Chapter Text
The first thing Max had realized when she woke up was how dark it was.
At first, she thought she was dead. She knew her eyes were open, but all she saw was darkness. Surely, this was what it felt like to be dead? At least from what she remembered. Slowly her other senses returned, and only then was she able to make out the rhythmic beeping of machines and the smell of sterilizing cleaners. Everything sounded distorted in her groggy state, the sounds were too loud and she couldn’t make out the voices filling her ears.
Where was she? This wasn’t the Creel house, and it certainly wasn’t Vecna’s mind. The last thing Max remembered was being in the old house with Lucas, unable to move as she gasped for air. But she had stopped breathing, right? She remembered fighting to hold on to her consciousness, but it had been so hard, too hard, no matter how much she struggled against it.
Now though, she could move, she could feel. Her limbs felt like lead, heavy when she tried to lift her arms as she groaned from how sore and stiff they were. Weren’t they broken when she had passed out? By no means did her body feel the same as before she had entered the Creel house, but now she could feel the tingling feeling in her fingertips as she shifted around in what she could only assume was a bed. Not her bed though, this one felt firm and rigid, with something propping her up into an uncomfortable position. Her whole body ached, her throat felt dry, and dammit she still couldn't see no matter how many times she blinked her eyes.
What was wrong with her? Where was she? Max could feel the panic rising in her chest, threatening to drown her until she couldn't breathe.
“ Shit! Where’s the doctor?”
Lucas. She could tell that was him, she would recognize his voice anywhere after knowing him for so long. He sounded anxious, but she also found relief hidden in his tone. Knowing he was here soothed the redhead, if Lucas was here that meant she had to be safe. He wouldnt let anyone hurt her if he could help it.
“Stay here, I'm going to go get someone.”
She could hear his footsteps retreat from the room, a hospital room she had gathered after processing what she managed to piece together.
“Max, we’re here. I’m here.”
El. She was here, for real this time, not just in her mind. Max felt a hand grab hers, squeezing tightly to alert her that she wasn’t alone.
Her mind still felt fuzzy, if she had to guess it was probably from some sort of painkillers. She could feel a tube poking into her hand, feeling more uncomfortable the longer she recognized its presence.
“El?” Max managed to croak out, clearing her throat upon realizing how cracked and rough her voice sounded.
“What happened? Where are we? Why can’t I see?”
The questions rushed out of her, the longer she was left in the unknown the faster her panic rose. Nothing made sense, Max couldn’t even survey her surroundings to help solve any of these questions.
“You’re in the hospital, you were hurt. I can tell you everything once the doctor checks you out,” El promised, giving her hand another squeeze. “You need to stay calm, everything is okay now.”
Her friend’s voice soothed her nerves, El wouldn’t lie to her. That didn’t mean the millions of questions and confusion evaporated from her mind in an instant, but she allowed El to coax her back into laying down, accepting a glass of water from the girl when she was offered. She never let go of El’s hand, scared of being left alone in the darkness once more.
Everything was not fine.
She wasn’t dead, but nothing was the same. She had fallen into a coma only to wake up and find herself stuck in a broken body, with friends dead and her town nearly destroyed.
Six months, that’s how long she had been asleep. Then she had another two months in the hospital, filled with daily physical therapy to help her relearn how to walk and gain her strength back from all the broken bones she had endured.
Her sight never came back, not that Max expected it to. The doctors told her from the start that there was little to no chance of her regaining her vision. The most she could see was light and faint, blurred outlines– none of which helped her much, nor was it the same as her vision before.
She was told that she was lucky, that it was a miracle she survived. She had been dead for a whole minute, her heart had stopped beating. That’s what Lucas told her one night in the hospital, through thick, watery tears. She was dead long enough for Vecna to open the final gate, that was how long she stopped breathing.
El kept her promise, she told Max everything that had happened while she was in her coma. Her friend visited her every day, always picking up where she left off. It was like some twisted story that she had to know the ending to. El wasn’t the only one who visited her, the whole party did. Usually, only a couple of them would fill the room at a time due to the hospital’s visitors policy, but she was never alone. When her mom was working and she couldn’t be at her side, usually Steve, Nancy or Robin would be there instead.
In all honesty, most of the time it was suffocating. Max had gone from distancing and isolating herself for months to constantly being surrounded by people. She wasn’t used to this, to people being there for her. She had always been alone, she was so used to relying on herself for comfort and hiding away when she had to deal with something. Not being able to do that made her uncomfortable, it was near unbearable.
