fireworks - steve harrington

3.08

WAKE UP

Steve sat restlessly in his chair while Ren's heart monitor beeped slowly. He knew it was too slow for a normal, sleeping human being, and that's why he was worried. He'd been sitting there for days, waiting for the doctors to tell him what they could do and when he would wake up. But they didn't seem to know much at all.

"I know you're worried about money, cause you guys want to move away, so I could try to help with the medical bills if you want," Robin offered from the chair across the room. She was the reason Steve hadn't gone completely crazy. Without her, he would have probably starved. Robin had to remind him each day to eat and sleep, something he found difficult when he didn't know what was going on with the love of his life.

"It's okay. We'll figure it out."

"Steve."

He didn't respond, just squeezed Ren's limp hand once.

"Steve."

"Yeah?" His voice cracked.

"I'm going downstairs for food. Are you gonna be okay for a few minutes?"

"Yeah." He heard her footsteps as she left the room, and he sighed when he heard the door close. Then the dam broke.

Steve sobbed out loud in despair. Tears flooded his eyes and flowed down his cheeks. "Wake up! Please!" he cried. Nothing happened, but it's not like he was surprised. He was just unimpressed and frustrated. "Ren, please," he whispered as the tears took over again. He hiccuped and shook slightly with the force of his sobs. He hadn't really registered anything around him for a while until he felt hands on his shoulders pulling him up and out of his chair.

"Steve!" It was Robin. Of course it was Robin.

Steve just hugged her and cried some more. He hadn't let himself cry much since it happened.

He had been drugged when Ren passed out, and he would never forgive himself for acting the way he did. He didn't care at that moment because he was so out of it, but when the drugs were finally out of his system, Ren was his first priority.

Steve had searched the whole building to find him and then stayed with him while the rest of the group saved the day. Immediately after everything was over, he and Ren were rushed to the emergency room in an ambulance, and they were apart for almost 24 hours. As soon as he was allowed to, Steve left his room and set up camp in Ren's.

"Robin, I-I can't. He's... he's m-my everything."

Robin's stomach dropped and she frowned, sympathy evident on her face. Seconds later, the worst happened.

They were pushed out of the room before they had time to think. They heard the loud, constant noise coming from the equipment that was hooked up to Ren, but it wasn't until the door was closed that they realised he was flatlining.

Ren was flatlining.

Ren was dying.

Steve stood in the hallway, frozen in his spot, waiting. They couldn't see or hear anything, and they were scared to death. Robin hadn't known Ren for very long, but she knew how much he meant to Steve, and she never wanted anyone to go through that big of a loss, especially her friend. She held Steve's hand while they waited and convinced him to sit down. She was pretty sure he didn't blink at all until a nurse came back out of the room with a clipboard.

+

Ren went home a full week later, retaining severe brain trauma that caused him to have nystagmus in both eyes, a condition that caused his eyes to move involuntarily. He became prone to frequent seizures and was even diagnosed with clinical depression. Something that developed throughout the week rather than immediately after he woke up was expressive aphasia, which made it difficult for him to speak correctly and form full sentences. The doctors had promised that it would eventually go away, and it was just a temporary side effect of his head injury, but months had passed and it hadn't gotten better.

Steve officially moved out of his parents' house and into Ren's as soon as Ren was cleared to go home. He claimed it was because Ren needed a caregiver until he got used to normal life again, but Ren knew it was because Steve was scared. He was scared that something like this would happen again.

But instead of talking about that, they were arguing about money.

"No. I'm putting... foot down. Absolutely not."

"Baby, I already quit, there's no going back. I'm taking shifts all day at the video store now, and you're going to have to learn to deal with it."

"Steve." Ren stood up and stumbled a bit, still struggling with walking correctly, though they hadn't diagnosed that as anything. Steve immediately ran to his side, ready to catch him if he fell again. "Steve, you can't put off your... f-future."

"Not to be cheesy or anything, but you're my future, Ren. I can always go back to school once we get out of here. And once you can work again, we'll be making even more money, and we'll get to move away sooner. You know I love you, but I don't think I can stand more than a year living with your mom."

"How do you think I feel?" Ren laughed. "But, s-s... I don't like this. I'm h... holding you back."

Steve shook his head. "No. Absolutely not."

"You say that n-now, but what 'bout in--"

"Ren. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Small setbacks aren't going to change that."

"Not small setbacks, huge ones. I hav-to wear glasses now, and the-ey cost money. I can't walk ri-ight, and talking is... hard. St-teve, I'm a disaster."

"No, you're not. And even if you were, you're my disaster."

Ren smiled softly and sat back down on the couch. He started picking at his nails. "D-do you think I'll s-s-till be able to be a doctor?"

"I don't see why not. You might have trouble becoming a surgeon, though, only because of your eyes."

"Good thing I didn-n't really want to be a surgeon... anyway."