Steve woke up to the sound of crying. He didn't recognize it, so he was sure it wasn't one of the kids, but the sound still scared him, jolting him awake. He sat up, opening his eyes quickly, his limbs tense, ready to fight. His vision had tunneled, and all he could feel was fear. Who needed help? What was going on?

He felt a strange weight on his shoulder, and he tried to shake it off. Whatever it was was lifted off of his shoulders, but before he could feel relieved, a voice cut through his panic.

"Steve, Steve!" He could hear Nancy's voice, and he turned to see her. She was standing beside him, her eyes wide, and as dirty as ever. The crying didn't stop, but the sight of Nancy made him calm down, if only slightly. If she was here, the kids were safe, right?

"Who's…" His tongue felt heavy in his mouth, and his head pounded. "Who's crying?"

Nancy frowned, gently pushing him back on the bed. And that was when he realized where he was. He was in the hospital. But, he wasn't in a room. The bed he laid on was in a hallway, surrounded by people on other beds and nurses bustling around left and right. There was a woman crying on one of them, a woman he didn't recognize. She was older, and she seemed devastated. What was going on?

Upon further inspection, Steve noticed that his arm was attached to some sort of IV. Steve forced himself not to think about the needle, but he was still wearing his clothes from before. From the Upside Down.

Memories came flooding back to him, and he tried to get up again, but Nancy stopped him.

"You need to rest." Nancy said. "You collapsed after we escaped. We think you used up too much of your energy on healing everyone."

Steve wasn't surprised to hear that. He remembered feeling the exhaustion, the strength of it, as he healed Eddie.

Wait. Eddie. Max. Everyone.

"What…what happened? Max? Eddie?"

Nancy sighed, sitting on the end of his bed. She was still covered in dirt and grime, and Steve could see tear stains on her cheeks.

"The gates ripped through Hawkins, one from each death site. It destroyed buildings, homes, streets, cars." Nancy began. Her voice was soft, no doubt in an attempt to keep it between them in such a public place, but Steve wasn't worried about someone overhearing them. With the chaos and pain he saw around him, no one would care to listen in. They looked like they had enough to worry about already.

"What…do people know…?"

"No. They're calling it an earthquake." Nancy took a deep breath, then continued. "Max is alive. She died, but El brought her back. She's in a coma."

Relief flooded Steve's veins at the fact that she had survived, and he nodded, tears burning in his eyes. Max. Max was alive. Hurt, no doubt, in a coma, but alive. He hadn't failed her yet.

But, there were still so many questions that filled his mind. Questions that consumed his whole being.

"What happened? Why didn't it work?"

"Jason Carver and his crew attacked Erica, Mike, and Lucas. There was a big fight. When Max started…when One got to Max…Jason didn't stop fighting. Mike has a nasty concussion, and Lucas has a few cuts and bruises, and a black eye."

Steve couldn't help but think that he had done that. He should've been there, protecting them. He should've been able to protect all of them. He wondered if he could wake Max from her coma, if he could heal Mike and Lucas after all he's already done. He would try, that he knew.

"Eddie's alive." Nancy continued gently, and Steve nodded, thankful that their attempt to bring him back wasn't for nothing. "Will broke his leg, and it's already in a cast. Everyone else is okay, tired, a little bit hurt, but alive."

All of her words made him feel relieved, but something still didn't feel right. Something was missing. Panic filled his heart when he realized he hadn't seen Robin yet. Nancy said that everyone was okay, but Steve needed to see her. He needed to see Robin.

"Where's Robin?"

Nancy gave him a small smile. "She's okay. She's in Max's room. Do you want me to take you there?"

Steve nodded. "Please. I just…I need to make sure that they're okay. That they all are."

Nancy got up, and kneeling down, she let Steve put his arms around her shoulder. His knees buckled as soon as he stepped onto the floor, but Nancy held him upright. A nurse rushed over to them, but Nancy shook her head.

"I got him."

The nurse nodded, no doubt in a rush with all of the people Steve saw around them. But she reached over the bed, unhooked the IV from the bed, and put it on a moveable stand.

"At least take this. You're severely fatigued, so take it easy."

Steve nodded, taking the stand with a weak smile. "Thanks. Use the bed for someone else who needs it."

The nurse nodded, and Nancy helped Steve walk through the sea of the injured and the family of the injured. There were so many people hurt, Steve didn't even want to think about how many people were dead. He didn't know the extent of damage, but One wanted to kill them all. The damage couldn't have been nothing short of disastrous.

