Richie woke up with a start at 6:12 on a cool Sunday morning, exactly a week after his losers left.He already missed Eddie so much. He missed all of the losers of course but Eddie was different. The last night that Eddie stayed, he stayed in his room, and they cuddled all night. Richie spent almost all night staring at Eddie while he slept peacefully, his chest rising and falling, and his hair in his face. 

But what had woken him up? It was the loud screeching briiiiiiiiiiiiingggggg of the phone in the hallway. He rolled out of bed. He was just going to pick it up and slam it back down, so he could get some actual sleep. 

He stumbled through the mostly dark house, and found the bright blue telephone. He picked it up. 

"Hello?!" The person on the other side practically yelled on the other line, just before he slammed it back onto the reciever. 

It was stan. And he sounded terrified. 

"Shit!" Richie whispered. 

He put the phone up to his ear. 

"Stan...? Are you okay?!" 

"Yes richie, I'm fine! But it's Eddie, bill just called me. Eddie was staying over at his house, and he got there, and five minutes later he started giggling real loud and puking his guts out. His breathing... it almost stopped richie. Bill called the ambulance right away... and they came and got him but.... they came out and told him that he overdosed. Eddie might die."

Richies heart stopped. His blood ran cold. Sweat dropped down his forehead. 

"No, no that.. ITS NOT TRUE! 

STAN HE CANT DIE... HE CANT FUCKIG DIE." He screamed into the phone. Tears ran town his face and he dropped the phone, making it dr, hanging just above the ground by the cord. He let himself fall to the ground, sobbing in a pile on the floor. 

Soon, Karen, Nancy, and mike came rushing into the hall, and they found im him in a heap on the floor, crying his eyes out. 

"Richie?! Are you alright?!" Screeched Karen. 

Mike rushed to his side, and hugged him, wrapping his arms tightly around his brother. Hen he heard Stan yelling into the phone, which hadn't hung up. 

"What did you say about someone dying?" Asked Nancy. 

"Nancy!" Karen scolded. 

"Sorry!" Nancy said. 

Mike picked up the phone, and for a few minutes he listened to stand explanation. 

His jaw dropped, and his eyes began to water, as he'd grown to really like all of the losers over the three months that they'd lived in his house. 

"Soon he'd hung up, and told Karen what had happened, and insisted that they go to Derry. At those words, richie had perked up, and looked her in the eyes.

"You have to let me go see my boyfriend. Please mom?" Richie hadn't even come out to his mother yet. And he hardly called her mom. 

"Boyfriend?"

Richies lip quivered and tears slipped down his face as he said, "yes mom. Boyfriend." 

"Okay..... then let's go." 

Mikes jaw dropped: 

"Really! Thank you so much mom!" He said. 

"Richie just smiled slightly before standing up in wobbly knees. 

"Well.... I guess we have a flight to book..." Said Karen with uncertainty.