The only person she could stand was El. Everyone else looked at her– despite the fact that she couldn't see them, she could feel it– with pity. They felt bad for her like she was some charity case that needed to be fixed. Lucas even did that from time to time, even when he didn’t Max could still feel his guilt from a mile away. He blamed himself for her condition, if she knew anything about him it was how seriously protective he was of the people he cared about. The fact that he couldn’t protect her was killing him, and she couldn't deal with that. She was barely hanging on as it was.
El though, she was different. She didn’t treat Max like she was fragile, as if she was going to fall apart if she got one word wrong. She still talked about things other than Max’s health and the events that had caused her to be bedridden. The brunette would tell her daily about some stupid fight Dustin and Steve got into, or how Joyce and Hopper finally got together. It was refreshing, it almost made her feel like everything was normal and they were back in her room, gossiping about the boys during the summer.
“I broke up with Mike, while you were sleeping.”
El had told her that one day while she was still in the hospital, the confession caused her to raise her eyebrows in shock.
“What? I thought you loved him!”
“There’s more to life than stupid boys, Max.”
The words caused them both to burst into a fit of laughter and giggles, with Max grinning so hard her cheeks hurt. She was sure El wore the same expression, even if she couldn’t see her face anymore. Her friend had climbed into her hospital bed with her, the two of them squished together– the mattress certainly wasn’t built for two people, Max felt crowded enough with just her on it. Despite this, she couldn’t bring herself to care. It felt nice to lay next to El again, giggling like the teenagers they were supposed to be.
At some point, she had leaned her head against El’s shoulder, listening to her try to explain why she broke up with Mike. El had this habit of forgetting words and struggling to speak when she was worked up, which was something she had done at that moment. The redhead let her take her time, humming to show she was listening as El rambled on about how Mike wasn’t a good boyfriend and why she stopped loving him.
Whereas that was a more lighthearted exchange, they had plenty of somber conversations. Max learned that Eddie died in the upside down while completing phase three, successfully buying them all more time. She hadn’t known him very well, but the thought of him dying caused her heart to ache more than she had expected. Then came the guilt, the guilt that she survived and he didn’t. Maybe if she hadn’t been in Vecna’s trance so long he would be alive, he wouldn’t have had to sacrifice himself and Dustin wouldn’t flinch anytime his name was brought up.
At least Vecna was gone, El had told her that much. It was the only thing that had brought her solace that night as she fell asleep.
Physical therapy was the bane of Max’s existence. After laying around in bed with little to no movement for months, she had been thrilled to finally leave her room and start working back toward normalcy.
However, she had severely underestimated how hard it would be. Ignoring the factor that she could no longer see, she had been bedridden for months beforehand. It felt like she forgot what it was like to walk, she felt helpless and vulnerable just learning to stand again. Her bones hurt and ached, she was sore and stiff every second of the day, and she would get tired after less than an hour of being out of bed.
It was frustrating, infuriating even. How was walking– something a toddler could do– so incredibly strenuous? She had fought demogorgans and escaped the upside down on multiple occasions, but walking across the room was a harder battle?
Her friends were always there to help, and her mom too when she wasn’t working. Max knew she should be grateful to have people that supported her and encouraged her, but she couldn't help but feel aggravated by their presence. Each reassuring comment thrown her way whenever she would stumble made her feel bitter, bitter that this was what her life had come to. She was getting praise for doing the most simple, mundane tasks– walking, climbing stairs– and it drove her mad.
What happened to the girl that could skateboard better than any of the boys at the skate park? The girl who had the highest score in dig dug? The girl who didn’t take shit from anybody?
Max didn’t feel like herself anymore, she felt like a shell of what she used to be and she didn’t know how to get that back.
It was easier to lash out than to cry and open up about how weak and pathetic she felt. She let that anger and resentment rise until she couldn’t hold it in anymore, but it was still better than breaking down.
“I’m fine, quit babying me!” She had all but snarled at Lucas one time when she stumbled and fell on her ass while completing an exercise in physical therapy. It was in moments like these, that she was glad she couldn’t see the hurt she knew was plastered all over his face.
“Max, I’m just trying to help you-”
“I didn’t ask for your help, I’m not something you need to fix because you feel guilty.”
