Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Saying Goodbye

The worst moment in anyone’s life is when you get a phone call asking if you are someone’s next of kin. Rushing to the hospital and hoping for the best while preparing yourself for the worst is all you can do. Eddie would have done anything to be able to do that and find out that Chrissy was ok. Instead this time when a life changing event occurred, Eddie was at the end of his rope already. 

Max and El had their joint birthday party, and of course, someone had come to the party sick. Now both girls were under the weather and El being a 1 year old, meant an epic fuck ton of crying. Eddie was expecting Chrissy home any minute and was so ready for his wife to come home. Thankfully both girls seem to be near the end of this whole sickness, but it wasn’t going down without a fight. 

Chrissy had just recently gone back to work full time, so things had already been a little nuts. Hellfire had cleared his schedule for the past few days so he could stay home with the girls. Normally, if he was off it wouldn’t be a big deal to run downstairs to the shop with the girls to work out something in the shop. But with the girls being sick, Eddie had taken on most of the childcare recently so Chrissy could stay healthy and work. Obviously he couldn’t bring sick kids into a tattoo shop. The girls love their daddy, of course, but no one could replace their mom. And they were very vocal about missing her. And Will and Jojo. Joyce and Hopper had surprised everyone when they announced they were pregnant right after Eddie and Chrissy did. Little Will was born a few months after El and was basically their little brother as far as Max was concerned. Chrissy had fought tooth and nail to go back to work full time with the reasoning that Joyce should be watching 2 newborns, but Joyce was not having it. So in the interest of not getting anyone else sick, Eddie was on his own for this and to say his nerves were shot was an understatement. He’d almost considered taking up smoking again, but knew that his wife would probably divorce him if he did. 

A soft knock caught Eddie’s attention and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Chrissy wouldn’t have knocked. He picked up El who’d become very clingy while sick. “Come on Elly-belly, let’s go see who’s at the door.” 

He bounced her softly while patting her back to try and soothe her. He opened the door and found Hopper in full uniform, taking off his hat, crying. Eddie didn’t even notice Wayne until he took El from his arms with tears streaming down his face. Wayne took both girls upstairs as Eddie fell to his knees. 

“Hop?”, he whispers. “Please no.”

Hopper gets on the ground with Eddie and wraps his arms around him. Eddie knows it’s Chrissy. They drive to the hospital in near silence except for Eddie’s occasional sobs. Hopper pulls into the parking lot and turns to Eddie.

“She didn’t suffer. Everything happened so quickly that she was gone before she ever realized she was in an accident. They are pretty certain the other driver had been drinking, he’s gone too. We’ll go in and do this as quickly as you need.”

Eddie scoffed. Gone like the bastard that took his wife’s life just went missing. Like Chrissy is missing and will come home someday. 

“The girls will never remember her. Hop. How do I tell the girls?” 

Hopper puts his hand on Eddie’s shoulder. “We’ll help in any way we can. You’re not alone.”

“Yes I am. Chrissy’s gone. I have to go in there and identify her body. I can’t do this.” 

Eddie suddenly feels like he can’t breathe. His chest hurts and there’s white around the edge of his vision. He struggles to get his seatbelt off as he’s gasping for more air. The next thing he knows the door beside him opens and Hopper is pulling him out of the car. He clings to Hopper as they both cry and mourn the loss of the greatest woman Eddie has ever known.

The next few days are an absolute blur. He can barely remember the phone calls. Telling friends and family that his wife had died was something he doesn’t think he’ll ever remember doing. He knows it happened because his fridge is full of every time of casserole you could think of. Eddie finds himself at the funeral home. He went in first alone for the private family viewing. Wayne’s bringing in the girls shortly, but Eddie wanted this last moment alone with Chrissy. He walked in the room and saw her laying in the casket. Her strawberry blonde hair was framing her face and she had a light dusting of makeup. The people at the funeral home really did an amazing job to make her look like she’s just sleeping. Eddie reached out to touch her hand and was shocked at how different it felt. It was just further proof that his girl was gone. 

“Hi Chris.” He sighs. “I think. I mean. Fuck. I can’t believe you’re gone and I’m talking to your body like you can hear me. I don’t know what I’m doing here. I’m the screw up, I should be the one in that box, not you. God, never you.” Eddie lays his head down on the side of the coffin and cries. “What am I going to do without you?”

A little while later there’s a knock on the door and Eddie raises up to see Wayne. He brings in Max who’s got a look of complete concentration on her face. She grabs Eddie’s hand and tugs. 

“Max, baby, do you want to say goodbye?” Eddie whispers. He picks her up and lets her look down into the casket. He’s almost afraid of what they’ll do. The girls are too little to understand what’s happening.

“Pops says we gotta be big girls.” 

Wayne walks closer with El in his arms.

“Mommy?” El reaches for her.  

Max grabs her hands. “No Elly-belly. Mommy’s sleeping and she won’t wake up.”

El looks over at Eddie and starts pouting. Eddie takes El in his other arm and holds both girls to him. All four of them are silently crying. Mourning the light that is Chrissy that’s now gone from their lives.

