CHAPTER ELEVEN: I'LL STAND BY YOU

Nancy was silent as she patched me up. The wounds ached and burned, causing me to hold back cries of pain. I knew that everyone had burned me to save me, but it still hurt. Each burn was sure to scar, leaving me a permanent reminder of what happened to me over the past few days

The burn on my leg had been wrapped up, and the small scratches all over my body from the sticks and rocks in the woods had been covered with bandaids. I had a few more wounds to go, but even with them all bandaged, I would still need fixing.

I hadn't eaten in days. It seemed the Mind Flayer didn't care much about my body—not enough to keep me well nourished. And my mind was damaged too.

All the things I had done... it was unspeakable. The people I hurt, the things I stole, the things I said—it wasn't me, but I still felt the guilt.

Nancy unraveled a new set of bandages—which she had been given by Joyce from her first aid kit—and prepared to wrap up the wound on my right bicep. Her eyes didn't meet mine as she spoke, "I thought I lost you forever."

I could hear the hurt in her voice. She sounded so heartbroken, and so guilty, like it was her fault that the Mind Flayer did what he did.

The words hung in the air for a while, the tension thickening. I had no idea what to say, but I said the only thing that I could think would help, "I'm sorry I worried you." She huffed, "but I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere without you." Nancy met my eyes for the first time since I was freed, "I'll stand by you, Nancy."

Her bottom lip quivered, and it was as if she could read my mind. It was like she knew what I was thinking. "You know none of this was your fault, right?"

I was silent for a long time. "I know." I said, slowly nodding as I held back tears. "I just wish none of this ever happened."

Tears threatened to spill from Nancy's eyes, "me too." She disinfected the burn on my arm, being as gentle as possible. I watched as her hands trembled, and as her fingers brushed over my skin like I was made of glass, and she was scared that I would break with one wrong touch.

Once she had finished, she began to wrap the wound. It stung, but I was getting used to the pain now. I looked up from Nancy's hands, and to her eyes. They were a beautiful shade of blue, her tears making them sparkle even more than they usually did. One tear fell, rolling down her face.

I lifted my good arm, wiping the tear gently with my thumb. Nancy froze, her breath catching in her throat. I frowned, thinking I did something wrong, and pulled away. "Sorry." I muttered.

"No," she quickly shook her head, going back to wrapping the bandage. "No, it's okay. I don't mind." She promised.

It was silent after that. Nancy cut the excess bandage, and laid it on the countertop of the bathroom sink before securing the rest on my arm.

She scanned over my body for more wounds, and I felt my face flush. Her eyes landed on my face, and she frowned. She gently rested her hands by my jawline, her thumbs brushing over my cheekbones as she avoided touching my wounds.

"Harps," she breathed out, "your face."

I knew it was bad, but it could've been worse. There was a cut above my right eyebrow from where Hopper had hit me in the head with his gun—the memory of that moment was fading like the rest from my time of being Flayed. Blood trailed from the wound, and stopped just above my eye. There was another burn on my left cheek from where Mike had hit me in the face with the burning frypan. He went a little overboard, but I suppose when you're fighting someone who's been Flayed, you can never be too sure.

"I know." I nodded.

Nancy huffed in frustration, "I'm not a doctor, how do I wrap it if it's on your cheek?" She groaned, and for the first time in a while, I let out a genuine chuckle of amusement. It was soft, and strained from my scratchy throat which still burned from when the Mind Flayer had left my body, but it was a laugh.

Nancy looked up, her eyes lighting up slightly before she looked back down to gather up some things to disinfect the wounds on my face.

She continued to work gently as she cleaned me up. I barely noticed the sting this time, only focusing on the way her fingers brushed gently over my face, and the way her eyes scanned my wounded skin. I blushed at the contact, quietly scolding myself for feeling such things at a time like this.

Nancy seemed to notice, but she didn't say anything. She only smiled softly to herself before opening a new bandaid, and placing it over the cut on my eyebrow.

She seemed pleased with her work, aside from the burn on my cheek that she didn't know how to wrap up properly, and began packing up the first aid kit.

I kept my eyes on the floor, trying to rid myself of the blood that was rushing to my cheeks. I heard footsteps on the other side of the closed bathroom door, and a knock followed soon after. "Come in." Nancy said.

The door opened, and I took a second to regain my composure before looking up. Steve stood there, a concerned look on his face. His eyes met mine almost instantly and his features softened with relief of seeing me all patched up.

There was a small second of silence before he spoke, "are you okay, Harper?"

I nodded, feeling better than before. "As okay as I can be." I replied. I inhaled, "I'm doing better." I answered more honestly.

Steve nodded, pleased with the answer. "It's good to have you back." He took a few steps into the bathroom, and as he stepped into the light, I could see the tears shining in his eyes. He held his arms out wide, silently asking for a hug, and I nodded.

He was gentle when he hugged me, much like Nancy was. Careful. I realized that everyone would be treating me like glass for the next few days, maybe even weeks. I didn't mind, however, given what I had been through, I felt I deserved some rest and some reassurance that everything was going to be okay. I didn't want to hop back into the world and forget what happened.

Steve understood that perfectly, "it's gonna be okay."

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lizzie speaks...

PLEASE READDDD :)

i like to write the entire act before i post chapters but i'm just posting this to say i have MAJORRR writers block on this fic and i'm so, so, sooooo sorry. i have act two all planned out so idk why i can't figure out what to do but enjoy this chapter <3

also please lmk how you feel abt this, or any other chapter tbh, bc this story doesn't get many comments and i can't tell how u guys feel abt it. it's kinda hard to feel motivated to write if i don't get feedback but dw, i'll still finish this book. but if i take breaks between each act (like i did between act one and act two) it's just because i'm giving myself time to plan out and get motivated. love u guys always, and hope ur enjoying the story <333