El sighed deeply in exhaustion.
She laid her head beside the hospital bed once again, seeing her baby peacefully sleep thanks to a cocktail of inhalation therapy medicines.
Levi wasn't the same.
He screamed when Joyce tried to hold him but calmed down as soon as his mother took him in her sweet embrace.
PTSD. El thought.
She was so tired, sleepless nights, helping the nurses with his cares (She knew how to handle him better than anyone). Her eyelids felt heavy, her eyes were red and stingy, her skin pale and rough. She also hadn't seen Mike in a week. She didn't know how he'd been doing. How could she have forgotten?
Maybe it's because she had no energy to call, no energy to deal with people or do anything besides eating and taking care of the baby bext to her.
—-
Hopper came into Levi's hospital room just as El was feeding him some kind of fruit jell-o while listening to some observations Dr. Owens was making.
-'Hello big guy, how're you doing?'
The little boy turned away from the plastic spoon his mother was holding and made a weak grabby hand at his Papap. For some reason he liked the texture of Hop's beard so the man would always let him play with it.
El chuckled faintly and sighed heavily, -'He's doing better...just needs a bit of oxygen' she let out a yawn and gave the plastic container to Hopper, who was more than happy to take over his grandson while El listened to Owens' instructions.
-'Have you talked to Michael' he asked the young mother.
El looked out the window and shook her head,
-'I know he's hurt—and I know his depression is gonna come back full force. I don't think I wanna face that yet'
-'He's staying at your house...he blames himself, you know?'
El sat on a nearby chair and played with the bracelets on her wrists, -'I know he does. I wanna help, really Sam. I just CAN'T' her eyes watered when she pointed at her son.
It wasn't only Mike that was carrying a burden. When El closed her eyes all she could see where the lifeless faces of the lab workers staring up at her. The feeling of their blood-soaked hands reaching at her skin, crying for mercy. Crying at her to stop.
She would tell herself then, that it was all for Levi. And it was! But that thought alone wasn't enough to not hear the screaming ringing in her ears every time she tried to sleep.
Owens nodded and sighed, -'...At least he's okay—or, he's gonna be' he motioned a hand at Levi, who had tubes going up his nose, providing him precious oxygen.
El hung her head low, -'How much longer?'
'few more days and he'll be out of here...but...just keep an eye on him. It' gonna be tense for a few days I believe-'
-'He's not leaving the house, Sam' she stated firmly; -'I'm not risking it. I don't know for how long but, he can't be outside—I just wanna protect him, I-I feel like I'm failing him'.
Failing her child was something El had never done.
Owens knew it first hand.
-'You're gonna feel sleepy, now, like really sleepy...you can hold your mom's hand if you want, I promise you're not gonna feel anything' he rubbed El's arm, coaxing a sweet chuckle out of her. She was terrified, but excited.
Joyce sighed nervously and quicky grasped El's hand,
-'When you wake up El, you'll see your little baby! Good as new!'
He waited for the anesthesia to knock her out, and then grasped the gravity of the situation.
It was like operating on a small child. She was really really small and skinny, the only thing out of place was the tiny hint of a belly.
After the first few incisions, Owens saw in the corner of his eye, a very pale Joyce take a seat.
-'Queasy, are we?' He asked with a cheeky grin,
-'Only natural when you're butchering my daughter' she gasped faintly, and dramatically,
-'I'm saving her life, and her baby's, we talked about this Joyce, it's necessary' he spoke calmly while his skillful hands snipped their way into the birth of a new life.
-'This doesn't strike me as very necessary, Sam' she grunted from her seat beside El,
-'Well...as I am already doing this, I'm just gonna tell you what would've happened—since you deem this completely unnecessary' he suctioned off some excess of liquid and continued, -'The child wouldn't have made it to term either way, her organs are too weak for that, she would've gone into early labor, and the kid would've probably died in her birth canal—trust me, this is the only way this would work...I know you didn't want to put El through surgery but we're saving lives'
She huffed, annoyed, and let the man just do his work.
A few minutes later, she heard nurses chuckling and Sam's voice's pitch get higher,
-'Come on grandma, you don't wanna miss this'
"i kinda do" Joyce's brain told her.
When her sons were born, yes, it was blindingly painful but at least she didn't have to SEE what was actually happening to her body, AND also she hadn't gotten split in half like El was right now.
The sight was gruesome but amazing.
A very very tiny baby covered in all kinds of goo and slime was lifted off from between the sterile blue hospital gauzes.
