Recovery - Steddie ♡

Chapter Twenty Seven

                       Two Weeks Later

Steve waved off Hopper and El as they drove away from the cabin, relieved that El was going home. He loved her but Max had endured a lot in the past couple of weeks and she was mentally and physically exhausted. Eddie was currently running her a bath so she could relax and wind down. This had become a routine.

Getting Max to remember had been a gruelling proccess. El had come over every other day just so Max could have a day of rest between each session. Each door had been harder to unlock than the one before but she had pushed through, ignoring the anxiety and the terrible pressure in her head. She remembered all her loved ones. She rememered all the good times and the bad times and she finally felt complete. The two men hadn't let anyone but El and Lucas come and see her while she was weak and recovering. They were also the only ones who knew El was helping her with her memories. Max wanted to surprise them all.

Although there was one last door left to open. The red door at the end of the hallway with chains nailed across it. El had placed her ear against the door and listened to what was inside. She had been hesitant to tell her friend what she had heard but she didn't want to keep it from her. Behind that door were her memories of Vecna and the pain and terror he had caused.

Steve thought back to how all the colour had drained from Max's face. She had said that even though she didn't know what was behind that door she felt absolutely terrified at the thought of it.

Just as he was about to head back inside Eddie stepped out onto the porch, a curious look on his face. "What are you thinking about, pretty boy?"

Steve sighed, closing the gap between them and leaning his forehead on his boyfriends shoulder. "I don't know if I can watch Max go through anymore of that."

"I know I don't want to watch her go through anymore of that!" Eddie replied, closing his eyes and resting his cheek on Steves head. "We'll talk to her a bit later, okay?"

The boys stayed in the embrace for a few minutes, just enjoying the comfort of each other. As they walked through the front door they heard the bathroom door open and watched as Max appeared in clean clothes. She had some colour back in her cheeks but she still looked exhausted.

'Hey kiddo! How are you feeling?" Steve asked as they all headed to the kitchen for dinner.

"My whole body is sore and I have a headache but I'll be okay! Do we have any aspirin left?" Max said as she sat at the kitchen island next to Eddie. She leaned her head on his shoulder and smiled.

"Well you were tensing your body a lot the last few times. Are you sure you'll be okay to see everyone in a couple of days?" Eddie asked, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her closer.

"I'll be okay! I just want to see everyone! I'm so annoyed that I forgot them." Max took the glass of water and the aspirin that Steve had just set in front of her.

"You'll let us know if it gets too much, okay?"

"Yes, Mama Steve!" She replied sarcastically, a grin appearing on her face. "Also, I don't want to open the red door. I'm okay with not remembering that part of my life."

"Then you don't have to! I'll call El later and let her know." Steve said as he opened the fridge and looked inside. He realised he would need to go and grab more groceries before everyone arrived. The only thing he had left was beef. "How about we have spaghetti bolognese for dinner?"

"Sounds good!"

"Yes please!"

"Okay you two, go and watch tv or something and let me cook in peace!" Steve said, shooing them out of the kitchen. Normally when he cooked they would sit at the island and throw stuff at him.

"How dare you kick us out!" Eddie dramatically slammed his hand against where his heart was and toppled over the back of the sofa. Max giggled and went round the sofa to make sure he was okay. Eddie was grinning up at her from the ground. He remembered how he had done it the day he met up with Chrissy and he felt a pang of guilt. Eddie hoped Chrissy was at peace now.

The pair settled down onto the sofa and flicked through the channels until they settled on something. Max rested her head on Eddies shoulder once again and thought back to the day she had remembered Eddie. They hadn't had much interaction before everything went down so it hadn't been like how it had with everyone else but she had gotten close to him since she had moved in here so all Eddie had to do was say one thing and she was a sobbing mess in his arms.

Max lay on the cabin floor, coming around from the latest session. This one had been more brutal than the first as she had pushed herself more and opened two doors. Nancys had been the first door opened but she had pushed those memories to the back of her mind when she saw Eddie walk into the room and give her a loving smile. She knew she needed to remember Eddie and so she had made El go back into her mind even though El, Steve and Eddie all protested saying she needed to rest first.

She slowly started to sit up with the help of El. Her arms and legs were a bit shaky and she had a slight headache but other than that she felt okay. Max turned to look at Steve who was kneeling next to El with a concerned look on his face. She smiled at him before turning to look at the man she had just remembered. She gave him a small smile.

"Hey Red!" Eddie said, grinning at her. As soon as she heard that nickname she had reached for him and let him pull her into a tight hug. She started to sob into his shoulder as he held her and rubbed her back.

"I can't believe you almost died!" She cried, hugging him tighter.

"We both did, Red, but look at us now! We're both here. We survived!" Eddie reassured her.

Max smiled to herself as she sat up and turned her head to face Eddie. "You know, before everything went down I had a feeling you had a thing for Steve."

Eddie choked on the mouthful of beer he had just taken. "W.. what? How?"

"Well there was the obvious thing where you called him 'big boy'. And when he and Nancy were talking about him wanting a family I knew you were eavesdropping! You looked bummed out."

"Damn it, I thought no one noticed!"

"Don't worry. I won't tell Steve!" She chuckled, snuggling back down into his side. "It all worked out for you though. I'm so happy you have each other."

"We're happy to have you as well, Red." Eddie smiled as he rested his cheek on the top of her head. He froze for a moment as an idea popped into his head. He wanted to test the waters. "Do you like living with us?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I? You and Steve have been better parents to me than my own ever were." She replied

"So you want to stay with us?"

"Hell yes! For as long as you'll have me!"

Truth be told, Max had been thinking about it a lot since she first remembered Steve. She was so grateful for all he had done for her and how he had protected her ever since she became a part of the group. One night while Eddie and Steve had been sat outside having a quiet moment to themselves she had secretly called Joyce and asked if she could help Max get adoption papers. She knew it wouldn't be legally possible since Eddie was supposed to be dead but she knew Joyce had some connections. Of course Joyce had agreed to help her and said that Murray would be able to help her. Then a couple of days ago Joyce had called back and asked to speak to Max to see how she was. When Max let her know both men were out of ear shot she let Max know she would bring the papers with her to the barbeque in a few days.

Max couldn't wait to see the look on their faces when she handed them the papers.