A Good Edd Is Hard To Find
Summary: The Eds' encounter with Bro takes a dark turn as the savage sibling concocts a dangerous game for Eddy and Double D. The race is on for Ed, Eddy, and the kids of the cul-de-sac to save Edd from Eddy's brother. Friendships will be questioned. Sanity will be strained. Will the Eds be separated for good?
Triggers include Pedophillia, Child Grooming, Child Abuse, Sexual Assault, Possible Dub-Con, Drunken Behavior, Alcohol Abuse, and Physical and Verbal Abuse. Other warnings include Violence and Language.
Author's Notes:
DuoXKouga: Look! We did it! We finally did it! The two of us have finally accomplished what we originally set out to do! I don't think we expected it to be THIS long, but, hey! It's what it is!
Battygirl: Here we are. Final chapter. We hope you've all enjoyed this fic, even with our frequent delays in updating. Please leave a review and let us know what you think. We really do value your feedback. Thank you again for following us to this point. Enjoy!
Chapter 17: The Calm Before The Edd
Down the hall, a patient is resting and enjoying the numb of the painkillers that have finally begun to take effect. The throbbing in his head has finally begun to wane, allowing his foggy mind to clear again. A doctor enters the room.
"Hello, Mr. Matthews," the physician greets in a perky tone, "I'm Doctor Caird. How are you feeling?"
"Weren't you just here?" the man sneers.
"Ah, you're lucid enough to remember," the doctor chuckled, "Sorry to repeat it. With how confused you had been before, I was worried it may have slipped your mind." He closes the door behind him. "But yes; I was just here. I apologize if it seems tedious, Mr. Matthews, but with a head injury as severe as yours, we have to check up on you frequently to ensure your condition is stable."
"Matthews…?" the man mumbles, looking confused for a moment as he rubs his forehead, "Why the hell do you keep —"
He stops himself as his memory comes back. That's right…The name he'd had that woman put down for him on that bullshit paperwork. Caird doesn't seem to hear him as he grabs the chart clipped to the end of the bed.
"I'm sorry?" he asks, still smiling, "Did you say something?"
"Ah…How uh…How long am I gonna be stuck here?" the disgruntled patient grumbles.
"I'm afraid I can't say," the doctor shrugs, "Lie back for me, will you?"
With a groan, the man lays back on the bed. Caird checks his pupils first, but continues speaking to him.
"You were very disoriented when you arrived, Mr. Matthews," he stops for a moment and turns the light off so he can make eye contact, "may I call you Ryan?"
"I don't care…" the man growls back.
With a shrug, the physician continues, checking for proper dilation in the patient's pupils.
"You should have come in a lot sooner," he advises, "When we studied that wound, it looked to be a couple of days old." He stands straight again to write down some information on the clipboard. "What kept you from coming in right away?"
The patient casts him a glare before schooling his expression again.
"Didn't think it was that bad…" he retorts, "At least till the headaches wouldn't go the fuck away…"
"Hmm…" Caird gives him a suspicious look, "Now that you're able to think a bit more clearly, may I ask what happened?"
With a sneer, the man averts his gaze to the wall.
"Got into a fight…" he answers vaguely, "Some little punk bastard caught me off guard and whacked me in the head with a tire iron…"
And if I ever see that little red-haired anklebiter again, I'm gonna rip his fuckin' head off…
"My goodness…" Caird turns to one of the cabinets, "You must've been fighting about something pretty important…"
The man grimaces again, an image crossing his mind. That of a bruised, battered child, full of fear, but ready to do anything he asked to avoid any further punishment. Gritting his teeth, Terry murmurs in response.
"You could say that…"
As Dr. Caird continued to check over him – his temperature, breathing, heart rate, and other bullshit Terry couldn't bring himself to care about – things were falling into place in his own mind. He ignored the small talk the good doctor was attempting to engage him in, choosing instead to reflect on what brought him here.
He remembers waking up in the woods by the trailer. Stumbling inside with intent on burying his frustrations in his new favorite toy. Finding the place empty. His head had been throbbing even then, making his thoughts unclear. His medicine gone, which only fueled his anger. He remembers how enraged he'd been, but also how concerned he'd begun to feel as time ticked away. Concerned that he couldn't stay there.
