Eddie was so caught up in his searching that he didn't even notice when the entrance slid open and KT and Fabian walked in.
They stared at each other, confused, as they watched Eddie skim through books and then throw them behind his shoulder.
"Uh, Eddie?" KT asked lightly.
Eddie spun around, immediately on guard.
"What the-? Oh, hey." Then he returned to his work.
Fabian slowly walked towards him. "Eddie, what are you doing?"
"Um, nothing. Just…just looking for something." He muttered, totally out of it.
Fabian looked back at KT, silently asking her if she knew what was going on.
She shook her head no, and then tried to talk to him herself.
"Eddie, how long have you been down here?"
He continued searching through the books, but he said, "Uh…What time is it?"
Fabian looked down at his watch. "Almost 6:30."
Eddie paused for a second to count down the hours in his head. "'Round, like, four hours. Why?"
KT and Fabian's eyes widened.
"F-four hours?" KT stuttered.
Eddie kept looking. Finally, Fabian couldn't stand it anymore. He went up to Eddie, tore the book he currently held out of his hands, and shook his friend's shoulders.
"Eddie! What are you doing?"
That snapped him out of his trance. He stumbled out of Fabian's grasp and collapsed into the chair behind him.
Tears began filling up his eyes and he buried his head in his hands.
"Patricia…" Then he remembered the promise he had made. He wouldn't tell anyone, because it was her secret to tell. She would tell them when she was ready.
"What? Patricia? What's wrong with her?" KT asked, slightly frantic.
"N-nothing. You guys go upstairs. Tell Trudy I died or something."
Eddie stood back up and grabbed another book.
Fabian looked at KT again, and a silent exchange was passed between them.
KT took one arm, Fabian took the other, and they dragged him upstairs.
Surprisingly, he didn't even try to struggle or complain. He let them drag him up the stairs like a ragdoll, because he was so tired he didn't even have the energy to argue.
Once they got him upstairs (with some difficulty) they hauled him to his bedroom and dropped him on his bed. Eddie fell asleep right away.
KT and Fabian closed the door behind them as they left the room. As they walked into the dining room they saw Joy sitting on the couch, her legs curled up to her chest, crying.
They rushed to her side and sat down on either side of her.
"Joy, what's wrong?" KT asked.
She looked up, tears streaming her face. "P-Patricia," She sniffled. "She asked me to tell everyone."
KT and Fabian immediately connected this with Eddie's almost-story earlier.
"What's wrong with Patricia?"
Joy put her head down. "She…she has leukemia."
She started bawling again, and this time she wasn't alone. KT leaned against her, crying as well.
Fabian tried to process what Joy had just said. But he couldn't. He sat there, not moving, not talking. She wasn't…she couldn't….
He had never had any romantic feelings towards Patricia, but nevertheless, he had known her for forever, and she was one of his closest friends.
He didn't know if he could live with himself if she…
He was barely coping with Nina leaving. At least he knew she was okay.
The images and the words and the books…god, how could he have been so oblivious?
It was obvious what Eddie was looking for.
The Elixir of Life.
Oookay...Sorry for the sucky chapter and the OCCness. Flame it up!