34. Just a scare (Mileven)

A/N: Oh, wow I did not realize how long this was, so I hope you stick with me until the very end. To clear this: the mother-in-law thing is a mere formality. It doesn't necessarily apply just to those who are married; it's like how we can call Hopper Will's stepdad even though he and Joyce are only dating. Get it? Pregnant chapter will come soon; please be patient with the updates and prompts guys, I'm in school and it's very tiresome. I try to update everyday but I have to admit this was the last written chapter I had, and it took me like 4 days to finish it. Anyway, I won't tire you with a long AN, you waited enough for this. Be patient! Thanks, love you :)

PROMPT: Continuation of chapter 29.

She was dying.

To put it simply, she was completely dying inside.

The pregnancy tests felt heavy in her purse, the used one with the two pink lines the heaviest out of them. Her stomach was doing flips and she idly wondered if it was the baby, but she shook her head in exasperation, berating herself for procrastinating this.

She watched how her finger left an obvious print on the doorbell as she rang it, her palms slick with sweat from her nerves.

She looked over her shoulder, where her dad's Blazer was parked, and she met Hopper's eyes as she shuffled her feet on the 'Welcome' mat; he made an encouraging face and then he pointed, just in time for the door in front of her to open.

"Oh, hi, El," Karen Wheeler smiled at her surprised. "I didn't know you were coming over."

"Don't worry, Mike doesn't either." She chuckled nervously, Karen waving behind her as she heard her dad drive away.

"Oh, is this a surprise?" Her mother-in-law wondered as she closed the door behind her.

"You can call it that." El chuckled sarcastically.

"Well, he's upstairs in his room. You know the way, sweetie." Karen smiled again, oblivious to the huge secret the younger brunette was holding in her purse.

She touched El's shoulder with warm fingers, squeezing it with a smile, and even though she started walking away as she did it, El panicked for a minute, as if Karen knew what she was carrying in her purse and would try to rip it apart and the pregnancy test would fall on the floor and then she would shove her out of her house and demand to never come back again and she would never be able to tell Mike and she would raise a baby on her own and she would never be able to go to college and she would DIE!

She let out a heavy breath as her mother-in-law's footsteps faded away behind her, and she gripped the staircase's handrail with a firm grip, telling herself it would be okay all the way to Mike's room.

She took a deep breath, rattling the doorknob a little with her shaking hand as she gripped it, and then she opened the door.

Mike was hunched over his desk, his hand obscured by his shaggy hair as he leaned his head on it, and his other hand was writing away quickly in a familiar notebook, one she knew held great adventures and beautifully written stories by the boy who was now smiling at her.

"El," he said surprised, leaning back on his chair and putting the pencil down. "What are you doing here?"

"Surprise." She smiled weakly, closing the door behind her and gripping the strap of her purse in an attempt to steady her shaking hand.

His smile disappeared and she knew she had done a shitty job in hiding her nerves. "What's wrong?" He asked immediately.

And that did it.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Mike asked, a little scared but mostly surprised as his girlfriend started crying, her shoulders shaking with the effort of her tears.

"We need to talk!" She exclaimed, her eyes tight and her mouth quivering, and Mike could only get up from his chair quick enough before she was in his arms.

"Are you okay? What happened? Did I do something?" He asked breathlessly, hugging her tight and rubbing her back in soothing circles, while she cried loudly against him.

"No, I'm n-not okay," she gasped out, wrinkling the back of his t-shirt in her fists. "And you k-kind of d-did."

"What's wrong, El? Talk to me." He said softly, walking backwards to his bed with her still in his arms.

He managed to get her on his lap, sitting down on the bed, and he took her wet face in his hands, concerned eyes running all over her features as his heart began to throb in worry.

Still, she took his hands in her, squeezing them with shaking fingers, and then she leaned in to press her mouth to his.

He let her kiss him slowly, tasting the salty tears that had gathered on her lips, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something very bad was about to go down.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly once she had ended the kiss.

"I love you," she whispered instead. "I love you so much, Mike."

"You're scaring me." He admitted with a frown.

"Tell me." She whispered brokenly, her fingers tracing his freckles, and his heart really did throb painfully because of her cracking voice.

"I love you," He said in heartbeat. "I love you, but you're scaring me. Please tell me what's going on."

She swallowed thickly, looking down at their laps for a few moments. Was this really the moment to tell him everything? She came here for a reason, and that was to come clean from the secret that was swallowing her whole, but now that she was here, with him, on him, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"El?" Mike murmured worriedly, his dark eyes wide and very focused on her, his large palms warm against her wet face, and she looked into his eyes for reassurance. When he looked at her like that, like she was the only thing in the world, like he would rather die than not give her his undivided attention, she felt like she could do anything. Still, the words wouldn't come out of her mouth.

So she settled for showing him.