The guilt that came with her outbursts threatened to consume her, but she couldn’t control or rein it in. Anger was the one thing she did have, the one thing that kept her going. Without this anger, what would be left? She couldn’t let go of it, even if she tried.
She was angry at the world. Furious with herself and her body, bitter toward her friends who were so understanding and caring despite the fact that she was a complete asshole. She cursed everyone from Vecna to Billy, outraged that she was the one to deal with the aftermath of everything.
The anger came and went, on some days it was better and other days it was unbearable. If one good thing came from it, it was that it motivated her to keep going. Each time she ate shit while doing an exercise, Max allowed that fury— whoever it was directed at that day— to fuel her until she hauled herself up and tried again.
Recovery wasn’t easy, but she was so about damn near anything to get away from that godforsaken hospital, no matter how many times she wanted to give up.
It took a while and she still had to go to physical therapy three times a week, but Max took the news she was being released from the hospital with great relief.
It felt surreal when she finally was discharged from the hospital and she was allowed to go home. Max had hated the small trailer that she shared with her mom, but when she stepped out of the car she had never felt so happy to be back in her withering and broken-down trailer park.
Her mother was doing better, better than she was before at least. She still worked round the clock to pay for their living expenses, as well as Max’s neverending medical bills– yet another thing to make her feel guilty and like the burden she convinced herself she was. Her mom wasn’t drinking herself to sleep every night anymore, the shock of the ‘earthquake’ and her daughter being comatose for months must have been her rock bottom, shaking her out of that habit. Every now and then when Max had a bad day, she would be able to smell the liquor on her mother, but she swore it was just because she needed to unwind.
Max didn’t believe that, but there wasn’t much she could do or say. At least it wasn’t an every night occurrence, and maybe she shouldn’t be thankful for that but she would take would she would get.
Steve, Dustin, El, and Lucas had taken her home the day she was released from the hospital, her mom couldn’t get off work and Max didn’t want her to miss a shift seeing as they were now incredibly in debt. Steve had no problem picking her up, as much as he had complained before about being their babysitter, he was always there. The redhead knew he, like Lucas, also felt guilty about what had happened to her. He had always been so protective over the whole party, whenever they suggested anything even remotely dangerous he had been the one to shut them down (or try to, at least) in fear for their safety.
He didn’t baby her as much as some of the others did, but he still was always there to help her when she needed it. Max could always feel his eyes on her, checking to make sure she was okay. He thought he was being discreet, but she could always sense his worry.
“Where’s my sunglasses?” She asked, feeling around for the glasses she had managed to lose on her lap during the car ride.
“Here, I have them,” El replied, gently sliding the sunglasses onto her face with such care and gentleness Max felt her heart ache.
It was bright outside which only irritated her eyes. When the sun was out Max had to wear sunglasses to help with the harsh glare. Although she couldn’t see what she looked like anymore, the redhead had El describe to her what her eyes looked like a couple days after she woke up, after she worked up the courage to ask. She didn’t want to look like Fred and Chrissy, with their eyes gouged out and blood trailing from where they had been. She could feel her eyes though, which gave her the motivation to find out the answer. If she had eyes, surely she couldn’t look like that.
“They’re. . Lighter. Than they were before. And kind of glassy looking. Your blood vessels around your eyes burst when it first happened, but you can’t tell anymore.”
“Oh.” She frowned, trying to picture the image El described. “So, not terrifying? Ugly?”
“No! Max, you could never be ugly. You are pretty. Always.”
The statement had done something to Max’s heart upon hearing her words, spoken with such ferocity and seriousness she hadn’t known how to reply. If there was anything she knew about El, it was how serious she was about being honest. She knew the brunette meant every word she said, she wouldn’t lie. Friends don’t lie, she told Max that constantly.
Still, her reassurances only boosted her confidence so far. Max didn’t want to be the new freak her neighbors could gossip about around the dinner table, so for now she was going to stick with the sunglasses.
“Ready, kid?” Steve asked from the front seat, to which she nodded her head.
El slid out first once the car door was open, reaching out her hand for Max to grasp as she guided her out of Steve’s car. She was walking a lot better and didn’t stumble anymore, from her previous broken bones that was. She hadn’t been back home since losing her sight, it was going to take her a little while before she was able to confidently navigate around her yard and house on her own.
