Richie "talking" was weird to write and understand so I apologize in advance.

You guys can guess all you want about what Maggie and Went have to tell him, but I'm not telling youuuuu. You'll find out in a few chapters XD


At ten o'clock sharp, the Losers and Maggie walked into the hospital, meeting Went in the ICU waiting room.

"He has a different doctor today, since it's the other one's day off." He explained immediately. "His name is Dr. Palmer and he told me to wait until ten thirty to go see Richie, because they've gotta change his bandages and clean him up some, then they're gonna wake him up."

"We're allowed back there when they do that, right?" Maggie asked. He nodded.

"I have food." Bill said. "Eat it." He dropped two bags on the table in front of them and Eddie and Stan put drinks next to it.

"I wrote your name on each drink." Stan told them, handing them out as Eddie handed the biscuits out.

"They're all sausage, egg and cheese from Mcdonalds. Two each."

"You didn't have to do that, Sweetie." Maggie said. He shrugged. "Well, thank you."

A few minutes after they finished eating, Dr. Palmer approached them.

"If you'd like to be there when he wakes up, you can head to his room now." The two nodded and made their way to their sons room. A nurse was in there already, talking to him softly.

"Richie, time to wake up, Sweetie." She was saying, and turned to look at them when they came in. She gave them a smile.

"Is that… how you wake them up?" Went asked, confused, because as far as he knows, sedation makes them stay in a deep sleep.

"Yes, usually. He was given just enough to calm him down and make him sleep for a few hours and hasn't been given anymore. His eyes have been moving some, but he hasn't woken up just yet. You can try if you'd like." Went looked at Maggie and nodded to her. She walked around to Richie's other side and leaned against the bed. She gently caressed his cheek.

"Hey baby, it's mama. Can you wake up and show me those pretty eyes?" He moved his head towards her slowly, but didn't open his eyes. "You're friends all really wanna see you, but they can't until you wake up." She pushed some hair off his forehead. "Can I get a cold wash cloth? He's sweaty." She asked the nurse, who nodded and went and grabbed one. Went took the nurses place and poked Richie's ear a few times.

"Wake up you little turd." He said. Richie's eyebrows furrowed.

"Went, stop poking him." Maggie scolded. He stuck his tongue out at her but did as he was told. The nurse handed Maggie the wash cloth and she folded it, placing it on his forehead. His brows furrowed again and his eyes slowly opened. He blinked at her a few times. "Hey baby." She smiled at him. He started to open his mouth as if to reply but couldn't, and his eyes widened. "Hey, it's okay. It's helping you breath right now." He blinked at her. He tried to move his hands and looked down as much as he could and saw the cuffs.

"What?" He mouthed.

"When you woke up after surgery, you started freaking out and tried pulling out the tubes and IV's, so they had to sedate and cuff you." He blinked at his mom again. "Do you remember?"

"No."

"I'm gonna give you guys some privacy, let me know if you need anything." The nurse said and left.

"Dad?" He asked.

"Over there." Richie turned his head to the left so he could see him. Richie gave him a small, crooked grin. A few silent tears ran down Went's face. Richie's brows furrowed once again and then he stuck his tongue out as much as possible. Went laughed. Maggie raised an eyebrow at him.

"He stuck his tongue out at me."

The next hour flew by, Richie was pretty much fully awake and blind, and they started getting texts from the Losers. Maggie ignored them for now while Went replied to them.

"Eyes." Richie mouthed. Maggie made a face.

"What?"

"Eyes." He repeated. She shrugged a little and he blew air through his nose, irritated. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and then opened them.

"Went what is he trying to say." Richie turned his head towards his dad and mouthed eyes again.

"Eyes." Went said.

"Eyes?" She made a face. "Oh. OH! You're glasses okay hang on." Richie sighed and rolled his eyes. "I need glasses." She muttered to herself as she put them on Richie. He nodded in agreement.


Meanwhile, Bev and Eddie were walking around the floor, looking for a vending machine because they both wanted some chocolate.

"So…" Bev started.

"Oh God, what?"

"What did you and Richie talk about yesterday?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Eddie blushed and looked away.

"Nothing."

"Mhm. Sureeee."

"Do you… do you know that he's… bi?" He asked. Bev nodded.

"I haven't known long, though." She said, "Oh, there's a vending machine. I've known since our audition. We were about to leave when someone yelled faggot at him and I think he said it takes one to know one and then freaked a little bit. He broke down and told me, thinking I hated him for lying about it."

"He was trying to tell me and was stuttering and fumbling with his words, and then asked me it was that hard to come out. I was like what the fuck and he told me he was bi and I kissed him." Bev gasped and squealed, clapping her hands. "Shhh! We're in a hospital." Eddie scolded.

"Sorry. Oh my God, do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you two to get your shit together?" She asked, finally putting a dollar in and punching the numbers. Eddie scoffed.

