Crossfire - Book 1 - S.H.

Chapter 7: The bathtub

Jonathan was still cuffed and he, Nancy and Shelley were being kept at the station while Powell tried to get in contact with chief Hopper. While Nancy pressed some ice to Jonathan's wounds on his forehead, Shelley couldn't help but wonder how Steve was. Sure, she was pissed and, at the moment, there was no one in the world she hated more than Steve Harrington himself, but still... She cared. And Jonathan had put up one hell of a fight. So if he came out of it looking like that, Shelley didn't even like to imagine how Steve was coping.

And, in any case, it wasn't as if she had had the chance because, while Shelley distracted herself from her own thoughts, keeping her eyes glued to the window beside her, she finally heard the door to the station being opened and no one other than Joyce Byers herself walking in, accompanied by chief Jim Hopper, of course.

"Jonathan?" Joyce called, bee-lining toward Jonathan and taking a second to look at Shelley standing beside him before letting her eyes fall on the wound in her son's head when Nancy pulled her hand away from him. "Jesus, what... What happened?"

"Ma'am..." Callahan tried to explain the situation while Joyce fussed over Jonathan.

"I'm fine." The boy assured, shaking his mom's hands away from him as Joyce squinted his eyes at the officers once she noticed the cuffs around Jonathan's wrists.

"Why is he wearing handcuffs?" She asked.

"Well, your boy assaulted a police officer." Callahan said, nodding over at Powell as Jonathan sighed. It wasn't as if he had actually meant to do it. "That's why."

"Take them off." Joyce demanded.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that."

"Take them off!"

"You heard her." Chief Hopper surprisingly jumped up in the woman's defense. "Take 'em off."

"Chief, I get everyone's emotional here, but there's something you need to see." Powell said, and, as soon as the man sent Shelley and Jonathan a look, they both knew they were in trouble.

"Yeah, okay." Hopper decided, after a moment of hesitation, his eyes jumping from the kids to a very stressed out Joyce. "You stay here."

And, considering Jonathan was cuffed, it wasn't as if they had much a choice on the matter anyway. Despite her better judgment, instead of asking his children what the hell was going on the second Hopper and his deputies were out of sight, Joyce chose to, instead, keep on looking after her son and, for the whole time Hopper was out, she didn't said anything, Shelley and Nancy standing off to the side to leave some space for the two of them.

"Hey..." Nancy whispered, leaning closer to Shelley to make sure her voice would be as low as possible when she talked so that no one heard them. "Are you... Are you okay?"

And Shelley knew what she was asking. After all, half of them had seen the scene she and Steve had caused and, as much as she had wanted to, Shelley hadn't cried about it at all. Sure, it hurt. Every time Shelley remembered the words Steve had told her, they stung even deeper into her heart, but she didn't have the time to dwell on it. Not yet, at least.

"Yeah..." She lied, her eyes closing to try and keep her tears in. "Yeah, I... I'll be fine."

Nancy wanted to say something else, Shelley could tell, but, before she could, Hopper walked inside the station again, this time, holding the box with all the hunting tools they had bought and Shelley's rifle. Joyce widened her eyes at the sight, jumping up to her feet as soon as Hopper threw everything on the table in front of Jonathan, causing the bear traps and nails to rattle loudly inside the box.

"What is this?" Joyce asked, taking a peek inside the box as she gasped at the sight.

"Why don't you ask your son?" Hopper responded, his eyes set on Jonathan as the boy just glared right back at him. "We found it in his car."