She hated that she needed help, but at least it was El, and her friend didn’t make her feel like a toddler. She was just there, ready to catch her if she fell.
Max heard shuffling and assumed the boys had rounded the car until they were next to her, waiting for her to be ready before making their way to her house. She knew Dustin was beside her, she could tell by the he faintly brushed against her, letting her know he was there without actually saying anything. She heard him take in a sharp breath, one she could tell was filled with pain.
Even if she didn’t have her sight anymore, Max had quickly been able to pick up details from her other senses. She mainly relied on hearing now to pick up on what was happening around her. She had always been an observant person— she had to be due to how she grew up— so it was easy to figure out what was going on in Dustin’s head.
She was glad she couldn’t see Eddie’s trailer, it held too many bad memories. In that moment she was sure Dustin was also wishing the same.
Her hand was already wrapped around El’s forearm in preparation to be guided to her door. She didn’t need any more assistance, but despite this Max lifted her other hand, grasping Dustin’s arm as well and giving it a small squeeze, aiming a small smile in his direction. No words needed to be spoken, there was nothing she could say that could make him feel better or bring his friend back. Instead she hoped he could understand what she was trying to say through the gesture.
“Well are we gonna stand around all day or what?” Max said, breaking the silence that had fallen upon the group.
“Impatient as always,” Lucas muttered, though nothing but amusement filled his tone.
“I want to try to memorize the layout before those other nerds get here and start annoying me, so sue me.”
“Other nerds? Are you calling Dustin and I nerds?!”
“Okay, okay, enough! Let’s stop chitchatting and go, shitheads.” Steve interrupted them, lurching forward as he marched toward the trailer.
“You two gonna follow him or what?” Max mumbled, nudging her two friends who quickly jumped into action after the prompt.
Steve unlocked the door with her key, Dustin and El helping her up the stairs and guiding her into the house as Lucas brought up the rear. It felt weird to be back after so long and she couldn’t even see what had changed. There was no lingering smell of cheap beer or cigarettes in the air, leaving her to hope that her mom really had been trying to stay sober. Upon stopping in the entrance, she noticed it felt less cluttered, leading her to believe her mom had also straightened up a bit instead of leaving the home in its usual messy state.
She let go of Dustin, leaving him to talk to the other boys as they discussed getting her stuff out of the car— her belongings she had with her while she was in the hospital. Max let El lead her around, attempting to memorize the familiar walkways and layouts of the house just as she had mentioned while they were outside. El didn’t rush her as they stopped in each room (not that there were many, it was a small trailer), running her hands over each surface as she shuffled around. Her doctors had told her to do this, to retain information on her surroundings to help her navigate better by herself. She had a cane— one that she had yet to use much— but she didn’t want to rely on that in her own home.
“Did you know blind people can still read? With braille?” El asked suddenly.
They were now in the bathroom, with Max running her fingers over the counter and all the various clutter on the sink. The way that her friend phrased the question made her laugh slightly, especially when she mispronounced the term. El still had a hard time pronouncing unfamiliar words, and while she had laughed it had been because Max found it endearing.
“My doctors mentioned it, I need to start learning it,” she nodded, absentmindedly running her hand through her hair.
“I found books at the library about it, I made Hop take me. I’m going to learn it too, for you.”
“You would do that?”
“Yes. . Why wouldn’t I?” El inquired, genuine confusion in her voice.
Her words made Max’s heart flutter, a feeling of warmth and happiness filling her chest. How was El so considerate? She never asked her to do these things, she always came up with the ideas on her own. It still shocked her when people did things for her, Max was so used to looking out for herself her entire life that when someone showed her any act of kindness, no matter how small, she didn’t know how to respond.
“Thank you,” she whispered, a smile appearing on her face. Max wasn’t a touchy-feely person, but she couldn’t help but lean forward until she found El, pulling her friend into a tight hug. El immediately responded, wrapping her arms around the redhead.
“You don’t need to thank me, Max.” She murmured. “We can find you comic books with braille! You can read Wonder Woman again!”
The excitement in her tone only made Max smile harder, something she could only pinpoint as hope flaring in her chest for the first time in ages.
“I doubt we can find anything like that in Hawkins, but I like the idea.”
“Well. . Until then I can read them to you. My reading is much better than it was last time I read to you- actually I read to you a lot in the hospital, when you were sleeping.”