She reached behind him, where her purse had been flung to when they reached his bed, and with trembling hands and tears still falling steadily from her eyes, she grabbed the plastic stick.

"I'm pregnant." She whispered when she pressed the pregnancy test in his hand. She watched his eyes go even wider, his long eyelashes touching the hairs on his eyebrows as they lowered in a surprised frown, his mouth slipped open, no breathing coming out of it as his hand raised the white stick to eye level.

"I think." She added with a grimace.

"You think?" He asked shakily, his chest finally pushing up and down with the force of his breathing, and she felt herself slipping off as he stood up, pausing to deposit her on the bed as a second thought.

"Are you not sure?" He asked for reassurance, his eyes not leaving the two pink lines that he clutched in his now shaking hand, as he ran the other through his dark hair.

"No." She admitted in a quiet voice, her legs numbing underneath her as she sat on his bed, her fingers knotting on his bedsheets. His shoulders heaved with the force of his breathing, and for a few scaring seconds she thought he had begun to hyperventilate, before he turned around and looked her dead in the eye.

"Are you okay?" He asked finally, his eyes hooded with fear and his voice was shaking, but his gaze was firm and unwavering on her.

"No." She said again, and this time he walked back to her.

He didn't say anything for a few moments, holding her tight against him as she cried softly, rubbing his fingers through her long hair and apologizing gently when she cried out when he pulled on a knot. His breathing was warm next to her ear, and even though this had to be one of the worst situations she had been in, she couldn't help but feel at ease. Everything about Michael Wheeler calmed her, and that's why she knew he wouldn't leave her alone to face this.

"When did you take this?" He mumbled against her ear.

"On Thursday." She answered, just as softly. The lamp on his desk gave the room a soft orange haze, the falling darkness of the night making voices even more hushed.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He asked her, and it pained her to hear the hurt on his voice.

"Because I was scared," she pouted slightly, her chest burning again as she remembered the width of her emotions, and the unadulterated panic she felt at Melvald's that day. "I still am."

He broke their hug, running his hands all over her hair, making her close her eyes in bliss and then smiled timidly when he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

They stared into each other's eyes, communicating their emotions in a wordless conversation that came effortlessly to them. He reached out and pulled her closer with an arm around her neck, breathing gently against her cheek and pressing kisses to her damp skin.

"So you're not sure," he murmured against her cheek. "Do you need more to figure out if you're..."

"I have more." She answered, pulling back from him and reaching into her purse again, pulling out three unwrapped boxes containing different brands of pregnancy tests.

"Oh, wow, okay," he breathed out, laughing nervously as he took a box in his hand. "So, this is really happening."

"We don't know for sure." She shrugged, her nail scratching the price tag on the box to soothe her still-shaking hands.

"So, you pee on these and they tell you?" He wondered curiously, his leader side coming out as he inspected the instructions in the back of the box he was holding.

"Yeah, pretty much." She shrugged again.

He looked up with calculating eyes, his dark irises scanning his room as if a bathroom would pop out from the corner and tell them: 'Use me! Now you don't have to risk Karen finding you're about to see if you're having a baby or not!'

"Alright," he sighed heavily. "Let's do this." He took her hand in his, gave her a squeeze and then they were heading out of his room.

With cautious eyes, he walked over to the staircase, eyed over it for any signs of his mother, and then came back to push her inside the bathroom.

Once he closed the door, he pushed her against it and breathed out against her forehead.

"Whatever happens," he whispered shakily, clasping their trembling hands together, the pregnancy test boxes between them. "I'll love you forever and just as bad as I do now, okay?"

He took her face between his hands, and with the immense love he felt for her shining through his eyes, she kissed him.

Their lips met tenderly, brushing softly against each other's, a whisper of the millions of things they felt for the other.

"I'll love you forever too." She mumbled against his lips, and with one last trembling smile, it was time.

"Is it okay if I... Do you want me to turn around, or—"

"We're getting ready to see if we're pregnant and you're asking if you can watch me pee?" Against all odds, she snorted. They were literally all the way down now, proof enough the pregnancy test she was peeing on, and he still had boundaries over her privacy. It's why she loved him so much.

After a few whistles from Mike, a few 'ew's' from her when a few drops of her pee fell on her palm, and some escaped giggles from both of them, she was throwing looks at the three pregnancy tests resting on the bathroom counter as Mike held her against his chest, his long legs sprawled against her thighs as they sat on the floor.

"If they're all positive," he murmured against her hair as she played with the watch on his wrist. "And you are pregnant... would you want me to stay with you until the baby is born and we figure the rest out?"

She looked over her shoulder to him, a small frown on her face as she considered his words.

"I want you to go to college," she told him seriously. "I don't want this to stop you from continuing your studies."