Finally.
Joyce peeked harder and let out a happy cackle, -'AWWW IT'S A BOY, MIKE'S GONNA DIE'
Owens giggled and put the small bundle in the hands of a pediatrician. Underdeveloped lungs inhibited Levi from crying or even gasping for air so he was immediately connected into a ventilator.
The hum coming from El's ribcage was like a healing purr, a caress. So Levi liked to snuggle against his mom whenever she hummed. It was a tranquilizer.
-'You were so good eating all your jelly, baby' she giggled when his little hands reached for her nose, ignoring the pull of the oxygen tubes.
He snuggled close to her and wrapped his tiny baby fingers around the short curls on her nape.
El chuckled faintly and pressed her nose against his soft, pale skin.
Her attention drifted to her father when she heard him arguing with Ted Wheeler on the phone. Definitely not what they needed right now.
"you can't keep his son away from him because you tell him to, james"
"I'll do whatever is necessary to protect them right now ted"
Fuck. They were arguing about why Mike wouldn't visit. He was in a bad shape, very depressed and anxious but he needed to see his family. Even El knew this; she knew added stress probably wouldn't be good, but Mike was truly miserable. Hopper on the other hand, was not budging. Full on protective mode.
-'I said no, Ted. The child comes out the hospital at the end of the week, you'll hear about me' he hung up the phone and sighed deeply, -'Shit'.
Hopper knew he was being a dick by not letting Mike come, but he just wanted to take care of his daughter. Mike was disturbed. Even more than Sl, and Hopper feared the feeling to be contagious.
Mike was very stubborn, though, so Hopper never doubted the kid would disobey direct orders.
—
-'Mike, come on, you heard your dad' Lucas tried to reason with his best friend as he stumbled around his room, soaking wet and in a towel trying to gather some clothes to go to the hospital.
He wouldn't answer back.
Lucas attempted to not mention his friend's poking collarbones, or extremely pale skin and instead focused on not getting him to leave,
-'It's just til' Friday man, I-'
-'Lucas if you say another word I'm gonna punch you, for real' Mike said, trying to sound intimidating while he slipped on a shirt and a jacket straight after, -'Who the fuck is Hopper anyway to tell me what I can and not do?'.
Before Lucas could argue too much, Mike ran out the door and into Karen's car.
-'LUCAS' she called for her sons' friend,
-'Yeah?' He responded, winded,
-'Where the hell is Mike going? I was making dinner and-'
-'To visit El'.
Knock knock knock knock knock —
Levi startled awake in between El's arms. The sudden knocks on the hard wood of the hospital door startling him.
-'I thought visits were limited' El whispered, trying to
Make the child sleep again,
Hopper grunted and got up to open the door,
Knock knock knock—
-'I'M GOING!'
When Hopper opened the door, the first thing he felt was a punch to his nose,
-'WHAT THE FUCK, MIKE' he heard El scream. Oh. So Mike threw the punch.
His first reaction was to push back, which made Mike's body collide with the wall behind him.
-'THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOURE DOING, MICHAEL' he growled back. The young man's cheeks were wet with tears but he was trying not to sound like he was crying,
-'You can't keep me from seeing my family, Hop! I'm fucking staying, I-'
Mike heard El sobbing in the background trying to get the baby in her arms to not get too disrupted and that's when Hopper HAD IT.
-'THIS is what I fucking meant, Mike! You're making them upset! Get the hell out of here-'
Mike pushed him away and kneeled before his girlfriend and son.
El extended a shaky hand towards his face, caressing the familiar feel of the softness of his pale skin, watching his freckles dance as his expressions changed,
-'Michael I SWEAR-' Hopper grabbed Mike's wrist in an attempt to pull him away. It was for sure gonna bruise but Mike didn't cared,
-'I need t-to be here for you two' his voice was weak, but his intentions were firm and absolute.
El ran a hand through his damp hair and motioned at him to sit beside her.
-'Dad let him go, we need to talk'
Hop was just—
-'I'm staying. You can talk all you want, but after this? YOU have to leave' he pointed at Mike like he had committed a fucking crime.
Mike nodded and sat beside El, then proceeding to examine his son carefully,
-'How is he doing-' was the first of many questions.
After a while of questions and answers, something hit Mike like a truck.
-'I'm leaving for Chicago in two months' he breathed,
Hopper rolled his eyes and sighed deeply,
-'What for now?' Hopper's voice thundered in the quietness of the dimly lit room.
