"What is it you're injecting her with?" Steve asked as the group watched Julie inject Maeve with another medication.
"The first was to wake her up, the second is for my safety," the female doctor replied a little too casually, "I don't expect her to be happy to see me."
"Damn woman, what did you do to her to make her hate you so much?" Robin blurted out before she could stop her verbal diarrhoea. It had been the second time Dr Maxwell had made a comment about Maeve not trusting her. Robin shifted uncomfortably under Julie's disapproving stare, pressing her lips together firmly.
"How long until she wakes up?" Eleven asked, coming to Robin's rescue.
"It could take a little while" Julie replied flatly, "there are vending machines and coffee machines along the corridor and rooms with tables and chairs to sit" she gestured towards the door, telling them to help themselves.
"Actually, do you have a phone?" Dustin asked, wanting to inform the rest of the group of the developments.
"Uh, yes, in my office" Julie answered, her eyes narrowing in question.
"May I use it?" he asked, ever so innocently.
"Sure," Julie nodded her head, "three doors to the left."
"I need a coffee" Hopper grumbled, excusing himself from the room to find the coffee machine.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea actually," Robin agreed, eagerly making her way to exit the room, "I need a snack so bad."
"Snacks sound good," Nancy mused with a smile and Mike turned to Eleven.
"Are you coming?" he asked her, nodding towards the door.
"No, I want to stay," Eleven answered him, yet her eyes never left Maeve's frame. She wondered what frame of mind she would be in when she woke up. Would she even remember what had happened? How Henry nearly managed to kill her? Eleven wondered if she made the right choice in involving someone who had grown so close to Henry.
"Well," Steve started as he sat down in a chair in the far corner of the room, "I'll stay and watch over her. I am not feeling too hungry anyway."
"Okay," Mike nodded and left the room after a moment of hesitation. He didn't really like the idea of leaving El with another crazy doctor, but at least Steve had offered to stay.
"What did he do to her?" Eleven asked Julie after a moment of silence, her head tilting to the side as she examined the still body in front of her. She was pretty.
"They tried to run away together" Julie's reply shocked Eleven, as well as Steve.
"That doesn't strike me as something that would make her hate him." Steve challenged, his eyebrows knitted together in concern.
"Well, you didn't let me finish," Julie rolled her eyes. Pesky teens, "when they were confronted by a guard Henry sacrificed Maeve to try and get away by himself."
Eerie silence filled the room. It sounded just like something Henry would do. He didn't care about anyone but himself. Who died in the processes of his plans never mattered. Not even the girl who loved him mattered. Eleven felt sad for the girl in front of her – there was a time she thought Henry cared for her as well. When it reality all he did was use her. She wondered if he had done the same with Maeve.
"So how old is she?" Steve blurted out, the uncomfortable silence driving him insane.
"Well, technically she is 38, but we preserved her body for 18 years, in case we ever needed her during events such as these. So, while legally she is 38, she is actually just 20" Julie tried to explain in the most efficient way possible.
"So, her body hasn't aged?" Steve asked, still confused despite the doctor's best efforts to explain.
"No, essentially she was frozen in time, so to speak."
Steve merely blinked at the doctor's nonchalant response. He knew Maeve hadn't aged, but he still felt as though she had missed out on 18 long years, being stuck in a state like this.
"Cool!" Dustin exclaimed a little too enthusiastically, having entered the room in time for Julie's response, "kind of like Captain America!"
Steve shot him a glare, making Dustin clear his throat as he made his way towards him, "What? I like the comics" he defended himself quietly as he handed Steve a candy bar.
"Read the room," Steve mumbled, not entirely impressed by Dustin's comment.
"Anyway, I spoke to Will and –"
Suddenly Maeve sat up abruptly, gasping for air, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. She looked around desperately, still panting as she looked down her hospital gown to where she had been shot, her hand clasping onto her chest as though it still hurt.
"W-what?" she stuttered as she looked around the room, finding only strange faces. That's when her eyes stumbled upon her. Her hazel eyes filled with anger and hurt as she looked upon the doctor who had betrayed her trust, imprisoned her and abandoned her.
"You" Maeve growled as she felt the familiar numbing sensation of the sedative curse through her veins. Dr Maxwell had used it so many times to strip her from her abilities.
"Maeve, I need you to stay calm," Julie tried, speaking with authority, "I –"
"Stay calm?!" Maeve shouted as Eleven, Steve and Dustin could only look on.
"Maeve, I need you to listen to me." Julie said more firmly, taking a step closer to the table.