"Yeah, but what about you?" He rolled his eyes a little, looking down at her with lowered eyebrows. "It doesn't seem fair that I'm out there while you're stuck here with my baby just because I couldn't keep it in my pants."

"Mike," she whispered. "It's not just your fault, okay? It takes two to tango."

Against his will, he snickered, biting his lips to hide his smile, and she couldn't help but laugh too.

"We'll figure it out," she sighed comfortably, running a hand through his shaggy hair as he leaned down to press a kiss to her neck, nuzzling his face against her shoulder warmly. "We always do."

"By the way," his lips left her skin. "Does your dad know?"

"Yes."

"Why am I not rotting in the dirt by now?" He asked with wide eyes.

She giggled, smacking his shoulder with the back of her hand. "He said he'd let me handle things as an adult. Obviously, he wants to talk to you and me together, but I needed to come here first before we crossed that bridge."

"Fuck," he cursed suddenly, leaning his head back against the tiled wall with closed eyes. "What am I going to tell my parents?"

She nibbled on her lip worriedly, watching him with sad eyes as a million emotions ran beneath his skin. "We'll figure it out." She repeated quietly.

He opened his eyes and stared at her, leaning in without breaking eye contact and kissed her shoulder softly. "I love you so much, El."

Her smile began to get watery again, but before she could say anything, his watch beeped, signaling the tests were ready.

"Okay," he breathed out heavily as she began panicking again. "Okay, we can do this."

"Totally." She nodded, standing up and extending a hand to him to help him up too.

They stood there for a few seconds, neither daring to go near the tests, before she turned around abruptly to bury herself in his arms.

"Oh, God, I'm terrified!" She cried out, her nose smashed against his T-shirt.

"Shhh," he soothed, his heartbeat fast and loud against her face as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. "It'll be okay. We have to be brave."

She breathed out, counting to one, two, three, and then she was walking to the sink.

"Each turns one and the last on three, okay?" Mike requested quietly, his arm brushing hers.

"Okay." She nodded.

"One," Mike mumbled, and with trembling fingers he turned the first test around.

/

Negative.

Air rushed out from his lungs, her heartbeat picking up as the new hope of not being pregnant appeared.

"Two," she whispered.

Negative.

"And three." Mike didn't even wait for her to set the second test fully on the counter, flipping the third test to reveal another single line.

"I- what the fuck?" She muttered confusedly, looking up at Mike with widened eyes as he grabbed the three tests and picked them up to stare at them closely.

"All negative." He said in wonder.

"But the others..." she frowned, utterly confused at this new predicament.

"Three negatives and... how much—"

"Two positives."

Mike frowned, staring at her while tapping the tests to his leg nervously, biting his lip. "Maybe we should go see a doctor."

She nodded slowly. "Maybe."

They stared at each other for a few seconds, before a slow smile lifted the corner of her lips. "Maybe this means I'm not pregnant."

"Oh, God, I hope so." Mike breathed out next to her ear as she hugged him tightly, inhaling his comforting smell.

He pulled back abruptly, an alarmed expression on his face. "Not that I wouldn't love our baby! It's just—"

"It's not the time." She shook her head with a gentle smile, understanding his relief.

He threw the tests in the sink, freeing his hand to run it through her hair, pinning some strands back from her face. "One day," he whispered. "When we're older and we're mature and we don't have to hide the tests from my mom—"

She laughed. "Then we'll have as many as we want."

"A family." He sighed, putting his forehead against hers and staring into her eyes with love and all the beautiful feelings they felt for each other.

"I love you," she murmured, kissing him softly. "No matter what."

"No matter what." He nodded.

A few minutes later, she was calling the Station from Mike's phone, her foot tapping the carpet nervously as she played with the phone cord. Mike had to bribe Holly with a few dollars when she found them locked up in the bathroom, and the little blonde was now obnoxiously counting the two dollars Mike had given her, passing them behind each other numerous times as if she had a million instead of the lone two bills.

"Hey," she said straight away when her dad picked up after being connected by Flo. "I'm done."

"And?" Hopper asked anxiously.

"False alarm," she mumbled quietly, Mike watching her from the bed as he flicked Holly's pigtails. "The three were negative."

Her dad hummed, a deep sound that helped her calm down. "That's not enough to call it a false alarm."

"I need to see a doctor." She sighed, leaning back on Mike's desk chair and flicking through his newest campaign.

"I'll see to it," Hopper said, and she could hear him fumble around his desk. "Maybe Owens is available tomorrow."

She made an uncomfortable sound. "Is Owens qualified for these kind of things?"

"I meant he would find someone for us, kid." He mumbled, and then she heard the tale tell click of a lighter.

"Are you smoking?" She narrowed her eyes.

"... Maybe?"

"Hopper—" She sighed.

"This is all stressing me out, El! Not every day your kid is having another kid and then turns out to not be having another kid."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, when I do have them, I'd like for them to meet their granddad and not tell them he died from lung cancer."

