Chapter title is from For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica.

Warnings: medical inaccuracies (I'm in no way a medical professional) and brief mentions of wanting to vomit.
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Eddie wakes up.
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"

Mine."  A voice whispered, so quiet it almost wasn't heard at all. "You're mine."

_____

The first sign that gave away that he hadn't died was the beeping of a heart monitor, which blared loudly in the quiet with a steady rhythm.

The next was the bright light, burning his retina with intense pressure.

And the last was the feeling of cold metal around his wrists, keeping him bound to... Something.

Unfortunately, he didn't stay lucid enough to even open his eyes, let alone comprehend his surroundings, so he fell back into unconsciousness.

_____

The next time he woke up, he was much more aware.

Eddie peeled his eyes open slowly, squinting at the harsh light fixtures above him, and groaned.

"Motherfucker." He grumbled out, the light making his head pound.

'Is this what hell is like? Is hell a hospital? I knew it, doctors are the embodiments of demons.'

He went to rub away the ache in his eyes, but was met with resistance when he tried to move his arm.

He looked at his right arm and saw that it was bound to the hospital bed by a pair of handcuffs, then looked to the left and saw the same thing.

Well, confusion of this entire situation aside, this wasn't what he was used to when being tied up, but he's pretty sure he watched a porno that started out like this. Maybe some sexy hell demon is coming to 'treat his wounds.'

And, apparently there is no god -and no sexy demon doctor, either- because the only thing that walks through the door of his hospital room is two cops.

More specifically, Chief Powell and Officer Callahan.

Callahan stops in the doorway when he sees that Eddie's awake, slowly -and not so subtly- putting his hand on the gun at his hip.

Well, that wasn't safe. Who threatened to fire a gun in a hospital on a patient? Terrible police work.

Eddie just stared at the two men as they walked into the room, taking slow steps as if they were walking around a wild animal.

He supposed he shouldn't be surprised by them acting so cautiously. Hawkins wasn't known for harboring suspected serial killers, and up until a few years ago after Will Byers went missing, the only crazy thing that had happened in this hole-in-the-wall town was a woman getting an owl stuck in her hair. These men didn't know how to act around 'crazy' people.

Still, Eddie eyed them both silently as he waited for one of them to speak.

He watched as Officer Callahan leaned over to whisper in Chief Powell's ear.

"The doctors said he wouldn't wake up for another week." He said not so quietly.

The older man side eyed the younger, an annoyed look on his face.

"I think he can also hear us." Powell pushed Callahan back a bit and took a seat on the chair next to Eddie's hospital bed, staring him down intensely.

Eddie stared at him with just the same amount of intensity, not breaking eye contact.

Finally, Powell spoke.

"You're one lucky man, Munson." He started. "Fortunately for you, all accusations and charges have been dropped."

Eddie stared at the man in confusion, furrowing his eyebrows, then looking at the handcuffs attached to him and the bed.

"Then what are these?" He rasped out, obviously not having used his voice in awhile.

The man sighed, settling into the chair, looking less on edge.

"A safety precaution. We were told by hospital staff that you were attacked by a wild animal, and they didn't want you to possibly be aggressive when you woke up in case you had contracted rabies, so we had to cuff you."

Eddie stared at be ceiling through squinted eyes.

"How long have I been out?" He asked.

"A little over four weeks we were told." Powell said as he stood up, taking a small key out of his pocket and unlocking both of the handcuffs around his wrists.

Four weeks was enough time to completely clear his name? Damn, some people really work fast.

"Is there a doctor I can talk to?" He asked as both Powell and Callahan made their way to the door, rubbing at his arms.

"We'll get yours for you. Your friends specifically asked for this one." Powell said, taking Callahan with him out the door.

His friends? Did that mean Dustin and the others were OK?

His question wasn't answered because a few minutes later, the door opened to reveal a doctor walking in.

"Edward Munson?" The man asked.

Eddie nodded, "yeah, but very few people call me that, just Eddie is fine."

The doctor nodded, standing at the end of Eddie's hospital bed with a clipboard in hand.

"My name is doctor Sam Owens, I'm familiar with these types of circumstances that left you the way you are. Dustin Henderson called them Demo-Bats?"

Eddie blinked in surprise.

"You know about the Upside Down?"

Doctor Owens nodded. "Yes. I worked at Hawkins Lab and treated Will Byers after he was found."

Eddie nodded slowly, shuffling on the paper thin sheets of the bed.

"So, what's the prognosis Doc?"

Owens flipped a page up on the clipboard, looking down at it and reading.

"Good news is, you and your friend didn't suffer any lasting sickness from the bats."

Eddie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"My friend?"

Owens rose a brow. "Steve Harrington? He was attacked by them as well."

Eddie looked down at his hands that rested in his lap, squinting his eyes trying to find something that wasn't there.

"Do you know if everyone is OK?" He asked Doctor Owens.

The man nodded.

"Yes, as far as I'm aware, all of your friends are completely fine. Mr. Henderson suffered a sprained ankle, and for obvious reasons Mr. Harrington is still in the hospital being kept under watch along with you for any underlying side effects."

Eddie nodded along to Owens words.

"OK, OK. So, what happened to me while I was here? Like, what were all the procedures and all that shit?"

Owens looked through his clipboard again, very doctor-ly Eddie thought.

"Let's see. You received many skin grafts along your torso to replace the skin we couldn't stitch. You received twenty five stitches on your abdomen and three on your face. You were put in a medically induced coma for three weeks, and have been in and out of consciousness for one week. We weren't sure when you were going to officially wake up."

