no, but there was an… accident a couple years ago." Dr. Alleyne nodded.
"Okay, I'm sorry in advance, Richie." She said, and began pressing on his stomach. He let Maggie's hand go to grab onto the other handle, squeezing it as hard as he could, eyes squeezed shut, trying to hold in a scream. Maggie covered her mouth, standing up carefully, but staying by the bed.
"Okay, I'm finished." She said, tossing the gloves in the trash and putting hand sanitizer on. "Something doesn't exactly feel… right, to me. The scans will come back pretty soon, so as soon as they come back, we'll be able to let you know." She said. Maggie nodded.
"What about pain medicine?" She asked.
"I'll have Martha bring him something. It won't be very powerful due to his concussion, though."
"Okay, thank you." Dr. Alleyne left. "I'm so sorry, baby." She said, running her fingers through his hair again.
"S'not your fault." He mumbled, tilting his head closer to her. "I had it coming."
"No, Richie, you didn't."
"If I… had just… shut my mouth…"
"That… child… demon, whatever you wanna call him-"
"Quality nickname right there, ma." He whispered. She chuckled, shaking her head.
"Hush. He shouldn't have touched you. I promise you, you'll never see him again, baby. Your dad won't let him get away with it."
"He better fuckin' not… best lawyer… my ass if he… doesn't."
Two hours later and it's nearing two thirty in the afternoon, the waiting room wasn't very packed, and Richie was still in the emergency room. He'd had his shoulder popped back into place- swearing like a sailor the entire time- and was wearing a sling, and had the tube in his nose. Nurse Martha decided he needed to be on oxygen, so now he had oxygen going through one nostril from a nasal cannula.
The pain medicine didn't do anything for him, and the pain got worse and worse as time went on. They wouldn't let him drink anything- even though Maggie wet some paper towels and let the water drip into his mouth.
"Mom?" He asked.
"Hm?" She sat up straighter, pulling her jacked around her front a little more.
"You should… go get something… to eat."
"No-"
"Mom, I'll be… okay. I'm at a… hospital after… all."
"You little smart ass." She muttered. He stuck his tongue out at her.
"And make dad… and the others…. Eat. If they're… still here."
"They are, and I will. Do you want anyone to come back here?" She asked, standing up.
"Um, dad once... you guys have ate." He said. "And… Bev and Eddie."
"Okay, I'll send them back here. I'll be back as soon as possible, m'kay?" She said. He nodded. She kissed his head and gave him a little wave before leaving.
"Any news besides the oxygen and nose tube?" Eddie asked immediately when he saw her. She shook her head.
"No, the pain medicine hasn't helped him and he's annoyed- and bossy. He told me to go eat and make Went and you guys eat if you haven't."
"Of course he did." Bev chuckled. "Bill forced us to go eat but Went wouldn't go."
"Good, good… Richie asked for you and Eddie to go back, now."
"Does this child hate me?" Went grumbled, crossing his arms.
"No," She chuckled, patting his shoulder, "He wanted to see you after you've eaten too. Wouldn't take no for an answer."
"Stubborn little shit."
"Very true. He's gonna be moved to a room soon, so you all will probably be able to see him." Maggie told them. "He's in room 37, we'll be back soon." She grabbed Went's hand and pulled him off towards the cafeteria.
"Uh, well, we'll let you know how he is when we go back there." Bev said, standing along with Eddie.
"Please." Mike said, and the two walked away.
"I wonder why he just wanted to see Bev and Eddie." Ben said.
"Well, I mean… Bev is practically his sister." Bill said. "And Eddie? I don't know."
"I know why he didn't wanna see me." Stan mumbled, resting his chin in his hand.
"Don't be hard on yourself, Stan. I'm sure he'll want to see you." Mike told him. He just shrugged.
Bev and Eddie could hear Richie talking as they rounded the corner to go into his room.
"... a real one, Martha." He was saying. Bev tapped on the wall and pulled the curtain back, walking in. Eddie could hardly hold in the gasp and Bev immediately started tearing up. He looked horrible.
"If you need anything else, just press the button." Nurse Martha told Richie, gave the two a smile, and left, pulling the curtain closed behind her.
"She gave me… a nicotine… patch." He told them, pointing at his arm.
"That's… that's nice, Chee." Eddie whispered.
"You look horrible." Bev slapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry."
"I know I look… like shit… least he didn't… knock out any… teeth." He waved his hand randomly.
"I mean you look worse than I did." She said, walking closer to him.
"Well shit."
"Bev, shut up." Eddie rolled his eyes, walking around the other side.
"Hello Dr. K." Richie muttered. "I'm sure you can tell me more than these fuckers."
"Oh my God."
"What?" Richie asked.
"You said fuck!" He exclaimed. Bev hit his arm.
"Shhh!"
"I said… fuckers." Richie corrected.
"Who are you and where did quiet Richie go?"
"I'll go back... to him when… I'm not in… fuckin' level nine zillion pain."
"That's not a number, Sweetie." Bev told him, putting a hand on her hip.
"I'm gonna… fuckin… shoot myself."
"Don't say that- if someone hears you they'll literally tie you to the bed and isolate you for three days." Eddie said quickly.
"Kinky."
"I'm gonna cry." Bev said, fanning her face. Richie squinted at her.
"Why?"
"Because you're… you." She said. "Richie, Sweetie, we love you so much, okay? We never wanted you to change."
"We don't want you to go back to quiet Richie." Eddie continued. "It freaks me out and I'm worried about you."
"We'll… see. If I don't… die."