El always referred to her being in a coma as her sleeping, another thing Max found endearing for reasons she didn’t know.
“You did? What did you read?”
“Lots of comics, they’re easy to read. Big books are still hard but I’m getting better. Lucas read chapter books to you too. Did you hear us?”
“No. . But I think I felt your presence. I felt. . Safe? I don’t know how to describe it.”
El hummed in response, only then did she realize she was still holding onto her friend. Max pulled away, trying not to miss the comfortable embrace. She felt her cheeks heat up, suddenly she felt hot as if the temperature had shifted in the past couple of minutes.
Trying to distract herself from whatever was causing her body to react that way, she turned around feeling for the cup that held the toothbrushes until she found one.
“Is this one pink or green?”
“Green.”
That’s how most of the conversation flowed between them for the next ten minutes. Max would pick up various objects, trying to memorize the differences between them to figure out what was hers and what belonged to her mom. El answered all her questions, not seeming bothered in the slightest. She didn’t try to tell Max what was what, instead she waited until she was asked a question and let the redhead figure the rest out on her own.
They did this with the rest of the house until Max heard the door bang open, more voices filling the house. She had insisted she didn’t want a party when she was released from the hospital, the last thing she wanted was a bunch of people all in her space and overwhelming her. Instead her friends had compromised, saying that they would have a small get together and there would be no talks of a party.
Small get together her ass. Besides the people who had already been there, Nancy showed up with Robin, Mike, and Will. Even Erica had come, though now she was complaining about hanging out with a bunch of nerds.
It was overwhelming, just like she said it would be. All their voices blended together and it was hard to figure out who was talking. That, or she would hear a person speaking, but she couldn’t detect where the voice was coming from over all the other chatter. She felt lost and stupid, it shouldn’t be this hard to hang out with her friends.
They had wanted to do this for her so bad though, so Max stuck it out. They needed some sort of happiness as much as she did, she may have been the one to suffer the most physically but they all had been traumatized over the past four years. Even if she couldn’t see, she knew Steve, Nancy and Robin still had scars from the upside down. She knew they all still got nightmares, and certain things caused them to spiral. A lot had happened while she was in her coma, with killing Vecna and sealing all the portals. Max had never asked too many questions on that topic, unable to bear the thoughts that came with it. Sometimes it was better to be left in the unknown, she learned that the hard way once before.
Instead of instantly fleeing like she desperately wanted to, she sat on her worn down couch and listened to her friends banter and joke around. She nodded when she wanted to look engaged, speaking when spoken to, trying to ignore the despair rising in her chest as the seconds passed. She could hear Mike going on about some d&d campaign, Will and Dustin chiming in every now and then to give him ideas. She could make out Steve’s voice farther away talking to. . Robin? She wasn’t sure.
Max was in such concentration she didn’t feel the couch dip beside her, not realizing another person was next to her until they spoke.
“Hey, you okay?” Nancy.
Her voice was soft and gentle, but not laced with the usual pity she was getting so used to hearing. It sounded more genuine.
She nodded her head, blinking her eyes that seemed to be getting more irritated. “Yeah, it’s just. .”
“A lot?” Nancy offered when she trailed off, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
Max was never close to Nancy, other than when she would see her when she was at Mike’s house or the occasional time she would pick them up from the mall or arcade. But the older girl was the only one that was alive that somewhat understood her whole Vecna situation— besides El— and she had been a shoulder to lean on while everything went down. Max found her presence comforting.
“It is a lot.” She admitted, fingers fiddling with the scrunchie on her wrist. “Could you help me back to my room? I wanna lay down for a little bit but I haven’t figured out the layout yet. I don’t want to trip on my ass in front of everyone.”
Max hated that she had to ask for someone to help her go to her own bedroom. She felt vulnerable in that moment, like she was a child who needed their mother who hold its hand. At least Nancy didn’t fuss over her like the others did, that was the one piece of comfort she got.
“Of course, come on.”
The older girl waited for Max to hold on to her arm, standing up when the redhead had a firm grip around her bicep. She was thankful no one asked if she was okay or where she was going, the last thing she wanted was attention on her or to bring down the upbeat atmosphere.
Nancy led her to her bed. She brushed her hand over the comforter, making sure she knew exactly where she was before she tried to sit down. Once she plopped down on the bed, she instantly felt some of the tension that had built up over the course of the past hour disappear as she slouched down, letting out a small breath of relief. Max had expected the other girl to leave and return to the others, but instead she was surprised to find that Nancy had sat down beside her, shoulders brushing against the redhead ever so slightly.
