Chapter Text
It was supposed to be three days of dnd. His club had been a hit for two years now and Eddie decided to run a session with the returning members over the summer, to keep them interested in the game.
He'd run something similar the summer before this, when one of his members had a plot of land with a big backyard. Eddie didn’t much care for camping, but it'd been fun.
In an effort not to repeat the mosquito massacre from the year before, Gareth's mom let them stay in her garage. They had to move Gareth’s drum set, but they made room.
The first day had been a rush of setup and prepping, with sleeping bags, stray pillows, random blankets, and a cardboard box. Eddie thrived in the chaos.
They didn’t get to the second day.
Gareth had gotten up to get dinner, and promptly fell to the floor clutching his side.
Everyone panicked and Eddie had to run inside to get Gareth’s parents.
They rushed to the hospital, Eddie jumping in back with Gareth while Jeff and Grant rushed to Jeff’s beat up car.
They got there one after another and Gareth’s dad and Eddie got him out of the car and into the emergency room.
Eddie was ushered into a waiting room while Gareth’s parents filled out paperwork and Gareth himself was wheeled away. The others joined him quickly and they were left to wait.
Eddie got restless quickly. He stood up and paced, eyes darting around the hospital for something to latch onto.
The ambulance that pulled up outside got his attention right away.
Eddie was pushed back when the cops burst into the hospital surrounding the paramedics and their patient. Eddie tried to see who was on the gurney, but all he caught was brown hair and something black. He also noted that the brown hair belonged to two people, both curled into each other and hiding their faces from Eddie when he caught a glimpse of them.
An alpha and omega pair, by the smell of it. New. Eddie shrugged, it was probably a bad bitching and studding endeavor.
He himself had studded when he was a wee lad. Barely thirteen and studding, those were the times.
He knew the dangers of bitching though, much more dangerous than studding. If the couple had been experimenting with bitching and got caught up, well, Eddie didn’t know why the police were involved.
Unless the alpha was- no, no one here would be deranged enough to bitch an unwilling beta.
He used to live in the city, he saw all kinds of shit, even saw a woman die of a forced bitching when he and his dad stole her car. She’d been tied up in the trunk. Truly horrific.
He sat, finally, trying to get his mind off of the alpha and omega pair that came in.
Unfortunately, trying to get his mind off that pair reminded him of why he was here in the first place. Thankfully Gareth’s parents walked in before he could work himself up again.
“He needed surgery. We don’t know how long it will be,” Gareth’s mom said carefully.
“I’ll take Grant home. Eddie?” Jeff asked, standing.
Eddie should really go home, relax, get his mind off of everything…
“No, I’m fine. I’ll let you know how everything turns out in the morning,” Eddie told them. Both boys nodded and left without another word, nodding at Gareth’s parents before disappearing out the door.
Gareth’s mom squeezed Eddie’s hand in thanks.
Unfortunately, after several hours, nothing more interesting happened in the hospital.
Gareth was wheeled to a room and his parents joined him. Eddie decided to give them some space and sprawled out on two chairs, lying between the handles with his back unsupported and his legs sticking out.
He was still there when the doors opened again and in walked a group of kids, probably freshmen next year.
The tallest was a curly haired boy with a scowl on his face, the next was a boy with a bowl cut who looked like his puppy had just been shot.
A boy with dark skin was clutching a red headed girl’s hand like his life depended on it, and while the girl looked stoic, she was clutching back just as hard. The redhead was also holding the hand of the only other girl, her curly hair bouncing as she looked around the hospital like someone was going to jump her.
Lastly was a boy in a baseball cap, his eyes red and puffy from crying.
“Steve Harrington,” the tall boy stated bluntly.
Eddie did a double take and almost fell off his chairs.
He had to quickly right himself, scrubbing his eyes and making sure he was still awake, because that kid did not just say-
“No visitors.” Eddie blinked again, because did that nurse just confirm that Steve Harrington was in the building?
“We need to see him,” the boy hand-holder pressed, leaning on the red head.
The curly haired girl took a step into the tall boy, burrowing her head into his chest.
“He’s in intensive care, we can’t let you see him,” the nurse told him with a sigh.
“Mom!” The cap wearing boy pleaded. But the nurse just shook her head, pointing at the waiting area Eddie currently resided in.
Eddie had just enough time to right himself, tripping a little as he dislodged the chair at his feet, before the kids made their way to his little hovel.
Curly haired boy held onto curly haired girl, who held onto redheaded girl, who held onto the dark skinned boy.
Bowl cut walked on the other side of the curly haired boy, and the cap boy stayed slightly back from the group, occasionally glaring at the redheaded girl.
The waiting room was tense as the kids took all the chairs, all but the lonely chair holding an unsuspecting Eddie.
Eddie tried not to listen as the kids started to whisper amongst themselves, but it was really hard when there was nothing else of interest going on around them.
“It’s him, it has to be, Dustin's mom would have told us if it wasn’t him, right?” bowl cut asked, leaning into curly-boy to talk to the group.
Curly-girl nodded hesitantly, “Dad not home, heard radio,” curly-girl said almost too quietly for Eddie to hear, but Eddie had experience listening to things he really shouldn't be.
“So you think he was bitched,” the hand-holding boy hissed, leaning into redhead. Redhead looked extremely uncomfortable and very obviously turned away from cap boy.
“Shut up, he wasn’t,” curly-boy hissed, but the doubt in his eyes shouted otherwise.
Eddie didn’t know how Steve would have met these kids, but it was obvious that they all cared for him.
Deeply if the haunted looks on their faces said anything.
“You’re just pissed off that you believed that he ran away,” redhead hissed back, flinching back when cap-boy caught her eye and glared harder.
“Like you’re one to talk,” curly-boy growled. Eddie didn’t think any of these kids was an alpha, but if one was, it’d be either curly-boy or redhead, he’d bet money on it, and not change, real bills, big ones.
Before they could continue, Gareth’s parents walked into the room. Eddie looked at the time, just after six in the morning, he felt a yawn ripping through him.
“He’s asleep. Will you sit with him while we fill out some more paperwork?” Gareth’s mom asked him, clutching to her husband like her life depended on it.
Eddie nodded.
“You should get breakfast too. I’ll watch over him,” Eddie told them as gently as he could, if it came out a bit abrasive, well, that’s just how he sounds. Gareth’s parents have known Eddie for a couple years now and agreed without taking offense.
Eddie completely forgot about the kids in favor on checking on his friend.