Mike started explaining that he was admitted to an early introduction program at the Chicago Institute of Technology. The dean himself had chosen him from a long list of candidates for a full scholarship in the engineering program; so, for six weeks and with full authorisation from the schoolboard and teachers, Mike was to leave for Chicago and get a taste of his future.
Hopper was not impressed.
-'You're not taking them. Not after just happened'
El looked down and tried to ignore Mike's inquisitive gaze. Felt like treason.
-'You really thought I would let my daughter and my grandson go with you, to another city for six weeks? Ah Wheeler I thought you were smart'
It was something Mike couldn't argue against. It wasn't happening.
El didnt wanna leave Hawkins either. She felt safer under her father's surveillance and that was understandable.
Mike could tell it wouldn't be smart to talk right now so he just limited himself fo fiddle with Levi's fingers, carefully skimming through his skin without waking him up.
This Chicago trip was his future. The college of his dreams had OFFERED him an early look into his life after school. He had to go.
-'I didn't expect you to let them go' his voice broke, his eyes welled with tears as he faced this harsh reality.
-'I love you, El'
El looked down at him and nodded, -'I love you too, Mike'
-'We are gonna be fine...'
the girl smiled unsurely before Hop's hand grasped Mike's bony should r. Time to go.
—-
2 WEEKS LATER
—
El threw her backpack on the back of Karen's small van and got into the copilot seat while she waited for Mike to talk to their pre-calculus teacher.
Something about "getting more homework to catch up on grades".
While the conversation between teacher and student went on, Mike took out a red apple from his bag, as if remembering he had to snack on something.
The incident of weeks back had left Mike in shambles both emotionally and physically.
He would be extremely clingy, get very flustered when El wasn't around him, and he had to see Levi every single second he was in his presence.
Hopper had allowed the young man to stay with them for a while, it wasn't like a permanent thing either, so he and El
Could cure each other's anxiety.
Karen watched Levi from 8am to 3pm, always promising she would report during lunch to tell El and Mike how he was doing.
The child was recovering from an overwhelmingly difficult case of pneumonia, and also from the neglect he was put through in the lab. He would sleep for hours straight and then get fuzzy when too many people were around him.
Karen greeted Mike and El with a huge smile (that hid a bit of sadness and worry. El could always tell).
-'Hi, how was your day?' She asked; the question obviously directed at her son,
-'Fine, I talked with Mr. Ramirez, he gave me some assignments so I can catch up with the class, it's just two weeks worth of work so I should be fine'
Karen nodded and turned around to catch El going into the living room and grabbing the one year old off the couch.
The woman sighed and approached the teenager,
-'He did good today, better and better every day' she smiled a tiny grin and stayed to watch them interacting.
Mike entered the space, a bowl of mashed potatoes and pulled pork in gravy in his hand. His cheeks blushed when the huge smile he produced reached his eyes
-'Levi' he sang, while sitting down next to his girlfriend and son. El followed him with his eyes and smiled at the hefty plate of food he held.
-'You're eating' she said, like it wasn't the most normal thing in the world.
-'Yeah, it's my favorite!' Mike responded, knowing damn well why El sounded so surprised.
You're eating after weeks of not doing so. You're eating something other than soup. You're eating, trying to not get yourself in the hospital. You're eating, you wanna get better for us. You're eating, you wanna get strong enough again. You're eating, you wanna be the best version of yourself. You're eating, you wanna start moving forward.
-'Gotta finish fast, I got three middle schoolers and one freshman coming for classes' he sighed deeply and shoveled a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.
-'FOUR tutoring classes today baby? You sure?'
Mike nodded,
-'Middle schoolers are all the same topic, freshman is just chem...10$ an hour each, it'll be good for us! I'll put it in the piggy bank'
Her heart wanted to flutter out of her chest. He was so—dedicated, even after all they've gone trough. He was so attentive and responsable it was fucking insane.
—-
The pack of middle schoolers (Hannah, Sophie and Johnny, the usual three that had gotten help from Mike since last year ), erupted into the Wheeler house, making the child in Mike's arms to startle a little bit.