She found her friends did this a lot, to let her know they were there. Max never loved physical touch but now she had to get used to it. With one sense lost, she began to rely so heavily on the other four— especially hearing and touch. Whether that meant her friends learned to brush against her like Nancy did, or when Will would lay his hand on her shoulder to let her know he was there. She did hate that she couldn’t just see them to know they were there anymore, but a small part of her that she would never admit to anyone was glad they were adjusting to her new reality. Sometimes it seemed like everyone was adjusting but her.
“You know, you don’t have to put other people first all the time. It’s okay to take care of yourself too,” Nancy spoke, breaking the silence that had rested upon them.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’ve been a bitch since I woke up from that coma,” she muttered, letting her legs swing below her. Her stomach twisted at the words, the brick wall that she had been building up for the past year only seeming to solidify in that moment.
“Which you have every right to be,” Nancy hummed. “I’m pretty good at reading people, and I know you only lash out because it’s easier than opening up and talking about what you’re really dealing with, how all of this is affecting you. I do it too. Being angry feels better than falling apart and admitting you aren’t okay. You try to keep all that pain and grief to yourself, so you don’t burden other people.”
Max was silent, not having anything to say. What the older girl was talking about was easier said than done. She had spent her whole life bottling up her feelings, having to hide things from other people. First with Billy and his abuse, then her mom and stepdad fighting, her mom’s drinking and finally everything with the upside down. How was she supposed to know how to be vulnerable when she was never allowed to be in the first place?
Nancy didn’t seem to be deterred by her lack of words, instead she persisted.
“All I’m saying is, you can put yourself first. You’re allowed to, Max. You don’t have to let everyone in your house while you sit in your bedroom because it overwhelms you. You don’t have to pretend you’re okay, because I know you’re not. None of us are, I can tell you that. Dustin is still grieving Eddie, we all are. I have nightmares almost every night and I know Robin does too, hell, Steve can’t even swim anymore because he’s too terrified. If we’re all not okay, you don’t have to be either.”
“I know,” Max sighed, sounded more tired than she meant to. But that was the truth, she was tired.
“I’ll. . I’ll get there eventually. Thanks though, and thank you for not treating me like an infant. I know Steve sees himself as this babysitter but he really takes that title to the next level sometimes.”
At that Nancy laughed, a faint smile appearing on Max’s own face.
“He really does, doesn’t he?” She mused.
The sound of someone leaning against the doorframe of her room caused Max’s head to snap up, she hadn’t been paying attention and hadn’t heard the footsteps before the person got to her room.
“Everything good here?” It was Robin, she could tell by her raspy voice.
“Yep, Max is just tired. I’m gonna get those other idiots to leave, they swore this wasn’t a party yet they’re still here.” She could practically hear Nancy rolling her eyes as she spoke. The bed shifted, indicating to her that the older girl had turned her gaze back toward Max.
“Robin and I will stay here till your mom gets back from work. We’ll stay in the living room though so you can be alone, just yell if you need anything.” Nancy murmured, resting a hand on her shoulder briefly before she stood up.
She nodded, aiming a smile in their general direction, hoping they understood that she was appreciative of the space they were giving her. Max had no clue when Robin and Nancy had become so close, from what she remembered the two got on each other’s nerves when they were trying to figure out how Victor Creel was related to Vecna— although she supposed it was more Robin annoying Nancy than the other way around.
I guess I was asleep for a long time, she thought to herself, laying back in her bed. She could hear the faint voice of Nancy as she tried to usher everyone out, not without plenty of whining and complaints. Most likely Mike or Dustin, if she knew anything about her friends it was that they would voice any slight inconvenience.
Max closed her eyes, too tired to attempt trying to change on her own. She was already wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, it was comfy enough for bed even if it was way earlier than she would normally sleep. She used to be such a night owl, but with the stress that was put on her body by doing daily tasks she found herself exhausted hours earlier than she used to be.
Letting the familiar scent and comfort of her room wash over her for the first time in months, Max allowed herself to give into the exhaustion and fall into what would hopefully be a dreamless slumber. She had enough of thinking, of stressing about everything that was her life now.
Even if sleep was temporary, she welcomed the escape.