Chapter 2- I never left your side.
It's been 6 long months, since everything felt down. Since Eddie decided to be a hero, since Max fell into the coma. Since we all got reunited. "Feels more like 10 years", Lucas thought to himself. He did the same routine every morning, starting as early as the birds would start singing outside the young teenager's bedroom window. Like they were a reminder of Max and that the visiting hours were about to begin. As soon as the sunlight made the room too bright to be able sleep any longer, he quickly got up, got dressed in some dark blue jeans, a gray sweatshirt and some socks that was laying on his desk chair. The thoughts were busting in his mind as he went to the bookshelf to find a book that Max would like.
The girl used to love laying on the soft carpet floor of his bedroom listening to their favorite music and to Lucas reading. Mostly horror books, they both shared the same love for the excitement as it seemed like the weather outside made the story to life. There were all kinds of shadows on the walls, and some horrible sounds of the trees scratching the house. Sometimes it seemed like the shadows were close to this Freddy Krueger guy that Steve was rambling about one night while they had a movie night. He never allowed them to rent the movie. Kept saying he wasn't going to give them nightmares for life, at least until, - as he was quoting mom Steve "you're both 18 and old enough to handle it". That just made them roll their eyes and teasing the older boy. "Our whole lives are like a horror movie, Steve." And he never could argue with that.
Lucas smiled at the memory. He really missed Max, and them biking over to Family video's everyday so much for Steve's liking. Robin seemed to grow on them as well. He didn't seem to mind overall. Steve loved them enough to never tell them that verbally. That wasn't necessary anyways. He was like the brother Max always wanted, but never had. And steve would never really admit it, seeming more like a mother figure than anything else to the younger kids, but he saw max as the younger sister he'll always wanted. One day about 2 weeks ago, early in the morning Steve came to pick Lucas up, as they were going to visit Max as their daily schedule. The sight of Max laying in that bed, so still, so fragile, made Steve ramble all about his feelings towards the girl, how much she was missed and how she was like the younger sister he'll always wanted. Lucas couldn't do anything but smile at that. They all loved and missed her so much.
Even though the party were all reunited in Hawkins, most of them were doing their own things. It seemed like El was blaming herself for everything, and therefor used most of her time to collect her strength as she once again went into the void – looking for Max but being met with the same every time – nothing but darkness. She was nowhere to be found. The more this repeated itself, the less El came while Lucas was visiting Max.
Usually, Steve would come with Lucas to visit Max. But this Thursday, the older boy was volunteering at the school the whole day. Trying to do his best to help in any way possible, along side Mike, Will, Jonathan, Nancy, Robin, Erica. Dustin seemed to spend all his time at Eddie's grave, he seemed lost in all the grief. They are worried about each other. Lucas kept trying to tell Dustin that this is not what he would have wanted. Him to almost stop living. They needed to find Vecna and stop him, before he targeted anyone else. They were running out of time, and they all knew. it didn't get any easier with Max being stuck in her coma.
But Lucas didn't mind visiting her alone today. Besides, he made a deal with himself to tell her exactually how he felt. How much she was missed, and how much the party wasn't the same without her. And something else, he didn't even want the nurses to overhear.
"Hmmm", he silently hummed sorting throw the collection of books. "What would she be in the mood for today", he silently spoke to himself, as he found the book. The title read "The Talisman". He tossed the book in his backpack, and the backpack over his shoulder, and finally at exact 7.35 AM he was on his way out the house and practically threw himself on the bike and headed towards the hospital that was about a 10-minute bike ride.
Entering the hospital, he didn't waste any time heading to Max's room. "Lucas, wait a minute." He heard the receptionist Sara say. "Hi, just here to visit Max." Sara nodded, and gave Lucas a wide smile. "What's going on?" first he seemed more worried than relieved, but the second Sara told him that Max woke up the day before, he was basically jumping of joy.