In an instant Maeve jumped out of the bed and tackled the doctor to the floor, her hands hitting out at the doctor's head. "I HATE YOU!" Maeve shouted as she clawed at the doctor's face, trying to cause as much pain as she could.
"Hey, hey!" Steve tried to get in between the two of them, getting elbowed in the face in the process.
"Hopper!" Dustin shouted down the hall, "We need you!"
Eleven watched with wide eyes, seemingly paralysed as Hopper ran passed her to help get Maeve away from the doctor. She had seen the fear in Maeve's eyes. The rage. The hurt. All the feelings Eleven had felt herself in that damned lab. When she looked at Maeve, all she could see was herself. Eleven had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed the rest of the group entering the room.
"El, are you okay?" Mike shook her shoulders gently, gaining her attention.
"Yeah" Eleven blinked as her eyes glanced at Maeve again.
"You think I need powers to hurt you, Julie?!" Maeve hissed as her hateful eyes shot daggers at the doctor on the floor. Despite the adrenaline pumping through her veins, she found herself getting weaker by the second, her muscles not used to moving like this anymore. She fell to her knees, Hopper and Steve holding an arm each as they prevented her from hitting the ground hard.
"Let me go!" she yelled, attempting to jerk her arms away from those holding her.
Julie stood up and walked to the cupboard and got out some anaesthetic, angrily stomping towards the woman who just attacked her.
"Hey, hey, don't kick someone who's already down" Steve stood between the doctor and Maeve protectively, trying to reason with the doctor. Maeve was clearly very weak already.
"Get out of my way, boy!" Julie spat at him, one arm pushing him out of the way and the other injecting a needle into Maeve's neck.
"Come on now!" Hopper exclaimed angrily as he looked at the doctor disapprovingly. He felt the girl lose consciousness in his arms. Nancy swiftly knelt down beside him, quickly checking her over.
"She will be fine, it's only enough to knock her out" Julie rolled her eyes, her cold, uncaring attitude coming to light.
Eleven darted out of the room, having seen enough. She felt sick, she hadn't felt so sick in a long time. Mike followed suit to check on her.
"We need to cuff her," Julie said coldly.
"What?" Steve retorted, shocked by the doctor's antics. It made him feel nauseous. Or it was because of the elbow he took to his head.
"We either do this my way, or she goes back in the tank!" Julie grew frustrated with the backchat. Maeve was her property still.
"Well, how about giving her a bed and cuffing her there?" Dustin tried to keep the peace, "It'll keep her more comfortable."
"Fine. There's a bed in room 104." Julie waved them off, before turning her back on them to search for handcuffs.
Hopper picked Maeve up carefully, gesturing for Robin to open the door for him so he could carry her away. Part of him wanted to just carry her to the car and take her home, but this doctor most likely had security on call, even if he couldn't physically see them. He couldn't put the kids in danger in favour of a stranger. He set the girl down on the hospital-like bed and looked on with a grim expression as each of her hands was cuffed to the bed by the doctor.
"El? Are you alright?" Mike asked her softly as he sat down on the floor beside her once he finally found her. Her eyes were red and puffy and he could tell she had been crying.
"Yeah, just… memories" she said, her voice hoarse. She felt exhausted. The emotional turmoil of the day had gotten to her.
"Oh, El" Mike said sympathetically, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side, "I wish things could have been different for you."
"I know, Mike. Me, too." El nodded, squeezing her eyes shut to avoid more tears from falling down.
Mike sighed as she used his thumb to caress her shoulder, soothingly.
"At least I have you now" Eleven mustered up all the positivity she had and a small smile etched across her lips.
"You'll always have me, El. No matter what."
"Steve, you're bleeding" Nancy observed as she examined him. He had taken a pretty bad hit to the face and it would no doubt bruise.
"Am I?" He asked, pretending his face didn't hurt. Frankly, he felt a bit dizzy still.
"Yeah," Nancy replied matter-of-factly as she used a damp towel she had found to wipe away the blood under his nose, "or at least you did."
Steve watched her with soft eyes as she tended to his wound, applying a cold pack to his cheek. He would never admit that he still had feelings for her. Feelings like that didn't just disappear though. Especially for someone like her – she had changed him for the better. He owed her a lot. Nancy cleared her throat, having to tear herself away from his gaze. Steve lifted his hand to take the cool pack and his fingers brushed against hers.
"Sorry" Nancy mumbled with a sheepish smile before turning towards the door.
"Hey Nance?" Steve called out.
"Yeah?" she turned towards him, a small smile lingering on her lips.