"With my luck, it was probably just the pain talking or drugs or something. He probably doesn't remember us kissing."

"Bull shit." She huffed, slapping him lightly with her candy bar. "That boy loves you, he told me so." Eddie just shrugged.


"When can you take the straps off his wrists?" Went asked the nurse, Donna, when she came in to check his blood pressure.

"Well," She put a hand on her hip and looked at Richie. "If you promise not to try and take out your IV's and tubes, I'll take them off." She told him.

"Promise." He tried to say.

"Okay." She unhooked them from him and he lifted his arms as much as he could, flinching at the pain in his shoulder. His left hand immediately went for his right, where the IV was. "Hey now-" She started, but he just scratched around the tape and let out a satisfied sigh. "Were you itching, Sweetie?"

"Yeah." He looked at his hands and his eyes widened when he saw how much bigger his right hand was. "What the fuck."

"It happens with patients who don't or can't move much. It's normal. Do you want me to switch sides?"

"Will it help his hand?" Maggie asked. Donna nodded.

"Yes, it should return to normal size in a few hours." She left and came back, switching arms with a new IV. "I'll be back soon, but if you need me, just press that button okay?" The parents nodded and Richie gave a thumbs up.

"Wait, how many visitors can he have?" Went asked.

"How many visitors are waiting?" She asked.

"Uh…" Went counted on his fingers. "Six."

"Well, usually only two can come back, but since he's doing so good already, I'll allow four at a time."

"Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome. Merry Christmas." She left with a smile.

Richie blew air through his nose again and took his glasses off, throwing them on the bed in front of him, covering his eyes with one hand. The two turned to him.

"What's wrong?" Went asked. Richie waved him off and moved his hand, closing his eyes and turning his head away from them. Maggie looked at Went and mouthed Christmas in the hospital. "Oh."

"Richie baby, look at me, please." Richie turned to her after a couple seconds, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Oh, Richie." She cooed. She moved the rag off his forehead and used it to wipe at his tears. "I know it sucks being in the hospital, everything that's happened to you sucks and I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I didn't notice how much of a hard time you've been having either. We're gonna make it up to you, I promise. When you get out of here, we're gonna do whatever you want- within limits because you don't want to hurt yourself, you know?" Richie blinked at her. "But when you're one hundred percent, we'll do whatever you want, okay?" Richie nodded.

"Hold on, now." Went held a finger up and the two looked at him, eyebrows raised in such a similar way it was freaky. "Do I have a say in this?"

"No." They said, Richie mouthing the word. He snorted and nodded.

"I'm kidding, either way. Of course we're gonna do whatever you want. Within limits for the both of you." Went gave her a look and she glared. Richie looked between the two of them, a weird look on his face. He held a hand up and waved it slowly, catching their attention.

"What is it, baby?" He moved his hands together as if he was writing on something, one hand being paper and pretending he had a pen. "You want to write?" She asked. He nodded. She dug through her bag and found a note pad and a pink ink pen. She handed it to him and he put the notepad on his thigh and wrote sloppily, pretty far off from his usual handwriting.

actin weird? Smthn ur not tellin me?

"Uh, no?" Went said. Richie gave him a look and he snickered. Went looked at Maggie, who rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah, there is something we haven't told you, but we want to wait until you at least don't have that down your throat." She waited for an eyebrow wiggle and laughed when she got one. "And you can talk, because I think you'll be very excited." He stuck his tongue out a little as he wrote.

"You know what, here." Went grabbed the rolling table, made it as tall as he could and moved it over top of Richie so he could write easier. Richie grinned at him and wrote.

Wht if i fin out b4 u tell me?

"Well, you might have an aneurysm." Went replied.

Well shit.


"Went said only four visitors can go back so we need to try and form a plan to all sneak back there." Bev said, reading the texts to the rest of the Losers.

"I don't know, Bev." Eddie said, biting his lip. "There's a reason there's a limit in the ICU. We're all loud people, and there's really really sick people back there. People are probably dying back there, I don't want to be disrespectful." Bev sighed, nodding.

"Good point. I'm sorry, I just miss us all together."

"We'll all be able to see him together when they put him in a regular room." Ben told her, squeezing her arm comfortingly. She nodded. Her phone buzzed and she lit up.

"Went said that he has to leave for a little while to handle lawyer business, and he said that Richie is asking for me, Stan and Eddie."

"Wow, I feel loved." Bill deadpanned. Stan smacked him.

"I'm sure he wants to see all of you. It's probably hard to choose between us, we're all amazing." Stan said, grinning.

"We all know why he wants to see Eddie." Ben said.

"You do?" Eddie squeaked.

"Uh, yeah? It's not that hard to figure it out." Eddie's eyes almost popped out of his head. "You and him are joined at the hip, dude. You're his best friend. After Stan, of course." Eddie let out the breath he'd been holding and bit at his fingernails. "What'd you think I was talking about?"