you are not alone → stranger things

xiii. hospital

Monday evening
Hopper's POV

Flashback - Sunday night
Who the hell is calling me so late on a Sunday? Are they out of their goddamn mind?

It was Joyce. Will had been going missing every night since Friday night, and she was worried. She said he didn't remember ever getting up to leave the house. She said he had been feeling sick.

I tried to sympathize and calm her down. It'll be okay, I said. Kids will be kids. They're weird.

She protested that he wasn't a typical kid. I had heard this argument before.

If it keeps up, then you should be worried, I said. He might just be sneaking off to see his friends, I reminded her.

She agreed to calm down, give the kid time. Good. That family had been through enough shit.

Present
"Joyce Byers' son was hospitalized," Flo said flatly, barging into my office.

I shoved my cigarette into the ashtray on my desk. "Will?" I gasped.

She shook her head. "Jonathan. Some other kid beat the hell out of him. He got it pretty bad. Nancy Wheeler is distraught. She apparently caused the fight."

I looked at her for a moment, then nodded. I stood. "I'll go see what I can do. Anything else?"

"Nothing serious," Flo replied.

I walked out after her, heading for the door. I grabbed my hat and keys.

"Hey, Chief," a few people called out to me. I waved without looking. Joyce needed support right now, and I was likely the only one to understand.

I was at the hospital in no time. Joyce was already in the waiting room, looking frazzled and biting her nails. She looked up at me and sighed. "Oh, Hop."

"You alright?" I asked her, sitting in the empty chair next to her.

She nodded nervously. "I, uh, sent Will to the Wheeler's house for the night."

I wasn't sure what to say to this unexpected statement. "Okay. Should I check on him?"

She swallowed and looked at the floor. "No, it's okay. He should be fine."

"Mrs. Byers?" A nurse rushed up to her, and Joyce stood. "Your son is awake. He seems to be fine, but we should keep him overnight just in case. His injuries aren't as bad as they look."

She let out a breath of relief. "Can I see him?"

The nurse nodded, then looked at me. "You can't come in, sorry. Only family."

I nodded and sank back down into a chair to wait.

About half an hour later, Joyce returned, looking even more anxious. "He won't answer any questions about what happened. He just asks for Nancy Wheeler. The painkillers..." She hesitated, then began to tear up. "Oh, he looks just awful, Hopper."

I pulled her down in the chair beside me and rubbed her back sympathetically. No matter how hard the Byers will try, they'll never again be a normal family. And I pity them for it.

A few minutes later, I stood, looking for a vending machine. I was pretty sure I had seen one. Yes, there it is.

I got a Coke and headed back. But someone had taken my chair. A man I'd seen in passing before, but never spoken to. He was handsome enough, looked nice, but I didn't like him already. He was sitting too close to Joyce.

They looked up at me as I approached. "Oh, Jim Hopper, right?" the man said, standing and smiling. He held out his hand. "Bob Newby. Nice to meet you."

I shook his hand reluctantly. "I see you're friends with Joyce?"

He shrugged, still smiling. "Actually, I noticed her alone and looking upset, so I decided to come over just now. I saw you," he added, turning to her, "a few weeks back with Will Byers, that kid who came back to life."

She nodded, averting her eyes. "That's my son."

I saw the look in Bob's eyes, and I didn't like it one bit. He liked her. "I'll be going, then," I said gruffly, looking at Joyce. "Work calls."

She looked surprised. "But-"

"See you soon, Joyce!" I said loudly, walking away purposefully.

Bob Newby. I hated his name already.

Time Skip
I opened the box and put Eggos, a blue raspberry Airhead, and a water bottle inside. The food had started to pile up, and I was worried that something had happened to Eleven.

I had been putting food in my little box since last week. I'd realized that the kid wouldn't be able to find food in that horrible other dimension. I had been there myself, so I knew. And they had told me that she wouldn't be able to get out of that place, so I figured she would need some help.

I closed the box and went back to my car.