Some of you will love me- and definitely hate me for the cliffhanger. I'm aware that this... thing was sudden (the part you'll be happy about) but, well, you'll see :D.
Richie was finally moved to a room not long after Eddie and Bev got to him.
"Ah, fuck you... I'm not... sitting down." Richie huffed to Martha. "Sorry, I'm... in pain. Standing in… helps."
"You two watch him and make sure he doesn't fall, okay?" She said, leaving the room after patting him on the back. Richie kept his hand on the IV stand to hold himself up.
"Hey Chee?" Eddie said softly.
"Hi." Richie mumbled. Eddie chuckled and rubbed his back.
"Do you think you're up to seeing anyone else? They really wanna see you." Richie took a couple deep breaths and nodded.
"Yeah."
"Okay… I'll go get them." Eddie said, and went to walk away ut Richie said in a panicked voice,
"No!" Eddie immediately stopped and looked back at him. "S-sorry. Bev, can you go? I… I want to talk… to Eddie." She gave him a look, even though he couldn't see.
"Are you gonna…?" She asked.
"Yeah."
"Ooh, okay. I'll try and take my time, then." She left the room.
"Is everything okay?" Richie looked at him as if to say really and he chuckled. "True, sorry."
"Okay, um…" Richie slowly sat Indian style on the bed as best he could. "Sit…" He pointed to the foot of the bed. Eddie sat identical to him.
See, since his mom told him that his friends were in the waiting room- on Christmas Eve- and the pain made him feel like he was literally going to die, he'd been thinking about telling Eddie- if anything, that he's bi and that's all. Richie being Richie thinks he's really gonna die, so he wants to get it out there.
"What is it, Chee?" Eddie asked, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. The taller teen had blanked for a few minutes. He blinked and shook his head.
"Sorry. So… um, sorry for… lying about… this." He started. Eddie raised his eyebrows. "I'm… I'm not- I… fuck, was it this… hard for you… when you… came out?"
"No, everyone pretty much knew I was gay as fuck from the git go." Eddie told him, then his eyes widened. "Wait, what?"
"Oh." Richie huffed out a laugh, swallowing hard when it hurt. "I guess… I just told… you. I, uh… I lied. About being… straight. I'm… bi." Eddie stared at him.
"Are you serious?" Eddie whispered. Richie nodded and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for Eddie to yell at him. Instead, he felt the bed move and suddenly- lips on his. He gasped, and before he could attempt to kiss back, Eddie pulled away and slapped a hand over his mouth.
"I'm sorry- I shouldn't have- your lip is bleeding." Eddie stood up and grabbed some tissues, coming back and wiping the blood away. "I'm sorry, I should've… asked." Richie stared at him, heart rate picking up.
"You're not… mad?" Richie asked, tilting his head slightly.
"What? Of course not! Are you mad? I kissed you without asking. You don't even… feel the same."
"I'm not… not mad, Eds." Richie's cheeks turned bright red.
"You're not?" Richie shook his head.
"Kiss me… again."
"But your lip…"
"I don't care… Eddie." Richie gave him a small smile. Eddie smiled back and leaned forward, pressing his lips to Richie's. Richie kissed back this time and God- the fucking monitor started beeping. Eddie pulled away with a worried look on his face, then smirked when Richie covered his face with his hand. "S'not funny, Eds." He mumbled.
"Sure, it isn't funny, Chee."
The rest of the Losers walked in right after, and a nurse walked in behind them before anyone could say anything.
"Everything okay in here?" She asked, pressing a button on the monitor.
"Peachy." Richie replied. Eddie nodded and she smiled at them, nodding and leaving the room. Eddie leaned forward and whispered in his ear,
"We'll talk later, when you're feeling better." Richie nodded.
"How's the pain?" Bev asked, giving him a knowing look. He ignored it.
"Feels like… my guts are… being ripped… out." He replied.
"Have they given you anything for it?" Ben asked.
"Yeah… but it hasn't… helped… fuck!" Pain ripped through him as if on cue and he gripped the bar on the bed. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." He squeaked.
"Jesus." Bill whispered. Stan made a noise and left the room.
No one said anything for a couple minutes, just silently watching Richie as he tried to hide his pain.
"You don't have to hide from us, Richie." Mike said softly.
"Yeah? If… I don't… I'll end up… making you leave… me anyways."
"Richie… is this a-about us at the resta-restaurant? Bill asked. Richie didn't say anything.
"Richie, we were there without you because we were talking about you. You think we haven't noticed you changing, don't you?" Ben asked.
"I was hoping… not."
