𝘌𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴

007. Where the Heart is

"MAX!" Lucas shouted as soon as her eyes opened. As soon as Eleven heard that, she opened her eyes and quickly tore off the make-shift bandana. Max was smiling and her eyes were now completely clear. Max was overwhelmed by the amount of people around her. Nancy, Dustin, Steve, Lucas, Erica, Eleven, Robin, and Mike were all cramped into the little hospital room around her bed. "Holy shit," she murmured with widened eyes.

"Alright, that's enough! Let me see my children, Joyce!" Karen Wheeler shouted as she forcefully pushed the door open. She immediately saw the group crowded around Max and said, "Oh my goodness! Max, you've woken up from your coma! We're all so glad you're safe." Joyce hurried through the door behind her to see Max sitting up on the hospital cot. "Oh, Max, I'm so glad you're okay. We've missed you out here," she said through a teary smile.

Mrs. Wheeler smiled at the group and quietly said, "Nancy, Mike, it's time for us to leave. They apparently don't want volunteers after all. Your father will be worried about us, and I think we need to give Max some space." Mike shook his head. "We can leave later. Max just woke up, and we have to talk to her about some pretty important stuff, okay? You can go home. I'm sure Steve has room in his car for us."

"He's right; I do," Steve lied. "Thank you, Steve. That's a very kind offer, but Nancy and Mike are coming home with me. I'm sure Jonathan and Will are waiting for them as well," Karen replied. Steve's face fell. Of course Nancy was going to go back to Jonathan. She didn't really have a good choice with her mother talking about him all the time.

"Mom, it's really not that big of a deal. There are a lot of us here, and Joyce is here so you don't need to worry about us not having an adult around. Please, go home. You obviously want to. I promise we'll be fine," Nancy said with a small smile. "I'm sorry, Nancy, but I'm just not willing to take any risks right now," Karen said shaking her head.

Nancy sighed reluctantly. She turned to Steve and said, "I'm sorry. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Steve nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, Nance. Stay safe." Nancy smiled before walking over to Max and giving her an incredibly tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay. I've missed you. We all have," she said as she puled back. Max smiled up at her. "I've missed you too."

Robin smirked as she watched Steve frown as Nancy waved goodbye and headed out with her mother and brother. "Aw, Steve, it's okay. I know you two are in love, but you'll see her tomorrow. No need to worry, buddy."

"That's not why I was frowning. I'm just worried about that... situation," Steve hesitantly replied. "Ah, I see. Don't worry about that. You know she's planning on breaking up with him," Robin replied. "I know. I just... don't want to see her get hurt again," Steve said sadly.

"Max, I'm going to go downstairs and tell the front desk lady to call your parents and tell them you're awake. I'll be back soon," Joyce said softly. "Thanks," Max replied with a soft smile. Seconds later, she realized Joyce had said parents-- as in plural. "Wait, you're not talking about Neil, are you? The last thing I wanna do right now is see that asshole," Max muttered.

Joyce shook her head. "Of course not, honey. I'm talking about your actual dad." Max raised her eyebrows. "My dad is in Hawkins? What is he doing here?!" She exclaimed. "He wanted to make sure you were okay. Don't worry about it, Max. You just need to get some rest and have some down time with the others to just talk," Joyce said before leaving the room.

"Max, there is something I have to tell you," Eleven said, gently taking her hand. "Okay, what is it? Did something happen while I was in the mind lair?" Max asked. Steve looked at the floor sadly, and Dustin's eyes began to well with tears.

"The gates that Nancy told you about-- in her vision from Henry-- they opened into Hawkins," Eleven told Max. "Yeah, I-- I know. Vecna showed me. How... How bad are they?" Max asked. "They are getting worse. There are spores that are coming down from the sky like rain, and I am sure Henry is working on something else right now too," Eleven replied.