Grabbing what little he would need or what little he wanted. The plaid shirt, discarded in the bathroom. A small, plastic bag of clothes bought for someone else. The trinkets that had proven to be quite useful to him on more than one occasion. He still has the key to the handcuffs in his pocket. The very thought makes a smirk threaten to break on his face.
"…seem to be doing well," Caird's voice notes, breaking through his reverie, "We'll still want to keep you here overnight…To ensure your condition remains stable."
A shrug is the only response he receives.
"A nurse or I will come back to check on you again in a little while…" the physician informs him, setting the clipboard back in its place, "Until then, just get some rest."
As the doctor leaves the room again and shuts the door behind him, Terry groans and rolls his eyes. He'd tried so damn hard not to come here…
Stopping by the park first. One of his coworkers owed him a favor and he'd taken him up on it. The more compact car wasn't necessarily to his tastes, but he'd found himself with little option. He debated whether or not to grab the trailer and had ultimately decided he wouldn't need it. He has enough spare cash from various successful swindles to last until he could score a new one. With that in mind, he'd snagged the barest of essentials from the nautical home before abandoning it.
After he'd finally arrived in Peach Creek and found a place to rest – some run down place near the cul-de-sac, but not too close – he figured the headaches would go away on their own. A couple of days passed, however, and he only faced the opposite. The headaches persisted. His body felt weak, making his movements sluggish. A fog had taken him, making him terribly drowsy as well. He could do nothing in this state. By the third day, he could take no more of it. He'd just barely managed the short drive here and he's quite sure his parking job around the back of the building – one of the few places that was virtually empty when he arrived – was sloppily done.
Now he's stuck here for the night. He curses his rotten luck, wondering how he'll be able to retrieve his stolen toy now. Lying back, he wonders if it's really worth all of this trouble. With a sneer, he quickly erases that question from his mind. That hardly mattered. Pipsqueak had taken something that belonged to him and he intended to take it back. May the cost and effort be damned…
"DAD! Can't I PLEASE stay?!"
He furrows his brow at the sound of that familiar, grating voice.
"I'm sorry, Eddy; visiting hours are over. We can come back to visit your little friend tomorrow."
His interest is piqued as he recognizes the second voice as his own father's. The hell are they doing here?
Rising from the bed, he approaches the door. He hadn't been hooked up to any monitoring machines – his injury being just short of life-threatening – therefore, he could move around at ease. He peers out the window, spotting his family standing outside a door at the end of the hall. He'd been brought to a room at an intersection, one that faced another hallway of rooms in which his parents and younger brother now stood. He sneers as he regards them, their backs turned so they cannot see him. They always had been too damn loud. Can't even stay quiet in a damn hospital…
Another couple steps out of the room to join his parents. Scrawny and annoyingly prim and proper. Neatly combed, black hair. Cleanly pressed business suits. The sight makes Terry grimace. Couple of uptight asses…Despite the distance and the overall proper dress of the two, he can see that they look a bit haggard. Both wearing forlorn expressions.
"But dad!" Eddy whines.
"No 'buts'!" Tony counters sternly, "We can't stay tonight. Your mother or I will bring you tomorrow so you can check on your little friend."
Terry cocks his brow, intrigued by their conversation. One of Eddy's little friends…
He opens the door just enough to hear more of the conversation while keeping his presence hidden. His mother turns to the dark-haired woman in glasses.
"You will let my little Eddy visit tomorrow, won't you, Valerie?" she asks curtly.
Terry scoffs, shocked that even his mother's voice could carry so far. 'Valerie' bows her head contritely, brushing her hair behind her ear. She nods, muttering something Terry can't make out.
"See?" Tony grins, motioning to her before turning his attention to Eddy fully.
Eddy pouts a bit, but, for the most part seems to accept it.
The thinner man beside Valerie speaks up.
"You should all get going," he informs them, speaking clearly, "Visiting hours are almost over, after all."
Terry furrows his brow some, finding something familiar about the scrawny stranger. He catches a view of his profile, which makes the image click. He grimaces, recognizing him as the asshole he'd run into on his way in. His attention is quickly waning as he continues to observe them.
Never once does he worry that they'll spot him. They're all pretty distracted by their own business; eyes barely straying from each other or the floor. The elevator is in the direction opposite his room as well, so he has no reason to worry about them catching sight of him as they leave, either.
Valerie turns to the man beside her – her husband, if Terry cared to guess.
"Samuel," she speaks in a quavering voice, "I should really be the one to remain here with Eddward. He needs his mother right now."