-'Jesus christ you fucking cave animals, do you not see I'm trying to get him to sleep?!' Mike whispered harshly while he put the bottle up to Levi's lips again,
-'Shouldn't the mom be doing that?' Hannah spat, putting her backpack on the dining table,
-'Guess what, smartass, she has homework too, that's why she's upstairs'—
Johnny sighed deeply and came up with a witty comment,
-'I don't know how miss Karen allows her into your room after you knocked her up last year'
Mike raised an eyebrow,
-'I'm gonna tie you to the back of my car and drag you all across town and then into the quarry if you say something like that again, are we fucking clear, Johnny?'
-'Stop giving him attention, Wheelie' Sophie grunted while opening up some notebooks,
-'You guys are lucky I even let your stupid asses come in here any more', Mike responded before moving Levi into a semi-sitting position in his lap,
-'Okay, you guys were talking about binomials, right?' .
—-
Few weeks later
—
Hop, Joyce, El and Will nursed their respective mugs as they heard Sam Owens speak.
-'Everything seems to be in clear, but I'd advise the child to avoid outdoors activities for a while. Maybe a few months, ok? For the greater good'
El nodded rapidly,
-'He's been staying at the Wheelers while I go to school, as you know...he's always safe'
Owens nodded,
-'I understand Mike is leaving for Chicago in a week? Is that right?'
El's eyes watered. Shit.
She didn't want Mike to leave. Not because she was trying to keep him from achieving his dreams, but because lately their bond had grown so strong it was nearly painful to let him go every time he would drop her off at her own house.
-'Yes' her voice broke and Hop laid a hand on her shoulder while Will assured her verbally.
-'I'm gonna send some of my guys to watch over him. Well trained people...he'll be safe-'
El wasn't entirely worried about his safety. She knew he would be careful. It's just—at this point Mike was her other half. She fucking loved him fiercely and more intensely than before, especially after seeing the kinds of sacrifices he was able to endure to keep his family safe.
-'I'm just scared' she whimpered, putting a hand up to her face to try and hide her sadness,
-'Scared of what, baby?' Joyce asked gently,
-'Just—-losing him, I guess' she choked out, before fully crying in Hop's arms.
Then Owens understood.
I saw him get so close to death, I don't want him to go over that threshold.
-'It's gonna be okay, Jane' he said firmly.
Will held her chin and made her look up into Sam's grey reassuring eyes.
-'Okay'.
—-
A WEEK LATER
—-
Mike's tears fell freely out of his brown eyes and into El's woollen shirt shamelessly.
It was the night before he had to leave for Chicago.
He was hugging her tight outside of the Byers-Hoppers porch.
-'I don't want to be without you' he sighed into her neck and she sobbed back,
-'I know...I'm gonna miss you' she sniffled and cuddled tighter into him, -'Just hold me up, you're gonna get tired of leaning down for so long' she chuckled sadly.
El hopped up and wrapped her legs around his waist and he pressed her against a pillar,
-'Better' he sighed in relief; -'I'm gonna miss you too, El...I love you so much'
-'I love you too...thank you for being so good to me—to us'
Mike wiped his tears, -'Gosh are you for real? You guys are my family...my blood, my whole soul—I'm going to Chicago to seek for a better life, for all of us'
El nodded gently and held his face, like trying to remember every single detail about him.
How his eyebrows had thickened, how his skin was even frecklier because he was out in the sun again, how his eyelids didn't seem as heavy anymore, how his lips didnt seem as dry and cracked.
Her train of thought was interrupted by his deep voice.
-'I have something for you' he whispered, a cherished secret.
Now he had her full attention.
-'Yes?'
Mike pulled a small box out of his back pocket.
Oh fuck. Was he asking her to marry hi-
-'I'm not proposing, El' he chuckled, knowing exactly what she was thinking, -'I'll do that when it's time' he winked, and opened the box.
Two thin rings sat side by side.
-'These are promise rings' he explained. She seemed confused.
-'We promise each other things and then wear them as a symbol of it'
Her eyes watered again. Fuckkkk.
-'So El...I promise to always protect you, and Levi. And be there for you, and take care of you, and gosh—I'll fucking adore everything about you til the day I die, and maybe even beyond that...you're my other half, baby'
He motioned at the box and El got the message. She slid one of the rings on his left ring finger.
-'Mike...thank you for being so amazing, I promise to always go through everything with you, that be hardships or absolute bliss. I love you, and I'll always be your other half'. A smaller ring was added to her already growing collection.
Promise rings.
El smiled through the tears. She had never felt more sure about anything (except maybe when she had to decide to keep her baby one year ago).
Mike kissed the top of her head.
The future seemed less scary with his family by his side.
THE END.
Epilogue coming this week.