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_________ c h a p t e r s i x t y - f o u r
TWO DAYS LATER
"Alright, Ms. Flores, you can go home," the doctor signs off on her discharge after an hour of tests.
"Is there anything we should know about her recovery process?"
"Light activity is okay, stay hydrated, and keep thinking to a minimum. No cheerleading for at least 2 weeks."
"I can't think?"
"Nothing too strenuous on the brain. Like, you can watch a rom-com, but avoid Back to the Future. For the bruising, you're just gonna have to wait it out."
"And her memory of that night? Is that gonna come back?"
"It depends. Can take up to 10 days. You're lucky it was just a few hours lost," he shrugs.
"What do you mean?"
"Memory isn't something we're fully versed in yet. To put it simply, the brain is a fragile organ. All it takes is one bump to change it. Lucky for you, the bump was minor."
"Alright, let's go," Leo smiles, while Steve helps her out of bed.
"Still no word from Bianca?" Sam questions.
"No. I called Vicky and the kids said the last time they saw her, they were trying to get someone out of jail? I don't... I can't even begin to understand you two," Gianna shakes her head.
"And Joyce isn't answering the phone?"
"Nope. Your aunt tried to file a missing persons report and they told her there was nothing they could do. Hawkins PD is just as useless," Leo rants, unlocking the car.
Eyeing the boxes in the back, Sam raises her eyebrows in confusion. "What's with the boxes?"
"They're having a drive at the high school. Steve's gonna drop these off with the Wheelers' stuff, and we're gonna help out over there."
"Can I go with Steve?" Sam pleads.
Her parents give a look of hesitation, clearly not fully comfortable with her being out of their sight again.
"I'll make sure nothing happens to her," he assures, earning a sincere grin from them both.
"You still need to tell us what happened that night," Gianna turns to Sam with a sigh.
"I told you. Jason snapped on Lucas, I tried to break it up and he freaked out on me."
"There's more than that. Why were you with Eddie Munson? Why do all your friends look like they just left war? What happened?" Leo wipes his face in frustration. "Steve?"
"Um..." the boy stutters, not expecting him to put him on the spot.
"Don't. I-" Sam attempts to speak, getting cut off by her mother.
