hawkins, indiana ► wheeler

ten

Well, now's as good a time as any

As long as you didn't run into your nurse, Maggie. She creeped you the fuck out. You were positive she was a witch or something. Not to mention her hands were always freezing.

You tried to sit up, whimpering when you made it upright. You grunted and breathed heavily, trying to steady yourself. You tried to get out of bed and cried out when you put any pressure on your chest or legs. A wire came undone from your arm and you tried to hastily plug it back in, but the alarm that alerted your personal nurse had already gone off.

Shit.

But surprisingly, a different nurse walked in. She seemed a few years younger than your other nurse, and definitely more personable.

"Ms. L/n." She addressed you with a smile tugging on her lips. She turned off then alarm and bent down to fix the loose cord on your arm. "You have a visitor." She said stepping outside the room. She helped on another patient on crutches to your bedside and you almost didn't recognize him. Mike engulfed you in a hug and you let out a small cry, causing him to take his hands off of you and back away.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you I'm just-"

"It's okay. I'm okay" you reassured him and tried to smile. It was hard to though, given the circumstances. He nodded, not smiling anymore, and sat on your bed, in front of you. You placed your hand on his cheek, tracing your thumb over the scars and scabs that ran along his jaw and covered his freckles, and one on the bridge of his nose that ran all the way up to his left eyebrow. His lips were chapped and faded and his hair was marred and the curliest you'd ever seen it. He was a pale boy but his skin was ghostly and it hurt your heart to see him like this. You weren't even aware you were crying until he was wiping the tears on your cheeks with his shirt.

"How are you?" Mike asked sarcastically. You laughed through the trickle of tears falling down your cheeks and shook your head.

"Fantastic." He sighed, smiling slightly.

"She's got a sprained arm, four broken ribs, a concussion, and a few other minor injuries." The nurse, Elizabeth was what it said on her name tag, informed us. You turned to Mike and nodded.

"Yep. And how about you, Mikey? Hanging in there?" Mike turned to the nurse who looked down to the files I bet hands. Her eyes scanned the page before she told us that Mike had a broken leg and semi permanent brain damage, although it was 'nothing major' as she said.

"And our other friends?" She returned to her default look; concerned but distant.

"Ms. L/n, as much as I wish I could tell you, it's confidential and for the patie-"

"Please." All you wanted was to know if you're friends would be ok.

"They'll survive. And trust me, they're going to be just fine in a couple days, it was you two who got the worst of it." You and Mike nodded and she turned to leave.

"If you don't mind me asking," she stopped halfway out of the door and turned to face the both of you. "What were you doing on the truck roof anyway?" Mike chuckled and put his hands up defensively.

"She's the one who dragged me up there with her." You laughed, well as much as your few functioning ribs would let you, and Reyes your head in Mikes chest.

"I'll leave you be." She nodded curtly and closed the door behind her.

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Mike's POV - Thursday, 10:54 am

I rubbed circles onto y/n's hand as she laid her head in my chest. It was weird to see her so vulnerable. I always looked at her and saw someone who was invincible. Y/n was like a perpetual (continuously moving and highly likely to never stop) force that would never die. She was infinite. Now, laying in my arms on her hospital bed she seemed fragile. She slipped out of the semi-hug and cupped my face with her hands.

"I missed you," she told me, smiling, but clearly upset.

"I missed you too." I glanced over her features. Her big e/c eyes and her h/l h/c hair, lying limply against her shoulders. "I thought you died." I blurted out, without a second thought.

"I thought so too." She said with a weak smile. I rested my forehead on hers and kissed her nose. Her breaths were shallow and rushed and her hands were still trembling. In all honestly, I wasn't really sure that she was actually alive. She didn't seem like it; she seemed like she could collapse if you tapped her too hard.

"I love you." I said, placing my hands lightly around her shoulders.

"I love you too." She said, actually smiling for the first time I'd been i her room. I leant down and kissed her, and she tangled her fingers into my hair, pulling me closer. I bit her lip softly and she sighed into the kiss. She broke away and laid her head down across my lap, still wrapped in blankets. I ran my hands up and down her arms absentmindedly and she hummed something under her breath. We sat there, in the quiet together, until someone burst through the doors. Three people, actually. One nurse, who had the name tag of Maggie, a man in a blue surgeon uniform, and Elizabeth, who was clutching a clipboard with shaking hands.

"Ms. L/n, we have some unfortunate news." The man said, stepping up to the side of the bed. Y/n pushed herself upright and let her head lay in my shoulder. "We are going to have to ask Mr. Wheeler to step out for a moment." He continued, glancing quickly from y/n to me. She waved her hand dismissively.

"He can hear whatever news you have." She told him and he opened his mouth, then closed it, deciding it wasn't worth his time to argue.

"You're going to need surgery."

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word count - 1801

thank to everyone who reads this story. ily all so much <3!