SWEET DREAMS - STRANGER THINGS SEASON 1

twenty-nine; home

       Suddenly she was back inside that hospital room, listening to her sister flat-lining as doctors rushed around her, doing everything they possibly could to keep her alive. She could practically feel herself clinging to her parents as she roared with tears, even though she didn't fully understand what was happening.

        "Mary, do you hear me? Come on, I need you to pinch his nose and breath into his mouth twice, okay? Mary, baby you can do this. Charlie needs you to do this." Her father's voice was distant as Mary's eyes glistened over with a far off look, but she slowly nodded her head before doing exactly as her father had told her, delivering breaths into Charlie's mouth, her tears dripping onto his face.

        Once done she came back up for air as her father began pushing down on Charlie's chest with all he had, the second time that night he had given someone CPR and the second time he was reminded of his daughter's death. But he was trying to stay strong for the sake of his other daughter that was with him right there and then. He couldn't let her give up, so he wouldn't either, not until he was sure there was nothing else he could do.

      Joyce was hugging her son to her chest, not wanting him to witness what was happening whilst Corina stood above them, watching with eyes that resembled sympathy but didn't quite reach the mark. Mary however was distraught, she had cried all of her mascara off that was smudged on her cheeks with each tear that fell from her lashes and her eyes were terribly bloodshot, her hair wet around her shoulders.

        She reached out, tangling her fingers through Charlie's cold ones, "Charlie please," She pleaded him as her father pushed onto his chest, "Come back to me. Please come back." She cried, watching his face that looked as though he were just sleeping and she had the brief image of her sisters face the very same way which shattered her heart completely.

        "Again, Mary." Her father ordered and she repeated the procedure of blowing into his mouth before pulling back as her father stared at her and she looked back, for a moment not quite understanding the look he was giving her before her lips parted and she tilted her head, her face falling.

        "Dad, no." She whispered as the man looked down at the ground, tears in his own eyes and Mary stared down at Charlie's body before she got to her feet, turning her back and tangling her hands through her hair with a sob, her body rattling with each cry. She felt as though her heart was being broken into tiny little pieces. After everything, she couldn't save him on time.

       She hung her head, tears dripping into the dirt beneath her before suddenly the sound of coughing filled her ears and she spun around as her father jumped a little, startled as Charlie's eyes flew open, his chest heaving with heavy breaths.

       Mary stared down at him as he breathed, looking around in confusion as Jim sat back, breathing out in relief. Charlie sat up slowly with Jim's help before he looked upwards, his eyes landing on the girl a few feet away from him and his bottom lip trembled, "Mary?" He cried, afraid she weren't real and she pursed smiled through her tears, nodding her head before running to him and collapsing by him, the tears coming faster.

      The boy reached out with a shaky hand, he breathed out heavily when his fingertips connected with her skin meaning she was real and she was there. She was looking at him with tearful eyes, her lips parted, damp hair in her face. She really thought she would never see that face again looking at her the way he was and him her, he truly thought that he'd never see Mary Hopper looking at him the way she was in that moment.

       Unable to be apart any longer, Mary threw herself into Charlie's arms, wrapping her own around his neck, clinging to him tightly as if she'd never let him go whilst his hugged her waist tightly, his face pressed against her shoulder as he sighed in relief, squeezing his eyes shut. Both of them were crying onto each other, holding on as tightly as ever.