Double Dee, the Patient Chapter 1 (An 'Ed, Edd N Eddy' Fanfiction)

NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ED, EDD, EDDY

Ever wake up feeling like you didn’t get a wink of sleep, your head feeling like a bowling ball was crushing it? And, to top it off, your stomach is a ship trying to sail through a rough storm. That’s how Edd felt the instant he pried open his eyes.

“Ohhh…” he whimpered to himself, putting a hand over his eyes to block out the sun. Even seeing was a hard enough task.

His stomach sickishly grumbled. Edd had no energy to get out of bed, get dressed for school, and make himself his routine breakfast. Then again…

No, he had never stayed home from school a day in his life. Certainly not as a teacher. His first year teaching anyway. And he sure wasn’t going to break his perfect attendance record calling in sick.

Edd was able to drag himself out of bed only to feel as if he were giving hundreds of elephants a piggyback ride. He clutched at his stomach. Oh dear, the student he escorted to the nurse’s office two days ago. No, he didn’t contract the worst sickness he feared. Stomach flu...

“What’s the matter now you damned piece of worthless steal?!”

Eddy’s sharp tone made Edd jump. For a brief moment, Edd feared his husband was hollering at him. Instead, he was outside. Edd’s mind was so blurred that he didn’t notice the other side of their bed was vacant. He worried that Eddy would wake up the neighbors who occupied the eight other apartments in the building.

Without having to move, Edd could see Eddy pushing their car out of the driveway as if it were a steer giving him a hard time. Eddy was already covered in black oil spots. He wasn’t even at work yet. Black, thick smoke spewed from the engine. Oh no, more bad luck…

Edd stared at his bowl of soggy, unappetizing corn flakes. Taking a bite didn’t help anything. His stomach continued to churn. Edd stopped eating, though he had only taken three unwanted bites. The little Edd moved made him feel sick, ready to fall asleep on the kitchen table. Closing his eyes, Edd knew he wasn’t going to get through this day.

The right thing to do was call in sick. Oh, the office must not enjoy getting last minute calls from teachers reporting they couldn’t teach their class. What was it like trying to find a substitute? How would that make a good impression for his first year of teaching? Oh, and his classes book reports were due today.

“Hello, Mr. Bragstien…” Eddy barked into his cell phone. He was standing outside on their porch. Why did he have to talk so loud? It infuriated the neighbors and made Edd’s already painful headache feel as if thousands of drums were pounding against his brain.

“There is something wrong with my car-... what’s that mean? Well, if you let me finish my sentence there is something wrong with the transmission. The car won’t back up!”

Edd sighed. That attitude of Eddy’s was going to get him into trouble. Then again, his boss never gave his husband the respect he deserved. He never gave Eddy a break. Yelling at him, tossing unneeded work in his arms, and he was clearly very judgmental. It made Edd’s stomach feel all the more sour knowing how unhappy Eddy was in his job.

“… I realize we have the meeting, and those cars to work on, and other paperwork! … If you gave some of it to OTHER employees maybe your business would be ahead of your rival instead of behind which you are!”

Eddy was under enough stress as it was. Edd pushed his achy body out from the chair. He didn’t need to put this over his head. Besides, he couldn’t break his own personal record. He had never stayed home from school.

“… ‘K, I’ll be in as soon as I drag my car to another auto shop!”

Edd’s stomach plummeted as he walked what felt like a further distance to the kitchen sink. Standing over the sink, Edd breathed in and out trying to subside that uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.

Eddy came bursting into the apartment, slamming the door, briefly annoying Edd. They had lived here for a year now. There neighbors had moved around during that time.

“Sorry,” Eddy apologized for his sour attitude, hardly sparing a glance at Edd who looked as if his arms were ready to collapse against the counter. “I’m going to have to take the car today. I wish I could give you a ride in, but I’m late enough as it is. Damn car…” Eddy grumbled under his breath. If they had the money they’d go out and buy a new one. “You don’t mind walking do you? Surprisingly it’s pretty warm out there for mid March,” Eddy remarked, pouring a quick cup of coffee.

Oh, no. “No.” That was the first time Edd said anything. Now that he noticed, a funny taste polluted his mouth.

“Bragstien’s killing me! I swear I want to kick him in the ass one of these days! I’ve worked for him since I was sixteen! Ten years by June! You know, I think that’s the longest anyone has worked for this guy. Maybe that’s why he hasn’t fired me. He must want to have something significant for his auto place compared to Frank’s.”

Edd reluctantly walked away from the sink. Eddy’s rant went through one ear and out the other. Why did he feel himself burning up?

Although Eddy realized there were no nagging lectures telling him to quit or to keep his voice down, Eddy was too stressed out to notice that there wasn’t a smell of toast in the air. That was Edd’s every day breakfast along with a bowl of cereal.

“Are you going to leave soon?” Eddy asked, taking one last sip of coffee and scarfing down a banana. “I’ll lock up.”

Oh, please drive me. “Yes.”

“Great.” Eddy noticed the unwashed bowl of cereal in the sink. If it weren’t for his cell phone ringing once more he would have caught Edd before he walked out the door with his satchel and noticed how sickly pale he looked. The days events would have been a lot different.

Edd guessed he could say that he was happy they didn’t live on the third floor of their apartment. Second floor made how he was feeling all the worse. Edd’s legs felt so heavy to stand on carrying his satchel. The sun was out that day. Didn’t Edd feel hot a moment ago? Why was he feeling chills now?

Eddy locked up, hardly even listening to his boss. Edd was moving very slowly, looking as if he could hardly hold himself up. “Yes, Mr. Bragstien, I… hey!” Eddy called out to Edd who was already walking off down the street. “Hold on, okay… Double Dee, you alrig- … yeah, yeah I’m still here…”

No, please look at me and stop me from going through with this dreadful decision. “Yes!”

Was it because of how stressed he was or did Edd’s face look sickly pale? And now that Eddy realized it they had never kissed each other goodbye. “O-Okay, I lo-… yes, I am still here! … wait, the meeting is what time… you j-… why didn’t you tell me? Okay, I will! ...”

The apartment was just five blocks from the school. That felt as if it would take years. Pressing a hand to his churning stomach Edd could only pray that he’d feel better once he got to school. Still, that dreadful thought wouldn’t go away knowing this was going to be an awful day.