𝘌𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴

004. Lovers Ache

When Lucas looked at Max, all he could do was replay that god awful night in his mind. He still couldn't comprehend the fact that her heart was beating again. It had stopped for an entire minute. She was dead for an entire minute, yet her heart somehow began to beat again. Whatever miracle this was, he was beyond grateful for it. As long as Max was still there, in front of him, breathing and having a heartbeat, he thought everything just might have the possibility of being okay. 

He loved Max more than anything and would do anything for her. If that meant sacrificing himself to Vecna in order for Max to come back, he'd do it without a second thought... Not that Max would ever actually let that come to pass if she had actually been awake, but it didn't matter. 

He would quite literally do anything to save her life. He had fought pure evil to save her once, and he had failed. Of course, that wasn't his fault. Jason had been there. But that wasn't a worry anymore because Jason was dead. It was traumatic, but his death was necessary. But no one else's death was. 

Even though Jason was dead, Lucas couldn't forgive him. Lucas would never forgive him. Max wouldn't have died and wouldn't be in a full-body cast if it weren't for Jason Carver. Jason had also tried to kill Lucas in the Creel house. He almost choked him to death. 

Lucas's parents were concerned for him and Erica more than ever. The night they had come home after everything... it had been rough. All Lucas wanted to do was go to the hospital, and all Erica wanted to do was stay by his side. They had just been regular, loving but fighting, siblings before everything had happened. Now they were closer than ever because of the trauma they had endured together. He didn't recall much of that night, but Erica told him what happened when they got home.

The Sinclairs had never felt so many emotions on the same day in their lives. Erica walked in first. "Erica?" They both asked in question when she walked in. Lucas walked in directly behind her. His parents looked at him next. "Lucas?" They rushed over to their children. "Where have you two been?" A tear fell down Lucas's cheek. "Oh, Lucas, what happened?" Mrs. Sinclair asked while holding her son tight, inspecting his black eye. Tears flowed down Erica's cheeks as her father held her. "We need to get to the hospital as soon as we can," Lucas's voice broke. "Can you drive us to the hospital, please? Please, we have to go now." He begged desperately. "Why? Lucas, what happened?" Mrs. Sinclair asked. Tears began to flood out of his eyes and spilled onto his face. He couldn't even speak. Erica could hardly speak. "Max," she finally whispered loud enough so everyone could hear her. "Max is hurt."

His mother decided it wouldn't be smart to go the same night Max was hurt. She said the earthquake was probably rough on a lot of people so it would be smartest to not get in their way. Lucas and Erica listened, but they didn't sleep a wink. They were too shaken up and stayed very close to each other sitting on the living room floor while Mrs. Sinclair cleaned and disinfected Lucas's eye. They ate a little food and went to the hospital as early as they could in the morning. 

Their mother let them visit Max alone because they requested to, and they stayed there until night. Erica stayed the first night with Lucas, but her parents made her come home every night after that. Lucas refused to leave Max's side. He was getting to an extremely low point. Erica had to bring him food for a day and a half because he genuinely felt like he was losing his will to live. 

The spores started to rain the second day, and that's when Eleven, Mike, Will, and Jonathan came into town. He didn't even know how they knew about what was happening with the gates. He wasn't sure he wanted to. All he knew was that El had gotten her powers back. That was when he realized how badly he wanted to fight. He wanted to fight for a second chance of real life. A life with Max. A life where he was happy and the Upside Down wasn't always causing problems. The determination set in, and all he wanted to do was fight Vecna and get Max back. All she had to do was wake up, and when she did, he knew it would change everything.