Chapter 26 Chapter Sixteen Eddie Suffers

1 Richie's narration is over, and everyone is nodding. Eddie was nodding, too, thinking back, when a sudden pain ran up his arm like someone was grinding a rusty saw into his bones.He twisted his face, fumbled for a bottle of "Suppressing Cancer Spirit" from his pocket, and swallowed two pills.His arm ached intermittently, and at first he thought it was bursitis from the humidity.But in the middle of Rich's story, some new memories flooded his mind, and he understood the source of this pain. 2 A year ago, during a routine checkup, the doctor said he had a broken arm and asked if he had ever fallen from a tree.He just dealt with it vaguely.In fact, he'd never climbed a tree; he couldn't remember exactly how he broke his arm, and it didn't matter—it was just something that happened in childhood, and he couldn't remember it or want to think about it.It's only when he has to drive long hours in the rain that his arms ache a little, a few aspirins take care of that, no big deal.

But now the pain in the arm was a piercing pain.He remembered what it was like to be in the hospital, especially within two or three days of breaking the bone.It was very hot at that time, and he was lying on the hospital bed, soaked in sweat, waiting for the nurse to deliver medicine to him.Tears flowed down the cheeks to the earholes.It felt like a chef had a knife sharpened on his arm. Eddie said, "Henry broke my arm, remember?" Mike nodded and said, "Just before Patrick Hoxett disappeared, I don't remember the exact date." "I know, it was July 20th. Hoxett disappeared on the . . . 23rd?" Eddie said.

"Number 22," Beverly interjected.She didn't say why she was able to confirm that date. She had seen that horrible thing take Hoxet with her own eyes. "July 20th," Eddie thought, switching his asthma spray from one hand to the other. "Three or four days after the smoke hole ceremony. I spent the summer in a plaster cast, remember?" Everyone tried to recall the scene at that time. Eddie remembered that they once wanted to make balls to deal with Henry's gang, and discussed shooting Beverly together. After they all left, Eddie's mother walked into his room and told him not to be with Mike and the others in the future.Just when Eddie was about to agree, something happened that changed his mind.

He remembered that every time he went to the pharmacy, he gave the doctor the bill and the check issued by his mother, waited for the doctor to take the medicine for him, filled out the check, and gave him the receipt.It's like that every time.Then he'd go to the Castro Street Market and buy two Lil' Sugar and a Pepsi.It's a lot of fun to jingle the change in your pocket while eating Sugar Law and drinking Coke. 3 But that day was different.Mr. Kenny looked at him thoughtfully and said, "Eddie, come into my office for a moment. I want to talk to you." Eddie looked at the doctor, a little scared.

A thought crossed his mind: Maybe Mr. Kenny thought I was stealing from the store—there was a sign in the store that clearly said "Stealing is a crime." Eddie had never stolen, but he was Panic; maybe Mr. Kenny knows something he doesn't even know. Mr. Kearney beckoned him in.Eddie reluctantly walked into the office. Mr. Kenny asked Rabe, the counter lady, to deliver two ice creams.He sat in the swivel chair and pulled a bottle of asthma spray from a drawer.When Mr. Kenny opened his mouth to speak, Eddie remembered the time when he put his foot in a shoe store's X-ray machine when he was a child, and his mother screamed.He thought Mr. Kenny would say, "Eddie, nine out of ten doctors think asthma gives you cancer like an X-ray in a shoe store. Maybe you already know that." But—Mr. Kenny "It's been going on for too long," he said.

His words were so strange that Eddie couldn't answer; he hesitated. "How old are you? Eddie? Eleven, isn't it?" "Yes, sir," Eddie replied in a low voice.He glanced at the asthma spray in front of Mr. Kenny. "Twelve in November." Mr. Kenny nodded, then poked his head over and asked him, "Do you know what a placebo is?" "Is it something that grows on cows to make milk?" Eddie said uneasily. Mr. Keney laughed and straightened up. "no." Eddie's face was red to the ears, and he felt short of breath. At this moment Miss Rabe came in with two glasses. "You must like chocolate," she told him, smiling.

