Chapter 6: The Harrington Parents

Saturday, May 15, 1985

Harrington Household

"Hi Mom. Hi Dad," Steve said quietly. Frank and Samantha Harrington made a surprise entrance at 1:15 AM, waking up Steve, Max, and Pancake. Steve told Max to take Pancake upstairs and lock themselves in the first room she could find. But when could things ever be easy in her life?

"Steven Miles Harrington! You better have a good explanation for why you're up at 1:30 in the morning!" Frank boomed. Max stopped dead in her tracks halfway up the stairs, Pancake cradled in her arms. Seriously? she thought to herself. She knew Steve wasn't going to take scrud from that mouth breathe-

"Sorry sir. Couldn't sleep, I guess," Steve replied sadly. Max was appalled as she heard those words leave her brother's lips. After Steve answered his question, Frank slapped his son across the face, causing Steve to stumble back up against the counter.

Samantha and Max watched in horror as Frank started yelling at Steve, calling him a sorry excuse for a son. The two women locked eyes with each other. Max tried to duck down behind the railing, holding Pancake close. Steve told his mom everything, so she already knew about Max. She just held a finger to her lips, telling her to be quiet, and then pointed at the ceiling, telling her to go upstairs. She had practiced these gestures with Steve many times before.

Soon, he'll be gone. It'll just be you and me, forever. She told her son these words many times. Steve didn't believe them anymore, but they were the only thing that kept him sane when his dad was in one of his rages.

"Sam! What in God's name are you looking at?!" Frank yelled. He had Steve by his hair when he walked over to his wife. Max had made it to the top of the stairs when she felt that dreaded tickle in her throat.

"Nothing dear. I thought I saw-" Samantha was cut off by a harsh hacking and coughing. Steve paled in an instant. He somehow escaped his dad's grasp and rushed to find the coughing coming from the top of the stairs. He didn't care if he had to spend the rest of his life being beat up by his dad, Max came first.

"Steven…" his father's voice was grave. "You better have a darn good explanation for why there is a child and a dog in my house!" Frank grabbed Max by her hair before taking Pancake and throwing him into a closet before locking the door.

"Pancake!" Max and Steve yelled. Frank glared at Max and slammed her into the wall, her red hair still in his grasp.

"Max! Dad, stop! Let her go!" Steve yelled with desperation. Frank then grabbed him by his hair again and threw them both down the stairs. Steve grabbed Max and shielded her as they tumbled down the stairs. That's gonna leave a mark, thought Steve when they came to a stop.

Samantha couldn't do this anymore. She had no choice. Before anyone noticed, she headed for the phone and dialed 9-1-1.

Meanwhile, Frank got closer and closer to Steve and Max. Steve held Max's head close to his chest, feeling her fever beginning to return. "You're lucky my job is demanding, or you would never be trusted alone here again!" his father screamed. "All I can do is teach you and your little friend," he spat, glaring at Max, "what I do to kids I can't trust."

Frank was just about to punch Max, who was now trembling with fear, but Steve pushed her off to the side as his dad's fist knocked the wind out of him. Another punch was delivered to his face, and this one just knocked him out.

"Steve!" Max screamed, and she didn't care how much it made her throat hurt, she wasn't just scared now, she was angry. Angry that her best friend was being abused by his own father. Angry that now he was unconscious because he was protecting someone. But most of all, she was angry that Steve never told her. She knew he would have the occasional bruise every now and then, but she never knew what really went on in his house.

Max couldn't take it anymore, watching Frank yell at his unconscious son for getting in his way. She crept up behind him, tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned around, she punched him directly in the nose.

This angered Frank to his core. He took a swing at Max but ended up hitting the wall. Something snapped as pain waves were sent up and down his arm. He grabbed Max by her shirt and was ready to attack. "I'm gonna enjoy this," Frank cackled.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Frank turned around to look at the owner of the voice when Steve punched him directly in the eye. Frank dropped Max and stumbled, allowing Steve to get another hit in. Frank then sweeped Steve off his feet, causing a sharp pain in the younger boy's ankle.

Frank was about to punch him in the face when Hopper and the rest of Hawkins Police Department burst in. Hopper looked at the battered kids and immediately took Frank into custody. He was arrested for child abuse, and later, animal abuse after the police learned about Pancake.

After the canine was released, he yipped happily at the sight of Max and Steve. Samantha walked in, looked at her husband, and said something she'd been wanting to say for almost 14 years now: "If you ever show your face here again, I'll make sure you won't live to regret it. Got that?"

Frank growled angrily, but didn't argue. He was shoved into the police car and was taken away. A weight was lifted off the remaining Harrington's shoulders that night, and it was the best feeling in the entire world.

Steve winced as Max helped him to his feet, pain shooting all over his body. The small girl was crying now. Samantha wrapped the two kids in an enormous bear hug. It was taking all of Steve's willpower not to cry, which he didn't, but he couldn't help but hug his mom tightly, not wanting to let go.

The three stayed like that for a few moments, then Samantha apologized to them. To Max for letting her husband find her and Pancake and not fighting back, and to Steve for letting his father torment him for nearly 14 years. Steve also apologized to Max, who luckily remained uninjured considering the recent events, who said it was completely fine, but she couldn't believe someone as caring and protective as Steve came from someone as angry and violent as his dad. Steve said he owed it all to his mom.

"Well, I have the papers that caused all of this," Samantha said, laughing a bit at the end. "So I do need to go, are you two positive you'll be ok?"

"I'm fine. Steve was the punching bag of the night," Max said with concern masked with a bit of teasing nature. "I'll be fine. Just a little sore. And you spent months working on this presentation, Mom. You can't miss it. We'll be fine, I promise," Steve replied. He gave his mom a fist bump, and then she was out the door.

"Well, I might be scarred for life. Wanna watch a movie?" Max said playfully. Steve just nodded as he picked up Pancake and walked over to the couch. Max was a little concerned that Steve was being this quiet, but she just shrugged it off. His father was just sent to jail, and he probably had bruises in a number of places. She thought he would be fine.

Steve definitely didn't want to talk right now, being it might bring on a panic attack. He and Max just watched E.T. as he drifted off to sleep.

Max watched as the older boy hugged Pancake for dear life curled up in a ball on the couch, and then she fell asleep rubbing small circles on his back, telling him everything would be ok.