"It'll take more than a few cigarettes to take this old oak down," he laughed heartily and she smiled warmly. "But you bet your ass I'll be there when you have your kids. Now or in the future."

"I know you will." She murmured quietly.

"Yeah, well... are you done? Do you want me to come pick you up?"

She looked over her shoulder to see Holly covering Mike's eyes with the dollars, laughing when the blonde girl hit her brother for moving too much. "Give me a few more minutes, okay?"

He grunted. "You want a positive on those tests?"

"Dad!" She exclaimed. "Holly's here. Just... call me when you're done at the station, okay?"

"Alright, kid. See you in a bit."

"Bye."

She hung up and turned around to see the siblings staring at her.

"Are you sick, El?" Holly asked timidly. "You said you needed to see a doctor."

"Hey, you're such an eavesdropper." Mike poked her.

"No, Holls," El smiled with a sigh. "Just... lady stuff."

"Oh," Mike's little sister wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I won't have my period until I'm older."

El laughed, sharing an amused smile with Mike at the blonde's advanced thinking. "Nancy," He said as an explanation. "Hey, little terror, why don't you go see what mom's up to?"

Holly nodded, and with one last poke at Mike's cheek, she was running out of her brother's room.

"What did he say?" Mike asked her with a sigh as she came to lie down next to him on the bed.

"He said he'll arrange a doctor's appointment."

"Owens?" He murmured against her hair, and he continued when she nodded. "Want me to come with you?"

"Obviously." She mumbled against his shoulder.

They stayed there until it was time for her to go home, saying goodbye with a kiss (breaking it when Hopper honked impatiently) and a promise to see each other in the morning.

The next day, when they were in Owen's private clinic in the city, and they were waiting the results from the blood test they had ran on her, Hopper spoke.

"I hope you know you two are not getting off the hook even if it is a negative." He eyed them from the couch in the corner as they sat in the chairs in front of the Doctor's desk.

"Hop—" Mike begun, but he was cut off by Hopper's glare.

"Quiet. There's nothing in the world that will excuse this. It all comes down to you two doing stupid decisions and mistakes that should not have happened in the first place. If I bought you condoms was for you to be safe, because I knew even I said something it wouldn't stop you from doing it, and to avoid these kind of situations."

El kept her head down, her hand clasping Mike's tightly as Hopper continued to chew their asses off, taking whatever the large man threw their way, because she knew he was right. Even if it was positive and their baby would be loved and cared for, it wouldn't excuse the fact that it was the cause of stupid, rushed decisions in moments of delirium, and that no matter how many things they had endured for their age, they weren't ready for that level of maturing yet.

"So," Dr. Tesfaye walked in, her beautiful dark braided hair wrapped in a big bun on top of her head, and if this situation wasn't as life-threatening as it was, El would've taken more time admiring the African-American woman and her beauty. "I got the results."

"What do they say? Is she pregnant? Was it a false alarm?" Mike asked in a rush.

"Ease up, Michael," The doctor laughed, sitting down on her chair and placing the documents on the desk. "Okay, are you ready?"

"For fuck's sake!" Hopper exclaimed suddenly from the back, making them all jump. "Just read them already!"

At Dr. Tesfaye's frown, his own lessened, his deep worry lines softening up a little. "Sorry." He said sheepishly.

"We just want to know." El whispered, taking the doctor's attention and gripping Mike's hand tightly.

"Okay, I will not make you suffer any longer." She nodded empathically, opening the folder to peer into the analysis.

El's hand was cold, the blood rushing out as Mike's grip began numbing her fingers, but she didn't feel it, her mind solely focused on the words that fell from Dr. Tesfaye's lips.

"You're not pregnant."

A rush of air left El's, Mike's and Hopper's lips simultaneously, relief lifting the heaviness on their shoulders as they looked at each other with smiles on their faces.

"The reason the tests came back positive were because you're under a lot of stress," the doctor continued. "The body tends to release the tension in weird ways, so that explains your period coming in late, the mood swings and the breaking out. I understand you're in finals?"

"Yes." She nodded happily, suddenly glad for the ton of shit the school put on her which meant there was no baby.

No baby!

Everything else Dr. Tesfaye told her fell on deft ears, her mind already jumping up and down in joy.

No baby! That meant yes college, yes free time, yes future, yes life!

Once they were on their way back to Hawkins, and Hopper was once again ripping them a new asshole (albeit, softer this time), she sighed, looking back at Mike who was laying down on the backseat with a relieved expression.

"Don't worry," He laughed. "I think we'll go celibate for a long time after this."

"For once, I agree with that." El smiled, looking down into her purse to stare at the 4 plastic sticks she had kept inside, now as a memory of a huge scare that she would store for the future generations.