Eddie smiled as calmly as possible and took the ice cream. Miss Rabe went out.Eddie took a few sips, but didn't know the taste. Mr. Kenny said to Eddie, "Relax, Eddie. I won't eat you or hurt you." Eddie nodded.He felt that children should listen to adults, but he was always groaning in his heart, not knowing what Mr. Kenny was going to do. His breathing became more and more rapid.He took a sip of the ice cream—to no avail. Ask Mr. Kenny for asthma spray, but dare not.He felt that Mr. Kenny was teasing him on purpose.But isn't the idea a little weird?A grown man - especially a healthy grown man - wouldn't tease a child like that, would he?

But asthma sprays are out there, just out of reach. Eddie wished he was with his buddies now. It was frightening to think of the monster, the one that haunted Derry; but now it was worse.You don't know how to fight a grown man.He said it wouldn't hurt you, but it didn't. I want my spray, I need to get out of here. "Relax," said Mr. Kenny again, "you're troubled mostly because you've been too tense. For example, your asthma.look here. " Mr. Kenny opened the drawer, took out a balloon, inflated it, and blew it up.He put his fingers around the mouth of the balloon and held it up to Eddie. "Now suppose that's a lung," said Mr. Kenny, "your lung. I should really blow it up, but I've only had one left since Christmas—"

"Mr. Kenny, can I use my spray?" Eddie's head began to feel heavy.He felt like he was going to suffocate.His heart was beating faster and beads of sweat were pouring from his forehead. "Wait a minute," said Mr. Kenny. "Attention, Eddie. I want to help you. Your lungs are like a balloon, except they're surrounded by muscles; in a healthy body, these muscles help The lungs expand and contract normally. But if the person with a healthy lung is always tense, those muscles bind the lungs tightly. Look!" Mr. Kenny grabbed the balloon with his hands and began to squeeze.The balloon squeezed out between his thumb and forefinger; Eddie felt as though he had stopped breathing altogether.

oh mom!I can't breathe!God!I don't want to die, I don't want to— He stood up suddenly and knocked over the ice cream glass in front of him; it fell and shattered.He grabbed the asthma spray and squirted it into his mouth several times. Fog rushed down his throat, and he could breathe again. "I'm sorry," he nearly cried, "I'm sorry. I broke the glass...I'll clean it up for you and I'll pay for it...just please don't tell my mom, okay? I'm sorry, Mr. Kenny , I can't breathe—” There were two knocks on the door.Miss Rabe stuck her head in. "have what--"