A thought cut through his frantic mind, one that consumes everything. Were all of their families okay? The Sinclairs, Wheelers, Hendersons? Was Max's mom okay? Were Robin's parents alright?

He felt like the people around him, lost and heartbroken, confused, scared. It was an unpleasant feeling.

He just needed to see Robin. She would make things better. She always did.

Eventually, the hallways became less packed as they entered the ICU, the rooms no doubt containing the patients with the most severe injuries. He could hear a multitude of voices coming from an open door, and he heard Robin's among the mix. He walked faster, as fast as he could, and Nancy kept his pace, as if sensing his urgency.

As soon as he stepped through the door, he heard a chorus of "Steve!" echo across the room. For the first time in what felt like forever, he managed a smile. His gaze met Robin's from across the room, and she looked as bad as the rest of them did, a pale face, tears on her cheeks, but alive. She was alive.

She didn't waste a second running over to him, and Nancy managed to back out of the way just in time for Robin to wrap Steve in a hug. He stumbled a bit, but he held her tightly, tucking his head into her shoulder. He didn't even realize that he was crying, but he could hear her crying, too.

"Are you okay? Are you okay?" Steve asked, and Robin nodded.

"Yeah. I thought…I thought you were dead, and then you weren't waking up, and…"

"Hey, hey, hey." Steve said, holding her tighter. "I'm okay. I'm okay."

"Why?" Robin yelled, pulling him away and punching him in the shoulder. "Why would you fight a demogorgon? You could've died!"

"But I didn't. I didn't. I'm okay."

Robin rushed back into a hug, and he let her, knowing how hard everything was for her, for everyone. He didn't know how long they held onto each other for, but it felt like a while. He needed the hug though, he needed to hold onto Robin, he needed to know that she was okay, that she was alive.

Eventually, he could hear the others around him talking. He let go of Robin reluctantly, gave her a small smile, and looked around the room. Will was sitting in a chair, his leg wrapped in a thick cast, and Jonathan was standing beside him, watching Will with a sort of brotherly look that Steve admired. Mike was sitting on a plastic chair beside the medical bed, holding an ice pack to his head. Lucas stood at the head of the bed, looking lost.

There was so much pain around them. So much loss. But, at least they were all still here.

Steve finally let himself see who was in the bed, knowing that it was Max. And it was.

She looked horrible. Her limbs were covered in casts, IVs were placed in her arms where the casts didn't reach, and she looked pale. So, so pale. All he wanted to do was reach out his hand and heal her, but he knew that he couldn't, he could barely stand up himself. He walked towards her, stumbling, but Robin held his arm, holding him up.

"How…how is she?"

"Alive." Jonathan said softly. "She's alive."

There was so much said in such few words, and Steve nodded.

"Where's Dustin? El? Erica?"

Nancy jerked her head towards the door. "Across the hall, they're visiting Eddie. He's still unconscious."

"And Hopper? Joyce?"

Nancy took a deep breath. "Hopper's going around town, helping where needed, and Joyce is with El and the others."

"Has everyone else contacted their parents?" Steve asked, and Robin nodded.

"They're all alive. The Wheelers should be here shortly to give rides to whoever needs it."

""I'm staying here." Mike growled, and Nancy sighed.

"Mike一"

"No!" Mike said, standing up, and he swayed, his hand tightly gripping the chair. "It's my fault she's like this, my fault! If I had protected them from Jason, if I'd made sure that Jason couldn't fight back, then she'd be okay!"

"You can't blame yourself, Mike!" Nancy replied, "It wasn't your fault!"

"No, you don't understand! I had him! I had a gun pointed at him. If I hadn't turned back to see Max floating, if I hadn't been distracted, he wouldn't have been able to punch me and Lucas again, and Lucas could've saved her!"

"Mike!" Steve yelled, and everyone fell silent. "Mike. You did your best. You probably gave El enough time to get past One and save her."

"But-"

'No buts." Steve argued "Look, you can stay here with me if you want to. But it's not your fault."

"It's not any of our faults." Nancy added, giving Steve a look. "Only One's."

Until she said that, Steve hadn't realized that he was feeling guilty about everything. The relief of seeing everyone alive was strong, but deep down he knew that he blamed himself. Millions of "if onlys" filled his head, and he wondered how long it would take his body to get rid of those emotions. He wondered how long it would take for him to convince himself that he wasn't to blame.

