Beyond the Battle: Action & Consequence (Steddie, Stranger Things)

Chapter 20: Plans Into Practice

Steve had to use every trick he had ever learned attending his parent's dinner parties and being king jock in high school not to fidget as the party all walked into Hawkins General. Hopper had a quiet word at the nurse's station before they were all headed to the elevator and up to Max's floor. 

As soon as they made it to the right place, Joyce swooped in and did her thing. Max's mom looked amazingly grateful, especially when it became clear that Hopper was going to be sticking around to make sure all the kids behaved themselves.

Once Max's mom was safely in Joyce's capable hands, Hopper and El went into the room. Steve heard El joyfully greet her best friend while Hopper swept the room with a weird looking device he'd apparently been given by Murray.

"All clear," Hopper said when he reappeared a couple of minutes later.

Steve nodded, exchanged a look with the older man and walked into the hospital room.

"Who's there?" Max asked, voice quiet, but with very much the attitude Steve had come to expect from the girl.

"Hi, Max," he replied, "it's Steve."

White misty eyes looked at him, even though he knew the doctors said Max couldn't see more than a little light and shade.

"This feels organised," Max concluded, turning her face back to El who was sitting on the far side of the bed, holding Max's hand.

"It is," El replied. "That is why Dad was scanning the room to make sure no one was listening."

"Is it Vecna?" Max asked, a tremble in her voice.

"No," El said very firmly. "He is dead."

"No one's going to be allowed to hurt you anymore, Max," Steve added.

He walked over to the chair closest to him and sat down, placing the backpack he was carrying on the floor.

"What's going on?" Max asked, eyes flicking between them as if looking for expressions she could no longer see.

"Good things," El said and Steve wished he could share her unshakable confidence.

He knew he could do this, but it didn't stop the nerves fluttering around his stomach.

"Will and Steve have powers now," El said. "Will seems mostly like me, but Steve is different."

Max's clouded eyes turned back to him.

"I can heal," he told her simply.

"Heal?" she asked. "Heal what?"

"So far, everything I've tried," he replied.

"Steve healed Eddie and Robin and Dustin and my dad," El said.

"And myself," he added.

"What was wrong with them?" Max asked.

"Dustin badly twisted his ankle getting out of the Upside Down the first time and aggravated it in the final confrontation, Robin had cuts and bruises, Hopper had injuries from the Russians and Eddie, well Eddie..." Steve did his best to explain, but didn't quite know how to explain Eddie.

"Eddie died," El said.

"You brought Eddie back from the dead?" Max asked, eyes wide and shocked.

"No, Vecna did that," Steve said. "I made sure he didn't die again after El killed the viney bastard."

"And you're here..?" Max asked.

"To fix you," he said plainly.

Max blinked at him, and her eyes looked suddenly very shiny.