"Nothing," said Mr. Kenny sharply. "Leave us alone." "Sorry!" Rabe rolled his eyes and closed the door. "It's all right," Mr. Kenny smiled at him. "Rabe'll take care of it. I'm glad you broke the glass. Because if you didn't tell your mother about our conversation, I wouldn't tell you about it." Mother said." "I promise," Eddie said eagerly. "Okay," said Mr. Kenny. "We've made a deal. You feel better now, don't you?" Eddie nodded. "why?" "Why? Well... because I took medicine." Eddie looked at Mr. Kenny with a guilty conscience. "But you don't have any medicine at all," Mr. Kenny said. "You take a placebo. A placebo, Eddie, is something that looks like medicine and tastes like medicine, but it's not medicine. Or Said it is some kind of special medicine, medicine for the brain." He tapped his head lightly with his fingers, and continued: "Most of the diseases come from here. I have been in this line of work for many years, many clinical Experiments have proved that many people who see a doctor are not sick at all." He looked at Eddie with what seemed to be a mocking look on his face. "Doctors didn't tell them, and couldn't tell them. Placebos are good for the elderly, and people who are terminally ill. But it's scary, for some kids, Eddie! Like you! Only It's going to hurt! Do you understand what it's doing, Eddie?" "I don't understand, sir." Eddie looked down at the broken glass and the splashed ice cream on the floor.His chest tightened again. "But! Placebos don't work! It's all here. Mr. Kenny banged his head gravely. "I'm leaving," Eddie said. "Please let me finish." "No! I'm leaving. You've taken my money, I'm leaving!" "Let me finish." Mr. Kenny's tone was so stern that Eddie had to sit back. "It's partly your doctor Russ. Hand isn't good at medicine, and partly because your mother thinks you're sick. Eddie, you're caught in the middle. You're not sick at all. It's not your lungs, it's Your head!" "It's all lies!" Eddie didn't know where the strength came from, and he yelled loudly. "It's all a lie! I have asthma! I have it!" "Yes." Mr. Kenny's smile became a little scary. "But who did it? Eddie?" Eddie's head was buzzing, he was really sick. "Four years ago, in 1954, Mr. Hand first prescribed you asthma medicine. But the name of the medicine was hydrogen peroxide water - just two molecules that make up water. I can no longer tolerate such deception .Your asthma is caused by a high level of mental stress...the cause is you...or your mother." Eddie sat in a chair, his mind was in a mess.Mr. Kenny may have said the truth, but it made him unable to face it.Why did Mr. Kenny speak out so solemnly?I have asthma.I nearly died that day in Barron.But—he vaguely heard Mr. Keney saying: "I've been watching you, Eddie. I'm telling you this because you're sensible, and because you've finally made some friends. They're your good friends." ,right?" "Yes." Eddie said. Mr. Kenny leaned back in his chair and half closed his eyes. "I bet your mother doesn't like your friends. Does she?" "She likes them," Eddie said, remembering the sad things his mother had said.She didn't like any of his friends. "She liked them," Eddie repeated. "Really?" Mr. Kenny was still smiling. "Okay. Maybe she's right, maybe she's wrong, but at least you have friends. Maybe you should talk to your friends about your problem. It's... mind problems. See what they say." Eddie didn't answer, he had had enough.If he didn't go out again, he would really cry. "Okay!" Mr. Kenny stood up. "I think we're done, Eddie. I'm sorry if this upsets you. I just did my job. I—" Before he could finish, Eddie grabbed the spray and the pills and ran off.His feet were slipped by the ice cream and he almost fell; but he still ran out.Miss Rabe clutched a magazine, dumbfounded. He ran until the intersection of Kansas City, Maine, and Center Streets before stopping. You are not sick at all.The reason is you...or your mother. Eddie couldn't sort out his rambling thoughts.He was eager to consult with his friends.But his mother was waiting for him at home, and if he didn't come home soon, he might be in trouble.He walked slowly towards Apu Guer Road. Placebos don't work! Not your lungs, but your head! Eddie's heart skipped a beat.He stared at the asthma spray in his hand and wanted to throw it down the drain.why not?Let it go all the way down the sewer to the devil with a thousand faces, and tell him to taste the placebo too!He laughed maniacally, almost throwing it out.But the force of habit is too great.He just switched the spray from the left pocket to the right. 320 minutes later, when Eddie came out of the Castro Street Market with a Pepsi in one hand and two candy bars in the other, he was surprised to see Henry's gang.They were kneeling on the ground to toss a coin. Normally, Eddie would have quietly retreated into the store and slipped out the back door.But today, for some unknown reason, he froze at the door, motionless. Victor saw him and bucketed Henry with his elbow.Henry looked up, and then Patrick and James looked up. "I'm going to hell," Henry said, standing up. "Meet a guy throwing stones. Where's your friend? Bastard? In there?" Eddie shook his head numbly, realizing right away that he had made another mistake. Henry laughed. "Okay. I don't mind picking you up one by one. Come here, bastard!" Henry and his accomplices rushed over and surrounded him.Henry couldn't help but reach out and slap him. "My friend is inside!" Eddie burst into tears. "My friend is inside." Patrick mimicked