Max's POV-
When El told me that I was gone for six months, I thought I would never come back. I mean, I wouldn't have even survived Vecna if it weren't for El! How could I possibly make it through a six month coma? But somehow, I woke up. By some miracle, I made it through.
The first thing I felt was pain. My body felt so weak, I couldn't even move my arms. I could see vague shapes moving across what I assumed was my hospital room. They were muttering to each other and I could hear one of them yell, "She's awake!" to whoever was outside the room.
At some point, the doctors let my mom into the room. I could barely see her, but it was obvious that she was crying. We talked for a couple minutes before a very loud figure ran in, followed by a quiet figure who seemed much less excited about seeing me. I could tell that the loud one was Lucas from the voice, but the other figure was too quiet to recognize, so I waited patiently for them to speak.
"Hi Max," Said a soft, monotone voice. El. I should have guessed, she told me she and Lucas visit every day! There was something off about her voice, though. It was more strained than usual, almost like she could barely get the words out. I thought I could see her blurry outline shaking like she was trying not to cry.
"El?" I asked, my voice raspy, "Are you ok?"
She didn't respond. She just sat down on what I thought was a bench next to my bed. I don't think she even looked at me. From the little I could make out, it looked like she was staring at the floor, completely still.
After a while, my mom left and Lucas asked El if she wanted to go home.
"Go," El muttered. "Staying."
"Are you sure?" Lucas sounded concerned. "I can stay with you if you want. I don't mi-"
"Go!" El cut him off loudly. I could hear something shaking aggressively and the lights began to flicker. Lucas left quickly. I was left alone in the hospital room with El. After a few minutes of silence, she spoke.
"I'm sorry."
I looked at her, confused. "What?"
"I'm sorry... I hurt you," El's voice was strained again. "Nothing bad would have happened in Hawkins... if I wasn't... here."
I could hear faint crying, like El was trying to hold back her tears. I was at a loss for words. I had known for a while that El blamed herself for my death, but I didn't realize how bad it really was. Did she really think all of Hawkins' problems came from her?
"Hey," I said, "Don't you dare blame yourself for anything that's happened here! Did you control Vecna? No! Anything he did is his fault, not yours, ok?"
El didn't answer. I could tell she was surprised by my reaction. Her faint crying slowly turned to violent sobs as wrapped her arms around me in a strong hug. I shakily moved my hands up to return the gesture.
Eventually, El fell asleep. Crying so much must have worn her out. I tried to move her onto the bench, but she wouldn't budge and I gave up. Instead, I allowed her to snuggle up against me, her warmth contrasting the chilly hospital air.
I couldn't stop thinking about what El had said. I guess I could understand why she felt so bad about what had happened, but that doesn't mean it was true. She didn't ask to have powers, she was just a kid! Vecna was trying to kill her. She was just protecting herself. That's all she's ever done, protect. She saved Will from the Upside Down, she saved everyone from the Demogorgon, she never once let any of us get hurt aside from some scratches and bruises.
That is, until I came along and got myself killed. She had never failed at keeping us safe before, not like that. So she brought me back. For six whole months, she wasn't even sure that had worked. And now I was blind. She would never be able to look into my eyes without being reminded of that. I wonder if that's why she broke down.
I didn't want to think about that now. I just wanted to sit with El sleeping peacefully on my lap, holding me tight. A light blush grew on my face as we laid peacefully together, finally together again.
Author's Note- Sorry for not posting for so long! I had a really tough spring break and then got sent to the psych ward for some old issues that just came back. My parents took my phone for a bit after that because apparently posting my issues online is worse than just keeping quiet. Anyways, I'm back now, so enjoy this chapter! Also, what did you think of the art/photos at the end of the last chapter? Should I do that more? Tell me what you guys think! I love feedback of any kind.
Your Inconsistent Author,
Crow
