Grown (Lumax) COMPLETE

Unexpected Outcome

TW// Mentions of miscarriage

I'm pretty sure I forgot to put a warning last chapter. If I ever forget a warning, let me know.

Susan agreed to rush to the hospital to be with Barb. Of course the Sinclair's were worried when Susan rushed out of the house, but they trusted that she could handle whatever was going on. Thankfully Lukas didn't know, not yet. He was in his room, blissfully unaware.

When Susan arrived, they were still in the waiting room. "What are you still doing here?!" Susan ran to them.

"They're really busy..." Max mumbled, she was starting to shut down from mental exhaustion.

"Did you see a nurse?" Susan made Steve move to another chair so she could sit next to Barb.

Barb shook her head and let out a tired whine. "I can't do this."

"Yes you can, you'll be alright." Susan rubbed Barbara's back softly. "Do you need us to call your parents?"

"N-no! They don't even know. They wouldn't handle it well." Barb wished she could tell her actual mom, but it wouldn't end well. Her parents loved her, but they were sensitive souls. The kind of people that thought everything could be solved with positive thoughts.

"Okay, that's alright darlin'. I'll be your mama for the day." Susan took Barb's hand and held it. "Just take deep breaths and focus on me."

Max watched her mom comfort Barb. Her love for Barb started to corrupt. It blossomed into jealousy, and would grow into hate it she wasn't careful. All Max could remember was being alone and scared. Lukas wasn't allowed in the office with her during the treatment. Due to him being under 18 at the time and not family. She went through the hardest parts of her miscarriage alone, because her mom wouldn't come. They ended up getting in touch with her absent father, who told them to go ahead with the procedure she needed.

"I got to use the bathroom." Max muttered and stormed off to the washrooms.

Susan might of been too busy with Barb, but Steve could tell Max left angry. "I have to go too, actually..." Steve got up and followed her towards the washrooms. Steve stopped outside the bathroom after Max went in. Within twenty seconds, she was back out. "You okay, kid?"

"No, no I'm not." Max huffed, and checked to make sure they were far enough away to not be heard. "Feels like my mom doesn't give me the same love she gives other people."

"What do you mean?" Steve tilted his head. "She's just comforting Barb."

"That's not the point-" Max huffed and pulled Steve into the bathroom. The last thing she needed was a bored stranger listening in on her drama. "When I went through this, my mom never showed...I was alone, crying, fucking terrified. The hospital called her, over and over again. She was home. She was home when Lukas walked me out to the car. Billy literally got gas money from her. She didn't come, she was intoxicated." Max started crying out of frustration. "Why couldn't she be MY mom on that day?!"

Steve was quiet for a few seconds, trying to process what to say to her. "I don't even know where to begin with that- uh..." Steve rubbed his eyes. " First of all...are you going to BACK the hell up. Explain why you've had a miscarriage?!"

"I- come on Steve, use your Brain." Max didn't want to have to spell it out for him. "If it helps, Lukas is still a virgin. We don't have sex, remember?" Max told him in a mocking tone.

Steve connected the dots and went silent, silently enraged. "Max, when your stepdad is done serving time, call me."

"What the hell are YOU going to do?" Max rolled her eyes.

Steve could tell she wasn't in the mood to talk about Neil. So, he put his anger in the back of his mind. He pulled Max into a big hug, squeezing her gently. "Your mom was suffering back then, she's better now."

"Still seems really fucking unfair..." Max huffed, nuzzling her face into Steve's shoulder.

"I know, She should've done better..." Steve patted Max on the back. "But, the good thing is she's recovered now. Let go for your own good, forgive her so you can be happy."

Max sniffled and pushed her face into the fabric of Steve's shirt. Using him as a tissue, secretly. Steve really did have a parental side.

Steve pulled away from the hug once she had calmed down. He looked at his shirt and cringed. "Max! Damn girl, we're in a bathroom! You could of grabbed a tissue. Is this snot or tears?!" Steve used his thumb to gently wipe away some of the smudged mascara off of Max's face.

Max chuckled while wiping her eyes herself. "yes..."

"Oh my god..." Steve sighed and walked back out of the washroom with her. Every good mother had their child's tears staining their clothes sometimes.

When they got back to the waiting area, Barb and Susan were gone. They both took a sigh of relief.

"They must have finally taken her in..." Steve sat back down and got comfortable. He didn't plan on leaving until he knew Barb was okay.

Max took a seat as well. "Are we sure we shouldn't call Robin? I mean...it seems wrong to leave her out."

"No, Robin will probably take it too hard. I love that girl, she's great...not the best with hard stuff." Steve knew he wasn't the best either, but he was still more help than Robin.

"It's not her fault." Max argued.

"I know, it's not her fault. She'd be here if we called her. I just don't want to cause a massive meltdown in this waiting room." Steve picked up a magazine. "We could be here for hours, get comfortable..."

A nurse came down the hall about twenty five minutes later. "Steve Harrington?"

"Yes?" Steve quickly stood up.

The nurse pulled Steve aside, in a little office. "You're here with Barbara Holland, right?"

"Uh, y-yeah..." Steve crossed his arms, preparing for whatever the nurse had to say to him.

The nurse got straight to the point. "She's gone into premature labor. Her mom has asked me to tell you."

"Labor?! She's four months along!" Steve didn't even think to correct the nurse about Susan.

"That's the premature part..." The nurse pushed up her glasses. "If you have any follow up questions, I can answer them."

"Uh, shit..." Steve cursed under his breath. "Is Barb going to be okay?"

"She's got the same risks any pregnant woman has during labor. The biggest concern will be the baby. Being born premature, plus no previous prenatal check ups or exams..." The nurse paused. "We're going to do our best."

Steve's head started spinning, he honestly thought he could faint. There was so much to take in. He'd have to tell Robin, Barb's parents. She'd never do it by herself. Not to mention, she'd need a lot of support from him. He always did plan to let Barb and the baby stay with him, but not this soon. "God dammit..." Steve cursed under his breath again. Barb had ranted to him about how scared she was to give birth. All the pain, all the complications. The possibility that there would need to be some kind of intervention like a C-section. "Is there anyway I can go into the room with her too?"

"What's your relationship to her?" The nurse asked.

Steve figured this was one of those times where it was okay to tell a lie. "I'm her boyfriend." The words came out weak, like he didn't even believe the lie himself. Barb wasn't his type for so many reasons. Mainly, she loved girls. Plus, she was Robin's. Despite them being currently broken up.

"Are you the baby's father?" The nurse bought the lie, but now Steve would need to tell another.

"Oh uh..." If he said yes, they'd expect him to sign the birth certificate. That was taking the lie a bit too far. "Well, we're not sure." He cringed after he said it. He made Barb sound like a horribly scandalous woman.

"Okay, that can be arranged." The nurse agreed, not caring enough to judge them.

"Just hold on, I need to call someone." Steve pulled out his phone and the nurse gave him a minute of privacy. Steve called Lukas, giving him a very short summary. The main point was that he needed to get Max, and take her home.