Chapter 10:

Mike rushed down the cool, sterile smelling hallways of the hospital, dragging Eleven along behind him by her hand. He couldnt get there fast enough, and she found herself struggling to keep up with him at the pace he was moving.

His lips outlined the number of each room as he read them, searching for one in particular that was the one with his friends inside of it. Finally, he reached the number he was searching for. He hadnt gotten a lot of information about what happened, so he paused outside the door, a little nervoud about what he might find on the other side of the door.

"Its okay," Eleven told him softly with a squeeze of her hand. "Go in." Mike nodded at her over his shoulder, then with a deep breath, pushed through the door.

Lucas was sitting by the window, his arm in a sling, but otherwise intact. Dustin lay in the bed, eyes closed and body still except for the slow rising and falling of his chest. There were tubes in each nostril, and a mass of plastic around his mouth.

The room was silent aside from the heartbeat monitor steadily beeping away. When Mike let out a sigh, disturbing the silence, Lucas turned away from the window to face him. Eleven's eyebrows furrowed, and she couldnt help but blame herself. She was, after all, the primary target of the government agency running the lab.

"What happened?" Mike finally asked, desperate to get all of the details. He couldn't do anything if he didnt know what happened, and he certainly wasnt going to stand around and watch his friends be hospitalized or worse.

"They shot through the windows," Lucas explained, standing slowly. "The bastards from the lab attacked the house. Dustin was hit, then he called for me. I went out for him, and they caught me in the shoulder, but I managed to drag him to the bathroom where there aint any windows. Then i went to the phone in his bedroom. I called the station."

"Is he... going to be okay?" Eleven asked, her voice nearly a squeak as she stared at the still mass on the bed that she was so m used to being full of life.

"Doc says he'll live. Got some internal damage, and his body is under severe stress trying to function properly. Or something like that... it was hard to pay attention. They put him under fir his own safety. When they get him back to normal, theyll bring him out of it."

"How long will it take?" Mike questioned further, stepping up to the edge of the bed that Dustin was laying on. Lucas shrugged.

"I think he said a few days minimum. Maybe a week if hes unlucky."

"He'll be out soon," Mike said with a half-hearted smile. "He's always been a prettt tough son of a bitch. He wont stay down for very long."

"I think its best we all stay down," Lucas said honestly. "The more we fight back, the worse it gets. We're a mess that they are trying to clean up. Hopper says we should move. Or go into hiding. Something that will make us safer."

"We have family here. I live and work here. I cant move."

"I can," Lucas frowned. "I dont want to. Once he's better, me and Dustin... we're going back to school. Getting a place close to the college. Stay together and lay low. Hawkins is dangerous now, Mike. Too dangerous. We're not soldiers."

"There has to be something we can do," Mike sighed deeply, the fear of losing everyone he loved weighing heavily on his chest. "There has to be some way to make us safe. All of us and our families. There has to be."

"I dont think there is, Mike."

"We'll find a way! Wont we, El?" When Mike turned around to get a response from her, he noticed that Eleven was no longer there. "El?!" He called out, racing out into the hall after her. She was a little ways down, walking with her arms around her upper body. "Eleven, wait," he said, jogging after her, dodging nurses and visitors along the way. He reached her side, finally.

"El, stop," he told her, taking her by the shoulders. When he turned her around and looked her in the eye, he realized she was crying. "El?" He put a hand on her cheek, wiping at the tears with his thumb. "Eleven, what is it?"

"My fault," she sniffed, turning her gaze away from him in shame. "My fault. I will fix it."

"Fix it? What do you mean fix it?"

"Fix it," she answered plainly. "I have to."

"How?"

"Trust me," she said, leaning in to kiss him quickly. "I have to go." She pulled away and started to hurry down the hall. Mike stood, confused and dumbfounded for a moment, a million thoughts swirling like a flurry aroumd in his mind. When his feet finally took over for him, a punch of papers flew from the counter near him, spilling out on the floor by his feet.

"Excuse me," the nurse behind the counter grimaced, getting up to go after the papers. Mike quickly scrambled to gather them up for her, but when he looked up, all he saw was Eleven disappear around the corner, a spot of blood under her nose.

Nancy sat on the bed, her back against a pillow, and her hands resting on the mattress underneath her, holding her body upright. She watched Johnathan pace the room, his eyebrows furrowed and a serious expression on his face.

They had heard the news about Dustin and Lucas, and it put a bit of a hold on their plans to move out. Johnathan became afraid to be separated, afraid that someone may come after Nancy while hes at work, or Will and his mom while they're at their new place. A million and one worries sent him into a bit of a thinking frenzy.

"I just dont... want to leave anyone alone," he said after a few minutes, pausing his pacing to reach up and pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I never want anyone to be alone. Its safer to be together. Maybe even to board up the windows."

"Or just buy new shutters and keep them closed. Ill take money out of savings."

"But," he frowned at her, "that money is for us to move out. I know how badly you want us to be on our own, Nance. I dont want to do that to you."

"We have to protect each other. All of us. Its worth it to be safe. We have a growing family to look after." Her hands instinctively reached for her stomach. "If we have to postpone moving out, i understand, Johnathan. I wont be mad."

"You are..." he sat on the bed beside her and laid his hand over hers gently, "amazing." She shook her head at that, smiling and blushing a bit. "You are," he argued with a chuckle. "You really are, Nancy. I cant wait to be married. We'll do it soon. I promise."

"Lets take it a step at a time. Our safety comes first."

"Of course," he agreed. "But as soon as we take care of it, Im going to make you Mrs. Nancy Beyers." She grinned a little.

"Has a nice ring to it."

"So will your finger."

"I love you," she sighed, reaching up to touch her face, to feel his warm cheek against her palm. "I really love you. Please be careful from now on. Okay? Just... be careful." There was nothing she feared more these days than losing Johnathan or her baby. She wouldnt be able to stand it. Finally, she reached a point in her life when she was happy, and she had what she wanted. It would kill her to lose it. Any of it.

"Ill be extra careful," he promised. "Just for you." He kissed her forehead, then let her curl up agaisnt him, laying with her on the bed. In that moment, cuddling up with him, Nancy felt like it was going to be okay. She believed him.

Eleven knew that the only way to solve anything was to face it head on. She had to face the people that were destroy her and the ones she loved. They wouldnt stop, so she was going to have to make them stop. She knew it. She knew what was to come.

She walked slowly, calmly, down the streets of Hawkins, her brown waves fluttering around her with every breeze. It was a long walk to the lab, and she couldnt slow down. There wasnt any time to be wasted, and she knew that. Lives were at stake, because of her. All of it was because of her.

Sucking in a deep breath, she pushed on, being careful not to get in anyones way or draw attention to herself. There was work to be done, things she had to do. She couldnt afford to be slowed down. Not when Mike was at risk, when everyone was at risk.

She turned off into the woods as soon as she got a chance, feeling more confortable there as she walked. Her senses were on high alert, listening and looking to make sure nothing was able to sneak her. Eleven was nervous, and as she got closer to the lab, she started to shake. Her life was at risk now, but dying didnt scare her. Failing, and causing the death of others, is what was shaking her to her very core.