Samuel sighs, turning to her fully to say something comforting to her. Terry, however, doesn't hear it. He doesn't care to know what they're saying. A wicked grin creeps onto his face.
"So…" he chuckles, leaning against the wall and away from the window, "My little Princess checked into this shit hole too?" He licks his lips a bit. "That's interesting…"
A surge of pain pulses through the back of his head, making him wince. Even with the painkillers numbing his body, the ache sometimes gets through. He grits his teeth. Maybe it's not as fortuitous as he'd initially perceived...Muttering a curse under his breath, he glances back out the window at the group still gathered at the end of the hall. Fuck, how long does it take these assholes to fuck off?
He glares in Samuel's direction, realizing that he shouldn't be too surprised that he'd be Edd's father. Figures that tightass would be related to my little Sockhead Princess somehow…Ignoring their tedious conversation, he instead focuses on the door they're standing in front of. He counts from the door nearest him. One…Two…Three…Four…Five. Five rooms away from his own and on the left.
Finally, Valerie and his parents, dragging little Eddy along as well, depart, the former waving farewell to her husband. Samuel's hand returns to the doorknob and he enters the room once more. Terry tenses as he watches the door shut behind him. Edd is here, just beyond that door. He pictures it for a moment. That fragile form, scantily clad in a hospital gown. He wonders if the bruises are still visible on that tender flesh. If the brands symbolizing his ownership of that flesh can still be seen by those who bear witness to it. He bites his lip, feeling himself growing hard.
Shutting his own door all the way, he returns to the bed. No sense standing there. There's nothing he can do about this now. With Edd's father hanging around the boy's room, he can't very well saunter in and reclaim his stolen property. He lays back against the crisp sheets, his eyes unfocused as he stares up at the ceiling.
If he's remembering correctly, it had been about half an hour between being brought to this room and having Doctor Caird come back to check on him. Though his memory is very fuzzy, he knows it hadn't been terribly long. Half an hour seemed right. The physician had informed him he'd be coming back in 'a little while'. He could only assume that he or someone else would come back somewhere within that time frame. He glances at the clock on the wall near the ceiling, hoping to gauge how long it's been since Caird left the room. He imagines it couldn't have been longer than ten minutes. Fifteen, maybe…He groans at the inconvenience. To know his little princess is so close – just a few rooms away – and he can't take advantage of that. It's quite frustrating.
Taking a deep breath, he forces himself to calm down. As angry as he wants to be, he knows better than to let himself get too worked up at this time. The situation is delicate, to be sure. If Edd's parents had brought him to the hospital, it must mean that they have been made aware of what he'd put the boy through. That means it'll be that much more difficult to catch the kid alone and that he'll have to tread carefully when he's returned to the cul-de-sac again. He has to plan his next moves calmly, carefully, if he intends to get what he wants.
While he waits for his next visit from the medic, he attempts to distract his mind. Three days back home will surely have made the effects of his 'lessons' dwindle. He has a strong feeling he'll have to retrain his little princess once he's got a hold of him again. It shouldn't be too terribly difficult to bend the boy to his will once more. Edd's meek nature had made it simple enough the first time and the memories of his previous training should be effective in putting him in his proper place. He imagines it'll just be more tedious than anything, but worth it to regain the boy's complete obedience.
Ten minutes or so pass. The door opens, drawing his attention. He cocks his brow as a nurse enters the room this time. Young, with blonde hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. Subtle makeup applied cleanly over her oval face. She flashes him a sweet smile.
"Hello, Mr. Matthews," she greets cheerfully, "How are you feeling?"
Terry looks her over, sizing her up as she grabs his chart from the bed. He grins a bit, relaxing a bit more against the bed.
"Doin' a lot better since you walked in, darlin'…" he purrs.
She smiles a little, her cheeks turning pink.
"That's good to hear," she notes, laughing softly.
Similarly to Caird, she begins by checking his pupil dilation. As she stands straight to write down some information, he sits up a bit.
"Such a pretty shade of blue…" he notes casually.
She glances at him, looking confused.
"You're eyes," he clarifies, "Couldn't help but notice. Even with you blindin' me with that little light."
Her blush comes back and she brushes her bangs out of her face.
"Well," she tries to compose herself, "Thank you for noticing…"
He chuckles some. As she continues to check over him, he throws out little compliments towards her, making her blush and giggle in response and wrapping her tighter and tighter around his little finger. It pays off when she turns to leave.
