The summer I llǝɟ for her || 𝐌𝐚𝐱 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝

62. 𝑵𝒐𝒏 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒍.

Chapter 62~ Non Verbal.

𝘼𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙡 𝟏𝟖𝙩𝙝 (3 days later)

Arwen had barely uttered a word in three days. She hadn't spoken to her mom and refused talk about what had happened.

"It's not time for you to leave yet Arwen. I'm not finished with you yet...you need to see what you've done. You can't block me out Arwen." Arwen suddenly flinched awake, panting heavily causing the group to look over worriedly, "what?! What happened?" Max panicked, "what is it Arwen?" Nancy came to her side along with Robin and Steve, "hey- it's okay." They all reassured her, trying to steady her breath, Nancy placed her hand on Arwen's back, instantly making her flinch and cry, "I'm sorry- I'm sorry, it's okay." She said.

"Max." She let out whilst looking straight ahead as if she was in a trance, "yeah- I'm here Wen." Max took hold of her hand making her breath suddenly hitch, "this is your fault...you did this Arwen." His voice filled her head once again, "how did he die?" She whispered, still not looking at anyone, the group exchanged looks on who should tell her, "after what happened to you- I threw him back into a portal." El started, "and we killed his physical body." Nancy added, "in this world." Robin said, once they were done explaining, they waited for Arwen to say something.

"I need to go to the bathroom." She mumbled, making the group confused, "okay- um can you get the wheelchair Dustin?" Nancy pointed to it, "I'll take her." Max said, grabbing the wheelchair as Nancy, Robin and Steve helped Arwen out of her hospital bed.

~

"Are you sure you don't want me to come in?" Max asked but Arwen shook her head and slowly wheeled herself into the bathroom, "let me know if you need help." Max said before Arwen shut the door.

She immediately went over to the mirror and observed her face, she hated every inch of her body. Now, everything reminded her of what he did. Tears started to roll down Arwen's cheeks, until her face turned pale, she suddenly turned around to the toilet, and threw up. Once she was done, she slowly opened her eyes and saw blood instead of sick, tears started spilling down her cheeks faster, and her breath got heavier, she had no idea what was happening to her. "Hey is everything okay?" Max knocked on the door causing Arwen to jump, but she couldn't find the words to respond. She was too in shock. "Arwen?!" Max said, Arwen could now hear the panic in her voice and quickly found the words to respond, "yeah- sorry, I'll be a sec." She flushed the toilet and looked back in the mirror to wipe the blood off her face before leaving the bathroom to be met with a worried looking Max.

"Are you okay?!" She crouched down in front of her, Arwen just nodded her head, "you have therapy in five minutes." Max remembered as Arwen nodded again which concerned Max.

~

"So Arwen, how are you feeling?" Arwen's therapist, Dr. Roberts asked but she didn't answer, instead, she was staring blankly at one of the shelves in the room, "oh." The doctor turned back to see what Arwen was staring at, "you're looking at the comics?" Dr. Roberts smiled and walked over the grab one, "you like Wonder Woman?" She asked, Arwen nodded her head and remembered a time when she was happy.

"Which one?" Max grinned, holding up a wonder woman and green lantern comic, "I don't know." El replied, "Wonder Woman obviously." Arwen jokingly nudged her, "she's so hot." She added making the girls laugh, "oh yeah?" Max smirked, "hotter than me?"

"Obviously not." Arwen came over to Max and pushed her shoulders down to kiss all over her face, "get a room you two." El laughed.

"You can take it if you'd like." Dr. Roberts said, snapping Arwen out of her thoughts. Arwen nodded her head before she passed it to her, "so, could we go back to the first question I asked." She smiled, "how are you feeling?" Arwen shrugged, "are you having trouble with your vision?" Arwen shrugged again, she hadn't told anyone how much her vision had actually been affected, I mean, obviously she could see but definitely not as good as before, "okay we may need to look at getting you glasses." The doctor suggested and Arwen nodded, "do you remember being in the coma? Could you hear anything?" Arwen shrugged once again.

~

"Max, I've been looking for you for days." Lydia caught up with her in the hallway but Max tried to keep walking, "Max." Max abruptly turned around, "I can't talk to you anymore, my girlfriend is awake." She said quietly, seeing Lydia's face drop, "I'm sorry about the other day- I shouldn't have tried kiss you."
"Yeah...you shouldn't have." Max looked at her sadly before walking off.

"Is she still trying to talk to you?" Robin asked making Max jump, she was so in her thoughts that she didn't even notice her and Nancy at the end of the hall, "yep." Max bluntly replied, "hey are you okay?" Nancy asked, "Arwen's not telling me something." Max admitted, the girls instantly furrowed their eyebrows, "what do you mean?" They asked in unison, "when I went to the bathroom with her, I waited outside but she was taking ages and when she came out she looked really...scared- like in shock as if something had happened." Max explained, "well- she's obviously not herself but that's a given considering all that's happened." Robin said, "this was different..." Max replied, "she just needs to adjust, she was in a coma for two weeks- she had to see us all die over and over." Nancy reminded her but she didn't need reminding, Max hadn't stopped thinking about it.

"She's in so much pain." Max's voice suddenly broke, "I don't even recognise her." She let out, "It shouldn't have been her, why didn't he choose me?! I can't even do anything to help her, what am I supposed to do?!" She sobbed over all her pent up feelings, "god I sound so selfish." She sniffed.

"No you don't Max. It happened to you too, you haven't even had time to process all of it, you've been too focused on Arwen." Nancy said, "how can I not be?" She cried, "You did the same thing after Billy died. Arwen has been through so much but so have you and you need to take care of yourself too." She said, trying not to sound harsh but Max needed to hear it, "you're not her only support system Max, it's okay if you need time to yourself sometimes." Robin added but nothing they said would help her, the amount of guilt she felt, the nights over these past weeks she stayed up wishing she could die.

~

"Hi girls." The doctor walked up to Nancy, Robin and Max in the hallway with a warm smile on her face, "uh where's Arwen?" Max asked nervously, "oh don't worry, she's just resting." She replied, "so...how was it for her?"

"She did okay for the first session especially since she's only just woken up, however, she wouldn't talk and she seems to be dissociating a lot but she has been in a coma for two weeks so that's expected." Dr. Roberts explained, "how is that doing okay then?" Max raised her voice slightly but Nancy placed a hand on her arm to calm her down, "she showed interest in some comics I had in the office, Wonder Woman." She explained which caused a small smile on Max's face, "yeah- that's her favourite."

"It may seem like a small thing but it's good that she's still showing interest in things that make her happy and it's not rare for someone that's been through what she has to go non verbal but it should get better with time and therapy." She tried to reassure the girls.

~

"She's acting like El when we first found her." Mike paced around the room with Will, Lucas and Dustin, "I thought that too." Dustin replied, "me too." Lucas and Will agreed, "what if she's like this forever? What if he did so much damage on her that she can never recover?!" Mike worried, "she's strong Mike." Will returned, "we always say that and obviously she is...but Vecna is stronger, I mean look what he did to her." He placed his head in his hands in frustration, "she survived." Dustin sighed, "we just have to be patient." Lucas said, "I feel so guilty." Mike's voice cracked taking the group by surprise, "I was so horrible before I left and I wasn't here for any of it...she's my best friend and we may never get her back the way she was before." He admitted with tears now streaming down his face, "Mike-" Will placed his arm around him, "I need her back." He cried, "and we will get her back, everything can go back to the way it was." Dustin said, "everything will work out." Lucas added.