Invisible- Stranger Things Fanfiction

Chapter Fifteen: The Hospital

*Nikki's POV*
I woke up in the silent waiting room outside of Dustin's room. Everyone else was sound asleep, their head resting on whoever was next to them. I checked my watch: 2:14. Great. Steve's head was rested on mine, so I was very careful about getting up, taking the zip-up he had placed on the chair beside him and placing it under his head as a pillow. I smiled at my big brother before walking away.
"Where are you going?"
Lucas Sinclair was the only one still awake. I guess I hadn't noticed that his eyes were open; he was so calm, even when awake.
"I'm going to check on Dustin," I said casually, smiling again when I saw his hand intertwined with Max's. "You two are adorable, you know that?"
He looked down, realizing what I was staring at. "Oh... yeah. She envies you guys though."
   "Envies? Why?"
   "You guys are way cuter. Plus, you're two really strong-minded people, so it's funny being around you together."
   "You guys are both strong-minded," I insisted.
   Lucas laughed. "Yeah, but we're strong-minded in the same way. We're both more strategically inclined. You're good at fighting, and Dustin's good at planning. It's just... you're different, but that makes you better together. It'd be boring if you were both like Dustin."
"You're right. If we were both like me, it'd be pretty damn scary around here."
Lucas laughed quietly, careful not to wake our sleeping friends. "Thanks for being here. For Dustin. You're probably exhausted and in a lot of pain, we're all amazed you stayed awake as long as you did."
   "He took a bullet for me, Lucas," I said, opening the door slightly. "This is literally the least I can do."
   As I walked in, I saw that the lights were mostly off, the bright light over the hospital bed the only one still on. Dustin was sitting there, casually reading X-Men. "You're awake," he remarked when he saw me.
   "So are you," I replied, closing the door behind me and walking closer to him. I sat on the edge of his bed, feeling his slightly warm forehead with my palm. "How are you feeling?"
He put down the comic book, giving the cheesiest smile he could manage. "Totally tubular," he said coolly, making me laugh.
"You're such a dork," I sighed, ruffling his hair.
"But you love me." Dustin tousled my already-messy hair.
I smiled, getting up and walking to the chair in the corner of the room. Sitting down, I sighed. Damn, these hospital chairs are uncomfortable.
"What are you doing?" Dustin asked, raising his eyebrows at me.
"Sitting down...?"
"I know that, smartass." He rolled his eyes, patting an empty spot on the bed. "Come sit over here."
I shook my head. "I don't want to crowd you."
"Puh-lease," he laughed. "You're like, what? Half my size? Get over here, Tiny Tim."
   I rolled my eyes. "If I were Tiny Tim, you dating me would be concerning." I sat on the edge of the bed, right next to Dustin, and took his hand with mine. "You can probably go home in a few hours."
   "Do I have to? My mom's probably scared shitless."
   "Steve called her and told her you were staying with us for a little bit," I assured him, rubbing his hand with my thumb. "Don't worry, she loves Steve. Plus, you can stay with us until you feel well enough to go home, so she'll never know."
   Dustin's face fell. "She'll get the medical bill."
   "We'll figure something out. Don't stress, it's bad for the gunshot wound." I looked at him firmly but softly. He needed to stop freaking out, and I was trying my best to calm him down.
   He ran his hand up my arm, gently touching each Band-Aid. "You're really banged up, aren't you?"
   "I'll survive." I took my arm away and put his hand back in mine, but he was still staring at my injuries. "Hey. Don't worry about me, okay?  My parents don't notice anything anyways."
   "That's terrible, of course they notice," he insisted.
   I shook my head with a sad laugh. "Steve once accidentally hit me in the nose and made it bleed. My parents didn't notice until about three hours later, when my mom saw the bloodstain on her favorite carpet."
   "Damn," he breathed. "You know, Mon, when this is all over, we could run away."
   "Those drugs really have you talking some crazy shit, Dustin."
   He merely blinked at this. "I'm serious. You want to, and I'd really rather not stay here either."
   "Because you want to go wherever I go?" I asked incredulously. I swear, if he said yes-
   "No." He moved slightly so he was sitting up straighter. "I'm just... tired of being the nerd. Even Mike and Lucas don't take me seriously sometimes. And the rest of Hawkins sort of hates me."
   "That's not true, Mr. Clarke loves you-"
   "I mean the kids, Mon," he sighed. "Troy, James, Stacy..."
   I scoffed. "You really care what those shitheads think of you?"
   "Well, not them specifically, but they've influenced everyone else and made them hate me," he replied.
   Hearing enough of this, I cut him off by putting my hand on his shoulder. "Dustin. Listen to me: I am not going to let you run away, okay? Just because I'm miserable doesn't mean you have to be miserable. You've got your mom who would do anything for you. Mike, Lucas, and Will have been your friends forever, the girls love you, and all of the adults are super impressed by you. You're, like, the smartest guy I know. Plus, you've got Steve. And me. You'll always have Steve and me. You've got a huge support system, Dustin, and I'm not letting you leave it just because of me, okay?"
   Dustin looked away from me, wiping the tear I didn't know was falling from my eye, brushing my scar. "How the hell are you so badass?"
   "What?" I laughed. "I seriously think they should dial down your pain meds, Henderson."
   "No," he said, "I'm not doped up. Mon, I knew you'd take a hit for me, but I never thought you'd pass up leaving Hawkins with me. You're willing to stay miserable just to keep me here?"
   "Not entirely," I answered honestly. "I'll probably still leave at some point, but I'm not taking you with me."
   Dustin looked hurt. "You'd go without me?" I nodded. "But- but who would go with you?"
   "You're really not getting it? Dustin, I'm going alone."
   He shook his head. "Son of a bitch, Mon, don't you know how dangerous that is? You can't leave alone. You could get kidnapped or... I don't even want to think about it."
"Dustin, you can't stop me-"
   "I know I can't," he interrupted. "But I'll sure as hell try." Dustin put his hand on my face, stroking the huge scar with his thumb.
   My exhaustion for the better of me as I let out a huge yawn, stretching the cuts on my face and making me wince. "Shit," I squeaked.
   "Tired?" Dustin questioned with a laugh.
   I nodded, getting up and moving to the chair. "See you in a few hours."
   The hospitalized Henderson boy looked at me like I was stupid. "You're not sleeping in that chair."
   I looked around. "Where else am I...?" I trailed off as he gave me another you're-an-idiot look. "Oh."
   "Come on, Mon," Dustin whined. "It's lonely over here. Just for a minute?"
I rolled my eyes, coming back to the hospital bed. I tried to just sit on the edge, but Dustin pulled me down next to him, holding my waist to keep me from moving. "Stupid super-nerd strength," I muttered as I rested my head on his shoulder.
   He laughed, kissing my head. "Stupid super-girl strength."
"Supergirl?"
"Yeah," Dustin said, "Supergirl."
I scoffed. "Oh, yeah, I'm real indestructible."
"At least you're bulletproof."
"I'm not bulletproof, I just have a human shield."
Dustin chuckled at that. "And you always will."
I felt my eyes begin to close, but I had to utter one last thought before drifting off to sleep: "Idiot."