"So, doll," he begins as she looks over the chart, "When can I expect you again?"
She throws him a playful smile.
"Well, you're recovering nicely," she informs him, glancing at the chart every now and then, "Dr. Caird said that if your condition was improving as well as it has been, we could space apart how often we check on your condition…I'd say I…or, well, someone will be back in about an hour or so. After you go to sleep, we also may have to wake you up from time to time, but I think your condition is stable enough that you should be fine for the rest of the night."
He grins, pleased as she sets the chart back in its place; "It's a date, then…"
She giggles; "Sure, we'll go with that…"
Waving at him, she exits the room again, still looking red. Terry scoffs. As simple as it had been to get an answer from her, he finds it to be a nice boost to his ego to have a cute girl fawn over him like that. He give a prideful smirk as he stands from the bed again. He makes a mental note of the time. 9:15. He has an hour to kill before the doctor or nurse would come back.
Crossing the room to the door, he gazes out the window. Counting the rooms until he reaches Edd's again. His eyes remain trained on that door, waiting for something to happen. He's quite positive that Samuel is still inside. Visiting hours had only just ended and he's quite sure Edd isn't asleep just yet. No reason for the man to have left in that short time. But that doesn't mean he won't depart soon enough. Eventually, he'll have to leave the room again.
Minutes pass. He moves away from the door very rarely, if only to avoid being seen by a wandering orderly. But then it's right back to the door to keep a vigilant watch over Edd's room. It's nearly half an hour before anything happens.
Finally, a nurse approaches the room, entering without knocking. She disappears inside, drawing Terry to furrow his brow in confusion. Moments later, she exits again, looking solemn, but walking with purpose. Terry moves away from the door when she turns in his direction. He waits, anxiously, listening to the vague sounds of her muffled footsteps on the linoleum floor of the hall as she passes his room. He's back to the window to peer out again.
Nothing. He glances to Edd's room. The door's shut again, as though it had never been disturbed. He grimaces, wondering what could be happening now…
Ten minutes pass, at least, before the nurse returns. She has something in her hands, but Terry can't quite make out what. Back into Edd's room. The door shuts.
Terry grits his teeth, glancing at the clock every few moments.
Five minutes. No movement.
Ten minutes. Nothing.
Pushing fifteen minutes, Terry makes the decision to return to the bed, knowing someone will be back for him soon as well. Before he does, he spots Edd's nurse finally leaving the room, looking relieved. Questions arise in his mind, but he offers no time for them as he reclines on the bed again.
The nurse from before returns a few minutes later, smiling sweetly at him. She's applied a bit more makeup, which he notices when she gets closer. He grins at her and shoots her a quick compliment to keep up appearances, which she drinks up.
The check-up follows the same routine as before. Nothing new regarding his condition. She informs him that they may not be coming back for a while now. That he should be fine for the night. Though she does imply that they may wake him at some point in the night to ensure he can wake up.
Alone again, he's back at the door. A quick glance at the time reveals that it's nearly 10:30. He grimaces. How long is that motherfucker gonna stick around? Eyes locked on Edd's room. His patience is quickly wearing thin.
Finally – fucking finally! – after waiting roughly ten minutes more, he sees Samuel exiting the room, a set of keys in his hand. The nurse who'd wasted all that time in the boy's room is walking down the hall and spots him, greeting him in a cheery voice. Terry doesn't catch it at first as he opens the door just enough to hear their conversation.
"…need something, Mr. Vincent?"
Samuel shakes his head, turning to her fully. Terry ducks out of the window to avoid being seen by either of them as he listens carefully.
"Oh no, no," he replies in a weary voice, "I'm just going out for a few minutes for something to eat."
"Oh, well, we do have our cafeteria downstairs," she offers, "Or we have a vending machine just down the hall if you don't need much…?"
He chuckles; "Well, thank you, but I'd much rather enjoy real food, if you catch my meaning."
She laughs softly at his joke.
"I see," she giggles, "Well, I can't fault you for that…" Her tone changes some. "How is Eddward? Is he doing any better now?"
"Yes, thank goodness," Samuel sighs, suddenly sounding weary again, "The medication was quite effective; he's finally calmed down enough to sleep…Otherwise, I would probably take you up on that offer for the vending machine…"
Terry cocks his brow. Medication…Sleeping…He grins a bit. Things just got more interesting…
He peeks out the window, seeing the two still in front of the door.