his voice. "Oh! Oh! Oh!" Then Henry slapped him again. Victor gave him a hard push in the chest, and Eddie staggered backwards, falling to the gravel.Then Henry sat down on top of him, with his knees on his arms. "Do you still want to throw stones? Come! Come! Here you go!" Henry grabbed a handful of stones from the ground, covered his face, and rubbed against his chest.The stone cut Eddie's cheek and lip.Eddie opened his mouth and screamed desperately. "Do you still want to throw stones? I'll give you that! Good!" Henry shoved a handful of stones into Eddie's mouth.Eddie's eyes burst into gold stars.He screamed and spat out stones. "Want more rocks? How about some more? Some more—" "Stop! Let him go! Immediately! Do you hear me!" Through teary eyes, Eddie saw huge hands pulling Henry away from him.Henry fell to the ground and stood up again.Eddie stood up slowly too.He took a breath and spat out some bloody pebbles. That's Mr. Gerdero.He was wearing a long white apron and looked very angry. "Get out of here." He walked towards Henry. "Go away, don't come here again! Four bully one. What will your mother think?" He turned back and stared angrily at the other three.James and Victor looked down at their sneakers.Patrick stared at him too. "You get on your bikes—" As soon as he turned around to face Henry, Henry rushed up suddenly and pushed him to the ground all at once. "you dare--" "Go back inside," Henry said. "You—" The fierce light in Henry's eyes made Mr. Gerdero's voice stop abruptly. He got up quickly and ran up the steps, where he yelled, "I'm going to call the police!" Henry made a gesture to rush towards him, but Gerdro shrank back in a hurry. Eddie saw this opportunity and ran away. He was running so fast that he was about to hit Kansas Avenue.It would be safe to get there - but a child riding a three-wheeled stroller suddenly rushed towards him.Eddie couldn't hold back his steps, but he was afraid of hurting the child, so he fell over and fell heavily on the ground. Just as he was about to stand up, Henry rushed over, grabbed his neck with one hand, and grabbed his wrist with the other. "Still trying to throw rocks? Shit." He twisted Eddie's right hand behind his back.But Eddie laughed maniacally despite the pain. "Do you think this is funny?" Henry's voice was more surprised than angry. "Is this funny?" He grabbed Eddie's right hand and pushed it upwards hard.Eddie heard a "crack" from his arm, he screamed in pain, and felt that the world in front of him changed color.Then Henry pushed hard on his back, and he fell to the ground involuntarily. "Do you like it?" Henry's voice seemed to come from afar. "Your father is crazy," Eddie heard himself say, "and so are you." Henry's smile disappeared all of a sudden.He raised his foot to kick... Suddenly an alarm sounded.Henry stopped.Victor and James looked around anxiously. "Henry, we'd better get out of here," said James. "I have to go!" Victor finished, and ran towards the library. Henry hesitated for a while, but the siren sound was getting closer. "It's cheap for you, fuck it." After Henry finished speaking, he took his people and fled resentfully. Eddie vaguely felt himself being lifted into the ambulance. 4 When Eddie awoke from his coma, he found himself in the emergency room, where a nurse was cleaning his wound.He heard his mother yelling outside the door: "...I want to know, is he going to die! This is my right! I have the right to know! I will sue you! Many of my good friends are lawyers!" Eddie was so tired that he passed out again. When he woke up again, his mother was already in the room.Her face was pale and almost bloodless. "Mom," Eddie struggled, "...it's fine...I'm fine." "No! No!" moaned the mother.She twisted her fingers, the joints rattling. "You had an accident, a very, very serious accident. But I promise, you'll be fine soon, Eddie. Even if we need the best specialists. Oh, Eddie! Poor..." She sobbed. Finally, Dr. Hand, who had been standing by, stammered, "Sonia... please... Sonia..." But Eddie's mother was still crying.Finally, he finally said, "If you can't control yourself any longer, I'll have to ask you to leave, Soniki." She turned her face away suddenly, and Dr. Hand took a few steps back in fright. "Stop arguing! It is my son who is lying here suffering! My son!" Eddie couldn't stand it anymore. "I want you to leave, Mom. You'll feel better if you leave." She turned her head to look at him, her face was full of surprise...a hurt look. "I don't know what you're talking about, Eddie. You're out of your mind. That's the only explanation!" "I don't know how to explain it," the nurse went on, "I just know we should have done something with your son's arm, and standing here is doing nothing." "You mean—" Sonia exclaimed. "Sonia!" said Mr. Hand, "let's stop arguing. We've got to help Eddie." Mother backed away at last. Doctor Hand put his hand gently on his wound, and a burst of pain suddenly burst out. Eddie passed out again. 