II

Max's world was pitch black but oh, so full of sound. 

At first, it was a lot of Lucas, Lucas coaxing and begging broke and shook with sobs. Lucas screaming for help, anyone. God. Please help. Lucas then urging the EMTs to be careful, couldn't they see she was fragile? Lucas being told to calm down, Max was in good hands. Lucas being his best to stifle sobs as ambulance sirens wailed from somewhere above them. 

Yes, it was a lot of Lucas. Then, it was a lot of doctors. 

Doctors doing their best to make sense of Max's condition. Doctors using phrases like "paralysis" and "blind" when discussing said condition. Doctors talking about how long it would take for all of Max's broken bones to heal. Doctors explaining that Max had fallen into a coma, likely from shock and trauma after she'd sustained breaking her legs, arms, and collarbone simultaneously. Doctors predicting it was likely she would never walk again.

After the doctors, it became rather quiet with brief interludes, featuring various party members. Lucas explaining the doctors weren't sure when- or if- she'd wake up. Someone reassuring him that of course she would. She had to. El whispering an apology. Mike telling El it wasn't her fault. Dustin calling Vecna a little shit, among other names. Light, awkward laughter that dissolved into quiet. 

The party visited often. If not as a group, either as smaller groups or individually whenever the time presented itself. But no one visited as often as El did. Day in and day out, she would show up for about an hour or so and talk to Max, updating her on everything that was going on.

"Will's been teaching me to paint. I am working on something with him right now. I will hang it in my room when I am finished."

"Last night, Hopper tried making lasagna but forgot to set a timer, so instead it came out burnt and he had to order a pizza."

"I wish my hair wasn't this short again. Mike says he likes it, but I think he is just trying to make me feel better. Robin suggested dyeing it a different color, but Hopper and Joyce said not to do it. Still, I am considering it."

"Will and I French-braided Mike's hair last night. He actually liked it until Nancy called him a pretty princess and he immediately took it out. Will said it bruised his ego. I said good, because it's big enough as it is. Mike did not like that."

El filled Max's "waking" moments– that is, when she was in between dreams, stuck staring out into the dark abyss with nothing to do but listen. El showed up with the most to say, making sureMax was up to date and confiding in her as she would if she was awake, knowing whatever she said wouldn't be repeated. 

Coma patients can't really gossip, but Max wouldn't even if she was awake. She just wished she could talk back to El when she stopped in, to let her know she could hear that she was listening. To thank her for the Walkman, which the nurses did later play for Max, albeit reluctantly. To tell her when Mike was being a little shit (which was often) or when he was just trying to be a good boyfriend (which, admittedly, was also pretty often). To tell her that it was okay when she accidentally forgot that Max would likely never see or walk again. To reassure her that her hair wasn't as bad as she thought.

Most of all, Max wished she could tell El how much she loved her for visiting each day and telling her everything, no matter how mundane or boring it could be. She wanted to tell her that she loved hearing about when something happened, and even when nothing did. She also missed their sleepovers and staying up all night talking about how frustrated they were with Mike and Lucas until their visions blurred and they ultimately passed out. How she missed hanging out, just like the two of them, and how she sometimes wondered if they could ever be something more than friends.