Smoke -- Jim Hopper

74. SPRING BREAK

No one come for me if I add extra days into this season lol I'm trying to stretch it out a little lmao all of S4 happened so fast my word

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Natalie was up early, well she always was now. She had to feed the baby, feed the animals, and get El to school before dropping the baby off with Bob to babysit before she went to work.

It was a lot.

There were times she thought about her old life, or more so the summer when Jim and her were going to get married. Before all the shit went down with the upside down.

Natalie sighed, sipping at her lukewarm coffee as she watched El sit down at the table. She was carrying a diorama of what looked to be to be the old cabin. "It looks good, El," Natalie said as she examined the little figure of Jim and their two dogs.

El nodded, smiling at her project, "thank you. I think it will go good, the presentation."

Natalie smiled, "I think so too, just remember if you get scared or nervous just focus on the wall so you don't have to look at anyone."

"I will do that, and then after Mike will be here," El said with a large grin. 

Natalie chuckled, "yeah he'll be here, you know the rule though right?"

El sort of rolled her eyes but nodded, "yes, three inches."

"Good," Natalie said with a wobbly smile. It was painful to bring up Jim's advice, and it made her heart ache for him. She could almost hear his voice saying those same words.

Everyday when she'd go to drop El off at school she'd pass by the sunflowers she planted in Jim's memory in the pasture. It was always a stark reminder of the empty space she felt inside of her.

In fact she was reminded again as she docs El to school after they finished breakfast. The flowers weren't in bloom yet but they were growing tall now, ready blossom once they came into season.

What's even worse was his hat was still out there in the pasture.

Natalie blinked, forcing herself not to think of the funeral she had for Jim and how it hurt so much to talk about him. Pretend that he had died in a mall fire, Watch El sob as she clung onto Mike.

Her brother had shown up with his wife, and offered to move down to California with her, but she declined. She felt almost if Dean was there, Jim's death would be more real.

As El's high school came into view she noticed Argyle and Jonathan had just dropped Will off as well.

Natalie tilted her head as she parked watching Will timidly walk towards her truck, shoulders bunches and eyes sort of drifting back and forth between groups of people.

That was another thing she was worried about.

Will.

As he's grown older, he's changed. It wasn't a bad change, but she could tell whatever he was dealing with was making him uncomfortable and withdrawn. It made her worried, and she was hoping he'd go to her or Jonathan for help if he needed it.

"Thank you for the ride. I'll be with the Byers after school to pick up Mike," El said as she pushed open the door.

Natalie nodded, watching El hop out and rush towards Will who had just been dropped off by Jonathan. She sighed looking back to see that Jay was secure in his car seat before driving towards the Byers house.

Apparently, Bob had put it upon himself to babysit Jay while Joyce worked at home selling something Natalie didn't pay too much attention too. But this meant she could start work.

She was excited to work again, she missed having that part of her life back. Granted it wasn't great here like it was in Hawkins but it would do.

Once she dropped off Jay and left a long list of numbers for Bob, said hi to Joyce, she left. The new clinic Natalie worked out was in the city, mostly small animal but she had a few farm calls now and then.

The staff there was nice, but she missed her old team. She missed Steve's help, and she did miss Robin too. She met Robin once, when Steve brought her by to look at the cat she found on the street.

Robin was goofy, a little out there, but in a good way. Apparently she was in on the whole Hawkins shit show too, so they were connected in some way.

Natalie also missed Elle, her old office manager and secretary. As well as Tanner her lead tech. They both understood why she shut down the clinic after Jim's death.

Natalie parked and got out of her truck and headed towards the front door where she was promptly met with her pompous co worker, Eric.

Eric...

She loathed Eric, probably the worst snobbish veterinarian she's ever met. Not to mention he's been dropping him to to her about going on a date ever since she joined his team.

"Natalie, you're late," Eric said as he winked at her. "That's okay, I won't give you a strike if you have lunch with me?"

"Give me the strike," Natalie said, her voice sour as she pushed passed Eric.

"Aw c'mon!" Eric huffed as he quickly followed her to the back of the clinic, "just one date?"

"I told you no," Natalie hissed, glaring at him as she opened the fridge to pull out a water bottle.

"I think you want to," Eric said as he folded his arms over his chest, "look, I know your fiancé, Jim or something, died in some fire, which is horrible, terrible really, but you gotta move on? Ya know? You're too young and pretty to be a widow."

Natalie's jaw just about dropped as she stood up to her full height. "Fuck you," she snapped as she shoved the water bottle into his chest, "you think you have any right to tell me that?"

"Now hold on," Eric began, scrambling to find the right words, "I didn't mean that."

"You did, you meant it," Natalie countered, she was fuming mad. "Is your skull really that thick to not understand that no means no? I don't want you, and I never will. My fiancé was a better man than you will ever be, so keep his fucking name out of your mouth."

Eric's eyes were wide as he took a step back from Natalie. He gave her one quick nod before leaving the break room.

Natalie sighed, letting her shoulders fall as she felt her throat tighten. Tears pricked her eyes as she furiously wiped them away with the back of her hand. She needed to calm down, get ahold of herself before the day started.

So she cleared her throat and sucked up her feeling before heading out of the break room and trying to hide her breaking heart from the world.

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When Natalie got home, she was dead tired. She was physically exhausted and mentally exhausted. Today was worse than most days and she even got to leave early.

With a sigh she threw her keys on the chair next to the door and grabbed the mail. It had been piling up for a few days and she knew there was some important tax notice or something she needed to fill out.

As she set down the bundle of mail a package caught her eye. She tilted her head at the sheer number of stamps on the front, and it was then she noticed the symbols on the stamps as well as the words.

They were in Russian.

"Oh shit," she breathed, running a hand through her hair as she quickly backed away from the package.

What was in there? And more importantly who was sending her something from Russia?