"Well, we have." Bev said. "And that's why we didn't invite you. We were worried about you- we are worried about you, now more than ever.
"What makes you think we hate you?" Eddie asked. "You know I don't." Richie blushed again.
"Just… I hate… myself. It'd make sense that… that you guys would… too. I-I know I'm… I'm embarrassing and… annoying."
"Richie, no." Mike shook his head. "Annoying, sometimes, but that's what we love about you. Embarrassing, yes, but we love that about you too. The only reason we'd tell you to chill, in public, was so we wouldn't get in trouble."
"Yeah, that doesn't mean we hate you. "Ben said. "Some things, yeah, you needed to chill with, but the rest we don't care. Swear all you want, wear what you want, do what you want- be who you want."
"You can't be me," Stan said, walking in with a pair of glasses in hand. "But you can be you- the loud, insane you, or the quiet you- whichever you want." He opened the glasses and carefully put them on Richie. They had a crack along the outer edge, but he could finally see. "You need to talk to us, don't shut us out."
"You're one... to talk." Richie grumbled, blinking a couple times. "Thanks." He muttered.
"I know, and I'll change that as best I can." Stan agreed. "And I… I'm sorry for the things I said to you. You're an asshole but not the bad kind."
"What kind of… asshole is… is good?" Richie asked with a small grin. Stan rolled his eyes.
"I'm gonna ignore that for now. I don't hate you, you're like a brother to me and I love you."
"Love you… too. All… of you."
"I also may have just… threatened the nurses at the nurses station that if they didn't come and give you something to actually help the pain that we'd take you to another hospital. So you should be getting something soon."
"Thank… God."
It was another ten minutes before the nurse came in, and when she did, she said,
"The reason it didn't help the first time is because the other nurse gave you the amount we'd give to a 6 year old rather than a sixteen year old." She put something in his IV. "This should help fairly quickly."
"Fucking finally." He grumbled.
"Still nothing on the scans?" Eddie asked.
"I'm not sure, but either way I wouldn't be able to tell you, I'm sorry." She said. "Your doctor will only tell you if your parents or guardians are in the room." She gave them a sympathetic smile and left the room.
"Bev, tell mom... that if this ever happens... again- don't... come to this... hospital."
"This better not fucking happen again." She huffed.
"Went is gonna make sure Bowers is locked up." Eddie said.
"Speaking of Went, he used salty in a sentence earlier." Bev told Richie, who snorted.
"What the... fuck."
"He told us you didn't want him back there with you."
"It's not that, I just... I wanted my mom and only my mom."
"Can't relate." Eddie deadpanned. Richie chuckled and blinked slowly.
"Ah, shit... my heads all fuzzy now." He said, yawning.
"The medicine is probably making you sleepy." Eddie said. "You look like you need a nap."
"Fuck you."
"Maybe later." Eddie replied. He glanced at the monitor and saw Richie's heart rate speed up a little at that. Eddie smirked and Richie blushed, laughing a bit. Bev giggled to herself.
"Try and sleep while you're not hurting, we'll still be here when you wake up." Mike told him. Richie nodded and fiddled with the buttons on the bed, making it go back some. Bev threw the cover over him and he was knocked out in no time.
"That was quick."Ben said, chucking.
"I don't think he's slept much lately, like at all." Bev said. "I'll wake up in the middle of the night and he'd be playing his music."
"I have so many questions." Bill said. "Like what the fuck and why did Greta of all people actually pick Richie up off the side of the road?"
"I hard she's been crushing on him." Ben said. "Since he stopped... being him."
"Well..." Eddie chuckled, but didn't continue. Instead, he leaned over Richie and cleaned some more blood off his mouth, from when he was smiling.
The Losers looked at each other- Bev with a knowing grin on her face- and the boys confused.
Just then, there was a small knock on the door and Went and Maggie came in. Maggie let out a breath of relief when she saw he was asleep.
"How long has he been asleep?" She asked, walking around to Richie's other side. "And who found his glasses?"
"Not long." Stan said. "And I had an old pair I put in Bill's car the last time he broke them." Went just stared at Richie. Bev thought he was gonna burst into tears, but instead, he asked,
"Did you kids get whatever it was sorted?"
"Yes sir." Stan answered.
"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go beat Bowers ass." He said, starting towards the door.
"But you'll get in trouble!" Ben said immediately. Went chuckled.
"I don't mean that Bowers, Ben. But God do I wish I could. Call me if anything happens."
Once Butch Bowers had not one tooth in his head- Maggie called her husband, freaking the fuck out.
"They have to do emergency surgery, Went. I-I-I c-can't deal with this on m-my own."
"Fuck, I'm on my way."
