âCĂĄllate,â Axel admonished, reaching a hand up and poking at Eddieâs forehead with a crooked smirk. Despite how annoying Eddie could be and how worried he could make Axel, Eddie was still his best friend and he still cared deeply for Eddie. It didnât matter how many gray hairs Eddie gave himâwhich, Axel was sure, was plentyâheâd always be there to help whenever he was needed. It was a curse. Axel didnât know when to pull back, when to stop helping and take care of himself.
Perhaps in a contradictory fashion, Axel also had a habit of running away when he felt himself getting too close to people. He ran to L.A. for medical school, he ran to Seattle for residency, and he ran halfway across the world just to avoid the fallout from his fatherâs death. Eddie, however, had never made him feel like he needed to run. âI needed new plates anyway,â Axel said simply, rummaging around in his first aid kit for some ibuprofen, knocking a few pills into his palm before he offered them to Eddie.Â
Axel was still quiet after Eddie spoke. He pursed his lips slightly, wanting to believe that he would wait at least more than one night, until he was fully healed, to go back in the ring, but Axel knew better. He looked away, putting everything back into the first aid kit. âIâm on call tomorrow night,â he said as an excuse. It was true, at least, and he was grateful that he didnât have to lie.
âYou didnât need new plates, I needed to be way less drunk.â Eddie scoffed. The lengths in which Axel went to take care of Eddie astounded him sometimes. Eddie could turn his whole world upside down, and while Axel would still be upset, heâd still take care of Eddie. He didnât know what he did to deserve this, but he knew heâd never stop showing Axel how grateful he was for all of it.Â
Eddieâs brows raised as he took the pills, âIâm gonna need more water since you kinda ruined mine, jefe.â He pointed down his cigarette that Axel had dumped in the glass of water. He shrugged sheepishly as Axel took it away, âOn call doesnât necessarily mean youâll have to go in.â Eddie tried with a smirk. He just wanted someone to spend time with. Heâd felt so lonely when Axel was gone and when he came back, he was busy at the hospital and Eddie was finally getting a hang of things at the casino. All Eddie wanted was some down time with an old friend.
He scratched the back of his head once he got the glass of water, swallowing the ibuprofen quickly. âSo my nephewâs been in town for about a year.â Eddie nodded. He wasnât sure how long Creedence was going to stay, but now that she seemed to be here for the long run-- Eddie thought heâd tell Axel. âHeâs Rickyâs kid, could you believe that? I uh.. I was going to see if I could take him out for some dinner and if you wanted to come...â He shook his head, âcompletely up to you-- youâre on call and all.â