“Mommy may be sleeping now, but she lives in you. All of your love is your mommy. Every beautiful sweet part of my girls. That’s your mommy.” 

The funeral is beautiful. Chrissy’s parents don’t bother showing. Eddie figures this will be the last time he sees a lot of Chrissy’s old friends and family. They were never there for him and he doubts they’ll be there for the girls. Eddie’s all alone now and is spending his days just walking through a fog. He can’t sleep, he can’t eat, nothing matters. He’s barely hanging on for the girls. Thank god for Wayne. Wayne practically moved in to help with the girls. Eddie, Wayne, Joyce, and Hopper all worked as a unit to take care of the girls and the elder three to take care of Eddie.

A few weeks after the funeral, Eddie and the girls are having lunch when the mail arrives. He digs through the usual bills and junk mail when he sees a letter from a lawyer’s office. Eddie skimmed through the letter and immediately called Wayne. 

Hopper and Wayne have a standing lunch date at Benny's now that Wayne is retired. They’d already bonded after all the times Hopper brought Eddie home when he was a bit of a troublemaker in the early years. But after Joyce and Chrissy bonded, they were basically all family. Today was the first time the men were able to actually grab lunch together. It seemed like life was getting back to normal for the most part. 

“How are the girls doing? Joyce is missing her girls and driving me nuts.”

Wayne laughs as Hopper takes a sip of his coffee. “You can say you miss them too. Those girls have a way of worming into your heart.” Hopper grumbles in agreement. “They are doing ok. I’ve just about got Eddie talking into going back to work. He’s still getting food dropped off so he’s worried that any time he goes to tattoo someone they’ll just ask about Chrissy. He doesn’t want to always be the guy with the dead wife.” 

“I never thought I’d have to tell Eddie that his wife died in a car accident. Hell, I never thought Eddie was going to get married. That kid has surprised me a million times over.”

“I always knew he’d turn it around. His mama was a good woman who loved him a whole hell of a lot. He had just enough of my idiot brother in him to be a menace, but not enough to be like him. I just hate that he’s going through this. I don’t know how to make it better. Chrissy changed his life and now she’s just gone?”

Wayne’s phone rings and he says it’s Eddie. “Eddie, is everything ok?” 

Hopper can hear Eddie crying and rambling. Hopper immediately signals for the check. They both rush over to Eddie’s house to find him sitting with both girls, crying. They are watching Garfield and Friends without a care in the world. 

Wayne clears his throat to get the girls’ attention. “Elly-belly? Mad Max? Why don’t you guys go watch this in your room? Pops and Daddy are going to talk for a little bit with Hop.”

Max helps El off the couch and tugs on Wayne’s pant leg. He squats down beside her. “Pops, is Daddy going to be ok?”

Wayne hugs her tightly. “Your daddy will always be ok. Some days are tougher than others. We just have to be strong for him on the tough days, ok?” Max nods and takes off after El. 

Wayne sits beside Eddie on the couch. “Chrissy’s parents?”

“They are going to fight for full custody of the girls. It’s bad enough that Chrissy’s gone. Now they want to take my girls.” Eddie starts crying harder. He’s on the edge of another panic attack.

Hopper looks over the paperwork and tuts, “This is a waste of their time. They’ve never been around the girls. A judge won’t sign off on this.”

“Come on Hop. Her parents are rich. I’m a tattoo artist.” 

Wayne shakes his head at that. “Ed, you own your shop. You’re a business owner, not just a tattoo artist. And who cares if you were just a tattoo artist?”

“I can’t fight them. I can’t fight whatever lawyer they are going to hire.” Eddie sniffles and tugs on his hair. “What do the girls need me for? I’m a fuck up. The girls would be better off if I wasn’t here.”

Wayne grabs Eddie and hugs him tightly. “Don’t you ever say anything like that again. The girls would not be better if you weren’t here. I would not be better. The guys from Hellfire would not be better. We all need you Eddie. We aren’t going to let Chrissy’s parents take the girls.”

“Let me make a quick call.” Hopper pulls out his phone and heads to the kitchen. “Ted? Your little sister is a lawyer right? I need a favor.” 

Twenty minutes later there’s a knock on the door. Hopper goes to answer it and in walks Nancy Wheeler. 

“Hop said you’re going to need a lawyer. Fuck Chrissy’s parents, let’s make them regret ever trying to take the girls.”

Eddie was finally smiling. With Nancy’s No-Bullshit Attitude and determination they were able to prove that Chrissy’s parents hadn’t been in contact with her in the last 10 years so the fact that they were even aware that they were grandparents was concerning. The case was dismissed and Eddie was not going to lose the girls. 

He’d also found the sister he never knew he wanted in Nancy. She’d become Aunt Nancy and was able to tell the girls stories about Chrissy that Eddie didn’t even know. They’d been friends in high school and drifted apart as one does.  Eddie developed his own new routine with the girls. His mornings were all about the girls, mid afternoon Joyce or Wayne would come in, and then by dinner time Eddie’s home for the night. As someone who grew up feeling alone and unloved, Eddie knew his life was different now. He had a family even if he’d buried his wife.