Robin touched his shoulder, rubbing circles on it with her thumb. Steve wouldn't be surprised if she could hear him. His powers wouldn't be blocking her right now, he was too tired to do anything with them.

A knock echoed on the door, and Mrs. Wheeler stepped in, her eyes wide with concern.

"Mom!" Nancy exclaimed, and Steve moved out of the way, letting the two embrace.

"Are you all okay? Did you guys get caught in the earthquake?" Mrs. Wheeler asked after returning the hug, not mentioning their strange attire, and Will nodded.

"Max and Eddie got caught in the worst of it."

"Oh, Will, honey, your poor leg! Where's your mom?"

"She's with Jane." Jonathan said, speaking up. "We're all okay."

"Mike has a concussion." Nancy added, and Mrs. Wheeler sighed, pulling Mike into her arms, who didn't fight back.

"He'll just need some rest." Steve said, "Speaking from experience. No movies or loud noises."

"I was hoping I could stay here?" Mike asked, and his mother looked at him in shock.

"Mike一"

"Max is my friend, Mom, I want to be here."

"I'll stay with him." Steve said with a shrug. "I'm not leaving for a while anyways. Hopper can give us all a ride home when he gets here."

"Are you sure, honey? You look horrible."

He could feel everyone's eyes on him at the words, but he chose to ignore it.

"I know, but I'll be okay. I look worse than I feel."

Mrs. Wheeler nodded, though she didn't seem to believe him. Steve didn't think that anyone believed him. His legs were shaking from where he stood, and he clung to Robin for dear life. That wasn't the definition of okay.

"Alright. Mike, you sit down, and don't do anything unless Steve says it's alright. I don't want you to make your concussion any worse."

Mike gave her a tight lipped smile, Steve assumed it was so that he didn't have to nod, nodding hurt when you had a concussion, and Mrs. Wheeler began herding Nancy out.

"Jonathan, Will? Do you want a ride back to your place? And, Nancy, what about your friend?"

Steve glanced over at Robin, and she shrugged. "I think I'll stay with Steve and Mike."

He couldn't help but be relieved at those words, because he didn't want to be separated from her, either. He didn't want to leave her side ever again.

Mrs. Wheeler glanced between them, as if understanding how much they needed each other, and nodded.

"Lucas? Sweetheart, your mom's really scared. You should probably come with me and see her, too."

Lucas didn't move from where he stood by Max. Steve could see bruising along his face, swelling around his eye, but Lucas didn't appear to be in pain. Not physical pain, at least. Lucas appeared as if his heart was breaking. Maybe it was.

Lucas loved Max. There was no doubt about it. It was no wonder why he was struggling so much.

"Do you want to stay here with us, Lucas?" Steve asked softly, but Lucas shook his head.

"No. I'll…I'll go see my mom. But, will you…?"

"I'll keep an eye on her, I promise."

They both knew that promises didn't mean much, not when there were monsters that preyed on them endlessly, another dimension, and a superpowered man that could kill any of them instantly, yet Lucas still reluctantly made his way towards the door, glancing back at Max as he did so.

"Okay. Mike, get some rest, okay?" Mrs Wheeler continued softly, giving Lucas a small hug as he passed her. "I'll see you all later, and stay safe."

Steve gave her a small smile. It was all that he had the energy for anything more, and he got the idea that she didn't, either. "Thank you."

Jonathan helped Will get to his feet, passing him crutches that Steve hadn't noticed before. Steve stepped out of the way.

"We'll see you guys later." Jonathan said, patting Steve on the back awkwardly. "Get some rest, Steve. You need it."

"We'll do, Jonathan. Keep an eye on Will."

And, just like that, the room was empty, save for Mike sitting by Max, and Steve and Robin, who hovered by the door. Silently Steve wrapped his arm around Robin's shoulder, and she knew what he needed. Partially dragging him, she led him over to the other chair. Steve sat down in it with a huff, and Robin sat on the floor beside him. They all sat in silence as Max breathed, assisted, but still breathed.

Steve watched her with dread. How close were they to losing her? Did she have days, minutes, seconds? Or was she going to pull through, live a long life that Steve often didn't even see for himself?

His powers made that thought feel odd. Now he couldn't die as easily, yet he still found that the worry remained. Would he live to have children? Would he ever go to college? Would he get married?

Deep down, he knew that, right now, none of that mattered. He just hoped that Max could get the life that she dreamed of. The future she deserved. He hoped that they all would.

Robin didn't stop watching Steve worriedly. She held his hand, as if she was worried he was going to fade away where he sat. Steve didn't pull away. He needed that assurance, too. The assurance that she was alive, that she was okay.