"Either way, I know I have nothing to worry about," Samuel continues, "With Eddward asleep, I should be able to go pick up food and return without incident. And, even if one should arise, I'm sure you can handle it, yes?"
"Of course," she agrees.
"Then I leave him in your capable hands for now."
Terry rolls his eyes. What a couple of saps…
With that, Samuel turns, making his way to the elevator. The nurse continues on her way as well and disappears down a different hallway. Despite the intense urge for him to just go to the room, Terry waits a few minutes more. Samuel doesn't return. The hallway clears. A quick glance at the clock. 10:45. The man would probably return as quickly as possible, leaving a very small window. He could allot himself, perhaps, half an hour at most. It wouldn't take Samuel long to find a restaurant (he's vaguely aware of the old diner about five minutes away). Though preparing whatever the man wanted to eat may take a bit longer.
With all that in mind and after double checking that the passage is clear, Terry opens his door.
His eyes are ever vigilant, darting around to keep watch for any wandering orderlies. With little incident, he slips into the other room. A rush of adrenaline courses through him as he locks the door behind him. He surveys the dark room for a moment before finally spotting the small figure bundled up in blankets on the bed. The steady rise and fall indicating a deep, contented sleep.
The predatory grin doesn't leave his face as Terry pushes himself off the door, approaching the bed. His fingers twitch some at his side as he stands beside the boy, itching to touch him, to snatch him up right there. He resists the temptation, instead placing his left hand on the bed on Edd's right, using it as support as he leans over him. Finally, his patience shall be rewarded. With his free hand, he pulls back the blanket to reveal his prize.
Drinking in the sight of the bruises still visible along Edd's neck and arms, faded though they are. He dares not remove the blanket completely. He doesn't need to see all of them. Just the ones that matter. Dropping the blanket, he runs his fingers over the few hickeys he can still see.
He grimaces, cursing his luck again. So close. To be so damn close that he can taste it but unable to do shit about it. It's infuriating, to be sure. But he's pushing his luck as is. He'd been lucky enough to be able to sneak into the room unnoticed, but actually leaving the hospital with the kid is completely out of the question. He eases up the pressure he'd been placing on his arm as the position grows uncomfortable.
There's that too…Because of his damn head injury, it'd be too difficult to evade the authorities who'd be quick on his tail. His body is too weak for that. He'll have to recover significantly before doing anything as strenuous as that. As much as he hates it, he has to wait. But that doesn't mean he's not going to enjoy himself for now…
He leans down a bit more so he can whisper into the boy's ear.
"Don't think I'm done with you just yet, sweetheart…" he purrs, tongue flicking out to tease the boy's flesh, "You still belong to me. And I'll be back soon enough to bring you home where you belong."
His fingers play with the hair at the nape of Edd's neck, lingering once or twice when they graze his soft skin. Little whimpers draw his attention to the boy's face, contorted slightly in discomfort. The grin comes back as he realizes that his words are, indeed, getting through.
He reaches into his pocket, retrieving the tiny key. To anyone else, it's a worthless trinket. Meaningless. To Edd…Memories flash in the man's mind of how good the boy had looked in the handcuffs. How helpless. He can't wait to see that again.
Glancing at the boy's face again, he places the tiny piece of metal into the hand resting languidly on the pillow beside Edd's head. The preteen has calmed slightly, his sleep undisturbed again. Terry moves the hat aside slightly. Brushes the hair back, revealing the scar to him. He's silent as he leans in, kissing the mark.
There's no affection in the act. As far as Terry is aware, he may not touch this flesh for a long time. He wants to enjoy feeling it under his lips again, if only for this short moment. But he cannot push it. More marks would be too suspicious. Something as chaste as this is, realistically, his only option at this time. He leans back into the boy's ear, tracing Edd's jawline.
"Wait for me, my little Princess…" he hisses, nipping his ear lobe.
A quick peck to the slightly parted lips. Another, lasting slightly longer. Just one more, tongue darting out for a taste. He bites back a growl, standing straight to curb his desire. He turns away, returning to the door. One last glance before he exits the room, leaving the boy behind.
DuoxKouga: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! And we will see you in the next fic! Buh-bye!
Battygirl: Yes, there will be a sequel. Can't say when. We have a separate fic we'd like to start working on right after this, but there will be a sequel…at some point.