The Tubular Moments // Lucas and Max (Lumax)

A Tubular Relief

There was only one way Max could describe how she felt throughout the car ride to the hospital: like she was dying. Yes, she knew she sounded dramatic, but Max also knew that she was a generally tough person with a high pain tolerance. It took a lot to break her. Yet, here she was, crying and struggling to breathe as clung onto Lucas like a lifeline.

She could vaguely hear Steve's voice from the front seat. "We're almost there, Red."

Unfortunately, it was a pretty long way to the hospital, about 25 minutes to be exact. Hawkins Hospital had never been fully repaired since the Flayed destroyed it in '85, so they had to go to the town over from them. Despite Steve breaking several road rules to get them there quickly, it was safe to say that it had been a pretty shitty car ride.

When they finally reached the hospital, Steve didn't even bother finding a car park. He pulled up straight outside the entrance and ran inside to get some help.

"Just remember Max, whatever happens, we're all here for you." He said as he gently detached himself from her, moving to open the car door so that the nurses would have easy access to her.

Two nurses came rushing outside with a wheelchair, asking Lucas to help place Max on it.

"Hey, sweetheart." One of the nurses said to Max. "We're going to help you, okay? Try to remain calm."

Judging by the glare Max gave her, Lucas could tell that Max was already pissed off with the nurse. She was nice and all, but clearly Max did not appreciate being told to stay calm. He didn't blame her.

Knowing that Max couldn't speak, the nurses turned to Lucas to ask him some questions. "What's her name and age?"

"Maxine Mayfield. She's 16." He replied.

"How many weeks along is she?"

"10 and a half."

"And how long has she had the stomach and back pain?"

Dread filled Lucas as he realised just how long it had been since Max's first sign of discomfort. "About three hours. Two and half since it got really bad."

Lucas didn't miss the concerned look on the nurse's face. His heart plummeted.

He went to follow the nurses and Max down a hallway, however one of the other nurses stopped him.

"I'm sorry, you can't go with her right now." She told him. "They'll be doing some tests."

Lucas watched helplessly as the nurses continued to wheel Max further away from him. "But-"

"Once again, I'm sorry, young man. But you can't go with her. Besides, judging by her state, they'll most likely sedate her. She won't even realise you're not there. Please, I encourage you to sit in the waiting room while you wait to hear anything."

Lucas found himself unable to move. Although he could no longer hear her, the sound of Max's screams and cries still remained in his ears. He felt somebody touch his shoulder.

"C'mon Lucas. You can't do anything about it right now except trust that she's in good hands." Steve said as he lead Lucas back to the waiting room.

At that exact moment, everybody else came rushing through the door. There was a flurry of noise as they all asked what was going on and if they knew anything. Steve did his best to fill them in, even though there wasn't much for them to hear.

El noticed Lucas standing back from the group. He looked numb, unaware of all his surroundings.

She approached him, gently placing her hand on his arm. "Lucas?"