5 There was a storm that night and his arm ached terribly. He finally fell asleep and had a dream.In his dream, he saw Bill, Rich, Ben, Mike, and Beverly riding to the hospital to see him, but his mother wouldn't let them in, and yelled at them to keep them from bothering him.She also told them that Eddie had told them to go away and that she would have nothing to do with them in the future. While this was happening, Eddie saw the clown jumping around and excitedly kissing his mother on the cheek.Dividing them, disrupting their unity of action is exactly what the Joker wants. "Yes, yes, it was the kids, kids, kids who did, did, did," Bill said. "Don't talk back to me!" the mother screamed, "How dare you talk back! You did it!" A doctor came in and told Eddie's mother to either be quiet or leave. The clown slowly disappeared; then Eddie saw the leper, the mummified body, the strange bird; he saw the ruthless man, the vampire;But just before the Joker's face disappeared completely, he saw the most terrible thing: his mother's face. "No!" he wanted to cry, "No! No! Not her! Not my mother!" But no one heard. He felt himself dead.He became a ghost. 6 Eddie's mother enters Eddie's hospital room triumphantly after dismissing his friends.The moment she stepped through the door, that joy was gone.She didn't know why, but her joy was replaced by an inexplicable fear, intense and heavy. Her meeting with Eddie's friends was not where Eddie had dreamed of it.She knew they would definitely come.Or Eddie's friend who taught him to smoke knowing he had asthma and broke his bones. On the second day after Eddie was admitted to the hospital, she waited for a long time in the corridor of the hospital.Finally all of Eddie's friends showed up--to her great shock, there was a Negro among them! She finished what she wanted to say mercilessly. None of them said anything, just looked at their own feet, and at last they all rode away. But she was not in a relaxed mood, but instead had a feeling of uneasiness.Especially when she saw Eddie, this anxiety intensified again. Eddie wasn't sleeping, watching her with wary eyes that he had never seen before. "You drove my friend away!" he said suddenly. Sonia was startled: how did he know!But she didn't answer the question, but asked him: "How are you feeling today?" Eddie didn't answer. she asked again. Eddie still didn't answer. There was a stalemate between mother and son, and finally she said: "Yes. I drove them away. They broke your bones and who knows what else will happen." "They didn't break my bone. I told Dr. Hand and Mr. Nell. Henry broke my arm. It never would have happened if I was with my friends!" Eddie was uncompromising. Sonia wept bitterly. "Mom. I love you, but I love my friends too. I don't want to have to choose between you and my friends. It's not fair." "But they're bad boys. They're not for you." Eddie paused for a moment, remembering what Mr. Kenny had told him. "Mom, Mr. Kenny said my medicine was just water." "What? What!" she cried. "It's just water. Something was added to it to make it taste like medicine. He said it was a placebo." "That's a lie! An outright lie! Why is Mr. Kenny telling you these things? Come on. There are other pharmacies in Derry. I think—" "I've got time to think about it." Eddie's voice was soft but firm. "I think he's telling the truth." "Eddie! No!" Fear once again occupied Sonia's heart. "I think," Eddie went on, "that must be true. Otherwise, there should be a warning on the bottle, like drinking too much will kill you or at least make you sick. Maybe even-" "Eddie, I don't want to hear anymore liver' she put her hands over her ears." You...you are not yourself anymore! " "Even if you go to the pharmacy without a prescription, they will put a reminder on it." Eddie's voice was unhurried. "Even cough syrup." He paused for a moment, and Sonia lowered her hands. "You must know, too, Mom." "Eddie!" she nearly cried. "Because," Eddie went on, as if she hadn't said it at all—and he frowned, thinking about his own question, "because you guys always think you know a lot about drugs. Did you know it's just water?" She didn't say anything, just her lips were trembling.It scared her so much - she couldn't cry. "You always say my sickness is in my chest, but Mr. Kenny says my sickness is here—" Eddie pointed to his head.She wanted to tell him everything.She wanted to tell Eddie that at the age of 5, he was so sick that he nearly died.After that, she understood that she had to take care of him meticulously.She told him he had asthma and all the doctors were too stupid to see it. "A mother's love is the greatest, that's what God gives to a mother. I want to have you, Eddie. You have to trust me," Sonia thought.But she dared not speak out, she was too frightened. "Maybe we don't have to talk about it anymore," Eddie said. "Maybe Mr. Kenny was just joking...you know...grown-ups always like to joke with kids." "Yes," said Sonia eagerly, "they like to joke, and sometimes they are very stupid... nasty..." "So I should watch my friends again," Eddie said, "to see if they're still a good match for me, and that's the best thing to do, isn't it?" Only then did Sonia realize that she had fallen into a trap, but she was unable to turn the situation around. There's only one thing she's sure of: She'll never go to Kenny's Drugstore again. 7 That night, when his friend came to visit Eddie in the hospital, it was cloudy and it was about to rain.They discussed that they would go to a movie the day after tomorrow, and then melt a silver coin to make two small balls to deal with the mysterious it.The group planned to have Beverly shoot because she had the best aim.After discussing this matter, everyone chatted for a while. At about 7 o'clock, Bill and the others left.Before leaving, he asked Eddie to go to Bill's house the day after tomorrow.Eddie thought that he could probably be discharged from the hospital the day after tomorrow, so he agreed.It was cloudy outside, but it didn't rain until the next day.