"Thanks for not being a crazy ex," Steve blurted out, "I mean that girl's ex literally tried to kill her. You're pretty cool for an ex, I guess."
Nancy couldn't help the laughter that erupted from her chest and Steve joined in for a moment, knowing how ridiculous he sounded.
"You're thanking me for not being a monstrous serial killer?" she got out between fits of giggles.
"In a way, yeah" Steve chuckled, shaking his head at himself.
Steve sighed as he closed his eye once more. He sat at Maeve's bedside. It had gotten late and majority of the group had had to go home. Especially Dustin and Mike, whose parents did not know the full of extent of what was going on. Dustin had tried to call his mum, asking her permission to stay at a friend's, but she had said no. After everything that went on in Hawkins, she wanted him home, safe and sound. Hopper decided to stay instead, whilst Nancy drove the rest of the group back to Hawkins.
"Your friend is asleep. Anything else you need before I go?" Julie's voice startled him and he looked at her, his eyebrows drawn together in a frown.
"You're leaving?" he asked, surprised. The reason he and Hopper stayed was because they didn't feel comfortable leaving Maeve and Julie alone.
"I have to go home to my son," Julie replied. Her stare made Steve uncomfortable.
"Um. Maybe some straws?" Steve replied after a moment.
"Hm, I prefer straws as well. I have some second drawer down in my desk, in my office" her smile was sickly sweet and she turned on her heel, "Good night."
Steve watched her leave. She didn't seem half as bad when she wasn't injecting weak people with sedatives. He hoisted himself up from the chair and made his way to get some drinks and straws, an amused grin befalling him when he saw Hopper sitting opposite the door, snoring his head off.
When he came back he saw Maeve's eyes open, looking directly at him.
"Oh, hey" he said, unsure of what else to say, "uh, I'm Steve."
Maeve continued to watch him as he made his way around the bed, noticing how dry her mouth felt as her eyes fell upon the bottle of water in his hand.
"Oh yeah, this is for you" he sat down in the chair next to her and opened the bottle, "I even thought to bring straws because… well…" he awkwardly pointed to the handcuffs around her wrists. He put the straw into the can and held it out enough for her mouth to reach the straw. She raised a single eyebrow, hesitating for a second before she finally gave in and took a sip. Once she took one, she didn't want to stop, the feeling of water entering her system being too blissful. Once she had a few gulps she pulled away and looked at him with questioning eyes.
"Why are you being nice to me?" she asked him, her voice filled with seriousness and doubt, "I mean, you work for the bitch, correct?"
"No, I don't" he shook his head as he set the can on the bedside table. "My friends and I, we… we we're making a plan to get you out of here" he whispered, afraid someone was somehow listening in."
"Why would you do that?" Maeve replied in a hushed tone.
'Because we need you and your powers to distract your murderous ex-boyfriend' he thought to himself. It was cruel.
"We have a friend like you and she was treated the same," he attempted. It wasn't a lie.
"Oh." Maeve blinked a few times before nodding her head, accepting that answer. Steve felt guilty, not telling her the full truth.
"Can I be completely honest?" he began, waiting for her to nod her head before he continued, "It sounds crap, but we only found out about you recently because we were told you could help us with your… abilities I guess. It turns out you've been off the grid for quite a while. You were like a top secret, or something."
Maeve took a moment to process what he was saying. She had a million questions, but she could tell he was gradually becoming more and more uncomfortable. He probably wasn't the right person to give her the answers she needed. He wasn't the one responsible for whatever happened.
"You know," she started, her eyes softening as she looked at the stranger, "my last memory was thinking I was going to die."
"You haven't woken up since then?" Steve's jaw might as well have hit the floor.
"Not exactly," she shook her head, not wanting to go through the turmoil within her mind for however long she was out, "even if it's for a shitty reason, at least I am awake now."
Steve smiled at her attempted positivity. It was bittersweet. She didn't even know how long she had been 'preserved' for. She had no idea Vecna, or Henry had unleashed hell on earth – hell, she didn't even know he was alive and out of Brenner's lab. He felt like each new information they were going to give her would pull a rug out from underneath her. First they had to tell her that she had been gone for nearly 20 years. Then about Henry being alive, his massacres, the upside-down, the sacrifices and gates and his plan to destroy the world. Oh, and then they'd have to slip in that she is one of their last hopes in stopping him.
"Did you get any food, too, by any chance?" Maeve asked, disrupting his thoughts.
"I will get some now," he stood up from the chair, his expression grim as he made his way out of the room. He wouldn't want to be that girl.