Their world was too cruel. Max shouldn't have had to go through all of this. None of them should've. Mike shouldn't be sitting across from him with a concussion, Eddie shouldn't be lying in a medical bed in another hospital room, Robin shouldn't be scared of Steve dying.

Steve reached up with his free hand to hold Max's, to give her some of his healing power, but Robin silently picked it up and pulled his hand back to him, as if knowing what he was doing. She probably did.

"No, Steve, you need to rest. Wait until you're better."

Steve sighed. "Okay."

"How do you do it, Steve?" Mike suddenly asked, and Steve looked up at him, shocked to see tears in his eyes.

"How do I do what?"

"Protect people. I know. I know I shouldn't be blaming myself, but I couldn't do it. How do you do it?"

Steve took a deep breath, blinking away the exhaustion that hit him suddenly. Or maybe it was the shock of the question.

"It's hard, and…" Steve shook his head, his messy hair falling over his eyes. "Protecting people doesn't always work. "

"But you're always successful, no matter what." Mike continued, shifting where he sat. "Jason, he…he kept punching me. I was on the ground, it hurt, and I wondered if the pain I felt was like what you felt when Billy didn't stop hitting you. If it was, you still protected us through the pain. Through the suffering. And I couldn't."

"Keep in mind, Mike, that I wasn't alone. The only reason I was able to protect you guys was because Max sedated him. Because you all got me in that car, and got me to the tunnels."

"We all did our best." Robin said softly. "There was no more protecting that we could've done. Any of us."

"And, I would say you did a good job." Steve added, looking over to Max once again. "She's alive."

"El brought her back."

"Still, if it weren't for you and Lucas, I have a feeling things would be worse."

Mike went silent, then, and Steve hoped that he believed them.

A wave of exhaustion hit Steve again, neary making him lean forward in his chair. Robin noticed, getting to her feet and putting her hand to his forehead.

"Are you feeling okay? Maybe you shouldn't be out of bed yet. You're burning up!"

Steve pushed her away. "I'm…"

"If you say 'fine' I'm going to slap you. I thought we were beyond you pretending that you were okay when you weren't?"

Mike chuckled, and Steve sighed. "I'm tired. And hungry. I'm assuming when I eat I'll feel better."

Robin nodded. "There's a vending machine just down the hall. What do you want?"

Steve shook his head, shakily getting to his feet. "I can go, I wanted to check up on Eddie and the others anyways."

Robin seemed reluctant to let him go, but she nodded, squeezing his hand before letting go. But, before he could walk past the door, Mike stood up, grabbing his arm, stopping him.

"From Max." Mike said, and Mike slid an envelope into Steve's hand.

Steve looked down on it with confusion. His name was written on the front in a familiar handwriting, and he instantly knew what it was. The letter. It was the letter that Max had rewritten, it had to be. Giving Mike a small smile, he folded it carefully, putting it in his pocket. This time, he wouldn't lose it. This time, it wouldn't leave his sight.

He wasn't sure if he would ever read it. He couldn't think about that right now.

"Thank you." He said, and Mike gave him a nod. After giving Max one last look, Steve leaned on the wall as he walked slowly out the door. His limbs still felt heavy, and it was exhausting. He hoped that food would help. He wasn't sure if the worst of this was over, Nancy had even said that she didn't think One was dead, but he even needed some strength to help everyone else. Healing everyone would be tough, but Steve had to do his best. But, he had promised Robin that he wouldn't heal anyone until he was feeling better. It was going to take a while, and he didn't want to wait.

Steve had managed to right himself as he walked down to the vending machines. He reached in his pocket for his wallet, only to come up empty. Oh, right. He didn't have his wallet. Hadn't the police confiscated it before they took him to Brenner?

Steve sighed. He was really hungry. He felt like nothing was working. He felt tired. He felt like he was going to cry. But, before he could turn back to the hospital room, something barreled into his stomach. Steve glanced down to see Dustin holding onto him, his arms wrapped around Steve's chest in a tight grip. He rested his head on Steve's chest, and Steve could tell that he was sobbing.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm here. I'm here." Steve muttered, tears falling out of his own eyes, wrapping his own arms around Dustin.

Dustin didn't say anything back. Steve wasn't surprised. It took everything in him to stand, and he had no doubt that Dustin was struggling, too. All he could do was hold onto him and hope that he would be able to help Dustin this way, if only a little bit. It was all he had the strength to do.