Stalker ||fillie||

Chapter 26

"Good news, Millie, there's no sign of any infection, and the cuts are healing very nicely, so if it continues like this then you'll be ready to be discharged by tomorrow. We'll check them again in the morning, put on a fresh dressing and you'll finally be free of us" said the doctor happily.

Millie sat there not knowing what to say. She'd become used to life in the hospital, the daily routine a comfort due to its predictability, waking up next to Finn every day feeling safe and protected. She could feel her heart rate steadily increase, a sense of panic starting to seep in to her mind, but he was there as always to ground her, squeezing her hand gently to remind her that everything was okay. She thought back to what the therapist had said, that these feelings were normal, that the hospital had become her safe space but that she needed to acknowledge to herself that it was only temporary. They would definitely have a lot to talk about during today's session, Finn was right, they helped...a lot.

"Millie?" Her head snapped up, her thoughts brought back to the present conversation. "As I was saying, you'll need to come back for your regular appointments, for a while at least. You can have your therapy sessions and we'll sort out your arm, et cetera, at the same time. How does that sound?"

"Fine" was all she could manage in a small voice, unable to form a coherent sentence that would convey her trepidation and fear and panic. She knew she would have to leave eventually, and that Finn was going stir crazy as his discharge was long overdue. For him she would make every effort to make sure it happened, she would overcome the emotions trying to hold her there, for him.

*~~~~~~~~~~*

"Hey, you ok?" asked Finn after the doctor had left.

Again, all she could do was provide a paltry one word answer "yeah" and a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She knew it would never fool him, but she had to at least try and pretend it was fine. Feeling sick, her racing thoughts finally settled on her conversation with detective Dent 'This guy, he's an expert at not getting caught... Our best chance of catching him is when you've been discharged, when you're at home. He's more likely to try something then...'

"Millie...I'm kinda scared too" he confessed, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"W...what?"

He sighed, "I'm scared of losing you, not to him, but...I don't know..." She looked at him, pleading with her eyes for him to elaborate, "I guess, I'm scared that when we leave this...this 'bubble', you won't want to be with me anymore, you won't need me." He looked down, ashamed that, in his head at least, he sounded so desperate.

All earlier worries forgotten, Millie gently pushed a curl away from his face and said "you're an idiot Finn Wolfhard...you're the one good thing that's come out of this whole fucking mess, I'm not about to let you go...ever."

In that moment, the future Finn had dreamed of became that little bit clearer, that little bit more achievable, and he couldn't help but embrace her tightly, holding her there in his arms, letting himself get lost in the possibilities.

*~~~~~~~~~~*

Morning came, Millie's arm examined yet again, no sign of infection, wounds healing nicely. For some reason she felt almost disappointed, realising that she'd been hoping for a reason to stay, but she couldn't, they were officially discharging her, she was officially cured. What a fucking joke.

She sat in her room, or what was her room, bags packed, waiting for her family to come and pick her up. Finn's parents were in the next room with him, fussing over their youngest son which Millie knew he hated. She smiled a small smile to herself, thinking of late night conversations they'd shared discussing everything from family to music to beliefs to fears, and everything in between. She realised in that moment exactly how much she loved Finn, and a tear escaped her eye, not at the thought of everything that had happened, but instead at not knowing if she'd ever be able to find the words to tell him.