Eddie nodded again, having lost track of it all about halfway through. All he knew was that it sounded like he had a tone of hospital bills to pay that he nor Wayne could afford.

Speaking of Wayne...

Eddie looked up at Doctor Owens.

"Where's my uncle? Has he come by? Can I see him?"

Owens waved his hand nonchalantly.

"All in due time, Mr. Munson. You aren't ready for outside visitors just yet, but we can allow Mr. Harrington to come see you if you'd like."

Eddie hesitated, before nodding. He could handle Harrington, surely.

~~~

He was wrong. He couldn't handle Harrington.

Why? Because the moment Steve stepped into the room he looked pissed but relieved at the same time.

"Just because you're bed ridden doesn't mean you're off the hook, Munson. I told you not to play the hero, why the fuck didn't you listen to me?"

Eddie didn't have any words, he just stared at Steve with regret in his eyes.

Steve let out an irritated sigh through his nose before stepping towards Eddie's hospital bed, grabbing the other man by the shoulder when he got close and pulling him in, letting Eddie's forehead rest on his collar bones.

"If you ever do something that stupid again, I'll kill you, you hear me? You're lucky Dustin isn't here or he'd chew you out, too."

Ignoring the heat in his cheeks and the fact that he could weirdly hear the blood running through Steve's body as he hugged him, Eddie let himself relax. There was no use getting worked up over a hug, it's not like it meant anything.

Steve Harrington was as straight as they came. The hug was purely platonic. And, as Robin would say, with a capital P.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Harrington. I don't intend to do anymore noble sacrifices anytime soon."

Steve let out a quiet laugh through his nose.

"More like stupid. What you did was stupid."

Eddie nodded.

"Yeah, it was stupid."

They sat in silence, and it was only then that Eddie realized just how hungry he was. Having IV bags give you nutrition and protein for four weeks wouldn't have lasted long had he been unconscious longer. And before that, the only thing he had eaten in two days was half a box of Honey Combs and a bottle of Yoohoo. Safe to say he was starving.

Removing himself from Steve's hold, although reluctantly, he leaned back into the stuff pillows behind him and held his stomach as if he were in pain.

"Could you, uh, maybe get me some food?" He asked, looking over at Steve. "I haven't had anything to actually eat in about a month."

Steve nodded, heading to the door.

"I think I saw a vending machine down the hall, anything specific?"

Eddie shook his head. "Nah, just whatever you can get."

Steve nodded, heading out the door and leaving Eddie alone with his thoughts for a few minutes.

Now that his brain was more clear, he took the time to think back on all that had happened to him over spring break.

The Upside down, being accused of murder, watching two people die in the most brutal ways possible, getting mauled by demon bats and somehow surviving it.

Speaking of, how did he survive that? He was pretty sure he had died, he had practically felt his heart slow to a stop as the cold chill of death took over. So, what the hell?

He didn't have anymore time to dwell on it, though, because Steve walked back in holding a bag of chips and some M&M's

Eddie's stomach growled lowly at the sight of the food, reaching for it with grabby hands that made Steve chuckle.

"Thanks Harrington," Eddie said, tearing open the bad of chips. "You're a life saver."

He popped a chip into his mouth, crunching it with his teeth, before grimacing and gagging.

Steve rose a brow in confusion as he sat down in the chair beside Eddie's bed. "What's wrong?"

Eddie shook his head, reluctantly swallowing the rest of the chip and gagging slightly as he did so.

"I don't know, the chips taste off." He threw another into his mouth to make sure he hadn't just eaten a bad one, and felt stomach acid bubble in his stomach and rise into his throat as he now fought the urge to throw up.

Not noticing his struggle with keeping the minimal amount of food down, Steve reached for the bag of chips and grabbed one, eating it.

He had no reaction and just shrugged.

"Maybe your taste buds are still adjusting, they taste fine to me."

Eddie let out a non-committal hum, swallowing down the acid threatening to come up his throat.

He passed the bag of chips to Steve, his appetite gone.

"So," Eddie started, getting as comfortable as he could against the stiff pillows behind his back. "Have you seen anyone? Is Henderson OK?"

Steve sets the chips to the side, leaning back into the chair he's sitting in, and crosses his arms over his chest.

"I haven't been able to see anyone, the hospital is keeping us both under watch. Dustin has been calling, though. Says that Everyone is OK and they're waiting for us to come home. He misses you, man. They all do."

Eddie fidgets with his fingers, missing the feeling of his rings and wished that the hospital hadn't taken them away.

"I messed up, I know. If I hadn't tried to play the hero, I'd be able to see Dustin and know he's OK. I wouldn't be stuck to a hospital bed with no knowledge of when I'm getting out. This fucking sucks."

Steve stared at him silently, reaching over and rubbing small circles into his forearm.

"It's gonna be fine, we'll get out of here eventually. Atleast you're not alone, you have me."

Eddie huffed out a laugh, his eyes meeting Steve's with a teasing look and a grin.

"Yeah, what would I do without you, Harrington?"

Steve pulled his hand away and Eddie subconsciously missed the warmth of it.

"You'd loose your damn mind."

The two sat in silence for the remainder of the time Steve was allowed in the room, and when a nurse came to call him back to his room, Steve passed Eddie one last look and a smile.

"I'll see you later, Munson."

Eddie returned the smile, offering a two fingered salute.

"See you later, Harrington."

And if the nurse who checked on him after Steve left commented on his slightly flushed cheeks, well, he'd just say it was the morphine.